190V. S 
Lady Sholto went forward to her brother’s side as 
silently. The Earl was loaning back In a deep, 
low chair, In an attitude of extreme fatigue or 
depression, hla handsome fair head thrown back, 
his face worri with suffering, the beautiful proud 
face usually so kind and so gay. 
“Archie, dear,” said his sister, softly; and turn¬ 
ing towards tor with thO faintest, saddest smile, 
he put our. his hand and took hers. Ills palm was 
dry and burning with fever, and held her fingers 
In a close almost convulsive clasp. There was no 
light In the room but that given by a shaded lamp 
on the table; but that sufficed to show the young 
nobleman the Ware In his sister's eyes, the tender 
pity on her fair young face, and drawing her to 
him he rested his head on her shoulder while Lady 
Sliolto put her arms round hts neck and stooped 
her cheek to Ills curly fair hair as tenderly and as 
gently as she nursed the sturdy two year old 
youngs XL In the nursery upstairs. 
“ Archie, dear Avchle,” she repeated, softly. 
“ Don’t pity me, Florte,” he said, hoarsely; “ I 
cannot bear that.” 
For somo minutes they continued thus, and look¬ 
ing over at her husband, Lady Florence saw that 
his eyes were dim with tears. 
“ How Is she ?" said the Earl, then, and his sis- 
ter told film sortly that Jean was better and want¬ 
ed to see lilm In the morning, If he would see her 
once more. 
“Does she think I am angry with her, Florle?” 
he said, looking up tor a moment. “ Foolish child, 
tell her, there is no room ror any reeling but love 
in my heart for her. Tell her that If I could 
hope she would be happy I could bear my share of 
suffering—my poor Jeanle-my poor little love, Ms 
wife.” 
He turned away abruptly to bide the quiver of 
his up, and fell upon the table, covering his face 
with Ills arms, and Lady Sholto went back to her 
guests with a feeling of pain which was new and 
strange In her heart, for she, like Jean, had Uved 
in the sunshine hitherto, and knew not how to 
bear the storm. 
As Sir David had said, Mr. Blair had been to all 
appearance exceedingly kind and considerate in 
his dealings with his wife. lie had said that If 
she chose to remain longer at Sholto Ball, she was 
welcome to do so; hut Jean, In her unselfish 
thought for her mends’ feelings, knew that Mr. 
Blair’s presence could not, be but distasteful to 
them, and decided on going immediately to Blair 
Gates, which, her husband said quietly, had been 
some tlmo in readiness to receive his bride. He 
acceded without he ltatlon to her wish to have a 
last Interview with the Earl, for having attained 
his end he could afford to be generous, and the 
look which he had seen on Lord Ivor's face as Ills 
brother-in-law led him from the library, showed 
him plainly that his revenge had been complete, 
that not, only had he won the wife whose person 
and whoso fortune he coveted, but he had caused 
the man he hated the keenest, bitterest suffering 
It was possible to endure. 
Cleverly his measures had been taken, he knew 
perfectly well that Sir David Calrnes would come 
to no other decision than the one arrived at, and 
that Jean was Ms Wife legally and Indisputably 
he was certain before the lawyer’s inquiry had 
been made. Ho cared but little for her sorrow • 
he had been prepared ror tears and falntlog fit*,’ 
he knew Jean well, and ho knew that once in¬ 
stalled at Blair Gates she would take her place 
as his wife in a way which would do him honor; 
while he know that the Sholto’s affection for 
her would not allow them to break off their 
acquaintanceship with her husband. 
He knew that their pride, as well as Jean’s 
would keep tho chief facts ol the marriage a secret, 
and that he would have the eclat of having carried 
off not only a beauty and an heiress, but the prom¬ 
ised wife of an Earl; so It was In a very well 
pleased and self-satisfied state of mind that he 
betook himself to Ids slumbers on the night before 
his departure from sholto Hall, a night which was 
to three or four of Its Inmates as wretched, nay, a 
great deal more so, than the previous one. 
“I wonder how Emily likes it?” he said to him¬ 
self, with a smile, as he put tho finishing touches 
to his hair the next morning, “ m be bound that 
she is In a fearful ruge; but she'll keep outwardly 
within bound? for fear of my anger, aud this little 
wife of mine has plenty of pluck and will stand her 
ground against her housekeeper. Brett Is a very 
valuable woman though,” ho added, “ and I should 
never get such another housekeeper, if she Is 
obliged to go; for, of course, go she must, if she 
cannotkeep the peace. Fortunately Jean is not 
likely to be Jealous of ber beauty, for she is beau¬ 
tiful and not one of the women here, not even 
Jean, Is to be compared with her. it was lucky 
though, “was his conclusive thought, •* that we 
were In Australia when I made her a certain 
promise, or I should find myself In the wrong box 
now, for she Is a vindictive, clever woman, and 
would have soon found out a way of making mo 
keep It.” 
And Mr. Blair, looking very handsome and 
aebonnairr, went downstairs to breakfast, always 
an informal meal at i-holto Hall, aud I 1 I 3 first 
glance round the table showed him that both Lord 
and Lady Sholto were tn their places, Lord Ivor 
was not present. 
Lady Sholto’s greeting was of the coldest, and 
her husband was too much absorbed In the Times 
to hear bis guest's salutation. Andrew Blair 
smiled grimly to himself under his moustache, 
and, dropping Into a seat by Sir David Calrnes! 
prepared 10 enjoy his breakfast with Ills usual ap¬ 
petite.—[To be continued. 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
Fast Thirty, By Mas. H. E. Monroe. Price 60 
cents. 
While this story lacks the symmetry and finish 
which characterize the writings of experienced 
novelists, ihej'e are abundant traces In it of earn¬ 
est though;, careful study and original views of 
life. 
The majn drift of the story 13 that the chief 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
passion of life comes after thirty. Love In all Its 
phases', even the slow crucifixion of It after mar¬ 
riage, is portrayed with startling fidelity. To 
those wives who love their husbands too much— 
and there be many such—we commend the cure 
for love, recorded in the twelfth chapter of the 
story. The advice given is practicable and whole¬ 
some. 
Boom for One More. By Mart Thatchf.r Hig- 
ginhon. Boston: Lee & SUepurd. Price .$1.25. 
In this story the reader Is Introduced to some 
very charming little folks. To be sure, the con¬ 
ventional good boy Is conspicuous by his absence, 
but the geuutuo “humanness” of the Hand child¬ 
ren Is Infinitely more delightful than the abnormal 
righteousness of the rnncU-extollcd good hoy; and 
while there are no very startling climaxes, the 
Incidents are sufficiently varied and entertaining 
to make a most attractive story. This is reported 
to bo the author’s first venture In Juvenile litera¬ 
ture ; if this Is so, she has reason to congratulate 
herself on the success she has “scored.” 
-» ♦ +- - . 
MAGAZINES. 
Demorest’s Monthly—C’ontbnts for Novem¬ 
ber.— Fashions—(Illustrated). Review of Fash¬ 
ions; Description of Plato; 11 lustrations Described; 
Fall and Winter Costumes; Fall Wraps and Win¬ 
ter Cloaks; Children's Costumes; Illustrations 
Described; Various Dresses ana nmts on chil¬ 
dren’s Fashions; Seasonable Fabrics; Trimmings; 
Gloves, Shoes, and Hosiery; Coiffures; Millinery; 
Lingerie; Domestic Art. Mls3 Melinda’s Black 
Bonnet, by Mrs. Annie E. Preston; Gentle Words 
(Poem); Mertlreval and Louis Qulnze Rooms, by 
Mrs. c. A. Mengkl; set Free (Poem), by Eben E. 
Rexford; Miss Harrington's Prediction (Conclu¬ 
ded) ; Too Late (Poem); Flower Talks, New Series, 
No. 10, by EbenE. Rexford; Little Things (Poem); 
Nellie’s Hermit, by “ Chris *.” Miscellany; M. 
Worth's Show Figures; A London Interior; High 
Art in a Western Court; The Art Studenis’ 
League; .Esthetics; A Lost Continent; False Edu¬ 
cation; Red Canaries; French Collectors; The 
Llttlo Sisters of the Poor; Wishes (Poem); Small 
Talk; Household Department; RecentLltorature; 
Mosaics; Answers to Correspondents; Publishers' 
Department. 
Fancy Costumes for Children.— As the season 
approaches when the little folks must find much 
of their amusement In-doors and may indulge In 
fancy costumes, Impromptu or otherwise, the fol¬ 
lowing descriptions of a few classical dresses Horn 
Mother Goose may be found acceptable: 
“MistressMary, quite contrary.”—Pink quilted 
skirt, with pictures of pretty girls all around, 
framed In sliver cord; blue bodice and tunic, the 
latter cut In Vandykes, with silvered bells and 
shells between each; hat of blue satin, and carries 
a small rake, hoe, and watering-pot. 
“Little Miss Mullet.”—Blue quilted skirt, over¬ 
dress of pink opera In front, with square bodice 
and elbow sleeves; powdered hair, red roses in the 
hair, straw hat with blue ribbons. 
“ Ilumpty Dumpty.”—Yellow-pointed shoes and 
yellow stockings. Short blue breeches vandyked 
round; loose sack beited In, blue hood, both van- 
dyked round, and a basket of artificial eggs in 
his hand. 
“Jack.”—Shoes and silk stockings, black velvet 
breeches, long-sklrtcd black velvet coat opening 
at the waist to show a cambric shirt; short cape 
of black velvet trimmed with gold braid, red ro¬ 
settes on each cuff and each corner of the skirt ot 
the coat,, ruff round the throat, red velvet hat, a 
pall In his hand. 
“ J111.”—striped red and white short skirt, looped- 
up tunic of blue, low bodice to match, with white 
pointed girdle laced with red. A Dorothy hat, with 
red aud blue ribbons; pall In her hand. 
“ Polly, put the kettle on.”—Pink skirt touching 
the ground, white aud blue-striped tunic and bod¬ 
ice, muslin cap; little toa-kettlea as ear-rings and 
locket, a tea-kettle hanging at her side aud a 
kettle-holder worked with her name. 
“ Jack the Giant-killer.”—Blue trunk hose, close- 
fitting rea coat with short basque, confined by 
bolt at the wait; sleeves tight to the waist, a puff 
at the top; slashed helmet on the head, and car¬ 
ries a shield and sword.— Demorest's Monthly, 
The November Atlantic has several important 
articles. Perhaps the one which will attract most 
attention among thoughtful people Is “ The Pros¬ 
pect 01 a Moral interregnum,” by Gold win Smith, 
who predicts a period or laxity and license In con¬ 
sequence of the alienation between religion and 
the scientific thought of the time. Col. Geo. E 
Waring, Jr., writes a curiously Interesting account 
of “ The Waldenses ot To-Day.” A sklihul writer, 
whose uame Is withheld, discusses with great 
force and interest “ Our Military Past and Future.” 
The author of “Massy Sprague’s Daughter ' con¬ 
tributes “ .Sister Mary’s Story,” which is easily one 
of the best magazine stories recently printed. 
Jennie Young writes of “The Ceramic Art in 
America;” “Irene the Missionary” 13 concluded. 
“Englishwomen la Recent Literature," “Myster¬ 
ious Disappearances,"and “ Late Books of Travel” 
though anonymous, arc thoroughly interesting. 
Richard Grant White discusses “ .Assorted Ameri¬ 
canisms'’ as heartily and freshly as if It were a 
wholly new topic. The Contributors Club abounds 
In bright things, and a chapter of “Recent Liter¬ 
ature "concludes a very goed Atlantic. Scores or 
thousands will be delighted to learn that Mr- 
Howells will begin a new serial smy lu the January 
Atlantic. 
The Prospect of a Moral Interregnum.—A 
collapse of religious belief, of the most complete 
aud tremendous kind, Is apparently now at hand. 
At the time ot the Reformation the question was, 
after all, only about the tom of Christianity ; and 
even the skeptics of the last, century, while they 
rejected Christ, remained firm theists; not only so, 
but they mechanically retained the main principles 
of Christian morality, as we see yery plainly In 
Rousseau’s Vlcalre Savoyard and Voltaire’s letters 
on the Quakers. Very different la the crisis at 
which we have how arrived. No one who has 
watched the progress of discussion and the Indica¬ 
tions of opinions in literature and in social Inter¬ 
course can doubt that, In the minds of those whose 
views are likely to become-and In an age when 
all thought Is rapidly popularized soon to become 
the views of society at large, belief In Christianity 
as a revealed and supernatural religion has given 
away. Science and criticism combined have des¬ 
troyed the faith of free inquirers In the Mosaic 
cosmogony, In the Inspiration of the Bible and the 
genuineness of many books of It, la large portions 
of the history of the Old Testament, and In the 
history of the Now Testament so far as It Is 
miraculous or Inseparably connected with miracles 
The mortal blow has been given by criticism In dis¬ 
proving or rendering uncertain the authenticity of 
the historical books of the New Testament. 
Not supernatural religion alone, but the exist¬ 
ence of a Deity itself, has for many minds, and 
those the minds of good, uble, and highly instruct¬ 
ed men, ceased to be an object of distinct belief. 
If It has not become an object of distinct disbelief! 
The emancipated and emboldened lips ot science 
have met the thelst's argument of Design with the 
apparent evidences of the absence of design, 
waste and miscarriage In the heavens and the 
earth, seemingly purposeless havoc and extinction 
of races; while philosophy has breathed doubt 
upon the logical validity of the reasonings which 
satisfied the apologists of former days. The argu¬ 
ment, of Beneficence is encountered by the perplex¬ 
ing array of the cruelties—MU® apparently 
gratuitous cruelties—of nature. Above all, creation 
is supposed to have been supplanted by evolution, 
which, In spite of partial objections, lingering 
doubts, and the lmperfecfioii3 sure to be found in 
any newborn theory, is to all appearances destined 
soon to bo the creed ot the world. With the belief 
in a Deity perishes that In t he immortality of the 
soul, which, apart from animistic superstitions and 
special fancies about the other world, Is a belief In 
the connection of the human soul with the EternaL 
Nothing apparently is left but the secular conse¬ 
quences of conduct, human law, which thestroDg 
may make or unmake, and reputation, which suc¬ 
cess, even criminal success, may to a great extent 
command. That which prevails as Agnosticism 
among philosophers and the highly educated pre¬ 
vails as secularism among mechanics, and in that 
form is likely soon to breed mut inous questionings 
about the present social order among those who 
get the poorer share, and who can no longer be ap¬ 
peased by promises of compensation lu another 
world,—Rtf Oohhcin smith in November Atlantic . 
St. Nicholas For November opens the seventh 
volume of that magazine, with wider margins, 
thicker paper, twenty-eight additional pages, two 
frontispieces, a red-line title-page for the volume, 
sixty or more pictures, and fourteen short stories! 
Among the chief features of the number are: % 
lively hojnc story by Mary Mapes Dodge, the edi¬ 
tor ; a. story by Sarah Winter Kellogg of How some 
Dolls Broke the I,aw; an indescribable story, The 
Uulra’s Daughter, written by Frank R. Stockton 
lu his peculiarly funny style; a description of the 
Centaur Boys of Thrace and their games, and “go- 
as-you-please n matches, with three illustrations 
by the humorous artist, F. S. church; an lce-raft 
story of a boy who saved Mrs. McGlinty’s Pigs 
Trom an ley death; an account, by a boy, of how 
he hunted Jack-rabbits In Kansas ; a short story 
of the Lire ot the Lost Dauphin, with a frontispiece 
portrait of the little prince, engraved from a paint¬ 
ing by Greuse; and a thrilling historical story ot 
tho Black Prince and Phfltp the Bold, telling how 
when boys they fought like heroes at Crecy and 
Poitiers. This last paper Is Illustrated with two. 
striking full-page battle-pictures. 
A new 6erlnl story of boy-praDks, fun, and out¬ 
door life, written by William O. Stoddard, author 
of Dab lvtnzer, and entitled Among the Lakes, is 
begun with a lively Installment; and there Is an ex- 
cttlhg account by Frank H. Converse of a lad who. 
was leftjAdrift on the Ocean, visited a wonderful 
volcanic Island, and had many strange adventures. 
An Article by olive Thorne, Illustrated with 
eleven pictures by Jessie Curtis, describes the 
Playthings of all times and climes; and a clearly 
written paper with carefully prepared diagrams, 
tells how to make A Few pretty Things tn Fancy 
Work. 
The Very Little Folk have four pages of large 
type and four pictures to themselves; aud the de¬ 
partments, Jack-In the-Fulptt, Letter Box and 
Kiddle Box, are crammed with funny items, tho 
boys' and girls’ letters, aud riddles of all sorts. 
VARIETIES, 
A PETITION TO TIME. 
Touch Us gently. Time! 
Let ns glide adown thy stream 
Gently—as we sometimes slide 
Through a quiet dream ! 
Humble voyagers are we, 
LRisband. wife and children three— 
(One is lost—an angel fled 
To the azure overhead! > 
Touch us gently, Time ! 
We’ve not proud nor soaring wings; 
Our ambition, our content. 
Lies in simple things. 
Humble voyagers art. we. 
O’er Life's dim unsouuded sea. 
Seeking only some culm clime :— 
Touch us gvntl*', gentle Time! 
[Harry Cornwall. 
The Responsive Chord.— Iu the early spring of 
1303, when the Confederate and Federal armies 
were cohfroittlng each other on the opposite hills 
or staffeird and Spottsylvanla, two bands chanced 
one evening, at the same hour, to begin to dis¬ 
course Sweet music upon either bank of the river. 
A large crowd of the soldiers of both armies gath¬ 
ered to listen to the music, tho friendly pickets 
not interfering, and soon the bands began tq an- 
727 
swer each other. First the band on the Northern 
ba nk would play “ Star Spangled Banner,” “ Hall 
Colombia,” or some other national air, and at Its 
conclusion the “ boys In blue” would cheer most 
lustily, And then the band on the Southern bank 
would respond with “ Dixie,” or “ Bonnie Blue 
Flag,” or some other southern melody, and the 
“hoys in gray” would attest t.hclr approbation 
with an “ old Confederate yell.” But presently one 
of the bands struck up in sweet, and plaintive 
notes, which were waited across the Kappaha- 
nock and canght up at once by the other band and 
swelled into a grand anthem which touched every 
heart, “ Home, Sweet Home ?” At the conclusion 
of this piece there went up a simultaneous shout 
from both sides ot the river. Cheer followed, 
cheer, and those hills, which had so recently re¬ 
sounded with hostile guns, echoed and re-echoed 
the grand acclaim. A chord had been struck, 
responsive to which the hearts of enemies—ene¬ 
mies then—could beat In unison, and on both sides, 
of the river, 
Something down the soldier’s cheek 
Washed off the stains of powder. 
THE SAME CANTEEN. 
There are bonds of all sorts in this world of ours; 
Fetters of friendship aud ties of flowers. 
And trae-lorer’e knots, I ween; 
The girl and the boy are bound by a kiss. 
But there’s never a bond, old friend, like this- 
Wehave drunk from the name canteen ! 
It was sometimes water and sometimes milk. 
And sometimes applejack, fine as silk: 
But whatever the tipple has been 
We shared it together, In bane or bliss. 
And I warm to you, my friend, when I think of this— 
We have drunk from the same canteen ! 
The rich and the great sit down to dine. 
And they quaff to each other in sparkling wine. 
From glasses of crystal and green; 
But I guess in their golden potations they miss 
The warmth of regard to be found in this— 
We have drunk from the same canteen ! 
We have shared our blankets and tents together. 
We have mnrebed and fought in all kinds of weather, 
And hungry and full we have been; 
Had the days of battle and days of rest, 
But this memory I cling to and love the best- 
We have drunk from the same canteen ! 
For when wounded I lay on the outer slope. 
With my blood flowing fast and but little hope 
Upon which my faint spirit could lean. 
Oh, then I remember you crawled to my side. 
And bleeding so fast it seemed both must have died. 
We drank from the same canteen! 
[Charles G. Hal pine. 
The following staDza contains every letter In 
the alphabet: 
Except with zeal we strive to win 
God’s just and holy love. 
We cannot conquer strife and sin. 
Nor walk with Him above. 
A Chinese proverb says: 
! Wbeu sabers are rusty, and spades are bright; 
When prlsous are empty, and granaries full; 
When the steps of temples are worn, and ot tri¬ 
bunals are grass-grown; 
When the doctors go on foot and the bakers on 
horseback; 
The Empire Is well governed. 
The Latest English Idiocv.— An entirely new 
pastime has been invented In England for country 
houses In the Shape of tea-tray toboggtnlng. The 
way of it Is thus described by a correspondent of 
Vanity Fair; “You take a tea-tray to the top 
of a good flight of stairs, sit In It, hold on to the 
sides of the tray with both hands-and let your¬ 
self go. If you manage well you slide down the 
whole flight of stairs quickly and easily, and 
bring up on the landing at rite bottom; If you 
don’t manage It properly, you turn round when 
part of the way down, and get a good crumpler 
The advantage of this game Is tnat ladles can 
play at It, and tn the house where I saw it 
played they tobogglned far bettor than the men, 
who generally lost their tray' and themselves half 
way down the stairs.” 
A Babt Socrates,— He Is a very small boy, just 
beyond the limits ot babyhood. His precoclous- 
ness Is well recognized by those that know hlm- 
and sometimes people try to corner him In a logi¬ 
cal way. The other day some one took him up and 
asked him It ho was papa’s boy. He answered 
yes. “Are you mamma's boy, loo?” “ Yes,” re¬ 
plied Charley. “ Well, how can you be papa's boy 
and mamma’s boy both at the same time?” was 
asked him. “ Oh,” replied Charley, Indifferently, 
“ can’t a wagon have two horses?” That settled 
his questioner. 
" ONLY." 
From “ only” one word many quarrels begin. 
Abd " only this once.” leads to many a sin. 
* Only a penny” wastes many a pound, 
” Only once more" and the diver was drowned. 
” Only ono drop" many drunkards have made; 
” Only a play" many gamblers have said. 
“ Only a cold” opens many a grave; 
" Only resist” many an is will save. 
Poor Grammar Betkated Him.— Prof. Thomas, 
recently connected with Butler Fill versify, was 
noted chiefly for his exactness In the use of ver¬ 
nacular. one night he was awakened at an un¬ 
seemly hour by discordant sounds of midnight 
revelry from the direction ot a student’s bedroom. 
Dressing himself hastily, he hurried down the 
hall, and, after a few knocks on the bolted door to 
enforce slleqfie, be called out, “lit. you fellow’s in 
there' Can’t you make less noise?” 
“ Who t, out there?” was the response. 
“It’s me.” 
“ Who are you?” 
“ lffcfes&or Thomas.” 
“You’re a liar. You can’t fool us. Thomas 
would have suld, ‘It Is I.’ Come on boys, just once 
more.” And the strains ot “Landlord, fill the flow¬ 
ing bow!!” resounded through the house till day* 
light. The affair was never alluded to by the Pro* 
lessor ,—Qvening a Hbvrninn, 
