726 
QCjT so 
THE RURAL WEW-YORKER. 
at the muzzle of a revolver to sign a $5,000 
check on the Third National Bank, of Wash¬ 
ington, Pu. Swartz wns then thrown from 
the vehicle and had to walk home several 
miles away, while the confidence men drove in 
the opposite direction. 
Abel Chase, one of the wealthiest citizens of 
Haverhill, Mass,, aged so, was the victim of a 
party of bunko stoererstlie other evening, who 
obtained a large amount of money on t he pre¬ 
text of desiring to purchase a valuable lot of 
real estate. He was induced to purchase tick¬ 
ets in a lottery, and lost $1,000, 
A pair of knaves worked an old, old swin¬ 
dle on a simple citizen of Reading, Pu. One 
of the n went into a cigar store carrying a vi¬ 
olin, and, alter buying a cigar, asked to beal- 
lowed to leave the instrument there for an 
hour or so. liis request was granted. Pretty 
soon knave uiimber two came in and bought 
a cigar, saw the violin, examined it, admired 
it, praised it, and wanted to buy it. The ci¬ 
gar man explained how it happened to be in 
his store Then the stranger offered to give 
him $5 if he'd buy it when the owner came 
back, and aut horized him to go as high as $50. 
Then ho left amt the first man came back, re¬ 
fused $:i(l for the violin, declined $25, and, fi¬ 
nally, with great hesitation, accepted $50 for 
it, because ho needed the money. Up to date 
the second tuuti has not called for the fiddle, 
which is worth just $;t. 
What a commotion there would be among 
our patent medicine venders if our city police 
followed the example of the Berlin police, who 
are continually issuing warnings to the pub¬ 
lic, of which the following isaspecitueti: “The 
tradesman. Paul Haider, of this city, Auklamer 
Street 2$, is selling under the name of ‘Harz 
Mountain Tea,’ a mixture of laveuder flowers, 
sassafras root, peppermint, and several other 
plants, weighing 5(1 grammes. His price is 50 
pfennings, and up advertises it as a remedy. 
Official analysis has shows that the real value 
of one of these packages is hardly Hi pfennigs.” 
IDuntait’s Work. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY LOUISE TALLIN. 
LOVE AND PHILOSOPHY. 
’Twas at the Concord stows' school. 
We met one summer's day; 
I guessed—and used no logic rule — 
I guessed what she would say. 
“ 'Tfs very warm"—this with a sigh— 
"The sun that shines from thence," 
She said, and pointed to the sky, 
"Is rolling toward the Whence.” 
1 told her that It must- be so, 
At least It scented so there; 
For there was much l did not know 
Of the Whfttness of the Where. 
About the only thlug 1 knew. 
When she was standing near. 
Was that the sky was tnuuli more blue 
lu the Newness of the Here. 
She smtled, and said perhaps 'twas well, 
Those pretty themes to touch; 
And asked me If the rule I’d tell 
Of the Smallness of the Much. 
I told her that I did not know 
That rule, but then I knew 
A rule that Just as well would go- 
The Oneness of the Two. 
She blushed and looked down on the ground, 
And said: "It can't be.so;" 
And then the whole earth turned around, 
For my heart was full of woe. 
“Unto the Ceaseness of my End,” 
I said, "I now shall go.” 
She murmured: "Don't, you comprehend 
The Yesness of my No?” —Puck. 
m ♦ — 
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN. 
Twisted wire rings are popular, two or 
three being twisted together and loosely 
knotted. 
Tourmalines, opals and ehrysoberyls are 
fashionable stones, both in rings and scarf- 
pins. 
New tailor gowns of this season are made 
with a polonaise. 
A sash of cashmere or serge, with wide fringe 
tied into its cuds,is a popular finish for a school ¬ 
girl’s frock. 
A pretty theatre bonnet, which may be 
made by any woman handy with her needle, is 
a little poke shape, with Normaudy crown. It 
is covered with red crape in loose folds and 
bordered with cut jet beads. On the top, 
among pull's of crape, are some upright jet 
sprays. 
Feather toques and bonnets in new designs 
are to be seen at the leading milliners. The 
toques are long and pointed, with dented 
crown, something like a deerstalker hat minus 
the brim. They are lovely in pheasant feath¬ 
ers and very showy iu peacock. Bonnets are 
made entirely of similar feathers. 
There are no very great novelties in lingerie. 
Collars are still plain and masculine, to suit 
tailor gowns; the only novelty is a very high, 
plain collar, buttoned close on the left side with 
two garnet si,uds. There are also some pretty 
fancy chemisettes of sheer mnslm, plaited and 
laced down the center with narrow, feather- 
edged ribbon; the neck is finished with a dog 
collar of the muslin, with two rows of the rib¬ 
bon run through it, and a bunch of loops at 
one side. 
Dog-collars form a pretty and easily added 
finish to many costumes. Cardinal velvet, 
edged on both sides with jet beads, and a vel¬ 
vet bow at one. side is very pret ty. Or the 
collar may lie entirely covered with beads, 
having a pendant head fringe iu front, 
So far, the shapes shown in winter bkfcsj &VQ 
precisely like those worn all Summer. They 
are still tremendously high, in spite of ridicule. 
However, they may change very materially 
before Christmas. Toques matching the 
gown are too convenient to bo given up, but 
most of the imported shapes are very clumsy, 
trlmrad much iu front, so that they have a 
very top-heavy aspect. 
» ♦ #• -- - 
SOME WINTER GOWNS. 
“In the Fall a maiden’s fancy lightly turns 
to thoughts of clothes,” to paraphrase a fa¬ 
mous quotation. This is the scasou when the 
woman of small means, who has no wish to 
look “dowdy,” tries with much deliberation 
to decide whether she shall turn her last sou- 
son’s gown upside down or downside up. Per¬ 
haps a few hints from practical experience 
may bo of service in the making of useful 
gowns for the coming season. 
A correspondent nsks how she shall make a 
woolen gown for house, wear. This need not 
be a very difficult undertaking, though per¬ 
haps formidable to a busy housewife.. The 
first requisite in woolen gowns now is perfect 
neatness of finish, to imitate the work of a 
tailor. The make should be simple; its styl¬ 
ishness depends largely on the draping. The 
rough cloths popular last Winter are now 
rather out of favor; smooth material is pre¬ 
ferred. 
A pretty gown is of navy blue tricot cloth. 
The gored skirt is quite plain, without any 
plaiting. At the foot are three rows of black 
silk braid, laid on flat. At the left side is a 
side plaited panel, extending from the waist 
to the foot of tho Bkirl. It is 18 inches wide 
at the bottom, Borrowing to about G Inches at 
the top. The drapery is all ueatly bound with 
the silk braid. The back drapery is made of 
one breadth of the stuff, which is 54 inches 
wide; it ispcrfuetly square, and is bound with 
the braid around one end and side. The top 
is plaited across in large side plaits, and the 
unbound side is also plaited right up into the 
waistband, so as to leave the drapery banging 
iu one large point, with the fulness in heavy 
vertical folds, which hang very gracefully 
over the dress improver. There is a short 
apron front, coming from under the panel. 
The bodice is short, pointed in front, with 
postilion back, all neatly bound with the 
braid. It should be fastened with small flat 
black silk buttons. This is really a stylish 
gown, and has a very neat tailor finish. A 
little bonnet or toque may be covered with 
the cloth, and with cardinal feathers or rib¬ 
bon bows will be very smart. 
The drapery here described is really the 
prevailing mode; it is repeated over and over 
again, with but trifling variation. The short 
apron shape is certainly to l>e in high favor 
again. Its contemporary, the kilted skirt, is 
again coming into vogue, and we see some 
handsome cloth gowns made in this style. 
The skirt must be kilted all round in shallow 
side plaits: the drapery over it is just the 
same as that described for the blue cloth, 
minus the braid. The bodice is similar in 
shape, or may be varied by a vest. 
Vests are very much worn, and are a great 
assistance when one is renovating an old 
gown. This is sometimes difficult, when one 
has not enough of the original material to pro¬ 
duce a good result. Suppose the experimenter 
has a partly worn gowu of myrtle green cloth. 
After making a rough estimate we would pur¬ 
chase about three yards of geranium rod cloth 
—that is, supposing the wearer is young and 
brunette. The green bodice should be a Cuta 
way shape, with vest and cuffs of red. The 
skirt may he kilted iu brood plaits, alternate¬ 
ly red and green; the drapery green. Or, if 
the supply of the original stuff was scant, the 
entire kilted skirt, may be of the red. This 
would he a handsome gown, not at ull “ made- 
over” in appearance. 
The home dressmaker should always design 
with an idea to future making over; with a 
little care and taste, even tho busiest house¬ 
keeper need not fear the appellation of dowdy. 
GRANDMOTHER ON FASHION’S 
FOLLIES. 
“ Well girls, I am glad to be at home 
again. There is no place in the wide world, 
that seems half as comfortable as my home; 
to bo sure, t here are lots of pleasant homes, 
furnished ulcer than mine; but they are not 
as pleasant to mo. My dear old chair 1 I 
would not change you for all the crimson bro 
ended furniture in Mrs. Elgin’s parlor! No, 
indeed! 1 do not wonder that she has a weak 
back, or that the children are crooked, round 
shouldered, and feeble. I am sorry for the 
poor creatures, especially Bell. She has got a 
spinal trouble, tho Doctor says. I should 
have two spinal troubles if 1 sat iu such 
chairs as they use; hollow bucked, rolling 
seats, and stuffed. Even the baby has a stuffed 
chair with a crooked back. I told the folks 
that God made folks straight, that it was a 
terrible thing for a child to get his backbone 
twisted; and that I would not let a baby sit in 
one of their hollow-backed fixings. I did not 
care if they did look handsome and scrump¬ 
tious; it is wicked to put a young one in them, 
and that a stra ight back basket-bottomed chair 
for a child was ten thousand times better, and 
more comfortable than those flddle-de-dees 
they used, Mr. Elgin said he was not sure 
but I was right, about it, but his wife wiggled 
around and said, 1 Grandmother has such fun¬ 
ny ideas! How an old fashioned chair like 
the one I had when a little girl, would look 
now-a-days.’” 
“Well, Bessie Elgin. I think it would look a 
heap better than those weak, tottering children 
do,” I spoke right, out and gave them a pieco 
of my mind. The idea of killing children for 
fashion's sake! And then, just to think how 
uncomfortable a child is who has t he backache 
all the time. “Here,” said T, “is Harry, who 
ought to mil out of doors, and jump and hol¬ 
ler, and have a good time, and come iu to his 
dinner as hungry ns a bear, with cheeks as 
red as a peony. Poor fellow! he looks like a 
potato sprout, that grows in the cellar, he is so 
pale and spindling; he never laughs nor 
speaks so you can hear him half wav across 
the room, and you keep him at his bonks, ju a 
stuff*si, easy chair, bent up I ke a hoop; you 
wonder what makes him so round shouldered, 
Goodness! Bessie Elgin, you did it. yourself, 
and ho will bo a regularly grown bunch-back 
by the time he is eighteen, if you keep on 
managing him as you do now! He is a bright 
boy enough, but you make his brain grow 
faster than his body. Remember what I tell 
you: if ho kly, deformed man 
you have yourself to thank for it. And there 
Is poor Bell; she was a bright, healthy child, 
could laugh and sing, and was as merry as 
the day was long the Summer she came up to 
stay with me on the farm. Now look at hor! 
she is as white as a snow-ball, her back is 
weak so she can hardly walk a toss tho parlor, 
and her ankles are all twisted out of shape 
wearing your French heels, and she is an ob¬ 
ject of pity. I tell you, there is no use trying 
to improve on Nature's works. If God had 
meant to have girls have peeks on their heels 
He would have made them there and not. left 
their foot unfinished. It is just misery and 
sin to put those high-heeled boots on a child; 
I can see no sense in it. They walk just like 
a goose; go waddling along, expecting every 
minute to tip over. Why, old as 1 am, I can 
go across the house as spry again as one of the 
children, because my feet, are just as God 
made them. I am sorry for Elgiu’s people; 
they have got three sickly, whining children, 
and they have only themselves to thank for it. 
It is a pity, but if one will sacrifice their 
children oo the altar of fashion they must 
bear t.lie consequences. Yes, Mr, Elg'u is 
rich; but, girls, let me tell you that riches, or 
fine furniture, or splendid dresses do not make 
people happy. No indeed! I have seen more 
sorrow and jiain mid suffering the last two 
months in Bessie’s family than you ever en¬ 
dured in your whole life. You are happier in 
your old home, with your flowers and chick¬ 
ens and your health, than these children are 
in their stately mansion and costly surround¬ 
ings. Yes, you have to work. Thank God 
that, you are able to work! Work is a bless¬ 
ing, and things that you work and earn your¬ 
selves make you happier than if you laid in an 
easy chair and had them bought for you. I 
I tell you, girls, you ought to be contented 
with your lot. Health and strength cannot he 
bought with money, and you have those in 
plenty. Happiness is not a bough ten thing, 
either! and a person that is sick and iu pain 
all the time cannot bo happy. I hope I taught 
Bessie some things; anyway 1 told her some 
truths to think of now 1 am gone, and Mr. 
Elgin said he always knew I was a sensible 
woman; T told him 1 hoped I bad common 
sense and was not too jiroud to uso it.” 
Grandmother. 
ENTERTAINING ANGELS UNAWARES. 
I am asKcd to send the Rural anything 
that may prove of interest to women, and I 
therefore venture to offer a few hints in re¬ 
gard to the duties of a hostess. My observa¬ 
tions aro addressed only to ladies who for 
lack of means can afford but one servant, or 
possibly must combine the duties of a cook 
with those of hostess. Of course in this latter 
case some will say, do not invite a guest at all, 
but there are times when circumstances seem 
to render it almost necessary to do so, or 
indeed when one’s own wish for the sight of a 
friendly face is so strong thut a little extra 
labor would be welcomed for the sake of the 
companionship. Indeed there is nu reason why 
a person of very limited means wlm has a very 
hospitable heart canuot entertain a guest com¬ 
fortably if not luxuriously, iti the case of re- 
cciviug a guest whose style of living is supe¬ 
rior to our own, there should not be the 
slightest embarrassment, for there is no shame 
in the fact that Olip circumstances do not 
allow us to cope with those of larger means. 
Never make apologies, they are in bad taste 
and can only make your friend feel ill at ease. 
Show that you are trying to make up for any 
deficiency in luxury, or it may be, in comfort 
even, by the heartiness of your welcome. 
Such remarks ns, “I am sure my cooking can¬ 
not compete with that of your servants,” and, 
“You must miss your handsome bouse, and 
find our little rooms very uncomfortable,” 
can only embarrass your visitor. 
1 received my first lessons iu easy grace in 
entertaining from a little lady at. whose house 
1 used to visit, in New York. Never with 
more than one servant, often with none. She 
had a way of making ber friends feel perfect¬ 
ly at ease, anil heartily welcome, to such an 
extent, that one forgot, everything else except 
the delight, of her society. Bln* took you right 
into her family, and you never felt that your 
coming had made the slightest difference. 
When household duties called her away, Hie 
left you quietly and easily without profuse 
apologies, as if she did you the compliment 
of thinking that you were capable of passing 
a couple of hours with yourself, and the 
papers and magazines that, were at hand, 
without ennui. 
Allow a guest to amuse him or herself and 
they will be happier than if too closely looked 
after. It is positively hard work to visit at a 
place where some one is always showing that 
they are making an immense effort to enter¬ 
tain yon. 
It is a good plan in small households, where 
a guest, is expected, to have various matters 
connected with housekeeping in midi ness. Bee 
that there is a sufficient supply of fresh table 
linen to last through the allotted visit; have the 
silver newly polished nud extra plates and 
glasses at, hand on or in the sideboard. Do 
not attempt to provide for a style of living 
greatly different to wind, \«>u are accustomed 
to during your own everyday life, 11 can only 
result in discomfort to yourself and visitors. 
We are all familiar with the flushed face, and 
look of tortured suRnensc with which some 
hostess bus watched the bringing in of various 
dishes, that she is uneasily reflecting have had 
to be left to tb© mercy of mi ignorant servant. 
Her preoccupied manner, and painful attempt 
to appear interested in the conversation are 
only too apparent, for the comfort of the 
guests. 
Endeavor to repress all such signs of nervous¬ 
ness. Try at least to feel equal to the task of 
laughing off any mistakes of your Untrained 
cook, since no one will take it to heart as much 
as yourself, 1 have heard it said thut a hostess 
who cannot preserve her serenity upon even 
the most, crucial occasions, is lacking iu one 
of the most essential qualities of an entertain¬ 
er. The thoughtless spilling of her best wine, 
the soiling ot nor choicest linen, nay even the 
smashing of a whole tray-full of her old fam¬ 
ily china, should not cause one muscle of her 
countenance to change. Few are equal to 
tbis heroism, for heroism it is, but it can be 
acquired. selma Clare. 
GOLDEN GRAINS. 
From an old number of the Christian at 
Work, we clip the following rules for the hus¬ 
band : 
Husband love your wife . . 
1. Never find fault with her before others.. 
2. Per contra, remember the counsel of the 
Good Book: Her husband shall praise her in 
the gates; that is, before folks. 
IS. Bear all her burdens for her; even then 
she’ll bear more than you do, m spite of you. 
4. If you want her to submit to your judg¬ 
ment. never ask her to submit to your selfish¬ 
ness ....... 
5. A woman’s life is made up of lit tie things. 
Make her life happy by little courtesies. 
G. Love is a wife’s only wages. Don’t scrimp 
in your pay. 
CONDUCTED BY MRS. AC1NES E. M. CARMAN. 
Has experience taught you among other 
things that you much prefer the censure to 
the praise of some people? This is a trifle 
contrary to the old saw that it is better to 
have tho good than the ill will of a dog. Or 
do you consider that, the ill will of a dog is of 
more moment than that of some people? 
-- 
OCTOB E R B R E A K FA BTB. 
Boiled salt mackerel, stewed potatoes and 
muffins make one of tho nicest breakfasts 
imaginable for a slightly cool morning. The 
mackerel must be large, fat and white, and 
soaked to the proper degree of freshness. Ouo 
of the large kind, weighing from a pound ami 
a quarter to a pound and a half, should be 
placed over-night in a large pan of cold 
water, and laid skin down. The next morn¬ 
ing put it over the tire iu cold water 1 
let it, come to a boil slowly, and simmer very 
gently for ten minutes. Drain oil’ tho water, 
lay on a hot dish and season with two table¬ 
spoonfuls of thick croain, made hot, hits of 
butter, |ieppor and minced parsley. Slice 
cold, Ixiilod potatoes in thin, even rounds; 
season each layer as you drop them iu a wide 
stewpan, with salt, pepper and bits of butter; 
cover with cold milk and let them stow slowly 
for fifteen minutes. Dissolve one toaspoou- 
ful of corn-starch in cold milk and stir it in 
Just, before removing from tho fire. Excellent 
muffins are made from bread dough that has 
been mixed over-night. Mold small, flat 
pieces uud lay them in a warm place for three- 
quarters of an hour; fry iq « very little hot 
