I 
902 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
DEC. 27 
THE RUSTY OLD SABER. 
BY H. W. C. 
A cavalry saber hangs np on the wall, 
All batterr tl and twist' d and eaten by rust. 
’Twas new when Its owner heard Llbt rt.v call, 
And into his lingers the weapon was thrust, 
And many a desperate battle, I ween 
This rusty and battered old saber has seen. 
My little boy asks me again and again, 
A hundred odd questions—" What g"Od does it do?” 
"And why is it rusty ? ” and 1 What makes that stain 
At the handle ?” " What is it worth, Pa, to you?” 
The little chap never bear 1 Liberty call, 
He hasn't heard Freedom’s harsh lesson at all. 
I tell him the story—how up through the smoke 
Of Malvern Hill’s battle the enemy came: 
Up ! Up to the cannon until the line broke, 
Bent, wavered and vanished—scorched out by the tlame 
How over the cannon one brave fellow lay. 
The saber held tight in his dead hand that day. 
My little boy ponders the tale at my knee, 
“ I wish we had sabers and fighting,” he cries, 
I wish there were tyrants and men to set free. 
And heroes to suffer and tight, for a prize. 
There isn’t a war or a chance to be brave, 
Or swords to be carried, or country to save.” 
Ah ! little boy! Never found hero a time, 
In all of the ages that history knows, 
So tilled up as this age with chances sublime 
For meeting and conquering deadliest foes. 
Not with the old saber call you win your fight, 
Your weapon is forged out of justice and right, 
For falsehood chains truth and injustice is strong. 
And ignoratue tramples on Liberty’s law, 
The country needs men with a hatred for wrong, 
A heart wl bout fear and a life without flaw. 
And nothing is nobler, my boy, than the tight, 
That honest boys make to be true to the right. 
CAMP LIFE IN A FARM HOUSE. 
MARY WAGER FISHER. 
II. 
“The farm ” was a comparatively recent acquisition on 
the part of Anaximander, and had not been purchased 
with any view of personal occupancy. It consisted of 
rather spacious farm buildings, a mansion house, tenant 
house and flouring mill, all built of stone, and from the 
head of the mill race to the opposite end of the domain was 
the distance of one mile. A creek flowed through the 
farm, there was a good spring of water, a fine apple orchard 
and the distance across the fields to the nearest railway 
Btation was half a mile, and there was no malaria in the 
neighborhood. Beyond this, neither Wilfrid (the laddie) 
nor myseif had more than a vague idea of the place. There 
was enough of superfluous furniture in our home to be 
permanently spared to supply the necessities of the pro¬ 
spective “ camp,” and this we despatched a week in ad¬ 
vance—a folly equipped oil stove, several folding chairs, a 
folding sewing table, a folding cot for Wilfrid, cushions, 
hammocks, various large and small rugs too much worn 
for home use, one full bedroom set, papier maclffi basins, 
stewpans, cutlery, and sufficient tableware, such as we 
were accustomed to, save sterling silver—nothing beyond 
what three people would require for use and comfort. 
Wilfrid’s tool box was included, and he greatly insisted 
upon having one of his boats from his private navy yard 
sent over for use on the creek ; but this was deferred for 
the time. Our carriage horse meantime had become dis¬ 
abled and was turned into a meadow to spend the summer. 
The Jersey cow, the cats, chickens and the gardener were 
to remain at home. 
Naturally our undertaking was a good deal discussed 
after it was first thought about. Anaximander said that 
he had no faith in a satisfactory outcome of the project. 
True, it would be profitable for him to spend some time at 
the farm in order to see how the two colored men who had 
rented it (the mansion house and the grounds being re¬ 
served) managed affairs. He even went so far as to look 
up seashore cottages—something for “light housekeep¬ 
ing” where I would have “society.” As I had all the 
society I wanted in Wilfrid and no end of reading and 
things to be done, that scheme fell through for want of 
support. When our books to read were packed, Wilfrid 
included for his special edification all of Plutarch’s Lives. 
So it came about that on a very hot day in the last week 
of June, we descended from a railway car in the middle of 
the day, at the farm railway station, and after a vain 
effort to hire a carriage, started on a trudge across the 
fields for our summer home. The whole appearance of 
the country was as different from our accustomed sur¬ 
roundings as if we were a thousand miles distant, a hilly 
but picturesque region, evidently much given over to the 
dairy business. Before leaving the highway for the fields, 
the road lay in the shadow of a wood, and the wood-bank 
was fairly lush with maidenhair ferns and some belated 
flowers new to our eyes. 
“This must be a good botanical region;” remarked 
Wilfrid, “ it is a good thing that you brought a botany.” 
After entering the fields we were upon our own domain 
and everything assumed a new interest. A worn foot path 
ltd along the creek, a beautifully wooded stream, that at 
intervals expanded into small lakes which filled Wilfrid 
with longings for his boats. We soon came in sight of 
the roofs of the farm buildings and everything went well 
until we came to where we had to cross the creek. A 
slender pole spanned the stream above which was stretched 
a barbed wire, and upon this risky structure the farm 
people evidently crossed four times daily for their herd of 
a dozen or more cows w’hich stood nearby leg deep in the 
shady water. 
“Now you can’t cross on this, mamma,” rather con¬ 
temptuously cried Wilfrid. “But sit you down in the 
shade and papa and 1 will fix a bridge of rails.” So the 
rail bridge was built, which continued to do service until 
carried away by a freshet; but the freshet brought down a 
long plank which Wilfred intercepted on its downward 
swim, and converted it into a bridge, one end of which he 
fastened with a chain to a tree. As it was next to impos¬ 
sible to cross on the pole without having one’s clothing 
torn by the barbed wire, it was a standing wonderment 
the whole summer through why a better substitute had 
not been found. It was an illustration of what is often 
seen in the daily experience of people who will endure for 
years an inconvenience which a very little “ management ” 
would quickly rectify. 
As a first impression can never be repeated, so Wilfrid 
and I can never see “ the farm ” again, as it appeared to us 
that day, and particularly the house and its immediate 
surroundings, which were to be for our exclusive use. My 
plan was to live as much as possible in the open air, and I 
had not thought much about the interior of the building. 
Along the south side of it, extended a long, wide piazza 
reached by a flight of steps extending its whole length, and 
on the top step, which was shaded by an immense ash tree, 
I sat down and looked “ the prospect over.” Evidently it 
was a very good house, of rather “ stylish ” appearance, 
and of many rooms. The farmers had opened it according 
to orders, and the sunshine was streaming into such 
southern windows as were not obscured by the shade. 
Wilfrid went racing through the rooms, shouting at the 
top of his voice for me to come and see this and that, but I 
remained on the step, leaning against a piazza post, taking 
in the possibilities of the scene. Sloping down from the 
piazza was a large lawn filled with superb ornamental 
trees of 30 to 50 years’ growth. Through the foot of the 
lawn ran the creek, and from an accommodating turn in 
the highway at this point, the view included the long side 
of a stone arched bridge which, with the foliage about it, 
was a picture in itself. The rear wa'l of the front of the 
house bounded one end of the piazza, and in this protected 
end, hidden from public gaze and shielded from wind and 
weather, should be erected the camp kitchen. When An¬ 
aximander reappeared he asked how I liked the looks of 
things ! “ But one thing lacking,” I said, “ not enough of 
sun. We must cut down a lot of those trees.” 
That Saving “Boy” Again.— I began life for myself 
with $5 cash in my pocket at 19 years of age. My father 
had drawn the benefit of my labor till I had reached the 
above age. A young man of my acquaintance got me 
work at $14 per month and board in a dairy where he was 
employed. I loaned him my $5 and never saw it again, so 
that cured me of lending to Tom, Dick or Harry, and very 
likely did me good in after years, for I have never been 
anxious to loan anything since. I worked for one month 
for this dairyman and then he raised my wages $1 per 
month for several months, and I put my money in bank 
till I had saved $500. Then I bought the farm of 15 acres I 
own at present, and went to work on it raising truck for 
the Washington market. Since that time I have added 25 
acres and built a house, etc., and all are paid for and I am 
only 35 years old. Iam just getting so that I can enjoy 
life without such hard work as I used to do. Every boy 
would not like farmiug or trucking, so I do not advise any 
particular boy to do as I did ; for he might not be suited 
to the business; for there is more in the boy or man than 
in the location or occupation. There are several men here 
who had better advantages and surroundings than I had 
who are working for me at times by the day, and do not 
own so much as a cow apiece for their families. If this 
boy will make up his mind to save, it does not much mat¬ 
ter where he puts his money, so that he saves. Doing so 
will encourage him to add to his pile. If our boy intends 
to succeed he can do so and he can fail still more easily ; but 
he can succeed in any business if he is determined to do so. 
Prince George County, Md. w. D. pylks. 
IVomans IVork. 
IN THE SANCTUM. 
H OW did the youngsters like “ What Our Girlie Saw !” 
last week ? Haven’t we been a little better than 
our word ? We could not promise them a column for 
their very own, but we gave it to them last week, at least. 
* * * 
One of the old friends writes that all the writing she has 
been allowed to do for months has been done while lying 
in a reclining chair or in bed ; yet she sends us her helpful 
hints as usual. Doesn’t she show her belief In The Rural 
New-Yorker and her attachment for it in a practical 
way ? We think so. 
* * * 
The growth of the club idea may be noted in part by 
reference to the fact that in the latest number of the 
Home Maker the Club Directory contains the addresses, 
with the names of the president and secretary of some¬ 
thing like 70 clubs. Several of these are press associations, 
and some are purely literary, but the chief underlying idea 
of the majority of them seems to be the “Advancement 
of Women,” with a big A. 
* * * 
A WRITER in the Country Gentleman gives the following 
terse rule for making all kinds of cake : “Twice as much 
sugar as shortening; twice as much flour as sugar ; eggs 
and milk ad libitum, usually one egg to one cupful of 
flour.” This differs from the still terse, “one, two, three, 
four” rule (one butter, two sugar, three flour and four 
eggs), which nearly every one kuows, only in the increased 
quantity of flour, it being “one, two, four, four.” Our 
own idea is that 3 )4 of flour, is a better proportion, if the 
flour is sifted until light, but the size of the cup sometimes 
makes a difference of one-fourth of the whole amount. 
Novice cooks forget to make allowance for this. The 
quantity of mixing also makes much difference. 
Good Housekeeping also has a scheme for a “ foundation 
cake,” from which many varieties—in fact nearly every 
other variety—can be made by slightly changing the 
formula. The base is the old recipe for “Silver Cake,” 
and the points which insure success consist in first cream¬ 
ing the butter and sugar, next (and most important) 
adding the whites of the eggs and beating until a mass of 
white foam is the result, after which the sifted flour with 
powder, the milk and the flavoring are “tossed in” with a 
moment’s light beating, and the mixture is baked at once. 
Some stress is laid on the desirability of using powdered 
sugar. Personally we have found the powdered sugar too 
much adulterated to give good results, the finest gran¬ 
ulated serving us more surely. We are inclined to think 
that the “ one, two, three ” rule, which uses both whites 
and yolks, will meet the ordinary requirement for a 
foundation cake better than this one. 
* * * 
It is stated that the cooperative housekeeping establish¬ 
ment which was started in one of the Western cities on 
Bellamy’s plan is about to collapse. The trouble, if we 
may believe the local papers, is that the number of sup¬ 
porting families was reduced below the paying point. 
Whether the failure of the plan is on account of anything 
inherent in itself, or simply from difficulties which would 
not appear in a larger place is not apparent as yet. We 
believe the association consisted at first of something over 
50 families, which number has since been reduced nearly 
one-third. It would be interesting as well as instructive 
to know whether the withdrawals were caused by dis¬ 
satisfaction with the working of the plan, or whether they 
merely came about through force of circumstances not 
having any bearing upon the question, either one way or 
the other. 
* * * 
A NOTE from the lady who sent us the description of 
the little potato cutter last spring—which, by the way, 
we were glad to see copied into other papers—referred to 
the fact that the men always have so much to say about 
the women spoiling their knives by chopping the frying- 
pan with them. The difficulty in getting the knives 
ground, and the certainty that this standing grievance of 
the lords of the manor would be thrown up, she says, drove 
the women of her family to learn to use the whetstone 
themselves in order to be independent as long as whetting 
would take the place of grinding. This is the point we 
would like to emphasize. We know by experience that the 
nominal head of the family never has time to sharpen 
a knife, even if he be perfectly willing to do so, and the 
woman who cannot use a whetstone—and a hammer—is 
often left helplessly strauded, and is hindered in her work, 
and ruffled as to temper for days for the lack of that which 
a few minutes’ work would make all right if she but pos¬ 
sessed these two small accomplishments. It is a simple 
matter to learn the use of a whetstone. Try it, house¬ 
wives, and then draw up a declaration of independence. 
Your lords will thank you in their hearts, and one more 
cause of frequent friction will be removed from the path 
of the household. 
* * * 
We would be glad to hear from such of our subscribers 
as have made a fair trial of the flavoring powders. Tem¬ 
perance people are strongly recommending them from the 
fact that so large a proportion of the liquid extracts are 
pure alcohol (some say 90 percent!) We have them on 
trial, and thus far have found the lemon perfect, but the 
vanilla is so dark as to have the appearance of spices in the 
cake. The powders are fully as cheap as the liquid flavors, 
and we think should be considered by those who would 
not put an “occasion to fall” in the way of some who 
may be sorely tempted. We consider the gravest fault of 
some of the most prominent of our household publications 
lies in the fact that they publish, without comment, many 
recipes that owe their chief gusto to the liquors added 
to them. 
£Ui.$rcUancou,$ guUTrtteing. 
In writing to advertisers, please mention The K. N.-Y. 
i < 
CHAPS” 
The dear little “Chap” that mother 
likes, 
The great big “Chap” that sister likes, 
The irritating Chap that nobody likes, 
and 
The medical “ Chap ” that everybody 
likes 
ALL PAY TRIBUTE TO 
the purity and soothing 
influence of 
PACKER’S TAR SOAP. 
“ We have found Pack¬ 
er’s Tar Soap, to be not 
only a good toilet 
soap, but an excellent remedy for 
CHAFFED SKIN.” — LanCCt-ClluiC. 
25 Cents. All druggists. 
Sample 54 cake, HI eeuts In stumps. Mention Tint Uuhai. New-Yokkek. 
The PACKER MFG. CO., 100 Fulton St., N. Y. 
