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GUESTS OP THE HEART. 
Soft falls through the gathering twilight, 
The rain from the dripping eaves. 
And stirs with a tremulous rustle, 
The dead and the dying leaves; 
"While afar, in the midst of the shadows, 
I hear the sweet voices of bells, 
Come borne on the wind of the autumn, 
That fitfully rises and swells. 
They call and they answer each other— 
They answer and mingle again— 
As the deep and the shrill in an anthem 
Make harmony still in their strain; 
As the voices of sentinels mingle 
In mountainous regions of show, 
Till from hill-top to hill-top a chorus 
Floats down to the valleys below. 
The shadows, the fire-light of even,. 
The sound of the rain’s distant chime, 
Come bringing, with rain softly dropping, 
Sweet thoughts of a shadowy time; . 
The slumberous sense of seclusion. 
From storm and intruders aloof, 
We feel in the stillness of midnight 
The patter of rain on the roof. 
When the spirit goes forth in its yearnings 
To take all its wanderers home, 
Or afar in the regions of fancy, 
Delights on swift pinions to roam— 
I quietly sit by the fire-light. 
The fire-light so bright and so warm— 
For I know that those only who love me 
Will seek me through shadow and storm. 
But should they be absent this evening, 
Should even the household depart, 
Deserted, I should not be lonely, 
There still would be guests in my heart; 
The faces of friends that I cherish, 
The smile, and the glance, and the tone, 
"Will haunt me wherever I wander, 
And thus I am never alone. 
With those who have left far behind them 
The joys and the sorrows of time— 
Who sing the sweet song of the angels 
In a purer and holier clime ! 
Then darkly, 0 evening of autumn, 
Your rain and your shadows may fall; 
My loved and my lost one brings me, 
My heart holds a feast with them all. 
ART TREASURES AT THE CENTENNIAL. 
Among all the curious and interesting articles of 
foreign exhibit in the grand Centennial buildings, 
none is more worthy the attention of the women of 
our land than the unique and beautiful display of art 
embroidery from the Royal School of Needlework in 
Kensington, England. Perhaps all the readers of the 
Cabinet may not he aware that this school was 
founded by one of the Queen of England’s daughters, 
aided by other noble, and large-hearted ladies and 
gentlemen there, artists, and persons'of high rank, for 
the two-fold purpose of restoring needlework to the 
honorable place it once held in art, and of providing 
employment for women in reduced circumstances. 
Until quite recently, embroidery might have been called 
a lost art, having been hut little practiced since the 
days when in castle and in bower the fingers of fair 
and gentle dames wrought out the most wonderful 
designs in tapestry, to wile away the time in which 
their lords were fighting for the cross and for fame in 
Palestine. Some of these remarkable specimens of 
woman’s patient skill yet remain, and they have 
formed the nucleus from which has sprung, as if by 
magic, the fanciful and tasteful work we see before us 
in the tapestried alcove belonging to the school. 
But the object of elevating the quiet and refining 
occupation of needlework, to take its rank as artistic 
work, suitable for furnishing our houses and adorning 
our public edifices, is only secondary to that of pro¬ 
viding occupation to ladies in search of employment, 
who can thus find a remunerative and pleasing pur¬ 
suit, which they can follow in the retirement of home, 
without being forced to struggle with the world, 
which, however it may suit some women, all are not 
fitted for. 
Here are, in rich variety, chairs, screens, cabinets, 
cushions, table-covers, in fact every device imaginable 
from a curtain to a court train. Some of the designs 
exhibited are from antique specimens of embroidery, 
yet existing in the old castles of England; others are 
of modern style, suggested by the old. Many of the 
most beautiful were riot only designed, hut executed, 
by the Queen and her daughters, and a noble example 
they thus set of industry and taste which may well be 
emulated by our country women. There is a very 
rich parterre or curtain in a sunflower pattern, the 
counterpart of one in Windsor Castle. Among the 
screens, there is one which seems entirely new on this 
side the Atlantic, a combination of a screen and footstool, 
the valence of the screen being exquisilely embroid¬ 
ered. These curtains and screens were indeed all very 
charming in their effect. Foi\example, one had lily 
stems on a ground of deep red; another, a delicate ori¬ 
ental tracery, with pale tints exquisitely blended; then 
again were honey-suckles, wild hyacinths, and acan¬ 
thus leaves, on a pure blue satin ground. But what 
must first of all challenge attention, was a dado, or 
wall-screen, designed by Mr. Morris, the poet, who is 
poetical on walls as well as in books. It was a 
grape pattern on a deep green ground, with stately 
peacocks at intervals standing like sentinels at atten¬ 
tion. The bunches of grapes and leaves all inter¬ 
twined in a most graceful manner, and appeared as if 
raised from the soft background. But it is impossible 
to do justice to these paintings in needle-work, with a 
mere description ; they must be examined and studied 
to he appreciated, and they well deserve the time and 
attention bestowed upon them. They may serve as 
hints in teaching some useful lessons even to those 
who only cultivate embroidery as an amusement. One 
is, that instead of devoting what little time and money 
they have on trifling, useless articles, they may see 
here how to economize their powers, and out of a little 
carefully bestowed, produce works of real and en¬ 
during worth. Another is, not to rely for effect upon 
gaudy colors. Most of these embroideries owe very 
little to bright or startling contrasts; the few colors 
used produce one rich, harmonious whole, with an ef¬ 
fect perfectly exquisite. Blueish green, with pale 
yellow primroses, bright sunflowers on rich, dark 
brown, pomegranates on a cream-colored ground, are 
merely named as suggestive of the fine effects of two 
contrasting shades. Then again, many are deterred 
from embroidery on account of the expense of the 
materials. While much of this work is done on what 
may he called truly sumptuous stuffs, aud with a great 
deal of rich silk and gold, some of the most elegant 
patterns owe their sole merit to the taste with which 
the design was carried out in simple artistic beauty, 
unaided by expensive materials. For instance, there 
was a white cotton stuff, like jean, worked over with 
worsted, in applique work, and a white quilt em¬ 
broidered in gold chain-stitch from an old pattern. 
The Princess Christian and the Princess Louise, both 
have sent very lovely designs of their own, one a 
screen of dark green satin, with velvet applique leaves, 
and an admirably embroidered bird, which was taste¬ 
ful, yet simple. 
Much of this art embroidery, especially clothes and 
table covers, are done on linen, worked in various 
colored wools, which are less expensive than silks, and 
yet has almost the same effect done in those curious- 
and beautiful stitches, which in proper hands works out 
such marvels. While some of the designs are classical, 
in many cases nature has been the teacher, and to her 
are due the foxgloves, poppies, and harebells that 
shine forth from their beds of velvet, as panellings for 
doors or cabinets. But even to name over all these 
articles, worked out even more perfectly in this our 
Centennial year than by the fair embroiderers of tnedim- 
val days, would fatigue the reader, who must see and 
study for herself these objects of art, and take a lesson 
from this Royal School in the culture of the beautiful 
and the artistic in contradistinction to the vulgar and 
tawdry. 
So shall we return in our way the graceful compli¬ 
ment paid us by the ladies of another land, in placing 
these treasures before our eyes, and not only admire, 
but cultivate such refining and picturesque work, in 
which all can unite who have nimble fingers and a 
love of the beautiful. E. B. 
HOME PETS. 
It is very natural for us human beings to bring in 
some little creatures which are foreign to our homes, 
and to train, pet, and lavish upon them our warmest 
affections. So it was with a little yellow songster en¬ 
trusted to our care. We expected this one, like most 
other canaries, being in a place to which he was un¬ 
accustomed, to remain quiet for at least a few days; 
hut how agreeably surprised and delighted we were 
when the very next morning he awoke us with a sweet 
little carol. 
Dick soon showed himself to he a very fearless bird, 
which inclined us to train him. After a little patience 
had been exercised on our part, a lump of sugar as re¬ 
ward would always tempt him to walk a tight rope, 
a cord stretched from one support to another. A 
miniature rocking-chair, belonging to one of the 
smallest dollies, was occasionally brought out, and 
Dick placed into it, reclining as near as possible in the 
same position which we are wont to adopt. In this 
posture he would grasp a piece of paper which was 
offered to him, and apparently read the news. He 
would also hold a short lead pencil in a horizontal 
position, by which, after enjoying the rocker which 
had been constantly kept in motion by his gratified 
exhibitor, he would he taken from the chair, and still 
clinging to the pencil, would then he the point of 
intensified interest and wonder in his athletic feat of 
swinging in the air with inverted body and closed 
eyes. This was generally ended by allowing him to 
fall for a short distance only, for His natural instinct 
would then direct him to soar to the highest object 
which met his gaze, which was not unfrequently the 
chandelier. And a nice little chase we were led then. 
No sooner would we he firmly located on a chair on 
one side, than he would hop over to the opposite side, 
chattering and enjoying it greatly. 
But these were his brightest days. When the 
winter came, this dear little pet took cold and became 
totally blind. Though he could always feed himself, 
his boisterous and cheering notes were missed, and his 
wonderful achievements were gone. In the following 
summer he was taken with us to the country, where it 
was hoped he might recover his sight. But, alas ! 
though he was the recipient of the choicest pieces of 
apples, pears, berries, plantain, lettuce, etc., he uttered 
not a note, save a call as he recognized our voices. 
We kept him all that winter, and by the following 
summer, when we were in the country, we made the 
acquaintance of a gentleman from the city, who pos¬ 
sessed three or four canaries, and to him, though I 
regret to say it, Dick was given away. 
We have never attempted to train another bird; the 
memory of what a brave little creature Dick was is 
too dear to us. 
Florence Winter. 
