PLAYING AT CROQUET. 
We had an introduction, 
I scarce remember how; 
She swept a graceful curtsey, 
I made my lowest bow; 
’Twas on the lawn it happened; 
We stood, a party gay. 
With mallets duly waiting, 
All ready for “ Croquet.” 
A shower of silken ringlets. 
Like golden sunbeams fell 
Around her form of beauty, 
And wove a magic spell. 
Her eyes were of the azure 
That marks a summer day: 
My heart she quickly captured, 
While playing at ‘■ Croquet.” 
At pic-nics, hops a d parties, 
As oft it chanced we met, 
I still got more entangled 
In love’s bewildering net; 
For hearts, like balls are sometimes 
Hit, when they're not “in play; -1 
And many a hope has vanished, 
When beaten at “ Croquet.” 
At last I dared to ask her 
If she would change her name , 
The witch, she flashed for answer, 
“ If you can win the game!” 
And when my pet was vanquished, 
I kissed a tear away; 
And that was how I won her, 
While, playing at u Croquet.” 
G. W. W. 
A HAPPY MARRIAGE. 
After having been married some weeks, it came into 
the head of a young husband in this city, one Sunday, 
when he had but little to occupy bis mind, to suggest 
to bis wife that they should plainly and honestly state 
the faults that each had discovered in the other since 
they had been man and wife. After some hesitation 
the wife agreed to the proposition, but stipulated that 
rehearsal should be made in all sincerity and with an 
honest view to the bettering of each other, as other¬ 
wise it would be of no use to speak of the faults to 
which marriage had opened their eyes. The husband 
was of the same mind, and his wife asked him to be¬ 
gin with her faults. He was somewhat reluctant, but 
his wife insisted that he was. the first to propose the 
matter, and as he was at the head of the house it was 
his place to take the lead. Thus urged, he began the 
recital. He said: 
“ My dear, one of the first faults I observed in you 
after we began keeping house was that you a good 
deal neglected the tinware. You didn't keep it scoured 
as bright as it should he. My mother always took 
great pride in her tinware and kept it as bright as a 
dollar.” 
“ I am glad that you have mentioned it, dear,” said 
the wife, blushing a little; “hereafter you shall see 
no speck on cup or pan. Pray proceed.” 
“ I have often observed,” said the husband, “ that 
you often use your dish-rags a long time without 
washing them, and then finally throw them away. 
Now, when at home I remember that my mother 
always used to wash out her dish-rags when she was 
done using them, and then hang them up where they 
would dry, ready for the next time she would need 
them.” 
Blushing as before, the young wife promised to 
amend this fault. 
The husband continued with a most formidable list 
of similar faults, many more than we have space to 
enumerate, when he declared that he could think of 
nothing more that was worth mentioning. 
“Now,” said he, “ my dear, you begin and tell me 
all the faults you have observed in me since we have 
been married.” 
The young housewife sat in silence; her face Hushed 
to the temples, and a great lump came in her throat, 
which she seemed to he striving hard to swallow. 
“Proceed, my dear; tell me all the faults you have 
observed in me, sparing none !” 
Arising suddenly from her seat, the little wife hurst 
into tears, and throwing both arms about her husband’s 
neck, cried: 
“ My dear husband, you have not a fault in the 
world. If you have even one, my eyes have been 
so blinded by my love for you that as long as we have 
been married 1 have never once observed it. In my 
eyes you are perfect, and all that you do seems to me 
to he done in the best manner and just what should 
he done.” 
“But, my dear,.” said the husband, his face redden¬ 
ing and his voice growing husky with emotion, “just 
think ; I have gone and found all manner of fault with 
you. Now do tell tiresome of my faults; I know I 
have many—ten times as many as you ever had or 
ever will have. Let me hear them.” 
“ Indeed, husband, it is as I tell you; you have not 
a single fault that I can see. Whatever you do seems 
right in my eyes; and now that 1 know what a good- 
for-nothing little wretch I am, I shall at once begin 
the work of reform and try to make myself more 
worthy of you.” 
“Nonsense, my dear; you know sometimes I go 
away aud leave you without any wood cut; I stay up¬ 
town when I ought to he at home; I spend my money 
for drinks and cigars when I ought to bring it home to 
you; I—” 
“No, you don’t,” cried his wife; “ you do nothing 
of the kind. I like to see you enjoy yourself. 1 should 
be unhappy were you to do otherwise than just exactly 
as you do.” 
j “ God bless you, little wife!” cried the now thor¬ 
oughly subjugated husband; “from this moment you 
have not a fault in the world ; indeed you never had a 
fault. I was but joking—don’t remember a word I 
said !” and he kissed away the tears that still trembled 
in the little woman’s eyes. 
Never again did the husband scrutinize the tinware 
nor examine the dish-rag—never so much as men¬ 
tioned one of the faults he had enumerated; hut soon 
after the neighboring women were wont to say: 
“It is wonderful how neat Mrs.-keeps every¬ 
thing about her house. Her tinware is always as 
bright as a new dollar; and I do believe she not only 
washes hut even irons her dish-rags!” And the 
neighboring men were heard to say, “ What a steady 
fellow M -has got to he of late ; he don’t spend 
a dime where lie used to spend dollars, and can never 
be kept from home half an hour when he is not at 
work. He seems almost to worship that wife of his.” 
safer, of course, are such friendships where disparity 
of years or circumstances puts the ideal of love out of 
the question. Middle life lias rarely this advantage ; 
youth and old age have. We may have female friend¬ 
ships with those much older, and those much younger 
than ourselves. Female friendship is to a man the 
bulwark, sweetness, ornament of his existence. 
A WOMAN’S FRIENDSHIP. 
It is a wondrous advantage to a man, in every pur¬ 
suit or vocation, to secure an adviser in a sensible 
woman. In woman there is at once a subtle delicacy 
' of tact, and a plain soundness of judgment, which are 
rarely combined to an equal degree in man. A woman, 
if she he really your friend, will have a sensitive re¬ 
gard for your character, honor, repute. She will 
seldom counsel yon to do a shabby thing, for a woman 
friend always desires to he proud of you. At the 
same time, her constitutional timidity makes her more 
cautious than your male friend. She, therefore, seldom 
counsels you to do an imprudent thing. 
A man’s best female friend is a wife of good sense 
aud heart, whom he loves, and who loves him. But 
supposing the man to he without such a helpmate, 
female friendship he must still have, or his intellect 
will he without a garden, and there will he many an 
unheeded gap, even in its strongest fence. Better aud 
SOCIAL AMUSEMENTS. 
“ The melancholy days have come, the saddest of 
the year,” aud with them the long evenings, which 
the poet lias not included in the general sadness, hut 
which in many households would exceed in melan¬ 
choly even the “ sad November days,” were it not for 
the. pleasant amusements which can he devised to 
make the hours pass on as merry wings as did the 
“ moonlit nights of June.” 
A very amusing game is answering questions in 
poetry, and putting in certain words that are given, 
and doing it all in a stated time—say five or ten 
minutes. Eacli player is provided with a pencil and 
paper, and may write any question they choose. 
Fold the top of the paper over the question so it can¬ 
not he seen, and place all the papers together; mix 
them so none will draw their own paper, and each 
draw one aud write a word—any word; fold and mix 
aud each draw again, and are ready to answer the 
question and put in the word in poetry. For example: 
Miss H.. Mrs. S., Mr. M. and Mr. S. are playing. 
On drawing the papers, Mr. M. finds his question to 
he “ How do you like snakes cooked?” and the word 
under it, “ Grasshopper.” Five or ten minutes are 
given to answer in, aud at the close of the time he 
produces the following: 
Skin them first, both neat and clean, 
Being sure by no one you are seen; 
Then fry them slowly over the fire, 
With wood as dry, if not any drier 
Than that they use for a bottle stopper, 
And season well with a young grasshopper, 
If ihen it does not suit your taste, 
Just “dump” in any other “haste;” 
And you will like it, I am sure, 
Unless you're a senseless epicure. 
Miss H. reads the following, in answer to the ques¬ 
tion “ Whom do you love best?” and the word “ Hero.” 
The one I love is not a hero. 
If war’s bright laurels make him so; 
The wreath that crowns his brow as victor. 
Does not on any bay tree grow. 
Ho thousand tongues proclaim the story 
Of wondrous fight by flood or field ; 
Ho herald’s voice shouts forth the glory 
That wondering nations to him yield. 
The one I love is not a hero, 
If learning’s laurels make him one; 
The Alma Mater’s halls that held him 
Lift not their towers to the sun. 
Ho stately halls have e’er resounded. 
As through their domes hL voice has rung; 
Ho crowds in breathless silence waited 
For music from his silvery tongue. 
The. one I love best is a hero. 
If victory o’er himself makes one; 
If fighting against wrong’s heroic, 
His heroship has then begun. 
For he who his own spirit rulelh, 
And keeps his feet from going wrong, 
Is greater than the brave commander 
Who takes the guarded city strong. 
Mr. S. finds his question to he, “What is au old 
bachelor?” The word is “ Undoubtedly.” He writes 
as follows: 
A bachelor is a funny man. 
And the reason why he's funny. 
Is undoubtedly because he can 
Call no nice girl his “honey.” 
Mrs. S. has the question, “ Is thy life solitary ?” 
The word is “Pancakes.” She answers in this way: 
Mv life, six months ago. was cold and lone. 
My heart was sad with thoughts of Coining sorrow, 
Till lo! I came across a rolling stone. 
And brighter dawned my prospects of to morrow. 
The stone is mine, my life no more is lone; 
The past with joy I can review, 
And think with gladness of the approaching day, 
When I my pancakes light shall fry for two. 
The game is an excellent one to sharpen the wits 
and try the poetical powers of the players, and will be 
found highly entertaining aud even exciting if only five 
minutes are given iu which to answer the questions. 
Rochester, Minn. Mrs. N. Stone. 
