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the old stout.
Dr came arm#* Uio mradow |>am
T hat ev» of evM;
Tin? sunlight streamed along the gras*
And glanced amid the leaves;
And from the shrubbery below,
And from the garden trees,
lie heard the thrush's music flow
And humming of the bees.
The garden gate wsa swung apart,
The apace was brief between,
But there, for throbbing of hia heart,
lie paused perforce to lean.
He lean'll upon the garden gate;
He look'd, and scarce he breathed;
Within the little porch eho sate,
With woodbine overwreathed.
Her eyes upon her work were bent,
Unconscious who wan nigh;
But oft the needle aiowly went,
And oft did idle lie.
And ever to hor lips arose
Sweet fragments faintly sung;
But ever ere the notes could close
Hlio hushed them on her tongne.
. Oh ! beauty of my heart, ho said,
Oh I darling, darling mine,
Was ever light of evening shed
On loveliness like thine ?
Why should I over leave this spot?
But gaao until I dio !
A moment from that bursting thought
She felt his footsteps nigh.
One sudden lifted glance—but one—
A tremor and a start;
Bo gently was their greeting done,
That who would guess tboir heart?
Long, long, the sun had sunken down,
And all his golden trail
Had died away to linos of brown
In duskier hues that fail.
The grasshopper was chirping shrill—
No other living Bound
Accompanied the tiny rill
That gurgled underground;
No other living sound unless
Some spirit bent to hear
Low words of human tenderness
And mingling whispers hear.
—Irish Song.
M11S. CLIFFORD'S MISTAKE.
[From Arthur’s Home Magazine.]
“Oh, dear 1”
It was a sigh of weariness, and poor,
tired Mrs. Clifford sank for a moment
into a luxurious easy-ohair.’ Perhaps I
ihould not say “poor.” Her hus¬
band was called by his friends “oom
fortably well off.” Tired, she eertalnly
was. From dawn till dark her feet must
be in every place, her hands must toil
and toil that there be no creak nor jar
in the household machinery. Kitchen
girls she had tried, but they only
brought extra care, she said, and she
was glad to be independent. To-day
had been unusually busy and the parlor
had been left undusted till afternoon.
That was why she happened in while
her daughter’s city friends were there.
Of course she had hastily retreated.
Close by the door stootl that inviting
chair, and for once Mrs. Clifford yielded
to her longing for rest. She could hear
the gay voices in the other room, but
took no notioe of them till Izzie ex
‘claimed, lightly:
“Oh, that was only the woman who
works foi; us. She did not know any
one was here. What were you saying
about the bride, Madge ?”
And then tho talk flowed on as before,
broken now and then by a ripple of
laughter. Mrs. Clifford heard no more.
She forgot her paiu and weariness; she
forgot the pile of sewing awaiting her
in another room. Like a flash her mind
traveled back nearly a soore of years.
Izzie and Reba were babies again, and
she was a proud young mother. Her
husband’s means were limited, but they
must wear tho finest embroideries, and
by denying herself every lnxnry and
many comforts she conld keep them
clothed as ahe wished. They were early
given the nicest tid-bits at the table, and
what wonder if they soon looked upon
mother’s share of good things as their
own? They were pretty children, and
as they grew older she prided herself
upon keeping; them daintily dressed.
To be sure, this involved aacnfioe od
her pari She had loved books, but it
took so much time to read these must
be given up “for the children’s sake.”
Hbo must all tip late night* to sew; ahf
nmat wear her cloak the third wintei
and hare her beat dreaa made over ore*
more, in order that lute might hav.
that charming hat with plumea or Heb.
the bead trimmiag abe no much desired.
Dui, k ,,„.ip..™ 1 a.. r i; ob,
S.2C SSiX-iSC
b- f‘“£'W‘
By the time they reached young girl
hood, her husband’* income warranted
the bo««t teachers, and they, being quick
and bright, did credit to their instruo
tors. His income also warranted her
many hours «f leisure; but alas ! so long
had she liven “for the children” that it
seemed impossible to make any change.
Nobody oould do up the muslins or pre
pare food like mother.
Hor husband had long since ceased to
look to her for intellectual companion
ehip. It was the girls, with whom he
talked science and politics. When he
wanted music they played and sang. If
ho went to a lecture or a concert they
accompanied him. Her own mission
seemed fulfilled in a well-cooked meal
or nicely ironed shirt.
What a mistake she had made! It
rushed upon her now, as she sank back
into the easy-ebair with those words
ringing all sorts of changes over and over
in her ears: “The woman who works
for us 1 the woman who works for us 1”
But the callers must have gone. The
\>uter door has opened and shut, and
hark 1 the girls are talking again. It is
Reba’s voioe:
“Oh, Izzie ! how could you ?”
“I know it was perfectly awful, but
what could I do ? If mother would only
dress decently and get used to society,
we should not have to be ashamed of her
when any one oomos. It’s all her own
fault.”
Ashamed of her 1 The children who
had cost her so many wakeful nights, so
many anxious thoughts, ashamed of her 1
Mrs. Clifford arose mechanically and
went to her room. Tiiere she did some¬
thing very unusual for her. She spent
at least five minutes gazing at her own
reflection in the glass. Not a prepossess¬
ing figure, certainly. Her dress, a plain
calico, guiltless of even a collar; her
hair combed straight back, twisted in
the smallest possible knot at the back of
her head, and the face—oould that be
the face that had onee been called beau¬
tiful ? No wonder the woman heaved a
sigh, as she saw how faded and wrinkled
it had become.
As she gazed a resolute look came into
the gray eyes.
“Ashamed of me, aud my own fault 1
They shall never have occasion to say
that again.”
A quick knock sounded at her door.
“Oh, mother t Miss Tebbits has sent
home my polonaise, and the trimming
is all wrong. Won’t you change it to¬
night ? I must have it to wear to Mattie
Dyer’s to morrow, you know.”
Mrs. Clifford dared not trust herself
to face the girl.
“You will have time to change it your
self, Reba. I am going to the lecture,
and some one must remain at home.”
There was a moment of amazed
silence, then retreating footsteps. After
ward she heard Reba’s surprised, “What
do you think will happen next?
Mother’s going to the lecture 1”
Clifford, when he came home,
wfts no less sur P r * 8ed tban his daughters
had been, but there was a pleased look
on hw iaeo it dul her good to aee.
Still, her heart almost failed her when
she came to review her scanty wardrobe.
The black silk was shil good, though a
Mtle old-fashioned. But her oonnet
*« d 8 lovea aud that cloak ! No > sh€
j conld not mortify her husband by wear
ing them. She must stay at home.
-Ara S Tle ontade ol~e7door, a tap,
and the two girls fluttered in.
-Now, mother, we are just going tc
di you ourselves. Bit right down and
let me arrauge your hair while Izzie
pnta that dark ploma on her bonnet In
place of the bright one. My cashmere
ahawl ia exaotly what you want, and
her giove. will tit you to a T. How the
girl* will open their eyes when they ae*
what a haudaome mother we vo got!
mu-***—--**.
5 T^ZXS ^1'“ — ““ 1
SfS“ '
yet come, and they waited for a moment
j n the hall-she and her husband. How
the o]d ^ girlish blu8he8 WO nld come ae
he 8too a and kissed her ! Then he
8oftly whispered:
„y ou look j aat ^ yoa d i d twenty
year8 ago Mary. I’m so glad to have
m little wife back aga i n> ”
j need not add that the eve ning was a
thoroughly enjoyablo one.
Nexfc morning there was a council of
t h ree in the back parlor. Mrs. Clifford
8tateJ thati fihe must have more time for
BOC i e ty and mental improvement. She
00uld hire help, ^ but it would be better
{or concer d {or Izzie aud Rebu to
learD gomethi of Uousek eeping.
Izzie held up her fair white hands and
ked bow tbey wou i d look playing the
£ covered with 8Cars and potato
tains> Reba dida » t se0 how tbe y could
possibly flnd time, they had so much to
d() a ] ready>
Mrs. Clifford stood firm, and the conn
cil ended in the kitchen with the two
girls washing the breakfast dishes.
During the next few weeks there were
80 me merry times in that kitchen, but
more trying ones. Keba would be
elated beyond measure over a well
browned loaf of bread, while Izzie was in
despair over a well-browned shirt
bosom. Izzie displayed with
pride the shining silver her hands
had polished, while Reba hid the sliin
iug napkins o^r which she had upset
the gravy boat. Such is the inconsis¬
tency of kitchen perfection.
More than once the mother felt like
abandoning her plans. It would be so
much easier to do it all herself. But
she possessed the gift of perseverance,
and after awhile the household machin¬
ery moved on as smoothly as ever, and
much more easily now that there were
six hands instead of two to turn the
wheels. Parlor company no longer
wondered where the mother was, and
the daughters grew more delighted every
day with her whose acquaintance they
were just forming.
One day Mrs. Clifford had a sick
headache. Three mouths before she
could not have afforded tlie luxury of a
sick day. Now she could dismiss all
care—for a season at least. I will not.
say she did not feel some anxiety when
she learned at noon that her husband had
brought a “business frieud from the
West” home to dinner. But everything
went on as well as if she had presided.
The girls had been as apt pupils in the
kitchen as at tho school.
Mr. Taft, the , . business . friend, . . , was a
young man. He was cultured and
wealthy, but he had some very oul
f 8a hioned notions about young women
being unfit to preside over homes of
their own before learning something of
i ion8 owork. He enjoyed Izzie’s sing
j llg and praised her painting, but he
afterward deolared it was her cooking
that first attracted him. At any rate,
business frequently obliged after h*ni that, to visit and Carlisle at last
very
he carried Izzie back to be the queen
Western home,
Reba gtil , Uve8 with her pare nt 3 . She
8aJ J s no one fcoJand can persuade her to leave
mother. Earner
, certam pars0 ^ nage will
receive her How ver that may
^ CU2ord re j 0 ices that she dis¬
’ ‘
ered her mistake in time to rectify it
w
^
^ Tirreli*
A Bran® soclety'agenfcalled N H. recentlv on 3,210
‘Z Zni in o" Concord
wUh
Bible. He sold 629 copies and gave
away 107.
vantage of th nng a Titao
Mf R p. ShtUaber (“Mm. Parting*
^ ^ reltle* the following in one of hia
^ the Hartford PiMfr
* ^ m|UW of oomfnoditiftlJ cut
*a«5?ssurssirji . , necessity I saw it
EiwSSai-Ei- —.1
E -*
very • .
a ^ ad auitofclothea, of Buckram, n^tfabricwuhihe _ Twist # & Co tor ,, 328. .
Here was a grand ehance>for one of Um
»ted means who needed some good
clothes, and I followed t e ac\ei ise
ment, in the capacity of patron, to very
spacious quarters. I was cordially re
oeived by the gentlemauly Buckram,
shown th « be f g0( f“*? *“
measured and book, d ft the suit by
fche nexfc Saturday. Lpon going to re
oeive my tinery I was told ih.it ,he
maker had disappointed them ana asked
dela 7 tlU the following Satuiday, which
l granted. The next Saturday I deemed
^ero could be no failure, and went ex
^tantly “J « iot ^ Buc f am
118 confused but told me a story of new
fficulties he hadI been called to encouter,
ud a 8 ftin begged my indulgence. I tig
lively patted him on the back with a
.othing intimation that he needn t cry
bout it, and let it go for another week,
This time I called and was simply told
they wore not done. ‘Well, said I, 4 do
yon think they ever will be ? He
frankly told me ‘No. ‘Do you not in
tend to do as you advertise, and make a
suit for $28?' ‘Not fora mastodon, J
was his lofty reply, and I turned away
sorrowing, for I weighed 185. And he
is to-day suiting the times.”
Floating Homes.
“As we approach Canton,” writes a
Chinese correspondent of the Home
Journal , “one of the strangest sights of
this strange land is the vast wilderness
of boats which serve as the only homes
of a floating population of more than one
hundred thousand human beings. As
our steamer made its way slowly through
the city of boats to her wharf, it seemed
as if half of Canton was afloat on the
water. All around us were acres on acres
—yes, square miles—of junks, moored
in blocks and squares, with long streets
or canals between them; while darting
hither and thither were hundreds on
hundreds of others carrying passengers
or freight. These boats are of various
sizes and shapes, and are partly covered
with bamboo matting, the one or +wo
apartments furnishing space for paalor,.
kitchen, dining-room, bedroom, wood¬
shed, barn, and idol-shrine. There mul¬
titudes of men and women, parents and
children, grandparents and babies, find
a home, each boat often sheltering more
souls than Noah had in his ark. There
thousands are born, grow up, grow old
aud die, seldom being on land until car
M there for buriaL Many of these
boata are manned by women and girls,
wbose large> unbo und feet prove that
th are not < Chinese ladies;’ and yet
they have learned to 'paddle their own
canoe> » Babies are fastened to the deck
by strings . ^ ot her children wear life
j preservers of gourds or bamboo to keep
them from s i nk i ngt if they fall over¬
board though the parents don’t seem to
grieve much if one does get drowned,
There ^ j er and more gayly deco]>
ated junks called ‘flower-boats,’ used as
floating pleasure-houses of no good rep¬
utation. A few years ago a typhoon
swamped thousands of these small craft,
and hundreds of the inmates were
drowned.”
A gentleman who visited a roher
skating nnk and at temped to tid¬ ...
par
P ate hi the pleasures, says the idea of
^fe^r^toEen^ the qneerest EOllon the wor,a, world'“bH oe
caa6ethe ** , 0nl , V““°? M
1 hia anatomy that aidn t touch the tiwi
1 oftener than cue inning ia ten.