354 
MOORE’S RURAL MEW- YORKER 
NOV. 29 
IN EXTREMIS. 
jiv UK KojitiKHr r. ut'MatnsoN. 
I kit ine down boro by thy stile, U, lake, 
And gu/.e upon tliy bosom cold and clear; 
And struggle lest my poor heart break, 
And strive In vain to cheek the hcaldlug tour. 
The silvery moon looks coldly down on me. 
The moaning of the rlght-ivlnd rends my soul; 
1 long to hide my aching heart In thee. 
That I may sooner find my sough t-for goal. 
“Too young!” they toll roe, “to have sorrow 
known,— 
That life must yet forsooth l>« fair and bright.” 
They know not t hat ray sorrows are ray crown ; 
My life shall And Its day hut In their night. 
And so, dear take, I com* to thea for rest; 
Knfold me gently, lmthc ray selling head. 
There, let ran lean upon t.hy willing hreast; 
To-morrow lot them speak of mo—as dead ! 
<®ttr $toTg-®^ltyr. 
MY THANKSGIVING, 
BY MRS. MARY D. I1RINB. 
Thanksgiving Day was approaching. Al¬ 
ready Turkeydorn had yielded Its annual num¬ 
ber of martyrs to the cause, and rows of the 
same hung suspended for tho critical examina¬ 
tion of housekeeper# at every grocery and 
butcher’s chop within tho city. It l&ckod but 
a week of t he nay of glorious family gatherings 
and groaning tables, and I sat disconsolately, 
late one afternoon, beside the window, watch¬ 
ing the passers-by, and breaking tho tenth 
commandment with considerable energy. 1 
remember what a little, uncomfortable room 
It was wherein wc sat, naatmna and I. on this 
dreary November aflerxoon, while the twilight 
shadows were closing rapidly about us. The 
third floor of a plain though respect able board- 
ing-houso- a front room, (hotter, to be sure, 
than a back one would have been,) but so 
plainly furnished as to look absolutely dreary. 
Such a carpet! and such curtains J One could 
have shot peas through the coarse material 
without lu tho least injuring tho fabric! A 
hideous portrait of some ancient maiden glared 
crossly down at ns from the wall over tho man¬ 
tle-piece ; anti wo had never dared express a 
desire for ita removal, for the reason that it 
represented some relative of our landlady, and 
we feared she would wax wroth, and make 
that, fact evident to us In various ways which 
are well known to landladies. There was one 
rocking chair In tho room, which, by virtue or 
her age, of course, niamnis always occupied, 
and In which, by the way, she never took much 
comfort, as the short, stubby rocker# continu¬ 
ally threatened an overthrow of the whole cun- 
corn. Then the boil; well, it was evidently In¬ 
tended for a single person, (a very thin ono at 
that,) and possibly was large enough, but there 
Was certainly too much of poor, fat mamma 
and myself to soil Its proportions comfortably ; 
and a# the bed never seemed quite certain of 
it# own stability, but croaked and groaned with 
every movement of our#, It cannot lie much 
wondered at that a night’s repose upon that 
affair did not usually furnish us with much re¬ 
freshment of soul and body. 
Two miserable chairs completed the furnish¬ 
ing of this luxurious appartment, and within 
It I sat. gloomy and out of sorts. Mamma sal 
placidly darning stockings beside I be other 
window, and any one would have known, look¬ 
ing at her fine, aristocratic features beholding 
the unconscious air of refinement and bnutem 
that betrayed itself lu every movement, that 
cheap dresses and miserable lodging# hail not 
always been her portion lu life. The poverty 
which for nearly two years had hugged us so 
closely could not rob mamma of her birthright, 
and I was very proud of her dear, handsome 
old self. be grow darker outside, and mamma 
put away her stockings, and went sbivoringly 
to the register across the room, while 1 still re¬ 
mained at my post, watching the lights flash 
up from tho house# around, and envying the 
group of gay girls who came out on the stoop 
of ... handsome house opposite, followed by n 
stream of light which spoke of warmth and 
comfort within. 1 caught a glimpse of rich 
carpets, (and a spacious staircase, of walls 
luing with rare paintings, and of silken cur¬ 
tains; I heard through the open door the corry 
sound of n piano, and glad voices within echoed 
the ringing laughter of those on the stoop. 
“ Watching for their father, I suppose," mur¬ 
mured I, with a sigh which caught mamma's 
attention. 
** What Is it, Kitda ?"Jsho asked gently. And 
my reply was full of bitterness. 
“Only the old story, mamma, I am tired of 
all this—this poverty. This room looks more 
poverty-stricken than ever!" 
" And we are poverty-stricken, my child," 
said sho. “ Do not complain when wo still 
have each other." 
11 You are so provokingly complacent about 
our condition,” cried I, angrily. “One would 
never dream, to hoar you talk, that you had 
Keen better days. Over there," point ing to the 
house opposite, “they do not know what 
trouble is, and wo, we might have fared the 
same if papa — ” 
“ Erri.A, stop 1” commanded my mother, stern¬ 
ly. **Do you know what you are saying?" 
Yes; 1 knew full well. 1 was reproaching 
the father who for two years had slept beneath 
tho willows In Greenwood Cemetery—the dear 
father who hud loved rno so, for a mistake 
which it was too late now to mourn. Shame 
and repentance followed my wicked thought#, 
and for awhile silence reigned. The group op¬ 
posite had gone into till warmth within, and 
the old street, like myself, was quiet and dreary. 
Presently I heard the ringing sound of a mail's 
quick st ep, and a figure ran lightly up the step* 
of the house I xvaa watching. Ere his hand 
could touch the bell, the door again flew open, 
and a fair face and outstretched arms greeted 
tho new-comer. “Her lover," thought I; 
“well. I had a lover once, and It was through 
my own folly thut I lost him, 1 suppose." Tho 
lover whom 1 watched from my post In the 
darkness bowed his head and stole a Ulus from 
the soft cheek raised to him, aud then they 
went In together, and again shut out the glad¬ 
ness from my envious eyes. 
Mamma had returned to her rocking-chair, 
and though I could not seo hor face, for the 
thick shadows, yet now and then u long-drawn 
breath, very much resembling a snore, told mo 
that, she was indulging lu ono of her“uaps," 
aud thus left to myself I sent my thought# 
back over tho time between our present po#i- 
tion and the wealth which used to be ours. 
From my earliest remembrance papa bad been 
considered a rich man, and 1 looked upon car¬ 
riages, blooded teams, liveried servants, Ac., 
Ac., a* trifle* which were as mueh a matter of 
course as our daily bread. Wo bad never, to 
my knowledge, been without them, and for 
aught I know to the contrary, the same would 
continue until the end of all thing*. Leaving 
school at seventeen I found myself provided 
with the fashionable number of beaux, and 
received the homagu of each with the most 
approved style of charming Indifference. When 
It happened, at last, that I learned to give more 
of my thought# to Kaku Ilowu than to any 
other of my admirers, pride was highly shocked 
and remonstrated with iny heart for bestowing 
It# thoughts upon only a lawyer, flaart rea¬ 
soned and ploadod for It* true rights, blit pride, 
which had an eye to wealth and ease and 
grandeur whlsh were beyond a lawyer’s fees, 
conquered at lengt h, aDd I turned a deaf ear 
to the pitiful pleading* within me, and treated 
Hack with cool Indifference. 1 will not deny 
that my heart and soul wore fairly hungry for 
Hafic'b love. I know it was already mine, that 
would I give him tho opportunity hi* love 
would JimJ expression; but, ah! 1 also knew 
that I was weak, and I dared not risk the 
temptation lest 1 should forgot my parent’s do- 
sires for their only child, and allow heart, In¬ 
stead of pride, to triumph. Ho 1 kept him at 
a distance, and enjoyed myself with number¬ 
less flirtations, carried cm day and night with 
those for whom l really felt little inward re¬ 
spect. 
When young Gninog, the banker’s son, was 
pleased to fall dosporutely In love with mo, 
mamma and papa were delighted, and so ar¬ 
gued, coaxed and commanded that at last I 
allowed myself to receive the attentions of a 
man whose brain# seemod to llo wholly In tho 
waxed ends of his mustache, ltut what of 
that! What If I folt him my Inferior In every 
way a# regards Intellect and ordinary common 
sense ! He was rich, and of cour#n that was 
all that could possibly be necessary, so people 
seemed to think, and dazrled finally by glorious 
visions of future magnificence, and because 1 
must have been mad, blind, 1 treated the only 
man I could ever truly love with such studied 
neglect I hat hi# manhood would brook nothing 
more, at my hands, and ho loft the city whore, 
I never ascertained. 
Then my finger was burdened with the weight 
of an engagement ring, and young Griggs, the 
donor, was my constant shadow. Of course 
his increased familiarity did not tend to In¬ 
crease my respect for hi# shallow nature, and I 
found myself hating the sight of him after a 
little while. I made ono effort to release my¬ 
self from the bondage, but mamma cried and 
papa stormed. Got h declared roy feelings “ nl 1 
nonsense," and Insisted that I should not dis¬ 
grace the family by any such exhibition of 
weakness and folly. “Gut papa," I urged 
wearily, “ if I don't love him —” 
“ Tut, Tut 1" was his stern reply. “ That will 
como soon enough. I want no more of this 
folly I" Ho i meekly drifted with the tide of 
parental authority, and, grew more and more 
disgusted with rny betrothed. 
However, fate Interposed at last to save mo 
from n life-wreck, though, to bo sure, sho was 
not kind in her ways of assistance. Papa 
failed, and died suddenly, Immodately after. 
Then mamma and 1 found ourselves with so 
little means at our disposal, that only through 
the strictest economy could we maintain our¬ 
selves respectably. Wc left Goston, and found 
the room which I have described in the begin¬ 
ning of this sketch. The street was quiet, the 
house well enough, after its own fashion of 
rod-brick gentility, and wc could keep our¬ 
selves and our crushed pride from the knowl¬ 
edge of formor acquaintances, which was what 
wc most desired. Of course. Just after our 
misfortunes Mr. Griggs discovered his mistake 
In having proposed to “Miss Denham, tho 
ruined merchant’s daughter,” Ho Miles Gkn- 
iiam most thankfully returned hi# ring, and 
without one shadow of regret saw hor devoted 
admirer depart forever from hor presence. 
To fall thus suddenly from the pinnacle of 
wealth to absolute poverty was more than 
mamma’s nerves could bear, and a long illness 
follow ed our removal to eur now and humble 
home. When she recovered hoa'tb and strength 
anew and chastened spirit bad entered into 
lmr life, and the old, foolish pride of birth and 
Btatlon bad departed, leaving a patient sorrow 
and humility In Its stead. The question next 
arose. What can I do to lift some of this bur¬ 
den from mamma's weak shoulder*?" In days 
of prosperity I had written rhymes which Jin¬ 
gled prettily, and were termed, by flattering 
friends, “Poems.” Why not make the talent 
remunerative, now In this time of need ? 1 
thought, and my portfolio, With its cherished 
contents, was brought forth and overhauled. 
To hide such light, under a bushel, whispered 
vanity, would surely be doing the reading pub¬ 
lic a grievous wrong. Therefore, a marvelous 
collection of what 1 now know to have been 
utterly worthies# and Bat compositions, were 
forwarded hither and thither to the addresses 
of several editors, and I ealrnlv sat down to 
plan uses for the various checks which most 
confidently I expected in return. Alas, ulus! 
Tho cheeks came only In tho shape of rejected 
MSS., accompanied by polite regrets that “Tho 
editors could not find my poem# quite avail¬ 
able;" or, “Owing to more matter already on 
hand than they had space for," Ac., Ac. Ho, 
with crimson cheeks and a feeling of utter con¬ 
tempt for the poor bruins which could not com¬ 
prehend my literary efforts, I burned t he whole 
bundle *f shattered hope# and wrecked visions, 
and did besides just what any girl In my place 
would have done, put my tired head in mam¬ 
ma’s lup and had a good, long cry. 
Gut one day, after an hour of solf-cxamlna- 
tlon, during which every evil trait and vain¬ 
glorious thought had been brought to light and 
shamed almost out of existence, 1 felt an im¬ 
pulse within rue to take once again my long- 
unused pen and see If out of my sorrow and 
humiliation something worldly of notice might 
be created. The poem was not long; only a 
simple love story, simply told, in which joy and 
sad ness were interwoven lovingly together, and 
out of which came hope and a sort of comfort 
to me, tho writer. Home pitying angel must 
have guided thoughts and pen, for not only was 
the poem accepted for one of the leading week¬ 
lies, but with tho acceptance came a request 
for another article, either poem or prose. I am 
not ashamed to say that I thanked Goo that 
night for the glory which belonged unto Him. 
Mamma was very proud of me, too, all of a 
sudden, and her happy face Inspired me to 
greater energy. Gut then, after all, there was 
not much chance of my becoming famous yet 
« while, and only a few of my poems found 
favor, so that it was necessary for me to find 
other work beside. Nearly t wo year# had drag¬ 
ged by In vain endeavors to reach from really 
uncomfortable poverty to at least a position of 
partial ease and comfort—a sort of breathing 
place—ere wc would again take up the burden 
and Ittoggor on up tho hill. And now, a# I sal 
beside the window watching those who were 
so far above us in this world's good things, no 
wonder that bitter tear# filled my eye# and a 
reding of envy possessed me. 
That night, ere wc slept, I confided to mam¬ 
ma my Intention# for the following day. “ I 
will find copying to do," said I, “and though 
tho work bo hard, yet I will persevero 1" Mam¬ 
ma thought I would kill myself stooping all 
day over a desk; but I laughed at her fears. 
Then, with gentle embarrassment, sho suggest¬ 
ed that my hand-writing w as not as good as 
might he desired by those who could give me 
t he work. That was u damper to be sure, and 
I ruefully remembered my usually crompod 
chlrograpby. However, tho next morning found 
me decided on my plan of seeking employment 
in that way, and knowing that with nothing 
ventured nothing Is gained, I prepared for my 
tramp. 
I think our room had uevorseemed so ut terly 
bleak and miserable as on that morning. Per¬ 
haps because of the too vivid impression my 
memory yet retained of tho warmth and joy be¬ 
longing to the opposite neighbors. At, any 
rate, the sight of that ancient maiden In the 
tarnished gilt from over t he mantle, annoyed 
me more than ever, and hastily kissing mam¬ 
ma, I flew frantically down the stairs and out. 
Into the street, followed by a whiff of onions 
and hash a detest able dish which had offended 
my nostrils nil breakfast time, I do not, think 
any one would core to know Into how many 
offices I wont that forenoon, nor how many 
wise-looking individuals, with pencils over 
their ear# amt spectacles on the bridge# of their 
noses, glared at me curiously, even while ** Re¬ 
gret ting so much that they had no copying for 
me." It Is enough to say 1 hat up and down a 
long, dusty and creaking stair# I went wearily, 
and with a Jon-like patience I had never dream¬ 
ed belonged to iny nature, until discouraged 
nod heart-sick, I turned my face homeward. 
A sudden Impulse prompted rnc to ascend the 
stairs of a building which before had escaped 
iny at tention. “ It must be the last firin'," I 
murmured, struggling to force back tho tears 
which were reedy to flow. Then I knocked 
timidly nt the door of a small office; but rny 
knock failed to attract attention, and presently 
I entered of my own accord, waiting till the 
gentleman whose hack was towards me should 
change his position, When he did so, imme¬ 
diately after, it was Rake’s face that met mine, 
and Rake’s voice that spoke to mo. 1 only 
knew that the room seemed whirling around, 
and wn# dimly conscious of falling ; lull a ghi.s* 
of water, and the chair which was given me, 
enabled me to conquer the momentary faint¬ 
ness, and then, with crimson cheeks and deep¬ 
est mortification, 1 covered my face with both 
hands and burst into tears rny usual refuge in 
trouble of any sort, foolish though it might be. 
I do not care to repeat all that followed. Of 
course, very naturally, lie addressed me as "Mrs. 
Griggs," and I could no more help shuddering 
at the mention of that abhorred individual’s 
name—which so narrowly mine escaped con¬ 
nection with than I could help the start of 
surprise from Rake when lie found out hi# 
mistake. Then somehow he coaxed t he whole 
story from my pride-hound lips, and at last 1 
leaked up fearlessly and asked Ids as? {stance 
in my endeavor# to obtain employment. A 
smile, which sent a moment’s feeling of indig¬ 
nation through my heart, hovered about id# 
mouth as he replied:—"I would holpyou in that 
way. Mis# Elii, a, but Just at present 1 have an 
important, ease on hand, which requires my 
first attention." 
“ Indeed,” I answered, striving to appear in¬ 
different, “ and whose case must you plead that 
It. seems so Important ?” while all the time 1 
thought, “ selfish, like all the rest of Ills sex, and 
I had thought him noblest among men! ’ 
“ Look up, Em, a," he said, with a something 
In histones which quickened tho pulses of my 
heart. I rained my eyes and his own looked 
into mine earnestly. " The case is my own. It 
is Hake and Rakk’ 8heart t’crtfMSa trouble which 
has come upon some one lie loves, niul 1 must 
plead for that heart and for myself. Euda, 
darling 1 Will you be t he Judge and decide In 
my favor?" 
What could 1 say? I, poor and miserable, 
seeking work to provide myself with food! 
He, the once rejected, scorned young lawyer, 
now high In position, with a never-ending 
wealth of goodnuss truth ! What could I say? 
Oh, nothing, indeed, but let him fold me closely 
in his dear arms, and humbly own my faults 
and the suffering it had brought upon me. 
Kafe took me home himself, and the frowsy- 
headed servant who opened the door for us 
stored a# I entered with my escort. If IIakis 
noticed the dreadful odor of onions that still 
pervaded the hall* ho never made the slightest 
sign, and I I was so happy that I would wil¬ 
lingly have eaten a dish of them if necessary. 
While he waited In the dingy parlor below, I 
was tolling mamma the whole story of my 
morning’s work, and when at last he was called 
up, she rose with hor old, grand air, and wel¬ 
comed him earnestly. 
When Thanksgiving day came, Rake and 1 
stood before the altar of God and took upon 
us vows of love and constancy, while mamma 
and ono or two humble lrlond* bore witness to 
our pledges. Our Thanksgiving dinner was 
eaten at a hotel, in our private room, where 
mamma, who, Raeic said, was now his own 
mother, and who should never be Kcparated 
from ub,— and my husband and self felt within 
our hearts the true spirit of Thanksgiving and 
blessed tho day for all It had brought us through 
the Giver of all Good Tilings. 
-- 
SPARKS AND SPLINTERS, 
The late Rev. Dr. Kidd of Aberdeen, an 
eccentric but popular preacher, observed, one 
Sunday in church, a man sleeping whom ho 
knew, and whose wife was sitting beside him. 
Tho doctor called out to the latter: “ Go homo, 
Getty, and bring John’s night-cap.” 
A voting man who enjoys the sobriquet of 
" Frank," in parting with a young holy tho 
other night, endeavored to Dupres# his cus¬ 
tomary kl6B, when she forcibly pushed back his 
head, and said," No, sir, you don’t—the frank¬ 
ing privilege is abolished." 
A worth v old lady offers the following ad¬ 
vice to girls ; Whenever a follow pops t he ques¬ 
tion, don’t blush and stare at your foot. Just 
throw your arm around his neck, look him full 
in the face, and commence talking about tho 
furniture. 
“ Have you GonnsMiTn’BGreece?" was asked 
of the clerk In a store In which books and 
various miscellaneous articles were sold. “ No," 
said the clerk, reflectively, “we haven’t Gnu>- 
smitu’b Greece, but we have some splendid 
hair oil." 
A DODD college student one morning read n 
theme of unusual merit. The president being 
suspicious, asked pointedly if it was original. 
” Why, yes sir,” was tho reply ; “ it had ‘ origi¬ 
nal’ over it in the paper I took It from." 
A GREENHORN sat a long time, very attontlvc, 
musing upon a cane-bottom chair. At length 
lie said, “ I wonder what fellow took tho trouble 
to And all them or holes and put straws around 
’em." 
“Reaxa.y, Mr. Johnston, there’s nao end to 
your wit,” said a lady in the west of Scotland 
to a noted humorist. “Gude forbid, madam," 
ho replied, “that I should ever be at my wit’s 
end." 
An Irishman was asked if Loda Monti:/ 
ever smoked. “Yes, sir, sho did," lie exclaimed, 
“ and so does every volcano. Perhaps you’ll 
show me the lovely crater that don’t smoko!" 
A student in a veterinary college being 
asked, “If a broken-wlndod horse was brought 
to you to cure, what would you advise?” 
promptly replied, “Hell him as soon as possible.” 
Connecticut now claims the most impudent 
man alive. Having stolen water-melons from 
a farmer, he has sent tho seeds back in a letter 
requesting his victim to plant them next year. 
“The strongest propensity in a woman’s 
nature,” says a surely editor, “is a desire to 
know what’s going on, and the next to boss 
the job.” 
r 
