MAY 9 
MOORE’S RURAL WEW-YORKER. 
ONE YEAR AGO. 
WHAT stars have faded from our sky 
What hopes unfolded but to die! 
What dreams so fondly pondered o’er, 
Forever lost the hues they wore ! 
How like a death-knell, sad and slow, 
Tolls through the soul, *' one year ago!” 
Where is the face we loved to greet, 
The form that graeud the II reside scat. 
The gentle smile, the winning way, 
That blessed onr life-path day by day ? 
Where fled those accents soft and low 
That thrilled onr hearts " one year ago?” 
Ah! vacant is the fireside chair, 
The smile that won no longer there; 
From door and hall, from porch and lawn. 
The echo of the voice Is gone, 
And we who linger only know 
flow much was lost " one year ago!” 
Unable her grave the marble white 
Keeps silent guard by day and night! 
Serene she sleeps, nor heeds the tread 
Of footsteps o’er tier lowly bed; 
Her pulseless brdasl uo more may know 
The pangs of life u one year ago l” 
But why repine? A few more years, 
A few more broken sighs and tears, 
And we, enlisted with the dead, 
Shall follow whore her steps have fled ; 
To that far world rejoicing go 
To which she passed “ one year ago!" 
#ur ^lorg-®(|llt[r. 
AN IRISH LOVE STORY; 
OR, NANCY’S FIDELITY TO HAND 
AND WORD. 
BY A NEW CONTKIUUTOH. 
“ Win, Nancy,” said Mrs. Fenwick, to her 
good-looking Irish servant.-maid, “there is 
something the matter w ith you to-day. You 
look as if you had beard some laid news." 
“Indeed, ma’am,*' replied Nancy, with a 
melancholy yet. silvery brogue, “it is true fur 
you. The post, this morning 1 brought, me a 
strange letter from homo, and I can't got over 
its contents." 
“Some one dead, I suppose ; is it your father?” 
“No, Indeed, ma’am. My father and mother, 
and tho two llttlo brothers and slaters, have 
nothing ailing them.” 
“Then what strange news has the letter 
brought to you? " 
“ Oh ! mistress, doar, not cutting you short at 
all, I suppose I had better get over it as well as 
I can, and aay nothing about it to any one. But 
1 never thought it would have such i had end. 1 ' 
“Bad eud, Nancy! —the letter must have 
brought you tho worst of news.” 
“ Yes, ma'am, as bad as a poor girl can want 
to hear. Denis, I thought, was truer than 
that, or I never would have looked on him with 
tho eyes I did. But I was told to disregard 
him, and now I have my sore payment.” 
“Then, Nancy, you were engaged In Ire¬ 
land.” 
"Yes, ma’am. I was promised, as they say, 
to Denis Dii,eon, and many girls thought I 
.was very lucky; but (now I see that It was not 
lucky I was but, unfortunate." 
"is he dead, Nancy?” 
“ Yea, ma’am, he soems to be dead to mo; but 
I’ll never give him a bail thought. It was 
pleasant once to think of him, and i’ll always 
wish him happy." 
“It was pleasant once to think of him, 
Nancy.” 
“All, yes, ma’am 1 So many liked him and 
wanted him, and ho was so good-looking that 
it was very pleasant once to think of him, and 
sore Is the letter that tells me I should think of 
him no more.” 
“ Was it Denis himself wrote the lotter, 
Nancy?” 
“ Indeed, ma’am, it is his own hand-writing. 
Everythingin it was put In it by his own mind.” 
“Did you know Denis long, Nancy?” 
“Yes, ma'am. I knew him three months- 
and then, onodayat, a pattern, he said r pleased 
him better than any one else; and I declare, 
ma’am, I don't know how to explain it, but a 
strong feeling for him grew over me, and soon 
after that we gave the hand and word." 
“ By hand and word you mean you became 
engaged to him." 
“ Yes, ma’am ; when people are promising to 
marry, in Ireland, they do it by giving each 
other the hand and word.” 
“ Old you tell your parents of what you had 
done?" 
“No, ma’am. They were dot long in seeing 
it all themselves, and then when they asked 
mo to give up Denis for ruzona that they had, 
I said 1 had given the Laud and word and that 
I hoped it would turn out lucky. And then, 
when they saw I had pledged myself with the 
hand and word, they gave mo their blessing.” 
“Why, then, NANCY, did you not get mar¬ 
ried ? " 
“ Well, ma’am, neither of us was well off, and 
wo thought it was best to try America —and I 
was to come first, and so 1 came.” 
“And who made up tho money for you to 
come to America ? ” 
“ Denis, ma’am Denis. He was then all 
true-hearted, and ho sold a heifer for my pass¬ 
age. Ho was to coino o w or himself In a year, 
and I was to save all I could until ho came. 
KIQSXIDTQ BABY Q-OOXD • 3MTC3-XIT, 
