2 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
17 
JAN. 
A GREETING TO THE “RURAL 
BY MARY D. BRINE. 
Once more, mjr " RURAL " friend, to thee 
I aond ji New-Year's Greeting. 
A friend irmst true yoo’ve proved to he 
Since time of our t)r»t meeting. 
A Summer friend, it Winter friend, 
A friend for every season— 
Are you ; und so, you see. 1 send 
This greeting with good reason. 
A welcome friend,old "Rural," you! 
To every homestead bringing 
Your share of Joy and wisdom too, 
To set our hearts a singing. 
And now, thro’ml the months just past, 
You’ve run the raeu beside us, 
Till we have learned to bold you fust, 
Whatever tuay betide us. 
A " Happy New Year." dc-ar old friend. 
And may you live forever. 
Tho’ cares may vex. or woes attend. 
Yet I’ll forsake you never ! 
And Moore. I'll promise to be true 
To all you may desire— 
And who can tell but all thro’ yon 
Tho world may mount" still higher ? ” 
NEW-YEAR’S GREETING. 
To the RURAL Editors, contributors, frl*>nds, 
Joy and peace be with you which a clear conscience 
lends; 
May the blessings of health and contentment be 
yonrs. 
So long as this pilgrimage journey endures : 
To all »vo send greeting, and wish you good-cheer— 
A glad "Merry Christmas,’’ und a "Happy New- 
Year P* 
Ltndon Wold, Dec., 1ST4, Port U. Dacca. 
#ur £torji-S^llqr. 
A TBAVELEK’S TBOUBLES ; 
OR A YOUNG MIDDY’S MISHAPS. 
BY J. C. bIlTER. 
All ktnde of people keep writing their expe¬ 
riences. and all the rest of the world keep read¬ 
ing them. One day, a story of love lost or won; 
the next, some startling ad¬ 
venture among the tigers la 
Bengal, or a wild foray 
against the Indians; some 
quiet household catastro¬ 
phe, or a tale of death and 
doom. The tnoro each dif¬ 
fers from the ene that went 
before it, the warmer wel¬ 
come It gels; therefore I do 
not see why J, a poor m d, 
should not tell my strange 
story also. Not one of cruis¬ 
es oil the lngh sea and fierce 
rcruontrea with tho enemy 
—nor of odd sights In for¬ 
eign por^s and paioful ef¬ 
forts to talk queer gibberish 
—but just toy unexampled 
afflictions in getting back 
to AnnapollB after the last 
vaoation. 
I had been at home six 
weeks, and they were weeks 
of comfort. My mother’s 
doughnuts were never so 
nice before; her good din¬ 
ners were unrivalled by 
Prof. Blot; and, oh Joy of 
Joys 1 I could eat a whole 
pie any day that I desired. 
No more bargaining with 
the fellows to give me tlieir 
halves on Punday for my 
Friday eggs! Here was lib¬ 
erty castle, and eggs and 
pie both were mine, beside 
all other conceivable dain¬ 
ties. 
Also, the girls bad such a 
hearty admiration for my 
bright buttons,and received 
my attentions so graciously, 
I carue to believe that I was 
the "star" at the Academy. 
And this comfortable feel¬ 
ing was still lurther en¬ 
hanced by a roll of bills re¬ 
posing in my breast pocket 
—all my own, money paid 
me by Government, where¬ 
with I might be lavish in 
each tempting candy store. 
My allowance was not very 
large, to be sure; but I al¬ 
ready feit tbe Importance of 
the $1(000 salary in my grad¬ 
uated future, and scattered 
the present little a la mil¬ 
lionaire. Mary used to tell 
me I would have so mo 
trouble before long if I 
threw my greenbacks down 
so recklessly without glanc¬ 
ing at them; but I always 
replied with lofty dignity 
that T was able to take care 
of myself. Time proved 
how well. 
I always went back and 
forth to Annapolis with a 
lot of the mids,8o I did not 
pay great attention to roads 
or fare, and coaid only tell that I reached Bos¬ 
ton and from there traveled to my home in 
New Hampshire. This time, when I said good¬ 
bye to the girls I was very confident outside 
that I knew all thlngsand would listen to no di¬ 
rections: still I kept hoping to catch a glimpse 
of welcome navy buttons up to the last minute. 
I had $23 In my purse Just enough to take me 
back. “Plenty, plenty,” I said to mother, for 
1 would nut have any but my own. I bought 
my ticket and landed in Kostnn all right; and 
after wandering round a while, looking for 
some fellows, l went rather disconsolately to 
get a ticket to New York. I took out my purse. 
The ticket-master was talking to a friend at the 
moment, and I threw down a live, two and one, 
with, “To New York, sir,” quite gramliy, like 
an old traveler in haste. He swept the money 
towards the drawer ns carclcsrly as I gave it, 
and glancing up said, “You haven’t given mo 
enough. Hero are only $3..* 
Of course I said he was mistaken, and asked 
him to look again. I knew just how much 
mouey I had, and that it was eight dollars less 
than wiien I took my stand by bis window. But 
no—he Insisted ho was right, and I bad to take 
out more. I concluded my purchase in silence 
and murcbed off with the ticket. By-anti-by I 
began to feel mad. I did not want to be 
cheated ; so I went back and asked him to look 
on the floor; but he was extremely disagreea¬ 
ble and refused to do It. Here was a predica¬ 
ment. I was several dollars short, and 1 knew 
I should find trouble in consequence; but t 
hoped for the beat, and after a tiresome jour¬ 
ney arrived in New York. 
I must learn economy now and husband my 
change, so I began to bargain with a hack- 
driver to take me across the city at a reasona¬ 
ble rate. He would ootno down no lower than 
three dollarj, so I moved Hlong to another. 
“What will you ask?” 1 said. “Two and a 
half” was the prompt reply. That was too 
much, and as No. 3 said “ One and a half," tip¬ 
ping a wink to his comrade, l thought I could 
do no better, and so let blm take my trunk. 
The moment I reached my destination I got 
out and paid him, and was hurrying away fora 
ticket, w hen he appealed to hi3 friend on the 
box if he didn’t nay “ three dollars" and here 
I “had only paid 1dm half.” I was amazed, 
protested against It, and told him to give roe 
my trunk. In despair, I turned round to ask 
some bystander to take It for me, when my 
driver sung out, “ There's your train I Be quick 
or you’ll be too late. Give us the money and 
you can have the trunk.” 
There was no help for It. I was seventeen, 
hut too short to win the respect my age and 
official position demanded. 1 did not dare to 
wait over and call In Justice against my perse¬ 
cutor, for ii my leave expired before I reached 
the Academy, I should lose ail my holidays 
through the year; so I, with my trunk, was 
landed in tho depot, while those scoundrels 
chuckled over their good luck and tny verdan¬ 
cy. The ears did not start, for flfteen minutes. 
My finances were low and I was hungry. I 
could not afford to spend a cent for anything 
but traveling. With a quaking heart I asked 
tho faro to Baltimore, and learned that It was 
six dollars. My woes increased. I had but a. 
little over five after all my carriage hire. I told 
tho ticket-master how it happened; that. I was 
an officer lu the U. 8. Navy; that I would leuve 
him tny l 0 U, and Instantly reimburse him nn 
my arrival In Annapolis; but he was very hard¬ 
hearted and could not be moved to lend mo a 
cent. I walked tho platform in dire perplex¬ 
ity. What, was I to do? 1 could not wait to 
write home and then be court-martialed for 
delay, and i had no time to go into the city to 
borrow of my cousin. 
At. last I exclaimed, “Happy thought I I'll 
try the baggace-masler." lie was a hard case, 
however. I was astonished to find so many 
such in the world. Atter a great deal of un¬ 
dignified coaxing, he offered me “Just, two dol¬ 
lars,” If I would leave somo security with him. 
1 swallowed the Insult to Government tu my 
person, and meditated. 1 had nothing but a 
splendid elx-blflder my fat her hrought me from 
England, and 1 was sure I couldn't part with 
that. I stood and looked at the man without 
u word. He was not one of the melting kind. 
Time was flying, and I must, get on. 
My great pea-coat,, that I paid $80 for at the 
Academy, hung on my arm. It was quite new. 
He gave it a covetous glance, and then mag¬ 
nanimously said, “Here, you can leave mo 
your overcoat and I’ll give you two dollars. I 
have a boy at home it will Just lit next year.” 
I was almost overcome by Ms goodness 1 
8 t.lll f was desperate and considered his offer, 
and answered, “I will leave It and redeem it 
when I get back to school.” 
“Here’s your money. Run, or you’ll be left, 
TUB CAPTIVE. 
sure 1“ he said, quickly. “ You needn’t trouble 
to send for tbe coat; I’ll keep It.” 
I replied with firmness, “No, I thank you, 
sir. You can return it when I write," And then 
I rushed away with a moBt uncomfortable sen¬ 
sation of loss. Besides, there was that tre¬ 
mendous law of tho Academy continually 
haunting mo “ No Midshipman shall pawn 
any article of clothing for any purpose, while 
he remains in the Institution, under pain of 
Instant dismissal," or sumo other dire penalty, 
l thought. T had done this, and must now set 
my wits to work to get back my property. 
There was barely time to have my trunk 
checked and find my scat before tho care were 
off i aud again / felt the pangs of hunger in re¬ 
newed force. I had Just 37 cents in my pocket, 
and I must pay my fare on tho boat from Bal¬ 
timore; so I determined not to speud that, 
hoping some of tho “ mlds" would come along 
with a treat soon, r sat. for about half an hour 
musing sorrowfully upon the past, when a wel¬ 
come face greeted me at. the car door. It was 
Hibbard, my chum for tho year. Ho made a 
dire ut me the first thing. 
“How nro you. Dexter? Take a Delaware 
peach, old boy. IIow old you leave the folks ?” 
I answered his questions, accepting the peach 
with polite Indifference, when I was ready to 
?h >ut for more. But, whnol I was too proud 
for that or to tell of my vexatious and so, not 
being very agreeable, tny companion loft me to 
my own sad thoughts. 
My case w«b growing desperate, and seeing a 
pretty lady opposite with a we 11-filled lunch- 
basket., l moved across to her seat, giving up 
mine to two stout countr men wl o had just 
come in. She seemed venjwoll pleased 1 1 have 
a handBome young midshipman lu side her, and 
we had a pleasant talk for a while, making me 
fnrgot tbe groans of nature, till she opened her 
basket. 8bo passed it towards me with a sweet 
smile and an Invitation to help her dispose of 
the contents. Oh, my 1—such luscious cakes 
and sandwiches, pickles and crackers! I could 
have kissed her for tho offer; hut then It Just 
occurred to me that .-‘bo rolr.bt think I hadn’t 
had much to eat through the day if I took any, 
so I said very politely, " No, I thunk you ; I sel¬ 
dom eat anything in the cars.” She urged me 
to take a little. I declined again, and had tho 
misery of seeing her enjoy the dalntips ono by 
one! She had not a delicate appetite, end it 
vexed mo so to watch her that I was glad to 
leave at Baltimore. 
I went on board the boat, 
reached Annapolis, and got 
Into my room somehow. I 
was very glum, and had to 
borrow50centsnf myroom- 
nmte to pay for my last 
transportntlon, and hoped 
Hibbard would bring out 
something for a treat; but 
ho coolly said, “Well, fel¬ 
lows, I’d give you some 
goodies, only It’s so late. I 
know you are too tired for 
anything but sleep. We’ll 
aay bod now and wait till 
to-morrow.” 
I did not Bay a word, but 
wont quietly to work to 
unstrap my trunk and get 
out my sheets, when a glad 
thought came to me. My 
big bottle of blackberry 
Jain 1 I had begged it from 
mother when I left, and it 
was stowod somewhero 
among tho clothes. A bit 
of bread and butter also 
would bo an Improvement, 
“ mats n Imports." J tugged 
away at tbe lock and threw 
up the top of the trunk, 
tasting tho&weetness in an¬ 
ticipation, when — behold, 
everything was black? Not 
berries and jam alone, but 
new shirts, flannels, sheets, 
waistcoats, towels, ail trans¬ 
muted by some marvelous 
traveling alchemy. The bot¬ 
tle was broken and its con¬ 
tents— where, oh where ? I 
gnve tbe trunk a bang, 
crawled in between my 
blankets and slept well. 
That was tbe end of my 
Journey—not of my troub¬ 
les. I dreamed all night of 
being in king's palaces and 
i - - feasting on royal dainties. 
‘ The next morning a good 
breakfast, consisting of 
beefsteak, ham and eggs, 
biscuits, muffins and choco¬ 
late, revived me. Studies 
had not begun and I had ono 
day to think about the coat. 
I took Hibbard Into my 
confidence and be advised 
me to write to the man Im¬ 
mediately—he would leni 
me the money—and thou (o 
my mother to tell her about 
it, I followed the latter 
suggestion, but did not wish 
to give away $3 besides my 
coat. I must try to get on 
the right side of one of the 
officers and have him write 
privately for me, and not 
tell any one else about it. 
Three days later 1 heard 
from mother, and paid Hib- 
n 
