DEC, 44 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A MAN OF ORDER. 
BT KATE MERIDEN. 
A person of fortune wns Mr. green: 
His mansion was large and grand. 
And his wife In velvet looked like a queen,— 
His coachman drove four In hand. 
On a satin cushion tie knelt In church. 
To utter bis morning prayer,— 
The brethren all, and old Sexton Birch, 
Would point to the good man there. 
Mr. Green was called a generous man, 
Who gave of his store of gold. 
And the truth to tell, on many a page 
His name might be found enrolled. 
He prayed for the heathen, he frowned on sin, 
His advice was free to all,— 
But of the virtues Imputed to him, 
His order surpassed them all. 
To this great man's mansion there came one day, 
A poor woman, thinly clad. 
And she asked, as he loved the Saviour’s name, 
Relief for her poor sick lad. 
“ Relief, my good woman—relief," said he; 
"Order Is Heaven's first law, 
At another place you should visit, mo— 
Tuesday the Hoard moots ut four.” 
" That is five days off," tho poor woman cried ; 
" Sir, 'tls a trifle I crave— 
While T wait for the Board my child may die ; 
Please to have pity and save." 
But t he man of order would not attend. 
And the child died the next day.— 
Yet still on his cushion our friend doth bend. 
And for the poor orphan* pray. 
A BIRD IN THE HAND. 
BY MISS C. B. BERO'VV. 
Lind Osgood was twenty-three years old, 
but still she was sitting on the floor like a buby 
just learning to creep and looking aa If the 
tears were ready to spring out of her big blue 
eyes. An open letter was thrown down beside 
her, and she gazed at It despairingly with her 
bead on one side, but as If willing to regard It 
In as favorable a light as possible. 
She looked up when her sister en- . 
fered the room— Lucr, who was al¬ 
ways in such good order and condi¬ 
tion; whose back hair waa always 
nicely “ done up;*' whose ruffles al¬ 
ways remained fluted ; who never got 
mud on her dress ; who never forgot 
or mislaid anything; who never got 
out of temper, and who never got 
Into trouble with her lovers because, 
forsooth, she hadn't any. 
“ What lu tbc world are you on the 
floor for, I.ind?" she said In her calm 
manner. 
“ Please to toll me what else there 
Is in the world to sit on—or at least 
in this particular part of it," was the 
answer, as the girl rose, shook out 
her dress and crushed the letter into 
her pocket. 
“ It is chaos come again,"she went, 
on ; “ everything torn up by the roots 
—people and all I think. I came up 
here for a little quiet and got It. only 
with a heavy discount for,if you will 
please notice, the entire furniture of 
this apartment consists of a bureau, 
empty book-shelves andagOdd-siztd 
feather duster. Bah ! 1 am sick of 
change, f want something that will 
be the same yesterday, to-day, and 
forever." 
"I thought you believed in variety 
being not only the spice but the stair 
of life. As to the moving you ought 
to be thankful that you do not l.uve 
the responsibilities which I carry, 
ami have nothing to do but make 
yourself as comfortable as po®s)b!e. 
John is coming up in a moment to 
take up the carpet.” 
" Which being Intel preted is, that 
1 arn to take myself out. of the way.” 
No reply; Lucy being apparently 
absorbed In a calculation as to ltic 
future disposal of faded breadths and 
tho possibility of matchlngthem. She 
“ lived and moved and had her being” 
In "responsibilities,” mul Lb« more 
of them the greater her satisfaction. 
Lind took pen, ink ami paper to 
the kitchen, monopolized a square 
yard of the cooking table and went 
to work. 
“ Dear Bob—” 
8he paused, pen in hand suspended 
above the words, then seizing anoth¬ 
er sheet improved on the address, 
“My own darling Bob:—I f there is 
anybody 1 particularly hate In this 
world .it is a man with rnouey-” 
she gave her head a little shake as if 
to emphasize the words—” and 1 am 
glad you are horrid poor. Grandpa 
has got one of his spells again—one 
of his periodical attacks of anxiety 
on my behalf, aud only think, we 
have got to go up to tire city and live 
this whole summer, after jutt getting 
so nicely settled here, too,—and I say 
it'B dreadful. Lucy is in her king¬ 
dom come, giving orders and * seeing 
to things,’ which is her whole idea of living and 
includes the whole duty of woman. For myself 
T am just distracted and wish I was out of it 
all, but T try to comfort myself with the blissful 
knowledge that there are worse things tocome, 
and when I get Into the house with that hateful 
Robert Dki.avan, I know I shall wish I was 
dead, bo there. I'd like to know what business 
lie lias to bo grandpa's stepson and have such a 
quantity of ruonoy and want ine to marry him 
when he knows 1 bate him and his money, too. 
Grandpa’s last letter oarne this morning ami it 
is worse than all tho rest. lie says,‘I shall 
trust now to your good sonso not to oppose me 
further. I should not have had so much pa¬ 
tience with you If f did not love you so well — 
(he has a flue way of proving it,)—‘and know 
bettor than you what Is for your good’—(there 
may beadiff ronce of opinion about that),— 
‘ when Robert comes,—(ho Is South for a few 
weeks,)—* I know you will feel differently about 
this whole matter.’ Now isn’t It dreadrul ? You 
must not write to me at gnu dpa’s, for he will 
be sure to find it out and Lucy won’t help mo 
one hit. I’ll let you know everything and-" 
Perhaps she would have added “ more too.’’ 
At any rate there la no knowing how much 
longer ihc would have continued to relieve her 
mind by pouring Its grief out on paper, had she 
not been Interrupted by such vigorous prepara¬ 
tions far dinner as made her glad to end the 
epistle and leave the culinary precincts. 
Old Col. Endicott was "set in ills way,” so 
those who knew him best were accustomed to 
say, and his pet grand-daughter, Lind Osgood, 
could have said "Amen and amen." Perhaps 
he had done his share towards spoiling her, but. 
It waa sure that, when the work was accom¬ 
plished no one was so much astonished as ho. 
Still he had an extravagant affection for his 
willful and rebellious grand-daughter, and was 
greatly hurt and disappointed, as well as sur¬ 
prised, to find that she had a will of her own 
almost ns strong a» b!*, and bad fallen In love 
with a man whom he denominated “a worth- 
loss follow” simply because he was poor. 
" It is all very well tosuyyoucau ‘gotalong,*" 
ho said one day, in a sort of fury, finding that 
ids arguments had no weight with her. " Yes, 
you can ‘get along,’ hut how I would like to 
kno w ? Bob Fisher has no more Idea of busi¬ 
ness than a setting hen, and you are about aa 
unpractical as he Is. Such a mess as you would 
make of it! Love is all very well but it needs 
money for salt, else It wou’t keep. If I could 
have kept my fortune— if it hadn't been for 
that"-(It is not impossible that tha pause 
stood for a profaue word) “ war, you and Lucy 
Would have had enough. As It la, I know my 
duty towards you too well to let you have your 
own way. * Marry in haste to repent at leisure * 
Is not what you shall do while 1 live. No, no, 
and a spsedy repentance it would ho. You 
would be hungry lu less than ten days. Here’s 
Robert Deuavan, a splendid follow with a big 
fortune and you can have both whenever you 
say the word. I declare Lind, It is outrageous 
and-" 
“ Grandpa,”—the word was spoken with a 
tender inflection and in just tho swootest voieo 
in the world,—“ my faith in Rob is one of the 
subllmltlos of my life. Do you know I Irmly 
boliove that he is going to make a fortune some 
day.” 
“ Pooh 1 pooh!" 
“ And then don’t you see how much happier I 
should be with the money If I had a husband to 
suit mo? Dear me, your Robert Dklavan is 
very nice, but you like Bob, Grandpa, you know 
you do," and she gavo him a kiss which nearly 
took hla breath away. "Now do be good and 
not make me wretched, and seo if one of these 
days Hob won’t he rich enough to suit you.” 
"A bird in tho hand, Lind, a bird In the 
band; you know my doctrine." 
"Yea, and it it mine, too, Grandpa; only 
your bird in this case is a different species from 
mine.” 
“Lind, you do make mo so angry—I - I—’’ 
Another kiss and she ran out of the room 
leaving the old man to fume at his leisure and 
wish ho wasn't such a fool as to let her have 
her own way in ovory one of their contests. No 
wonder they never came to any settlement, 
and that LIN'D'fl faith remained Arm that her 
Bon waa either born to achieve riches or have 
them thrust upon him, and that she could con¬ 
vert her grandfather to her belief. But Col. 
Kndicott b health was failing and ho must 
needs require both his grand-daughters to start 
at once for the city as ha was too 111 to visit 
them In their little country home. Robert 
Dklavan came shortly after "a splendid fol¬ 
low,” as lie had been described, both In appear¬ 
ance and character, ft was a great grief to 
Lind that she found it such hard work to hate 
PUSSY -A-KTTD HER PET. 
him as she felt in duty board. His greatest sin 
was in loving her, in being willing, so she 
thought, to supplant Bob and in having the 
money which was the ouuso of her grand¬ 
fathers' solicitude and her own misery. 
Notwithstanding Lind’s direction to Bob not 
to write to her, a letter came within three 
weeks after she reached the city—a long, closely 
written epistle which she took herself from 
the postman’s hands thereby avoiding com¬ 
ment from her sister, which the sight of the 
well-known handwriting always called forth. 
Lind was invisible for the remainder of tho 
day, and emerged from her room at dinner 
tltr.o with very red eyes and a swollen face, 
complaining of toothache. 
“It has reached a climax, Lucy,” was her 
first remark tho next morning. 
" What ha#? Oil your tooth. Isn’t It any 
better yet?" 
“I’m in such a soul-harrowing condition that 
nothing but tho most desperate measures will 
relieve me.’’ 
“Are you really suffering so much, Lind?" 
came from her sister In tho calm, even tones 
which characterized her under all circum¬ 
stances. 
“Yes, and I can’t endure it a (lay longer. 
I’m going to Dr. Bi.ake’h after breakfast.” 
" I would, 1 think, I might go with you, but 
grandpa had a poor night and 1 don't thluk he 
would bo willing to bavo mo leave him this 
morning." 
“Then you advise me to go ?” 
" Oh, yes, hy all means,” 
“ I wish you would bo responsible for the 
consequences, Lucy.” 
“ Will you take gas, Lind?” 
“ No, I have not tho least idea of it.” 
“I am glad of that; 1 don’t beiievo in it." 
" Tnen, no matter what happens you won’t 
blame me?" 
“ Of course not. How could I?” 
And so, an hour later, I.ind Osgood left her 
grand-father’s Iioubb “to goto the dentist’s,’’ 
Lucy explained, hut If tho tears which were 
streaming under tho thick veil were the result 
of physical suffering, she was not a very cour 
ragenus woman. 
She waB back again In a little while, very 
white, very still and was met by Lucy as she 
went up stairs. 
“ So you've got back, Lind," In a tone which 
had a little more Interest than usual 
lu it. 
“ Yes, and it's all ovor, Lucy.” 
“ Do you feel hotter?" 
“ No, not yot, Infinitely worse," and 
her chamber door was closed ab¬ 
ruptly. 
Col. EndicOTT'8 bad night was fol¬ 
lowed by others in unbroken succes¬ 
sion and ho failed rapidly, becoming 
convinced at last that the disease 
with which he had been contending 
for many years waa no longer to be 
resisted. “ Lind,” he said In a very 
weak voice, from which all the old 
Are and eniphasia had disapjienred, 
“ you’ve been a very good girl, except 
In one particular. If you knew I waa 
going to die-" 
" Oh, grandpa!” 
“If you knew I wav going to die 
could you still bo so obstinate and 
refuse the only wish I have left on 
earth ?” 
She could not apeak for sobs. She 
loved the dear old tnan better than 
anyotui in the world except Bob, but 
what waa this dreadful thing that he 
so persistently asked or tier? 
“I will never speak of this again,” 
he went on ; " to tell the truth, I 
don't i tilhk T shall ovor have another 
opportunity. 1 know it is for your 
good, Lind. Will you promise to 
give up Bob?’’ 
“And marry Robert Dbuavan ?” 
“Ye j . I could die happy if I was 
sure of that.” 
A long silence, then, “ Grandpa, I 
will marry Robert Dglavan in one 
month if he will consent to marry 
me.” 
" Pooh ! pooh ! Why child, how rl- 
dlculous ! You know he has been in 
love with you two years at least, and 
only lets you alone because you treat 
him so outrageously. Say, ‘In one 
mouth I will be Robert's wife.’ ” 
She shrunk back. There had been 
an expression of positive relief on 
her face when she made her first 
statement, but she was evidently not 
prepared to repeat It In this form. 
Mho hesitated only an Instant how¬ 
ever: the relieved expression came 
back and she repeated ilrmly, “In 
one monlb I will be Robeiit’p wife,” 
aud then with another burst of tears 
as the old man tried to thank her she 
burifd her face In his pillow. 
"Don’t thank me, grandpa." 
“ Yes, Lind, it may seem a little 
OFw hard now, but you'll live to thank 
vi. v’v n,e t,,T rnnk,n S >’°u do It, I'm sure 
now of your future. ‘A bird in the 
hand,’ you know; it doesn’t do to 
run risks. I never did and I don't 
believe in It,” 
But Col. Endicott did not die, after 
all. As much to his surprise as any¬ 
one else’s be got better rapidly. 
“You ought to he thankful that 
.VI 
