,,recitations ,,for ,,the ,,social ,,circle4 ,,selected ,,and ,,original4 ,illustration ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,,published ,,by ,,the ,,christian ,,herald4 ,,louis ,,klopsch1 ,proprietor1 ,,bible ,,house1 ,,new ,,york4 ,copyright1 #ahif4 ,,by ,,louis ,,klopsch4 ,,introductory ,,note4 ,in reading and recitation1 the general tendency is to overdo4 ,the quiet reserve force1 which can be made apparent in the voice1 will reach the heart and stir the soul when gesture and ranting fail4 ,be bold6 ,be not too bold should be the watchwords of the reciter4 ,self-possession1 with a nervousness arising from an earnest desire to please1 is the keynote to success4 ,never gesticulate if you can help it4 ,when a gesture asserts itself to such an extent that you have made it before you realize it1 be sure it was effective and graceful4 ,it is a noble ambition to wish to sway the hearts and minds of others by the subtle modulations of the voice1 and only he who feels the force of what he utters can hope to accomplish his end4 ,the thought of the author must be pursued and overtaken4 ,the sentiments between the lines must be enlisted before the voice will lend itself1 in all its glorious power1 to the tones that thrill and the music that charms4 ,it is not always necessary to search for something your audience has never heard4 ,it is far better to reveal hidden thought and new life in selections which are familiar4 ,the hackneyed recitation1 if rendered better than ever before1 will win more applause than a fresh bit carelessly studied4 ,above all1 use judgment in selection4 ,the stout lady of fifty-two should avoid ,marco ,bozarris and ,the ,elf ,child1 and the young lady just home from boarding-school should not attempt the ponderous utterances of a ,roman gladiator4 ,care in selection2 fidelity in study2 wisdom in the choice of occasion2 modesty in delivery2 earnestness of manner and sincerity of feeling throughout1 must win at last4 ,if you make failures1 trace them to a lack in some one or more of these requisites and1 by experience1 learn to avoid a recurrence4 ,orators1 like poets1 are born not made1 but even the born speaker will fail at times unless these laws are considered and observed4 ,always render an author's lines as he wrote them4 ,the chances are ten to one that every word carries its burden of thought1 even though you may not have discerned it4 ,err on the conservative side if in doubt4 ,over-enthusiasm is less easily pardoned4 ,never select dialect verses or stories unless you have the unusual gift necessary to give them the piquancy and zest which attends a good imitation4 ,ask a dozen friends for an honest opinion on the subject and draw an average from their criticisms to guide you in your choice of selections4 ,don't lose your temper over a severe criticism4 ,search carefully through your list of abilities and see if there is not1 perhaps1 some foundation for kindly suggestion4 ,it is often a great assistance1 in memorizing the work of another1 to make a written copy1 but attention should be given to the making of a perfect copy1 properly punctuated4 ,use the eye in memorizing4 ,oftentimes a mental picture of a page will recall a line which for an instant seems about to escape you4 ,use the ear as well and study the effect of various modulations of voice as you rehearse in private4 ,above all1 use the best of your intelligence1 earnestly1 in studying and applying the thousand little nothings that in the aggregate make the perfect reader4 ,,contents4 ,,page4 ,a ,dream of the ,universe4 ,by ,jean ,paul ,richter1 #ie ,a ,friend of the ,fly1 #agc ,after-,dinner ,speech by a ,frenchman1 #bhg ,america for ,god4 ,by ,t4 ,de,witt ,talmage1 #gd ,an ,affectionate ,letter1 #aih ,an ,appeal for ,liberty4 ,by ,joseph ,story1 #bif ,an ,hour of ,horror1 #bah ,annie and ,willie's ,prayer4 ,by ,sophia ,p4 ,snow1 #bge ,answered ,prayers1 ,by ,ella ,wheeler ,wilcox1 #age ,an ,unaccountable ,mystery4 ,by ,paul ,denton1 #hj ,a ,rainy ,day1 #bfj ,a ,reasonable ,request1 #aid ,at the ,stage ,door4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #af ,at the ,stamp ,window1 #aaj ,becalmed4 ,by ,samuel ,k4 ,cowan1 #ahb ,banford's ,burglar ,alarm1 #cad ,behind ,time4 ,by ,freeman ,hunt1 #gg ,bessie ,kendrick's ,journey4 ,by ,mrs4 ,annie ,e4 ,preston1 #bec ,better ,things1 #cai ,bicycle ,ride4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #bcf ,by ,special ,request4 ,by ,frank ,castles1 #dg ,charity1 #cjh ,cut ,behind4 ,by ,t4 ,de,witt ,talmage1 #ad ,daughter of the ,desert4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #fe ,de ,pint ,wid ,ole ,pete1 #bae ,destiny of ,our ,country4 ,by ,r4 ,c4 ,winthrop1 #ahh ,eloquence1 the ,study of4 ,by ,cicero1 #aa ,emulation 7,up to ,date74 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #ahg ,extract from ,blaine's ,oration on ,james ,a4 ,garfield1 #bjh ,fashionable1 #bfa ,fast ,mail and the ,stage4 ,by ,john ,h4 ,yates1 #bcj ,frenchman and the ,landlord4 ,anonymous1 #ah ,gentle ,alice ,brown4 ,by ,w4 ,s4 ,gilbert1 #adi ,get ,acquainted ,with ,yourself4 ,by ,r4 ,j4 ,burdette1 #aai ,god in the ,constitution4 ,by ,t4 ,de,witt ,talmage1 #agf ,good ,old ,way1 #bjg ,good ,reading4 ,by ,john ,s4 ,hart1 ,l4,l4,d41 #da ,go ,vay1 ,becky ,miller1 ,go ,vay1 #bbj ,guild's ,signal4 ,by ,francis ,bret ,harte1 #ba ,his ,last ,court1 #ajd ,hornets4 ,by ,bill ,nye1 #gj ,how ,old ,mose ,counted ,eggs1 #bgb ,how ,shall ,i ,love ,you8 ,by ,will ,c4 ,ferril1 #bab ,imperfectus4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #hc ,in ,arabia4 ,by ,james ,berry ,bensel1 #cg ,in the ,bottom ,drawer1 #ahe ,it is a ,winter ,night4 ,by ,richard ,henry ,stoddard1 #bba ,i ,wonder4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #aei ,katrina's ,visit to ,new ,york1 #ach ,keenan's ,charge4 ,by ,george ,p4 ,lathrop1 #ig ,kittens and ,babies4 ,by ,lizzie ,m4 ,hadley1 #hj ,land of ,our ,birth4 ,by ,lillie ,e4 ,barr1 #bci ,legend of the ,ivy4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #cd ,let ,us ,give ,thanks1 #beh ,literary ,attractions of the ,bible4 ,by ,dr4 ,hamilton1 #hh ,little ,brown ,curl1 #bac ,little ,feet1 #bei ,little ,jim4 ,by ,george ,r4 ,sims1 #aah ,little ,white ,hearse4 ,by ,j4 ,w4 ,riley1 #aba ,lullaby1 #aad ,maid of ,orleans4 ,by ,j4 ,e4 ,sagebeer1 #add ,mark ,twain and the ,interviewer1 #bb ,mother1 ,home and ,heaven1 #ef ,mother's ,doughnuts4 ,by ,charles ,f4 ,adams1 #hg ,mother's ,fool1 #bag ,mr4 ,winkle ,puts on ,skates4 ,by ,charles ,dickens1 #bha ,mutation4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #afd ,my ,mother's ,bible4 ,by ,george ,p4 ,morris1 #bhf ,new ,year ,ledger4 ,by ,amelia ,e4 ,barr1 #ci ,no ,objection to ,children1 #cji ,now ,i ,lay ,me ,down to ,sleep1 #ea ,old ,uncle ,jake1 #bih ,only a ,song1 #bce ,our ,own4 ,by ,margaret ,e4 ,sangster1 #gf ,our ,heroes ,shall ,live4 ,by ,henry ,ward ,beecher1 #aac ,paul ,revere's ,ride4 ,by ,henry ,wadsworth ,longfellow1 #dc ,penning a ,pig4 ,by ,james ,a4 ,bailey1 #aae ,praying for ,papa1 #ahj ,praying for ,shoes4 ,by ,paul ,hamilton ,hayne1 #eh ,puzzled ,dutchman1 #bbg ,queen ,vashti4 ,by ,t4 ,de,witt ,talmage1 #aca ,rabbi and the ,prince4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #adc ,resignation4 ,by ,longfellow1 #aif ,resurgam4 ,by ,eben ,e4 ,rexford1 #bfb ,roman ,legend4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #agj ,rum's ,devastation and ,destiny4 ,by ,william ,sullivan1 #fj ,serenade4 ,by ,thomas ,hood1 #abi ,she ,cuts ,his ,hair1 #bid ,shwate ,kittie ,kehoe4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #aee ,since ,she ,went ,home4 ,by ,r4 ,j4 ,burdette1 #gb ,six ,love ,letters1 #afe ,speech of ,patrick ,henry1 #afj ,story of the ,little ,rid ,hin4 ,by ,mrs4 ,whitney1 #bcb ,supporting the ,guns1 #cj ,the ,american ,union4 ,by ,daniel ,webster1 #eb ,the ,black ,horse and ,his ,rider4 ,by ,charles ,sheppard1 #bij ,the ,book ,canvasser4 ,by ,max ,adeler1 #bfd ,the ,children4 ,by ,charles ,dickens1 #cjf ,the ,children ,we ,keep1 #gc ,the ,christmas ,baby4 ,by ,will ,carleton1 #ib ,the ,country's ,greatest ,evil1 #aef ,the ,crowded ,street4 ,by ,william ,cullen ,bryant1 #beb ,the ,dead ,doll4 ,by ,margaret ,vandegrift1 #ajh ,the ,doorstep4 ,by ,e4 ,c4 ,stedman1 #bgj ,the ,enchanted ,shirt4 ,by ,john ,hay1 #agg ,the ,fatal ,glass4 ,by ,laura ,u4 ,case1 #acg ,the ,fault of the ,age4 ,by ,ella ,wheeler ,wilcox1 #bfc ,the ,hot ,axle4 ,by ,t4 ,de,witt ,talmage1 #cjc ,the ,minister's ,grievances1 #bjd ,the ,misnomer4 ,by ,josie ,c4 ,malott1 #bfi ,the ,modern ,belle1 #bbf ,the ,nameless ,guest4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #aab ,the ,old ,oaken ,bucket4 ,by ,samuel ,woodworth1 #bgi ,the ,pilot4 ,by ,john ,b4 ,gough1 #ace ,the ,poppy ,land ,limited ,express4 ,by ,edgar ,wade ,abbot1 #ee ,the ,prime of ,life4 ,by ,ella ,wheeler ,wilcox1 #bi ,there is a ,tongue in ,every ,leaf1 #beg ,there'll ,be ,room in ,heaven1 #abb ,the ,retort ,dis-courteous4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #abe ,the ,teacher's ,diadem1 #bdj ,the ,united ,states4 ,by ,daniel ,webster1 #ce ,the ,whirling ,wheel4 ,by ,tudor ,jenks1 #bhh ,the ,whistling ,regiment4 ,by ,james ,clarence ,harvey1 #aii ,tobe's ,monument4 ,by ,elizabeth ,kilham1 #bdc ,useful ,precepts for ,girls1 #ajj ,w'en de ,darky am ,a-whis'lin'4 ,by ,s4 ,q4 ,lapius1 #acd ,we're ,building ,two a ,day6 ,by ,rev4 ,alfred ,j4 ,hough1 #bbd ,what the ,little ,girl ,said1 #bba ,widder ,budd1 #ajb ,wind and ,sea4 ,by ,bayard ,taylor1 #ac ,woman's ,pocket4 ,by ,james ,m4 ,bailey1 #hd ,women of ,mumbles ,head4 ,by ,clement ,scott1 #aij ,young ,america1 #aec ,zenobia's ,defence4 ,by ,william ,ware1 #abf ,,recitations ,,for ,,the ,,social ,,circle4 ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,eloquence4 ,,by ,,cicero4 ,i cannot conceive anything more excellent1 than to be able1 by language1 to captivate the affections1 to charm the understanding1 and to impel or restrain the will of whole assemblies1 at pleasure4 ,among every free people1 especially in peaceful1 settled governments1 this single art has always eminently flourished1 and always exercised the greatest sway4 ,for what can be more surprising than that1 amidst an infinite multitude1 one man should appear1 who shall be the only1 or almost the only man capable of doing what ,nature has put in every man's power8 ,or1 can anything impart such exquisite pleasure to the ear and to the intellect1 as a speech in which the wisdom and dignity of the sentiments are heightened by the utmost force and beauty of expression8 ,is there anything so commanding1 so grand1 as that the eloquence of one man should direct the inclinations of the people1 the consciences of judges1 and the majesty of senates8 ,nay1 farther1 can aught be esteemed so great1 so generous1 so public-spirited1 as to assist the suppliant1 to rear the prostrate1 to communicate happiness1 to avert danger1 and to save a fellow-citizen from exile8 ,can anything be so necessary1 as to keep those arms always in readiness1 with which you may defend yourself1 attack the profligate1 and redress your own1 or your country's wrongs8 ,but let us consider this accomplishment as detached from public business1 and from its wonderful efficacy in popular assemblies1 at the bar1 and in the senate2 can anything be more agreeable1 or more endearing in private life1 than elegant language8 ,for the great characteristic of our nature1 and what eminently distinguishes us from brutes1 is the faculty of social conversation1 the power of expressing our thoughts and sentiments by words4 ,to excel mankind1 therefore1 in the exercise of that very talent which gives them the preference to the brute creation1 is what everybody must not only admire1 but look upon as the just object of the most indefatigable pursuit4 ,and now1 to mention the chief point of all1 what other power could have been of sufficient efficacy to bring together the vagrant individuals of the human race2 to tame their savage manners1 to reconcile them to social life2 and1 after cities were founded1 to mark out laws1 forms1 and constitutions1 for their government8--,let me1 in a few words1 sum up this almost boundless subject4 ,i lay it down as a maxim1 that upon the wisdom and abilities of an accomplished orator1 not only his own dignity1 but the welfare of vast numbers of individuals1 and even of the whole state1 must greatly depend4 ,,the ,,wind ,,and ,,the ,,sea4 ,,by ,,bayard ,,taylor4 ,the ,sea is a jovial comrade2 ,he laughs1 wherever he goes1 ,and the merriment shines ,in the dimpling lines ,that wrinkle his hale repose4 ,he lays himself down at the feet of the sun ,and shakes all over with glee1 ,and the broad-backed billows fall faint on the shore ,in the mirth of the mighty sea4 ,but the wind is sad and restless1 ,and cursed with an inward pain2 ,you may hark as you will1 ,by valley or hill1 ,but you hear him still complain4 ,he wails on the barren mountain2 ,shrieks on the wintry sea2 ,sobs in the cedar and moans in the pine1 ,and shivers all over the aspen tree4 ,welcome are both their voices1 ,and ,i know not which is best1 ,the laughter that slips ,from the ocean's lips1 ,or the comfortless wind's unrest4 ,there's a pang in all rejoicing1 ,a joy in the heart of pain1 ,and the wind that saddens1 the sea that gladdens1 ,are singing the self-same strain4 ,,cut ,,behind4 ,,by ,t4 ,,de ,,witt ,,talmage4 ,the scene opens on a clear1 crisp morning4 ,two boys are running to get on the back of a carriage1 whose wheels are spinning along the road4 ,one of the boys1 with a quick spring1 succeeds4 ,the other leaps1 but fails1 and falls on the part of the body where it is most appropriate to fall4 ,no sooner has he struck the ground than he shouts to the driver of the carriage1 ,cut behind6 ,human nature is the same in boy as in man--all running to gain the vehicle of success4 ,some are spry1 and gain that for which they strive4 ,others are slow1 and tumble down2 they who fall crying out against those who mount1 ,cut behind6 ,a political office rolls past4 ,a multitude spring to their feet1 and the race is on4 ,only one of all the number reaches that for which he runs4 ,no sooner does he gain the prize1 and begin to wipe the sweat from his brow1 and think how grand a thing it is to ride in popular preferment1 than the disappointed candidates cry out1 ,incompetency6 ,stupidity6 ,fraud6 ,now let the newspapers of the other political party 'cut behind4' ,there is a golden chariot of wealth rolling down the street4 ,a thousand people are trying to catch it4 ,they run1 they jostle2 they tread on each other4 ,push1 and pull1 and tug4 ,those talk most against riches who cannot get there4 ,clear the track for the racers6 ,one of the thousand reaches the golden prize and mounts4 ,forthwith the air is full of cries1 ,got it by fraud6 ,shoddy6 ,petroleum aristocracy6 ,his father was a rag-picker6 ,his mother was a washer-woman6 ,i knew him when he blacked his own shoes6 ,pitch him off the back part of the golden chariot6 ,cut behind6 cut behind6 ,in many eyes success is a crime4 ,i do not like you1 said the snow-flake to the snow-bird4 ,why8 said the snow-bird4 ,because1 said the snow-flake1 you are going up and ,i am going down4 ,we have to state that the man in the carriage1 on the crisp morning1 though he had a long lash-whip1 with which he could have made the climbing boy yell most lustily1 did not cut behind4 ,he heard the shout in the rear1 and said1 ,good morning1 my son4 ,that is right2 climb over and sit by me4 ,here are the reins2 take hold and drive2 was a boy myself once1 and know what tickles youngsters4 ,thank ,god1 there are so many in the world that never cut behind1 but are ready to give a fellow a ride whenever he wants it4 ,there are hundreds of people whose chief joy it is to help others on4 ,now it is a smile1 now a good word1 now ten dollars4 ,when such a kind man has ridden to the end of the earthly road1 it will be pleasant to hang up the whip with which he drove the enterprises of a lifetime1 and feel that with it he never cut behind at those who were struggling4 ,,at ,,the ,,stage ,,door4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,the curtain had fallen1 the lights were dim1 ,the rain came down with a steady pour2 ,a white-haired man with a kindly face1 ,peered through the panes of the old stage door4 ,i'm getting too old to be drenched like that ,he muttered and turning met face to face1 ,the woman whose genius1 an hour before1 ,like a mighty power had filled the place4 ,yes1 much too old1 with a smile1 she said1 ,and she laid her hand on his silver hair2 ,you shall ride with me to your home to-night1 ,for that is my carriage standing there4 ,the old door-tender stood1 doffing his hat ,and holding the door1 but she would not stir1 ,though he said it was not for the likes of him ,to ride in a kerridge with such as her4 ,come1 put out your lights1 she said to him1 ,i've something important ,i wish to say1 ,and ,i can't stand here in the draught you know-- ,i can tell you much better while on the way4 ,so into the carriage the old man crept1 ,thanking her gratefully1 o'er and o'er1 ,till she bade him listen while she would tell ,a story1 concerning that old stage door4 ,it was raining in torrents1 ten years ago ,this very night1 and a friendless child ,stood1 shivering there1 by that old stage door1 ,dreading her walk in a night so wild4 ,she was only one of the 'extra' girls1 ,but you gave her a nickle to take the car1 ,and said ',heaven bless ye1 my little one1 ,ye can pay me back ef ye ever star4' ,so you cast your bread on the waters then1 ,and ,i pay you back1 as my heart demands1 ,and we're even now--no6 not quite1 she said1 ,as she emptied her purse in his trembling hands4 ,and if ever you're needy and want a friend1 ,you know where to come1 for your little mite ,put hope in my heart and made me strive ,to gain the success you have seen to-night4 ,then the carriage stopped1 at the old man's door1 ,and the gas-light shone on him1 standing there3 ,and he stepped to the curb1 as she rolled away1 ,while his thin lips murmured a fervent prayer4 ,he looked at the silver and bills and gold1 ,and he said3 ,she gives all this to me8 ,my bread has come back a thousandfold1 ,god bless her6 ,god bless all such as she6 ,,the ,,frenchman ,,and ,,the ,,landlord4 ,,anonymous4 ,a shrewd and wealthy old landlord1 away down in ,maine1 is noted for driving his sharp bargains1 by which he has amassed a large amount of property4 ,he is the owner of a large number of dwelling-houses1 and it is said of him that he is not over-scrupulous of his rental charges1 whenever he can find a customer whom he knows to be responsible4 ,his object is to lease his house for a term of years to the best tenants1 and get the uttermost farthing in the shape of rent4 ,a diminutive ,frenchman called on him last winter1 to hire a dwelling he owned in ,portland1 and which had long remained empty4 ,references were given1 and the landlord1 ascertaining that the tenant was a man after his own heart1 immediately commenced to ,jew him4 ,he found that the tenement appeared to suit the ,frenchman1 and he placed an exorbitant price upon it2 the leases were drawn and duly executed1 and the tenant removed into his new quarters4 ,upon kindling fires in the house1 it was found that the chimneys wouldn't draw1 and the building was filled with smoke4 ,the window-sashes rattled in the wind at night1 and the cold air rushed through a hundred crevices about the house until now unnoticed4 ,the snow melted upon the roof1 and the attics were drenched from the leakage4 ,the rain pelted1 and our ,frenchman found a natural bathroom upon the second floor--but the lease was signed and the landlord chuckled4 ,i have been vat you sall call 'tuck in1' vis zis maison1 muttered our victim to himself a week afterwards1 but n'importe1 ve sal se vat ve sal see4 ,next morning he arose bright and early1 and passing down he encountered the landlord4 ,ah ha6--,bon jour1 monsieur1 said he in his happiest manner4 ,good day1 sir4 ,how do you like your house8 ,ah monsieur--elegant1 beautiful1 magnificent4 ,eh bien1 monsieur1 ,i have ze one regret6 ,ah6 ,what is that8 ,i sal live in zat house but tree little year4 ,how so8 ,i have find by vot you call ze lease1 zat you have give me ze house but for tree year1 and ,i ver mooch sorrow for zat4 ,but you can have it longer if you wish-- ,ah1 monsieur1 sal be ver mooch glad if ,i can have zat house so long as ,i please--eh--monsieur8 ,oh1 certainly1 certainly1 sir4 ,tres bien1 monsieur6 ,i sal valk rite to your offees1 and you sal give me vot you call ze lease for that maison jes so long as ,i sal vant the house4 ,eh1 monsieur8 ,certainly1 sir4 ,you can stay there your lifetime1 if you like4 ,ah1 monsieur--,i have ver mooch tanks for zis accommodation4 ,the old lease was destroyed and a new one was delivered in form to the ,french gentleman1 giving him possession of the premises for such a period as the lessee may desire the same1 he paying the rent promptly1 etc4 ,the next morning our crafty landlord was passing the house just as the ,french-man's last load of furniture was being started from the door2 an hour afterward1 a messenger called on him with a legal tender1 for the rent for eight days1 accompanied with a note as follows3 ,monsieur--,i have been smoke--,i have been drouned--,i have been frees to death1 in ze house vat ,i av hire of you for ze period as ,i may desire4 ,i have stay in ze house jes so long as ,i please1 and ze bearer of zis vill give you ze key6 ,bon jour1 monsieur4 ,it is needless to add that our landlord has never since been known to give up a bird in the hand for one in the bush4 ,,guild',s ,,signal4 ,,by ,,francis ,,bret ,,harte1 #ahci4 ,two low whistles1 quaint and clear1 ,that was the signal the engineer-- ,that was the signal that ,guild1 'tis said-- ,gave to his wife at ,providence1 ,as through the sleeping town1 and thence ,out in the night1 ,on to the light1 ,down past the farms1 lying white1 he sped6 ,as a husband's greeting1 scant1 no doubt1 ,yet to the woman looking out1 ,watching and waiting1 no serenade1 ,love-song1 or midnight roundelay ,said what that whistle seemed to say2 ,to my trust true1 ,so love to you6 ,working or waiting4 ,good night6 it said4 ,brisk young bagmen1 tourists fine1 ,old commuters1 along the line1 ,brakesmen and porters1 glanced ahead1 ,smiled as the signal1 sharp1 intense1 ,pierced through the shadows of ,providence1-- ,nothing amiss-- ,nothing6--it is ,only ,guild calling his wife1 they said4 ,summer and winter1 the old refrain ,rang o'er the billows of ripening grain1 ,pierced through the budding boughs o'er head1 ,flew down the track when the red leaves burned ,like living coals from the engine spurned6 ,sang as it flew ,to our trust true4 ,first of all1 duty6 ,good night6 it said4 ,and then1 one night1 it was heard no more ,from ,stonington over ,rhode ,island ,shore1 ,and the folk in ,providence smiled and said1 ,as they turned in their beds3 ,the engineer ,has once forgotten his midnight cheer4 ,one only knew ,to his trust true1 ,guild lay under his engine1 dead4 ,,mark ,,twain ,,and ,,the ,,interviewer4 ,the nervous1 dapper1 peart young man took the chair ,i offered him1 and said he was connected with ,the ,daily ,thunderstorm1 and added1-- ,hoping it's no harm1 ,i've come to interview you4 ,come to what8 ,interview you4 ,ah6 ,i see4 ,yes--yes4 ,um6 ,yes--yes4 ,i was not feeling bright that morning4 ,indeed1 my powers seemed a bit under a cloud4 ,however1 ,i went to the bookcase1 and when ,i had been looking six or seven minutes1 ,i found ,i was obliged to refer to the young man4 ,i said1-- ,how do you spell it8 ,spell what8 ,interview4 ,oh1 my goodness8 ,what do you want to spell it for8 ,i don't want to spell it3 ,i want to see what it means4 ,well1 this is astonishing1 ,i must say4 ,i can tell you what it means1 if you--if you-- ,oh1 all right6 ,that will answer1 and much obliged to you1 too4 ,in1 in1 ter1 ter1 inter-- ,then you spell it with an ,i8 ,why1 certainly6 ,oh1 that is what took me so long6 ,why1 my dear sir1 what did you propose to spell it with8 ,well1 ,i--,i--,i hardly know4 ,i had the ,unabridged2 and ,i was ciphering around in the back end1 hoping ,i might tree her among the pictures4 ,but it's a very old edition4 ,why1 my friend1 they wouldn't have a picture of it in even the latest e---- ,my dear sir1 ,i beg your pardon1 ,i mean no harm in the world2 but you do not look as--as--intelligent as ,i had expected you would4 ,no harm1--,i mean no harm at all4 ,oh1 don't mention it6 ,it has often been said1 and by people who would not flatter1 and who could have no inducement to flatter1 that ,i am quite remarkable in that way4 ,yes--yes3 they always speak of it with rapture4 ,i can easily imagine it4 ,but about this interview4 ,you know it is the custom1 now1 to interview any man who has become notorious4 ,indeed6 ,i had not heard of it before4 ,it must be very interesting4 ,what do you do it with8 ,ah1 well--well--well--this is disheartening4 ,it ought to be done with a club1 in some cases2 but customarily it consists in the interviewer asking questions1 and the interviewed answering them4 ,it is all the rage now4 ,will you let me ask you certain questions calculated to bring out the salient points of your public and private history8 ,oh1 with pleasure1--with pleasure4 ,i have a very bad memory2 but ,i hope you will not mind4 ,that is to say1 it is an irregular memory1 singularly irregular4 ,sometimes it goes in a gallop1 and then again it will be as much as a fortnight passing a given point4 ,this is a great grief to me4 ,oh6 it is no matter1 so you will try to do the best you can4 ,i will6 ,i will put my whole mind on it4 ,thanks6 ,are you ready to begin8 ,ready4 ,question4 ,how old are you8 ,answer4 ,nineteen in ,june4 ,q4 ,indeed6 ,i would have taken you to be thirty-five or six4 ,where were you born8 ,a4 ,in ,missouri4 ,q4 ,when did you begin to write8 ,a4 ,in #ahcf4 ,q4 ,why1 how could that be1 if you are only nineteen now8 ,a4 ,i don't know4 ,it does seem curious1 somehow4 ,q4 ,it does indeed4 ,whom do you consider the most remarkable man you ever met8 ,a4 ,aaron ,burr4 ,q4 ,but you never could have met ,aaron ,burr1 if you are only nineteen years---- ,a4 ,now1 if you know more about me than ,i do1 what do you ask me for8 ,q4 ,well1 it was only a suggestion2 nothing more4 ,how did you happen to meet ,burr8 ,a4 ,well1 ,i happened to be at his funeral one day2 and he asked me to make less noise1 and---- ,q4 ,but1 good heavens6 ,if you were at his funeral1 he must have been dead2 and1 if he was dead1 how could he care whether you made a noise or not8 ,a4 ,i don't know4 ,he was always a particular kind of a man that way4 ,q4 ,still1 ,i don't understand it at all4 ,you say he spoke to you1 and that he was dead8 ,a4 ,i didn't say he was dead4 ,q4 ,but wasn't he dead8 ,a4 ,well1 some said he was1 some said he wasn't4 ,q4 ,what do you think8 ,a4 ,oh1 it was none of my business6 ,it wasn't any of my funeral4 ,q4 ,did you--,however we can never get this matter straight4 ,let me ask about something else4 ,what was the date of your birth8 ,a4 ,monday1 ,october #ca1 #afic4 ,q4 ,what6 ,impossible6 ,that would make you a hundred and eighty years old4 ,how do you account for that8 ,a4 ,i don't account for it at all4 ,q4 ,but you said at first you were only nineteen1 and now you make yourself out to be one hundred and eighty4 ,it is an awful discrepancy4 ,a4 ,why1 have you noticed that8 7,shaking hands47 ,many a time it has seemed to me like a discrepancy2 but somehow ,i couldn't make up my mind4 ,how quick you notice a thing6 ,q4 ,thank you for the compliment1 as far as it goes4 ,had you1 or have you1 any brothers or sisters8 ,a4 ,eh6 ,i--,i--,i think so1--yes--but ,i don't remember4 ,q4 ,well1 that is the most extraordinary statement ,i ever heard4 ,a4 ,why1 what makes you think that8 ,q4 ,how could ,i think otherwise8 ,why1 look here6 ,who is this a picture of on the wall8 ,isn't that a brother of yours8 ,a4 ,oh1 yes1 yes1 yes6 ,now you remind me of it1 that was a brother of mine4 ,that's ,william1 ,bill we called him4 ,poor old ,bill6 ,q4 ,why1 is he dead1 then8 ,a4 ,ah1 well1 ,i suppose so4 ,we never could tell4 ,there was a great mystery about it4 ,q4 ,that is sad1 very sad4 ,he disappeared1 then8 ,a4 ,well1 yes1 in a sort of general way4 ,we buried him4 ,q4 ,buried him6 ,buried him without knowing whether he was dead or not8 ,a4 ,oh1 no6 ,not that4 ,he was dead enough4 ,q4 ,well1 ,i confess that ,i can't understand this4 ,if you buried him1 and you knew he was dead---- ,a4 ,no1 no6 ,we only thought he was4 ,q4 ,oh1 ,i see6 ,he came to life again8 ,a4 ,i bet he didn't4 ,q4 ,well4 ,i never heard anything like this4 ,somebody was dead4 ,somebody was buried4 ,now1 where was the mystery8 ,a4 ,ah1 that's just it6 ,that's it exactly6 ,you see we were twins1--defunct and ,i2 and we got mixed in the bathtub when we were only two weeks old1 and one of us was drowned4 ,but we didn't know which4 ,some think it was ,bill2 and some think it was me4 ,q4 ,well1 that is remarkable4 ,what do you think8 ,a4 ,goodness knows6 ,i would give whole worlds to know4 ,this solemn1 this awful mystery has cast a gloom over my whole life4 ,but ,i will tell you a secret now1 which ,i never have revealed to any creature before4 ,one of us had a peculiar mark1 a large mole on the back of his left hand2 that was me4 ,that child was the one that was drowned4 ,q4 ,very well1 then1 ,i don't see that there is any mystery about it1 after all4 ,a4 ,you don't2 well1 ,i do4 ,anyway1 ,i don't see how they could ever have been such a blundering lot as to go and bury the wrong child4 ,but1 'sh6 don't mention it where the family can hear of it4 ,heaven knows they have heart-breaking troubles enough without adding this4 ,q4 ,well1 ,i believe ,i have got material enough for the present2 and ,i am very much obliged to you for the pains you have taken4 ,but ,i was a good deal interested in that account of ,aaron ,burr's funeral4 ,would you mind telling me what peculiar circumstance it was that made you think ,burr was such a remarkable man8 ,a4 ,oh1 it was a mere trifle6 ,not one man in fifty would have noticed it at all4 ,when the sermon was over1 and the procession all ready to start for the cemetery1 and the body all arranged nice in the hearse1 he said he wanted to take a last look at the scenery2 and so he got up1 and rode with the driver4 99 99 99 99 99 ,then the young man reverently withdrew4 ,he was very pleasant company2 and ,i was sorry to see him go4 ,,the ,,prime ,,of ,,life4 ,,by ,,ella ,,wheeler ,,wilcox4 ,i read the sentence or heard it spoken-- ,a stalwart phrase and with meaning rife-- ,and ,i said3 ,now ,i know1 by youth's sweet token1 ,that this is the time called the 'prime of life4' ,for my hopes soar over the loftiest mountain1 ,and the future glows red1 like a fair sunrise2 ,and my spirits gush forth1 like a spring-fed fountain1 ,and never a grief in the heart of me lies4 ,yet later on1 when with blood and muscle ,equipped ,i plunged in the world's hard strife1 ,when ,i loved its danger1 and laughed at the tussle1 ,why this1 ,i said1 is the prime of life4 ,and then1 when the tide in my veins ran slower1 ,and youth's first follies had passed away1 ,when the fervent fires in my heart burned lower1 ,and over my body my brain had sway1 ,i said3 ,it is when1 through the veiled ideal ,the vigorous reason thrusts a knife ,and rends the illusion1 and shows us the real1 ,oh6 this is the time called 'prime of life4' ,hut now when brain and body are troubled 7,for one is tired and one is ill1 ,yet my soul soars up with a strength redoubled ,and sits on the throne of my broken will71 ,now when on the ear of my listening spirit1 ,that is turned away from the earth's harsh strife1 ,the river of death sounds murmuring near it-- ,i know that this is the prime of life4 ,,supporting ,,the ,,guns4 ,did you ever see a battery take position8 ,it hasn't the thrill of a cavalry charge1 nor the grimness of a line of bayonets moving slowly and determinedly on1 but there is peculiar excitement about it that makes old veterans rise in the saddle and cheer4 ,we have been fighting at the edge of the woods4 ,every cartridge-box has been emptied once and more1 and a fourth of the brigade has melted away in dead and wounded and missing4 ,not a cheer is heard in the whole brigade4 ,we know that we are being driven foot by foot1 and that when we break back once more1 the line will go to pieces and the enemy will pour through the gap4 ,here comes help6 ,down the crowded highway gallops a battery1 withdrawn from some other position to save ours4 ,the field fence is scattered while you could count thirty1 and the guns rush for the hill behind us4 ,six horses to a piece1 three riders to each gun4 ,over dry ditches where a farmer could not drive a wagon2 through clumps of bushes1 over logs a foot thick1 every horse on the gallop1 every rider lashing his team and yelling1--the sight behind us makes us forget the foe in front4 ,the guns jump two feet high as the heavy wheels strike rock or log1 but not a horse slackens his pace1 not a cannoneer loses his seat4 ,six guns1 six caissons1 sixty horses1 eighty men1 race for the brow of the hill as if he who reached it first was to be knighted4 ,a moment ago the battery was a confused mob4 ,we look again and the six guns are in position1 the detached horses hurrying away1 the ammunition-chests open1 and along our line runs the command3 ,give them one more volley and fall back to support the guns6 ,we have scarcely obeyed when boom6 boom6 boom6 opens the battery1 and jets of fire jump down and scorch the green trees under which we fought and despaired4 ,the shattered old brigade has a chance to breathe for the first time in three hours as we form a line of battle behind the guns and lie down4 ,what grim1 cool fellows these cannoneers are4 ,every man is a perfect machine4 ,bullets plash dust in their faces1 but they do not wince4 ,bullets sing over and around them1 but they do not dodge4 ,there goes one to the earth1 shot through the head as he sponged his gun4 ,the machinery loses just one beat1--misses just one cog in the wheel1 and then works away again as before4 ,every gun is using short-fuse shell4 ,the ground shakes and trembles--the roar shuts out all sounds from a battle-line three miles long1 and the shells go shrieking into the swamp to cut trees short off--to mow great gaps in the bushes--to hunt out and shatter and mangle men until their corpses cannot be recognized as human4 ,you would think a tornado was howling through the forest1 followed by billows of fire1 and yet men live through it--aye6 press forward to capture the battery6 ,we can hear their shouts as they form for the rush4 ,now the shells are changed for grape and canister1 and the guns are served so fast that all reports blend into one mighty roar4 ,the shriek of a shell is the wickedest sound in war1 but nothing makes the flesh crawl like the demoniac singing1 purring1 whistling grape-shot and the serpent-like hiss of canister4 ,men's legs and arms are not shot through1 but torn off4 ,heads are torn from bodies and bodies cut in two4 ,a round shot or shell takes two men out of the ranks as it crashes through4 ,grape and canister mow a swath and pile the dead on top of each other4 ,through the smoke we see a swarm of men4 ,it is not a battle-line1 but a mob of men desperate enough to bathe their bayonets in the flame of the guns4 ,the guns leap from the ground1 almost1 as they are depressed on the foe--and shrieks and screams and shouts blend into one awful and steady cry4 ,twenty men out of the battery are down1 and the firing is interrupted4 ,the foe accept it as a sign of wavering1 and come rushing on4 ,they are not ten feet away when the guns give them a last shot4 ,that discharge picks living men off their feet and throws them into the swamp1 a blackened1 bloody mass4 ,up now1 as the enemy are among the guns6 ,there is a silence of ten seconds1 and then the flash and roar of more than three thousand muskets1 and a rush forward with bayonets4 ,for what8 ,neither on the right1 nor left1 nor in front of us is a living foe6 ,there are corpses around us which have been struck by three1 four and even six bullets1 and nowhere on this acre of ground is a wounded man6 ,the wheels of the guns cannot move until the blockade of dead is removed4 ,men cannot pass from caisson to gun without climbing over winrows of dead4 ,every gun and wheel is smeared with blood1 every foot of grass has its horrible stain4 ,historians write of the glory of war4 ,burial parties saw murder where historians saw glory4 ,a ,,legend ,,of ,,the ,,ivy4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,in a quiet village of ,germany1 once dwelt a fair-haired maiden1 ,whose eyes were as blue as the summer sky and whose hair with gold was laden2 ,her lips were as red as a rose-bud sweet1 with teeth1 like pearls1 behind them1 ,her smiles were like dreams of bliss1 complete1 and her waving curls enshrined them4 ,fond lovers thronged to the maiden's side1 but of all the youth around her1 ,one only had asked her to be his bride1 and a willing listener found her1 ,some time1 we'll marry1 she often said1 then burst into song or laughter1 ,and tripped away1 while the lover's head hung low as he followed after4 ,impatient growing1 at last he said1 ,the springtime birds are mating1 ,pray whisper1 sweet1 our day to wed2 warm hearts grow cold from waiting4 ,not yet1 she smiled1 with a fond caress2 but he answered1 ,now or never1 ,i start for the ,holy ,war unless ,i may call thee mine forever4 ,for the ,holy ,war8 ,farewell6 she cried1 with never a thought of grieving4 ,his wish so often had been denied1 she could not help believing ,his heart would wait till her budding life had blown to its full completeness4 ,she did not know that a wedded wife holds a spell in her youthful sweetness4 ,but alas6 for the ,yes too long delayed1 he fought and he bravely perished2 ,and alas6 for the heart of the tender maid1 and the love it fondly cherished2 ,her smile grew sad for all hope was gone2 life's sands were swiftly fleeting1 ,and just at the break of a wintry dawn1 her broken heart ceased beating2 ,and when1 on her grave1 at the early spring1 bright flowers her friends were throwing1 ,they knelt and there1 just blossoming1 they saw a strange plant growing1 ,its tender fingers1 at first1 just seen1 crept on through the grass and clover1 ,till1 at last1 with a mound of perfect green1 it covered the whole grave over2 ,and often the village youth would stand by the vine-clad mound1 in the gloaming1 ,and holding a maiden's willing hand1 would tell that the strange plant roaming ,was the maiden's soul1 which could not rest and with fruitless1 fond endeavor1 ,went seeking the heart it loved the best1 but sought in vain1 forever4 ,,the ,,united ,,states4 ,,by ,,daniel ,,webster4 ,and now1 ,mr4 ,president1 instead of speaking of the possibility or utility of secession1 instead of dwelling in these caverns of darkness1 instead of groping with those ideas so full of all that is horrid and horrible1 let us come out into the light of day2 let us enjoy the fresh air of ,liberty and ,union2 let us cherish those hopes which belong to us2 let us devote ourselves to those great objects that are fit for our consideration and our action2 let us raise our conceptions to the magnitude and the importance of the duties that devolve upon us2 let our comprehension be as broad as the country for which we act1 our aspirations as high as its certain destiny2 let us not be pigmies in a case that calls for men4 ,never did there devolve on any generation of men higher trusts than now devolve upon us1 for the preservation of this constitution1 and the harmony and peace of all who are destined to live under it4 ,let us make our generation one of the strongest and brightest links in that golden chain1 which is destined1 ,i fondly believe1 to grapple the people of all the states to this constitution1 for ages to come4 ,we have a great1 popular1 constitutional government1 guarded by law and by judicature1 and defended by the whole affections of the people4 ,no monarchical throne presses these states together2 no iron chain of military power encircles them2 they live and stand upon a government popular in its form1 representative in its character1 founded upon principles of equality1 and so constructed1 we hope1 as to last forever4 ,in all its history it has been beneficent3 it has trodden down no man's liberty2 it has crushed no state4 ,its daily respiration is liberty and patriotism2 its yet youthful veins are full of enterprise1 courage1 and honorable love of glory and renown4 ,large before1 the country has now1 by recent events1 becomes vastly larger4 ,this republic now extends1 with a vast breadth1 across the whole continent4 ,the two great seas of the world wash the one and the other shore4 ,we realize1 on a mighty scale1 the beautiful description of the ornamental edging of the buckler of ,achilles-- ,now the broad shield complete1 the artist crowned ,with his last hand1 and poured the ocean round2 ,in living silver seemed the waves to roll1 ,and beat the buckler's verge1 and bound the whole4 ,,in ,,arabia4 ,,by ,,james ,,berry ,,bensel1 #ahef4 ,choose thou between6 and to his enemy ,the ,arab chief a brawny hand displayed1 ,wherein1 like moonlight on a sullen sea1 ,gleamed the gray scimitar's enamelled blade4 ,choose thou between death at my hand and thine6 ,close in my power1 my vengeance ,i may wreak1 ,yet hesitate to strike4 ,a hate like mine ,is noble still4 ,thou hast thy choosing--speak6 ,and ,ackbar stood4 ,about him all the band ,that hailed his captor chieftain1 with grave eyes ,his answer waited1 while that heavy hand ,stretched like a bar between him and the skies4 ,straight in the face before him ,ackbar sent ,a sneer of scorn1 and raised his noble head2 ,strike6 and the desert monarch1 as content1 ,rehung the weapon at his girdle red4 ,then ,ackbar nearer crept and lifted high ,his arms toward the heaven so far and blue ,wherein the sunset rays began to die1 ,while o'er the band1 a deeper silence grew4 ,strike6 ,i am ready6 ,did'st thou think to see ,a son of ,gheva spill upon the dust ,his noble blood8 ,did'st hope to have my knee ,bend at thy feet1 and with one mighty thrust1 ,the life thou hatest flee before thee here8 ,shame on thee6 on thy race6 ,art thou the one ,who hast so long his vengeance counted dear8 ,my hate is greater2 ,i did strike thy son1 ,thy one son1 ,noumid1 dead before my face2 ,and by the swiftest courser of my stud ,sent to thy door his corpse4 ,and one might trace ,their flight across the desert by his blood4 ,strike6 for my hate is greater than thy own6 ,but with a frown the ,arab moved away1 ,walked to a distant palm and stood alone ,with eyes that looked where purple mountains lay4 ,this for an instant2 then he turned again ,toward the place where ,ackbar waited still1 ,walking as one benumbed with bitter pain1 ,or with a hateful mission to fulfil4 ,strike6 for ,i hate thee6 ,ackbar cried once more1 ,nay1 but my hate ,i cannot find6 said now ,his enemy4 ,thy freedom ,i restore1 ,live1 life were worse than death to such as thou4 ,so with his gift of life1 the ,bedouin slept ,that night untroubled2 but when dawn broke through ,the purple ,east1 and o'er his eyelids crept ,the long1 thin finger of the light1 he drew ,a heavy breath and woke4 ,above him shone ,a lifted dagger--,yea1 he gave thee life1 ,but ,i give death6 came in fierce undertone1 ,and ,ackbar died4 ,it was dead ,noumid's wife4 ,the ,new ,year ,ledger4 ,,by ,,amelia ,e4 ,,barr4 ,i said one year ago1 ,i wonder1 if ,i truly kept ,a list of days when life burnt low1 ,of days ,i smiled and days ,i wept1 ,if good or bad would highest mount ,when ,i made up the year's account8 ,i took a ledger fair and fine1 ,and now1 ,i said1 when days are glad1 ,i'll write with bright red ink the line1 ,and write with black when they are bad1 ,so that they'll stand before my sight ,as clear apart as day and night4 ,i will not heed the changing skies1 ,nor if it shine nor if it rain2 ,but if there comes some sweet surprise1 ,or friendship1 love or honest gain1 ,why1 then it shall be understood ,that day is written down as good4 ,or if to anyone ,i love ,a blessing meets them on the way1 ,that will to me a pleasure prove3 ,so it shall be a happy day2 ,and if some day1 ,i've cause to dread ,pass harmless by1 ,i'll write it red4 ,when hands and brain stand labor's test1 ,and ,i can do the thing ,i would1 ,those days when ,i am at my best ,shall all be traced as very good4 ,and in 'red letter1' too1 ,i'll write ,those rare1 strong hours when right is might4 ,when first ,i meet in some grand book ,a noble soul that touches mine1 ,and with this vision ,i can look ,through some gate beautiful of time1 ,that day such happiness will shed ,that golden-lined will seem the red4 ,and when pure1 holy thoughts have power ,to touch my heart and dim my eyes1 ,and ,i in some diviner hour ,can hold sweet converse with the skies1 ,ah6 then my soul may safely write3 ',this day has been most good and bright4' ,what do ,i see on looking back8 ,a red-lined book before me lies1 ,with here and there a thread of black1 ,that like a gloomy shadow flies1-- ,a shadow it must be confessed1 ,that often rose in my own breast4 ,and ,i have found it good to note ,the blessing that is mine each day2 ,for happiness is vainly sought ,in some dim future far away4 ,just try my ledger for a year1 ,then look with grateful wonder back1 ,and you will find1 there is no fear1 ,the red days far exceed the black4 ,,good ,,reading ,,the ,,greatest ,,accomplishment4 ,,by ,,john ,s4 ,,hart1 ,,ll4,d4 ,there is one accomplishment1 in particular1 which ,i would earnestly recommend to you4 ,cultivate assiduously the ability to read well4 ,i stop to particularize this1 because it is a thing so very much neglected1 and because it is such an elegant and charming accomplishment4 ,where one person is really interested by music1 twenty are pleased by good reading4 ,where one person is capable of becoming a skillful musician1 twenty may become good readers4 ,where there is one occasion suitable for the exercise of musical talent1 there are twenty for that of good reading4 ,the culture of the voice necessary for reading well1 gives a delightful charm to the same voice in conversation4 ,good reading is the natural exponent and vehicle of all good things4 ,it is the most effective of all commentaries upon the works of genius4 ,it seems to bring dead authors to life again1 and makes us sit down familiarly with the great and good of all ages4 ,did you ever notice what life and power the ,holy ,scriptures have when well read8 ,have you ever heard of the wonderful effects produced by ,elizabeth ,fry on the criminals of ,newgate1 by simply reading to them the parable of the ,prodigal ,son8 ,princes and peers of the realm1 it is said1 counted it a privilege to stand in the dismal corridors1 among felons and murderers1 merely to share with them the privilege of witnessing the marvelous pathos which genius1 taste1 and culture could infuse into that simple story4 ,what a fascination there is in really good reading6 ,what a power it gives one6 ,in the hospital1 in the chamber of the invalid1 in the nursery1 in the domestic and in the social circle1 among chosen friends and companions1 how it enables you to minister to the amusement1 to the comfort1 the pleasure of dear ones1 as no other art or accomplishment can4 ,no instrument of man's devising can reach the heart as does that most wonderful instrument1 the human voice4 ,it is ,god's special gift and endowment to his chosen creatures4 ,fold it not away in a napkin4 ,if you would double the value of all your other acquisitions1 if you would add immeasurably to your own enjoyment and to your power of promoting the enjoyment of others1 cultivate1 with incessant care1 this divine gift4 ,no music below the skies is equal to that of pure1 silvery speech from the lips of a man or woman of high culture4 ,,paul ,,revere',s ,,ride4 ,,by ,,henry ,,wadsworth ,,longfellow4 ,listen1 my children1 and you shall hear1 ,of the midnight ride of ,paul ,revere1 ,on the eighteenth of ,april1 in seventy-five-- ,hardly a man is now alive ,who remembers that famous day and year-- ,he said to his friend3 ,if the ,british march ,by land or sea from the town to-night1 ,hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch ,of the ,north ,church tower as a signal light2 ,one1 if by land1 and two if by sea1 ,and ,i on the opposite shore will be1 ,ready to ride and spread the alarm ,through every ,middlesex village and farm1 ,for the country folk to be up and to arm4 ,then he said ,good-night1 and1 with muffled oar1 ,silently row'd to the ,charlestown shore1 ,just as the moon rose over the bay1 ,where1 swinging wide at her moorings1 lay ,the ,somerset1 ,british man-of-war2 ,a phantom ship1 with each mast and spar ,across the moon like a prison bar1 ,and a huge black hulk1 that was magnified ,by its own reflection in the tide4 ,meanwhile his friend1 through alley and street1 ,wanders and watches with eager ears1 ,till in the silence around him he hears ,the muster of men at the barrack door1 ,the sound of arms and the tramp of feet1 ,and the measured tread of the grenadiers1 ,marching down to their boats on the shore4 ,then he climbed the tower of the ,old ,north ,church ,by the wooden stairs1 with stealthy tread1 ,to the belfry chamber overhead1 ,and startled the pigeons from their perch ,on the sombre rafters1 that round him made ,masses and moving shapes of shade1 ,by the trembling ladder1 steep and tall1 ,to the highest window in the wall1 ,where he paused to listen and look down ,a moment on the roofs of the town1 ,and the moonlight flowing over all4 ,beneath1 in the churchyard1 lay the dead1 ,in their night encampment on the hill4 ,wrapped in silence so deep and still ,that he could hear1 like a sentinel's tread1 ,the watchful night wind1 as it went ,creeping along from tent to tent1 ,and seeming to whisper1 ,all is well6 ,a moment only he feels the spell ,of the place and the hour1 and the secret dread ,of the lonely belfry and the dead1 ,for1 suddenly1 all his thoughts are bent ,on a shadowy something far away1 ,where the river widens to meet the bay1-- ,a line of black that bends and floats ,on the rising tide like a bridge of boats4 ,meanwhile1 impatient to mount and ride1 ,booted and spurred1 with a heavy stride ,on the opposite shore walked ,paul ,revere4 ,now he patted his horse's side1 ,now gazed at the landscape far and near1 ,then1 impetuous1 stamped the earth ,and turned and lighted his saddle-girth2 ,but mostly he watched1 with eager search1 ,the belfry tower of the ,old ,north ,church1 ,as it rose above the graves on the hill1 ,lonely and spectral and sombre and still4 ,and lo6 as he looks1 on the belfry's height ,a glimmer1 and then a gleam of light6 ,he springs to the saddle1 the bridle he turns1 ,but lingers and gazes1 till full on his sight1 ,a second lamp in the belfry burns4 ,a hurry of hoofs in the village street1 ,a shape in the moonlight1 a bulk in the dark1 ,and beneath1 from the pebbles1 in passing1 a spark1 ,struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet2 ,that was all2 and yet1 through the gloom and the light1 ,the fate of a nation was riding that night2 ,and the spark struck out by that steed in his flight ,kindled the land into flame with its heat4 ,he had left the village and mounted the steep1 ,and beneath him1 tranquil and broad and deep1 ,is the ,mystic1 meeting the ocean tides1 ,and under the alders that skirt its edge1 ,now soft on the sand1 now loud on the ledge1 ,is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides4 ,it was twelve by the village clock ,when he crossed the bridge into ,medford town2 ,he heard the crowing of the cock ,and the barking of the farmer's dog1 ,and felt the damp of the river's fog1 ,that rises after the sun goes down4 ,it was one by the village clock ,when he galloped into ,lexington4 ,he saw the gilded weathercock ,swim in the moonlight as he passed1 ,and the meeting-house windows1 blank and bare1 ,gaze at him with spectral glare1 ,as if they already stood aghast ,at the bloody work they would look upon4 ,it was two by the village clock ,when he came to the bridge in ,concord town2 ,he heard the bleating of the flock1 ,and the twitter of birds among the trees1 ,and felt the breath of the morning breeze ,blowing over the meadows brown4 ,and one was safe and asleep in his bed ,who at the bridge would be first to fall1 ,who that day would be lying dead1 ,pierced by a ,british musket ball4 ,you know the rest2 in the books you have read1 ,how the ,british regulars fired and fled2 ,how the farmers gave them ball for ball1 ,from behind each fence and farmyard wall1 ,chasing the redcoats down the lane1 ,then crossing the fields1 to emerge again ,under the trees1 at the turn of the road1 ,and only pausing to fire and load4 ,so through the night rode ,paul ,revere1 ,and so through the night went his cry of alarm ,to every ,middlesex village and farm1-- ,a cry of defiance and not of fear1 ,a voice in the darkness1 a knock at the door1 ,and a word that shall echo for evermore6 ,for1 borne on the night-wind of the past1 ,through all our history to the last1 ,in the hour of darkness and peril and need1 ,the people will waken and listen to hear ,the hurrying hoof-beats of that steed ,and the midnight message of ,paul ,revere4 ,,by ,,special ,,request4 ,,by ,,frank ,,castles4 ,a ,lady ,standing with one ,hand on a ,chair in a ,somewhat ,amateurish ,attitude4 ,our kind hostess has asked me to recite something1 by special request1 but ,i really don't know what to do4 ,i have only a very small repertoire1 and ,i'm afraid you know all my stock recitations4 ,what shall ,i do8 7,pause47 ,i have it2 ,i'll give you something entirely original4 ,i'll tell you about my last experience of reciting1 which really is the cause of my being so nervous to-night4 ,i began reciting about a year ago2 ,i took elocution lessons with ,mr4 ----2 no1 ,i won't tell you his name1 ,i want to keep him all to myself4 ,i studied the usual things with him--the ,mercy speech from the ,merchant of ,venice1 and ,juliet's ,balcony scene1 but ,i somehow never could imagine my fat1 red-faced1 snub-nosed old master 7there6 ,i've told you who he was71 ,i never could fancy him as an ideal ,romeo2 he looked much more like ,polonius1 or the ,ghost before he was a ghost--,i mean as he probably was in the flesh4 ,my elocution master told me that ,shakespeare was not my forte1 so ,i studied some more modern pieces4 ,he told me ,i was getting on very well--one of my most promising pupils1 but ,i found that he said that to every one4 ,well1 it soon became known that ,i recited 7one must have some little vices1 you know1 just to show up one's virtues74 ,i received an invitation from ,lady ,midas for a musical evening last ,friday1 and in a postscript1 ,we hope you will favor us with a recitation4 ,very flattering1 wasn't it8 ,i went there fully primed with three pieces--,the ,lifeboat1 by ,sims1 ,the ,lost ,soul1 and ,calverley's ,waiting4 ,i thought that ,i had hit on a perfectly original selection2 but ,i was soon undeceived4 ,there were a great many people at ,lady ,midas'1 quite fifty1 ,i should think1 or perhaps two hundred2 but ,i'm very bad at guessing numbers4 ,we had a lot of music4 ,a young man1 with red hair and little twinkling light eyes1 sang a song by ,de ,lara1 but it did not sound as well as when ,i heard the composer sing it4 ,then two girls played a banjo duet2 then--no1 we had another song first1 then a girl with big eyes and an ugly dress--brown nun's veiling with yellow lace1 and beads1 and ribbons1 and sham flowers and all sorts of horrid things1 so ugly1 ,i'm sure it was made at home4 ,well--where was ,i8 ,oh1 yes6--she stood up and recited1 what do you think8 ,why1 ,calverley's ,waiting6 ,oh6 ,i was so cross when it came to the last verses2 you remember how they go 7imitating7-- ',hush6 hark6 ,i see a hovering form6 ,from the dim distance slowly rolled2 ,it rocks like lilies in a storm1 ,and oh6 its hues are green and gold4 ',it comes1 it comes6 ,ah6 rest is sweet1 ,and there is rest1 my babe1 for us6' ,she ceased1 as at her very feet ,stopped the ,st4 ,john's ,wood omnibus4 ,well1 when ,i heard that ,i felt inclined to cry4 ,just imagine how provoking2 one of the pieces ,i had been practicing for weeks past4 ,oh1 it was annoying6 ,after that there was a violin solo1 then another--no1 then ,i had an ice1 such a nice young man1 just up from ,aldershot1 very young1 but so amusing1 and so full of somebody of ours who had won something1 or lost something1 ,i could not quite make out which4 ,then we came back to the drawing-room1 and an elderly spinster1 with curls1 sang1 ,oh that we two were ,maying1 and the young man from ,aldershot said1 ,thank goodness we aren't4 ,afterward ,i had another ice1 not because ,i wanted it1 not a bit1 but the young man from ,aldershot said he was so thirsty4 ,then ,i saw a youth with long hair and badly-fitting clothes4 ,i thought he was going to sing1 but he wasn't2 oh no6 much worse6 he recited4 ,when ,i heard the first words ,i thought ,i should faint 7imitating73 ,been out in the lifeboat often8 ,aye1 aye1 sir1 oft enough4 ,when it's rougher than this8 ,lor' bless you1 this ain't what we calls rough4 ,how well ,i knew the lines6 ,wasn't it cruel8 ,however1 ,i had one hope left--my ,lost ,soul1 a beautiful poem1 serious and sentimental4 ,the aesthetic youth was so tedious that the young man from ,aldershot asked me to come into the conservatory1 and really ,i was so vexed and disappointed that ,i think ,i would have gone into the coal-cellar if he had asked me4 ,we went into the conservatory and had a nice long talk1 all about----well1 it would take too long to tell you now1 and besides it would not interest you4 ,all at once mamma came in1 and ,i felt rather frightened at first 7,i don't know why71 but she was laughing and smiling4 ,o1 ,mary1 she said1 that aesthetic young man has been so funny2 they encored ',the ,lifeboat1' so he recited a very comic piece of poetry1 that sent us all into fits of laughter1 it was called ',the ,fried ,sole1' a parody on ',the ,lost ,soul' that you used to recite4 ,alas6 my last hope was wrecked2 ,i could not read after that6 ,i believe ,i burst into tears4 ,anyhow1 mamma hurried me off in a cab1 and ,i cried all the way home and--and--,i forgot to say good-night to the young man from ,aldershot4 ,wasn't it a pity8 ,and you see that's why ,i don't like to recite anything to-night4 7,some one from the audience comes up and whispers to her74 ,no6 really1 have ,i8 ,how stupid6 ,i'm told that ,i've been reciting all this time4 ,i am so sorry2 will you ever forgive me8 ,i do beg pardon2 ,i'll never do it again6 7,runs out47 ,,now ,i ,,lay ,,me ,,down ,,to ,,sleep4 ,found in the ,knapsack of a ,soldier of the ,civil ,war ,after ,he ,had ,been ,slain in ,battle4 ,near the camp-fire's flickering light1 ,in my blanket bed ,i lie1 ,gazing through the shades of night ,and the twinkling stars on high2 ,o'er me spirits in the air ,silent vigils seem to keep1 ,as ,i breathe my childhood's prayer1 ,now ,i lay me down to sleep4 ,sadly sings the whip-poor-will ,in the boughs of yonder tree2 ,laughingly the dancing rill ,swells the midnight melody4 ,foemen may be lurking near1 ,in the canyon dark and deep2 ,low ,i breathe in ,jesus' ear3 ,i pray ,thee1 ,lord1 my soul to keep4 ',mid those stars one face ,i see-- ,one the ,saviour turned away-- ,mother1 who in infancy ,taught my baby lips to pray2 ,her sweet spirit hovers near ,in this lonely mountain-brake4 ,take me to her ,saviour dear ,if ,i should die before ,i wake4 ,fainter grows the flickering light1 ,as each ember slowly dies2 ,plaintively the birds of night ,fill the air with sad'ning cries2 ,over me they seem to cry3 ,you may never more awake4 ,low ,i lisp3 ,if ,i should die1 ,i pray ,thee1 ,lord1 my soul to take4 ,now ,i lay me down to sleep2 ,i pray ,thee1 ,lord1 my soul to keep4 ,if ,i should die before ,i wake1 ,i pray ,thee1 ,lord1 my soul to take4 ,,the ,,american ,,union4 ,,by ,,daniel ,,webster4 ,i profess1 sir1 in my career hitherto1 to have kept steadily in view the prosperity and honor of the whole country1 and the preservation of our ,federal ,union4 ,it is to that union we owe our safety at home1 and our consideration and dignity abroad4 ,it is to that union that we are chiefly indebted for whatever makes us most proud of our country4 ,that union we reached only by the discipline of our virtues1 in the severe school of adversity4 ,it had its origin in the necessities of disordered finance1 prostrate commerce1 and ruined credit4 ,under its benign influences1 these great interests immediately awoke1 as from the dead1 and sprang forth with newness of life4 ,every year of its duration has teemed with fresh proofs of its utility and its blessings2 and although our territory has stretched out wider and wider1 and our population spread further and further1 they have not outrun its protection1 or its benefits4 ,it has been to us all a copious fountain of national1 social1 and personal happiness4 ,i have not allowed myself1 sir1 to look beyond the union1 to see what might lie hidden in the dark recess behind4 ,i have not coolly weighed the chances of preserving liberty1 when the bonds that unite us together shall be broken asunder4 ,i have not accustomed myself to hang over the precipice of disunion1 to see whether1 with my short sight1 ,i can fathom the depth of the abyss below2 nor could ,i regard him as a safe counsellor in the affairs of this government1 whose thoughts should be mainly bent on considering1 not how the union should be best preserved1 but how tolerable might be the condition of the people when it shall be broken up and destroyed4 ,while the union lasts1 we have high1 exciting1 gratifying prospects spread out before us1 for us and our children4 ,beyond that ,i seek not to penetrate the veil4 ,god grant that1 in my day at least1 that curtain may not rise6 ,god grant that on my vision never may be opened what lies behind6 ,when my eyes shall be turned to behold1 for the last time1 the sun in heaven1 may ,i not see him shining on the broken and dishonored fragments of a once glorious union2 on states dissevered1 discordant1 belligerent2 on a land rent with civil feuds1 or drenched1 it may be1 in fraternal blood6 ,let their last feeble and lingering glance rather behold the gorgeous ensign of the republic1 now known and honored throughout the earth1 still full high advanced1 its arms and trophies streaming in their original lustre1 not a stripe erased or polluted1 nor a single star obscured1 bearing for its motto no such miserable interrogatory as1 ,what is all this worth8 nor those other words of delusion and folly1 ,liberty first1 and union afterward2 but everywhere1 spread all over in characters of living light1 blazing on all its ample folds1 as they float over the sea and over the land1 and in every wind under the whole heavens1 that other sentiment1 dear to every true ,american heart1 liberty and union now and forever1 one and inseparable6 ,,the ,,poppy ,,land ,,limited ,,express4 ,,by ,,edgar ,,wade ,,abbot4 ,the first train leaves at six p4 m4 ,for the land where the poppy blows2 ,the mother dear is the engineer1 ,and the passenger laughs and crows4 ,the palace car is the mother's arms2 ,the whistle1 a low1 sweet strain3 ,the passenger winks1 and nods1 and blinks1 ,and goes to sleep in the train6 ,at eight p4 m4 the next train starts ,for the poppy land afar1 ,the summons clear falls on the ear3 ,all aboard for the sleeping-car6 ,but what is the fare to poppy land8 ,i hope it is not too dear4 ,the fare is this1 a hug and a kiss1 ,and it's paid to the engineer6 ,so ,i ask of ,him who children took ,on ,his knee in kindness great1 ,take charge1 ,i pray1 of the trains each day1 ,that leave at six and eight4 ,keep watch of the passengers1 thus ,i pray1 ,for to me they are very dear1 ,and special ward1 ,o gracious ,lord1 ,o'er the gentle engineer4 ,,mother1 ,,home1 ,,and ,,heaven4 ,mother1 ,home1 and ,heaven1 says a writer1 are three of the most beautiful words in the ,english language4 ,and truly ,i think that they may be well called so--what word strikes so forcibly upon the heart as mother8 ,coming from childhood's sunny lips1 it has a peculiar charm2 for it speaks of one to whom they look and trust for protection4 ,a mother is the truest friend we have2 when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us2 when adversity takes the place of prosperity2 when friends1 who rejoiced with us in our sunshine1 desert us when troubles thicken around us1 still will she cling to us1 and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness1 and cause peace to return to our hearts4 ,the kind voice of a mother has often been the means of reclaiming an erring one from the path of wickedness to a life of happiness and prosperity4 ,the lonely convict1 immured in his dreary cell1 thinks of the innocent days of his childhood1 and feels that though other friends forsake him1 he has still a guardian angel watching over him2 and that1 however dark his sins may have been1 they have all been forgiven and forgotten by her4 ,mother is indeed a sweet name1 and her station is indeed a holy one2 for in her hands are placed minds1 to be moulded almost at her will2 aye1 fitted to shine--not much1 it is true1 on earth1 compared1 if taught aright1 with the dazzling splendor which awaits them in heaven4 ,home6 how often we hear persons speak of the home of their childhood4 ,their minds seem to delight in dwelling upon the recollections of joyous days spent beneath the parental roof1 when their young and happy hearts were as light and free as the birds who made the woods resound with the melody of their cheerful voices4 ,what a blessing it is1 when weary with care1 and burdened with sorrow1 to have a home to which we can go1 and there1 in the midst of friends we love1 forget our troubles and dwell in peace and quietness4 ,heaven6 that land of quiet rest--toward which those1 who1 worn down and tired with the toils of earth1 direct their frail barks over the troubled waters of life1 and after a long and dangerous passage1 find it--safe in the haven of eternal bliss4 ,heaven is the home that awaits us beyond the grave4 ,there the friendships formed on earth1 and which cruel death has severed1 are never more to be broken3 and parted friends shall meet again1 never more to be separated4 ,it is an inspiring hope that1 when we separate here on earth at the summons of death's angel1 and when a few more years have rolled over the heads of those remaining1 if faithful unto death1 we shall meet again in ,heaven1 our eternal home1 there to dwell in the presence of our ,heavenly ,father1 and go no more out forever4 ,,praying ,,for ,,shoes4 ,,by ,,paul ,,hamilton ,,hayne4 ,a ,true ,incident4 ,on a dark ,november morning1 ,a lady walked slowly down ,the thronged1 tumultuous thoroughfare ,of an ancient seaport town4 ,of a winning and gracious beauty1 ,the peace of her pure young face ,was soft as the gleam of an angel's dream ,in the calms of a heavenly place4 ,her eyes were fountains of pity1 ,and the sensitive mouth expressed ,a longing to set the kind thoughts free ,in music that filled her breast4 ,she met1 by a bright shop window1 ,an urchin timid and thin1 ,who1 with limbs that shook and a yearning look1 ,was mistily glancing in ,at the rows and varied clusters ,of slippers and shoes outspread1 ,some shimmering keen1 but of sombre sheen1 ,some purple and green and red4 ,his pale lips moved and murmured2 ,but of what1 she could not hear4 ,and oft on his folded hands would fall ,the round of a bitter tear4 ,what troubles you1 child8 she asked him1 ,in a voice like the ,may-wind sweet4 ,he turned1 and while pointing dolefully ,to his naked and bleeding feet1 ,i was praying for shoes1 he answered2 ,just look at the splendid show6 ,i was praying to ,god for a single pair1 ,the sharp stones hurt me so6 ,she led him1 in museful silence1 ,at once through the open door1 ,and his hope grew bright1 like a fairy light1 ,that flickered and danced before6 ,and there he was washed and tended ,and his small1 brown feet were shod2 ,and he pondered there on his childish prayer1 ,and the marvelous answer of ,god4 ,above them his keen gaze wandered1 ,how strangely from shop to shelf1 ,till it almost seemed that he fondly dreamed ,of looking on ,god ,himself4 ,the lady bent over1 and whispered1 ,are you happier now1 my lad8 ,he started1 and all his soul flashed forth ,in a gratitude swift and glad4 ,happy8--,oh1 yes6--,i am happy6 ,then 7wonder with reverence rife1 ,his eyes aglow1 and his voice sunk low71 ,please tell me6 ,are you ,god's wife8 ,,rum',s ,,devastation ,,and ,,destiny4 ,,by ,,hon4 ,,william ,,sullivan4 ,in a discourse delivered before the ,massachusetts ,society for the ,suppression of ,intemperance1 on the twenty-third of ,may1 #ahcb1 ,hon4 ,william ,sullivan1 one of the vice-presidents of the society1 gave an account of the discovery of the art of distilling wine from brandy1 showing that it was made some five or six hundred years ago1 by an alchemist who was in search of the means of acquiring inexhaustible riches and perpetual youth4 ,after having spoken of the origin of alcohol1 the speaker imagines it to be the office of history to announce the future1 instead of recording the past1 and assuming to stand beside the man who made the discovery1 delivered the following eloquent address detailing the melancholy consequences of this discovery1 and forecasting the blessings which shall result from the final overthrow of the rum fiend4 ,in your researches after that which you should1 at once1 have known to be impossible1 by the laws of nature1 you have opened a fountain of misery which shall flow for ages4 ,you have not contented yourself with pressing out the juices of the fruits bestowed upon you1 and converting these into strong drink which you needed not1--but you have taken this strong drink1 and the harvest1 which was given to you for food1 and have drawn from these a liquid which is not food and which will not nourish nor sustain your earthly frame4 ,this liquid shall be a curse upon you and your descendants4 ,it shall be known wherever the arts of civilization are known4 ,you shall call it the elixir of life4 ,you shall believe it to be nutritious to the body and gladdening to the soul4 ,the love of it shall grow with the use of it4 ,it shall soothe the solitary hour and cheer the festive board4 ,it shall charm away your griefs1 and be the cause of your rejoicings4 ,it shall be the inducement to communion and the bond of friendship4 ,it shall be prized alike by the high and the low4 ,it shall be the joy of princes as well as of the meanest of mortals4 ,it shall be the stimulant to laborious toil1 and the reward for labor done4 ,it shall be bought and sold1 and make the dealer therein rich4 ,it shall yield abundant revenues to sovereignty4 ,hospitality shall be dishonored in not offering it to the guest1 and the guest shall be disgraced in not receiving it at the hand of his host4 ,but----it shall visit your limbs with palsy2 it shall extinguish the pride of man2 it shall make the husband hateful to the wife1 and the wife loathsome to the husband2 it shall annihilate the love of offspring2 it shall make members of society a shame and a reproach to each other1 and to all among whom they dwell4 ,it shall steal from the virtuous and the honorable their good name1 and shall make the strong and the vigorous to totter along the streets of cities4 ,it shall pervert the law of habit1 designed to strengthen you in the path of duty1 and bind you in its iron chain4 ,it shall disgrace the judge upon the bench1 the minister in the sacred desk1 and the senator in his exalted seat4 ,it shall make your food tasteless1 your mouth to burn as with a fever1 and your stomach to tremble as with disease4 ,it shall cause the besotted mother to overlay her newborn1 unconscious that it dies beneath the pressure of her weight2 the natural cravings of the infant shall make it strive to awaken her who has passed1 unheeded1 to her last long sleep4 ,the son shall hide his face that he may not behold his father's depravity2 and the father shall see the object of his fondest hopes turn to a foul and bloated carcass1 that hurries to the grave4 ,it shall turn the children of men into raving maniacs2 and the broken ties of blood and affection shall find no relief but in the friendly coming of ,death4 ,as the seed which man commits to the earth comes forth into that which he converts into spirit1 so shall this product of his own invention be as seed in his own heart1 to bring forth violence1 rapine and murder4 ,it shall cause man to shut up his fellow-man in the solitude of the grated cell4 ,the prisoner shall turn pale and tremble1 in his loneliness1 at the presence of his own thoughts2 he shall come forth to die1 in cold blood1 by the hand of his fellow1 with the spectacle of religious homage on a scaffold1 and amid the gaze of curious thousands4 ,poverty shall be made squalid and odious1 even so that ,charity shall turn away her face in disgust4 ,it shall attract the pestilence that walks1 even at noon-day1 in darkness1 to the very vitals of the drunkard1 as carrion invites the far-sighted birds of prey4 ,the consumer of spirit shall be found dead in the highway1 with the exhausted vessel by his side4 ,yea1 the drunkard shall kindle a fire in his own bosom which shall not depart from him till he is turned to ashes4 ,the dropsical drunkard shall die in his delirium1 and the fluid which has gathered in his brain shall smell like spirit1 and like spirit shall burn4 ,a feeble frame1 an imbecile mind1 torturing pain and incurable madness shall be of the inheritance which drunkards bequeath1 to run with their blood to innocent descendants4 ,the wise men1 who assemble in the halls2 of legislation1 shall be blind to this ruin1 desolation1 and misery4 ,nay1 they shall license the sale of this poison1 and shall require of dignified magistrates to certify how much thereof shall be sold for the ,,public ,,good4 ,this minister of woe and wretchedness shall roam over the earth at pleasure4 ,it shall be found in every country of the ,christian2 it shall go into every city1 into every village1 and into every house4 ,but it shall not visit the country of the heathen1 nor spread woe and wretchedness among them1 but by the hands of ,christians4 ,the light of reason shall at length break upon the benighted and afflicted world4 ,the truth shall be told4 ,it shall be believed4 ,the causes of calamity shall be unveiled4 ,the friends of the human race shall speak and be respected4 ,rational man shall be ashamed of his follies and his crimes1 and humbled to the dust that he was so long ignorant of their origin4 ,governments shall be ashamed that they so long tolerated and sustained the most costly and cruel foe that man has ever encountered4 ,avarice itself shall be conscience-stricken and penitent4 ,it shall remain where nature placed it for use2 and it shall be odious in the sight of ,heaven and of ,earth to convert the fruits of the soil into poison4 ,,the ,,daughter ,,of ,,the ,,desert4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,an opulent lord of ,ispahan1 ,in luxury1 lolled on a silk divan1 ,dreaming the idle hours away ,in a cloud of smoke from his nargile4 ,weary with nothing to do in life1 ,he thought1 as he watched the smoky whirls1 ',twill be diversion to choose a wife ,from my peerless bevy of dancing-girls4 ,there are beauties fair from every land-- ,lustrous eyes from ,samarcand1 ,dusky forms from the upper ,nile1 ,teeth that glisten when red lips smile1 ,gypsy faces of olive hue1 ,stolen from some wild wandering clan1 ,fair complexions and eyes of blue1 ,from the sunny isles of ,cardachan1 ,regal beauties of queenly grace ,and sinuous sirens of unknown race2 ,some one among them will surely bless ,hours that grow heavy with idleness4 ,then the slave that waited his lightest need1 ,fell on his knee1 by the silk divan1 ,and the swarthy1 listening ear gave heed ,to the will of the lord of ,ispahan4 ,send hither my dancing-girls1 he said1 ,and set me a feast to please the eye ,and tempt the palate1 for this shall be ,a wedding breakfast before us spread1 ,if the charm of beauty can satisfy ,and one of their number pleaseth me4 ,i will wed no maiden of high degree ,with the tips of her fingers henna-stained ,and the dew of youth from her life-blood drained1 ,but a child of nature wild and free4 ,then the slave bent low and said3 ,o ,sire1 ,a woman lingers beside the gate2 ,her eyes are aglow like coals of fire ,and she mourns as one disconsolate2 ,and when we bid her to cease and go1 ,each eye grows bright1 like an evening star1 ,and she sayeth3 ',the master will hear my woe1 ,for ,i come from the deserts of ,khandakar4' ,bid her to enter1 the master said1 ,and the frown from his forehead swiftly fled4 ,the hasty word on his lip way stayed ,as he thought of his youth1 in the land afar1 ,and the peerless eyes of a ,bedouin maid1 ,in the desert places of ,khandakar4 ,the woman entered and swift unwound ,the veil that mantled her face around1 ,and in matchless beauty1 she stood arrayed1 ,in the scant attire of a ,bedouin maid4 ,the indolent lord of ,ispahan ,started back on the silk divan1 ,for in form and feature1 in very truth1 ,it seemed the love of his early youth4 ,the almond eyes and the midnight hair1 ,the rosebud mouth and the rounded chin-- ,time had not touched them2 they still were fair1 ,and the passion of yore grew strong within4 ,then she made him the secret ,bedouin sign1 ,which only dishonor can fail to heed2 ,the solemn pact of the races nine1 ,to help each other in time of need4 ,but her eyes beheld no answering sign1 ,though a crimson tide to his forehead ran1 ,and the trembling maiden could not divine ,the will of the lord of ,ispahan4 ,with the sound of a rippling mountain brook1 ,the voice of the woman her lips forsook2 ,and thus her tale of despair began ,in the lordly palace of ,ispahan3 ,on a stallion black as the midnight skies1 ,from a desert ,i come1 where my lover lies ,at death's dark verge2 and the hostile clan ,that struck him down1 are in ,ispahan ,with slaves to sell1 in the open street2 ,and only because my steed was fleet ,am ,i now free2 but here ,i bide1 ,for this morning the hard-rid stallion died4 ,out of your opulence1 one swift steed ,only a drop from the sea will be2 ,a grain of sand on the shore1 to my need2 ,but the wealth of the whole1 wide world to me4 ,my soul to the soul of my loved one cries1 ,at dawn or in darkness1 whate'er betide1 ,and the pain of longing all peace denies1 ,to the heart that strains to my lover's side4 ,you shall mourn no more1 but sit with me ,and rejoice in a scene of revelry2 ,for the pleasures of life are the rights of man1 ,said the indolent lord of ,ispahan4 ,the curtains parted and noiseless feet ,of dusky slaves stole over the floor4 ,their strong arms laden with burden sweet ,of fruits and flowers a goodly store4 ,luscious peaches and apricots1 ,plucked from the sunniest garden spots2 ,syrian apples and cordials rare2 ,succulent grapes that filled the air ,with heavy sweetness1 while rivers ran1 ,from beakers of wine from ,astrakhan2 ,cooling salvers of colored ice2 ,almonds powdered with fragrant spice2 ,smoking viands1 on plates of gold1 ,and carven vessels of price untold1 ,kindling the appetite afresh ,for dainty morsels of fowl and flesh4 ,the musical notes of the mellow flute1 ,from a source remote1 rose higher and higher1 ,with the quivering sounds from a hidden lute1 ,the plaintive sweep of the tender lyre4 ,then a whirlwind of color filled the air-- ,a misty vapor of filmy lace1 ,with gleams of silk and of round arms bare1 ,in a mazy whirl of infinite grace2 ,and the lustrous glow of tresses blent ,with the shimmer of pearls1 from the ,orient4 ,the half-sobbed1 breathless1 sweet refrain1 ,a swelling burst of sensuous sound1 ,sank lower to swell and sink again1 ,then died in silence most profound4 ,the panting beauties with cheeks aglow1 ,scattered about on the rug-strewn floor1 ,like bright-hued leaves when the chill winds blow1 ,or tinted sea-shells along the shore4 ,but the lord of the palace turned and cried2 ,heavy and languid these maidens are4 ,and he said1 to the ,bedouin at his side3 ,teach them the dances of ,khandakar4 ,her dark eyes lit with the flash of fire1 ,and she said3 ,you will pity my need most dire8 ,you will give me steed to fly afar1 ,to my love in the deserts of ,khandakar8 ,half that ,i own shall be yours1 he said1 ,if the love of my youth that was under ban ,comes back to me like a soul from the dead ,bringing joy to the palace of ,ispahan4 ,she sprang to the floor with an agile bound4 ,the music broke in a swirl of sound1 ,her hair from its fillet became unbound4 ,and the dancing-girls that stood apart1 ,gazed rapt and speechless1 with hand to heart1 ,at the wild1 untrammelled curves of grace ,of the dancing-girl from the desert race4 ,not one of them half so fair to see2 ,not one as lithe in the sinuous twist ,of twirling body and bending knee1 ,of supple ankle and curving wrist4 ,the wilder the music1 the wilder she2 ,it seemed like the song of a bird set free ,to thrill in the heart of a cloud of mist ,and live on its own mad ecstasy4 ,spellbound and mute1 on the silk divan1 ,sat the lord of the palace of ,ispahan4 ,but the thoughts of the master were drifting far ,to his youth in the deserts of ,khandakar2 ,to the time when another had danced as well1 ,and listened with tenderness in her eyes1 ,to the burning words his lips might tell1 ,with kisses freighting her soft replies4 ,and he had thought that her smile would bless ,his roving life1 in the land afar1 ,and cheer him in hours of loneliness1 ,in the tents of the deserts of ,khandakar4 ,but the tribe had chosen the maid to wed ,with the powerful chief of a hostile clan1 ,and the flattered woman had turned and fled ,from the pleading voice of a stricken man2 ,then out of the desert the lover sped1 ,to become a great lord of ,ispahan4 ,and now this child1 with the subtle grace ,of the mother that bore her1 had come to him ,with the desert's breath upon her face1 ,rousing within him a purpose grim4 ,by the beard of the ,prophet6 but you shall be ,the light and the joy of my life to me6 ,as your mother was1 you are to-day4 ,your lover1 perchance1 hath lived his span2 ,you shall dry your maidenly tears and stay ,as the wife of the lord of ,ispahan4 ,that night1 when the dusky shadows crept ,across the tiles of the banquet-room1 ,they found the form of a man who slept ,on a silk divan1 in the gathering gloom4 ,the window screens were wide to the air1 ,and the hedge1 where the fragrant roses grew1 ,was cleft and trodden to earth1 just where ,a frightened fugitive might pass through4 ,and the groom of the stables1 heavy with wine1 ,wakened not at the prancing tread ,of the milk-white steed and made no sign1 ,as the ,bedouin maid from the palace fled4 ,and the indolent lord of ,ispahan ,seemed resting still1 on the silk divan2 ,but his heart was beating with love no more1 ,in his eyes no light of passion gleamed2 ,his listless fingers touched the floor1 ,where the crimson tide of his life-blood streamed1 ,and he slept the last1 long1 dreamless sleep2 ,for the end had come to life's brief span2 ,and his jewelled dagger was handle deep1 ,in the heart of the lord of ,ispahan4 ,,hornets4 ,,by ,,bill ,,nye4 ,last fall ,i desired to add to my rare collection a large hornet's nest4 ,i had an embalmed tarantula and her porcelain-lined nest1 and ,i desired to add to these the gray and airy house of the hornet4 ,i procured one of the large size1 after cold weather1 and hung it in my cabinet by a string4 ,i forgot about it until spring4 ,when warm weather came something reminded me of it2 ,i think it was a hornet4 ,he jogged my memory in some way1 and called my attention to it4 ,memory is not located where ,i thought it was4 ,it seemed as though when ever he touched me he awakened a memory1--a warm memory1 with a red place all around it4 ,then some more hornets came1 and began to rake up old personalities4 ,i remember that one of them lit on my upper lip4 ,he thought it was a rosebud4 ,when he went away it looked like a gladiolus bulb4 ,i wrapped a wet sheet around it to take out the warmth and reduce the swelling1 so that ,i could go through the folding doors1 and tell my wife about it4 ,hornets lit all over me1 and walked around on my person4 ,i did not dare to scrape them off1 because they were so sensitive4 ,you have to be very guarded in your conduct toward a hornet4 ,i remember once while ,i was watching the busy little hornet gathering honey and ,june-bugs from the bosom of a rose1 years ago1 ,i stirred him up with a club1 more as a practical joke than anything1 and he came and lit in my sunny hair2--that was when ,i wore my own hair--and he walked around through my gleaming tresses quite a while1 making tracks as large as a water-melon all over my head4 ,if he hadn't run out of tracks my head would have looked like a load of summer squashes4 ,i remember ,i had to thump my head against the smoke-house in order to smash him2 and ,i had to comb him out with a fine comb1 and wear a waste-paper basket two weeks for a hat4 ,much has been said of the hornet2 but he has an odd1 quaint way after all1 that is forever new4 ,,since ,,she ,,went ,,home4 ,,by ,r4 ,j4 ,,burdette4 ,since she went home-- ,the evening shadows linger longer here1 ,the winter days fill so much of the year1 ,and even summer winds are chill and drear1 ,since she went home4 ,since she went home-- ,the robin's note has touched a minor strain1 ,the old glad songs breathe but a sad refrain1 ,and laughter sobs with hidden1 bitter pain1 ,since she went home4 ,since she went home-- ,how still the empty room her presence blessed2 ,untouched the pillow that her dear head pressed2 ,my lonely heart has nowhere for its rest1 ,since she went home4 ,since she went home-- ,the long1 long days have crept away like years1 ,the sunlight has been dimmed with doubts and fears1 ,and the dark nights have rained in lonely tears1 ,since she went home4 ,,the ,,children ,,we ,,keep4 ,the children kept coming1 one by one1 ,till the boys were five and the girls were three1 ,and the big brown house was alive with fun ,from the basement floor to the old roof-tree4 ,like garden flowers the little ones grew1 ,nurtured and trained with the tenderest care2 ,warmed by love's sunshine1 bathed in its dew1 ,they bloomed into beauty1 like roses rare4 ,but one of the boys grew weary one day1 ,and leaning his head on his mother's breast1 ,he said1 ,i'm tired and cannot play2 ,let me sit awhile on your knee and rest4 ,she cradled him close in her fond embrace1 ,she hushed him to sleep with her sweetest song1 ,and rapturous love still lighted his face ,when his spirit had joined the heavenly throng4 ,then the eldest girl1 with her thoughtful eyes1 ,who stood where the brook and the river meet1 ,stole softly away into paradise ,ere the river had reached her slender feet4 ,while the father's eyes on the grave are bent1 ,the mother looked upward beyond the skies2 ,our treasures1 she whispered1 were only lent1 ,our darlings were angels in earth's disguise4 ,the years flew by and the children began ,with longing to think of the world outside2 ,and as each1 in his turn1 became a man1 ,the boys proudly went from the father's side4 ,the girls were women so gentle and fair ,that lovers were speedy to woo and win2 ,and with orange blossoms in braided hair1 ,the old home was left1 the new home to begin4 ,so1 one by one1 the children have gone1-- ,the boys were five and the girls were three2 ,and the big brown house is gloomy and lone1 ,with but two old folks for its company4 ,they talk to each other about the past1 ,as they sit together in eventide1 ,and say1 ,all the children we keep at last ,are the boy and the girl who in childhood died4 ,,america ,,for ,,god4 ,,by ,t4 ,,de ,,witt ,,talmage4 ,but now what are the weapons by which1 under our ,omnipotent ,leader1 the real obstacles in the way of our country's evangelization1 the ten thousand mile ,sebastopols1 are to be leveled8 ,the first columbiad1 with range enough to sweep from eternity to eternity1 is the ,bible1 millions of its copies going out1 millions on millions4 ,then there are all the ,gospel batteries1 manned by seventy thousand pastors and home missionaries1 over the head of each one of whom is the shield of ,divine protection1 and in the right hand of each one the gleaming1 two-edged sword of the ,infinite ,spirit6 ,hundreds of thousands of private soldiers for ,christ1 marching under the one-starred1 blood-striped flag of ,emanuel6 ,on our side1 the great and mighty theologians of the land the heavy artillery1 and the hundreds of thousands of ,christian children the infantry4 ,they are marching on6 ,episcopacy1 with the sublime roll of its liturgies2 ,methodism1 with its battle-cry of ,the sword of the ,lord and ,john ,wesley2 the ,baptist ,church1 with its glorious navy sailing up our ,oregons and ,sacramentos and ,mississippis2 and ,presbyterians1 moving on with the battle-cry of ,the sword of the ,lord and ,john ,knox4 ,and then1 after awhile will come the great tides of revival1 sweeping over the land1 the five hundred thousand conversions in #aheg eclipsed by the salvation of millions in a day1 and the four ,american armies of the ,lord's host marching toward each other1 the ,eastern army marching west1 the ,western army marching east1 the ,northern army marching south1 the ,southern army marching north2 shoulder to shoulder6 ,tramp6 ,tramp6 ,tramp6 until they meet mid-continent1 having taken ,america for ,god6 ,the thunder of the bombardment is already in the air1 and when the last bridge of opposition is taken1 and the last portcullis of ,satan is lifted1 and the last gun spiked1 and the last tower dismantled1 and the last charger of iniquity shall have been hurled back upon its haunches1 what a time of rejoicing6 ,,our ,,own4 ,,by ,,margaret ,e4 ,,sangster4 ,if ,i had known1 in the morning1 ,how wearily all the day ,the words unkind would trouble my mind ,that ,i said when you went away1 ,i had been more careful1 darling1 ,nor given you needless pain2 ,but--we vex our own with look and tone ,we might never take back again4 ,for though in the quiet evening ,you may give me the kiss of peace1 ,yet it well might be that never for me ,the pain of the heart should cease2 ,how many go forth at morning ,who never come home at night1 ,and hearts have broken for harsh words spoken ,that sorrow can ne'er set right4 ,we have careful thought for the stranger1 ,and smiles for the sometime guest1 ,but oft for our own the bitter tone1 ,though we love our own the best4 ,ah1 lip with the curve impatient1 ,ah1 brow with the shade of scorn1 ',t were a cruel fate were the night too late ,to undue the work of morn4 ,,behind ,,time4 ,,by ,,freeman ,,hunt4 ,a railroad train was rushing along at almost lightning speed4 ,a curve was just ahead1 and beyond it was a station1 at which the cars usually passed each other4 ,the conductor was late1 so late that the period during which the down train was to wait had nearly elapsed2 but he hoped yet to pass the curve safely4 ,suddenly a locomotive dashed into sight right ahead4 ,in an instant there was a collision4 ,a shriek1 a shock1 and fifty souls were in eternity2 and all because an engineer had been behind time4 ,a great battle was going on4 ,column after column had been precipitated for eight mortal hours on the enemy posted along the ridge of a hill4 ,the summer sun was sinking to the west2 re-inforcements for the obstinate defenders were already in sight2 it was necessary to carry the position with one final charge1 or everything would be lost4 ,a powerful corps had been summoned from across the country1 and if it came up in season all would yet be well4 ,the great conqueror1 confident in its arrival1 formed his reserve into an attacking column1 and ordered them to charge the enemy4 ,the whole world knows the result4 ,grouchy failed to appear2 the imperial guard was beaten back2 ,waterloo was lost4 ,napoleon died a prisoner at ,st4 ,helena because one of his marshals was behind time4 ,a leading firm in commercial circles had long struggled against bankruptcy4 ,as it had enormous assets in ,california1 it expected remittances by a certain day2 and1 if the sums promised arrived1 its credit1 its honor1 and its future prosperity would be preserved4 ,but week after week elapsed without bringing the gold4 ,at last came the fatal day on which the firm had bills maturing to enormous amounts4 ,the steamer was telegraphed at daybreak2 but it was found1 on inquiry1 that she brought no funds1 and the house failed4 ,the next arrival brought nearly half a million to the insolvents1 but it was too late2 they were ruined because their agent1 in remitting1 had been behind time4 ,a condemned man was led out for execution4 ,he had taken human life1 but under circumstances of the greatest provocation1 and public sympathy was active in his behalf4 ,thousands had signed petitions for a reprieve2 a favorable answer had been expected the night before2 and1 though it had not come1 even the sheriff felt confident that it would yet arrive in season4 ,thus the morning passed without the appearance of the messenger4 ,the last moment had come4 ,the prisoner took his place on the drop1 the cap was drawn over his eyes1 the bolt was drawn1 and a lifeless body swung revolving in the wind4 ,just at that moment a horse-man came into sight1 galloping down hill1 his steed covered with foam4 ,he carried a packet in his right hand1 which he waved rapidly to the crowd4 ,he was the express rider with the reprieve4 ,but he had come too late4 ,a comparatively innocent man had died an ignominious death1 because a watch had been five minutes too slow1 making its bearer arrive behind time4 ,it is continually so in life4 ,the best-laid plans1 the most important affairs1 the fortunes of individuals1 the weal of nations1 honor1 happiness1 life itself1 are daily sacrificed because somebody is behind time4 ,there are men who always fail in whatever they undertake1 simply because they are behind time4 ,there are others who put off reformation year by year1 till death seizes them1 and they perish unrepentant1 because forever behind time4 ,five minutes in a crisis is worth years4 ,it is but a little period1 yet it has often saved a fortune or redeemed a people4 ,if there is one virtue that should be cultivated more than another by him who would succeed in life1 it is punctuality2 if there is one error that should be avoided1 it is being behind time4 ,,kittens ,,and ,,babies4 ,,by ,,lizzie ,m4 ,,hadley4 ,there were two kittens1 a black and a gray1 ,and grandmamma said1 with a frown1 ,it never will do to keep them both1 ,the black one we'd better drown4 ,don't cry1 my dear1 to tiny ,bess1 ,one kitten's enough to keep2 ,now run to nurse1 for 'tis growing late ,and time you were fast asleep4 ,the morrow dawned1 and rosy and sweet ,came little ,bess from her nap4 ,the nurse said1 ,go into mamma's room ,and look in grandma's lap4 ,come here1 said grandma1 with a smile1 ,from the rocking-chair where she sat1 ,god has sent you two little sisters2 ,now6 what do you think of that8 ,bess looked at the babies a moment1 ,with their wee heads1 yellow and brown1 ,and then to grandma soberly said1 ,which one are you going to drown8 ,,an ,,unaccountable ,,mystery4 ,,by ,,paul ,,denton4 ,intemperance is the strangest and most unaccountable mystery with which we have to deal4 ,why1 as a rule1 the human soul is passionately jealous of its own happiness1 and tirelessly selfish as to its own interest4 ,it delights to seek the sunshine and the flowers this side the grave3 ardently hopes for heaven in the life to come4 ,it flashes its penetrating thought through the dark chambers of the earth2 or lighted by the lurid flames of smouldering1 volcanic fires1 wings them through buried ovens4 ,it lights up the ocean's bed1 melting its mysteries into solution1 detecting its coral richness1 and causing its buried pearls1 which have rested for long centuries beneath the black waves1 to glow with their long-hoarded beauty4 ,it holds converse with the glittering planets of the skies and compels them to tell it of their mountain ranges1 their landscapes1 and their utility4 ,it toys with the mad lightnings which break from the darkness1 and guides death and destruction through the earth1 until it allures the impetuous element into docility and subserviency4 ,it bids the panting waters breathe their hot1 heavy breath upon the piston-rod and make the locomotive a beautiful thing of life1 majestically thundering its way over continents1 screaming forth the music of civilization in the midst of wild forests and the heat of burning deserts1 beneath scorching1 torrid suns4 ,it leaps over burning plains and scalding streams2 restless and daring1 it lights its casket over arctic zones and seas2 and perhaps tiring of such incumbrance1 deserts it in the cold shade of the ice mountain and speeds on untrammeled and alone4 ,franklin followed the beckonings of his tireless spirit until worn out and weary1 his body laid down on the cold ice and slept4 ,kane coaxed himself home to the old churchyard1 and then bade his spirit drop the machine it had so sadly wrenched and fly through earth or the eternities1 as ,god might will4 ,livingstone marched through the jungles and cheerless forests of uninviting ,africa1 but his limbs were too feeble to keep up with his hungry soul1 which tore itself from its burden and left it to crumble beneath the burning sun4 ,and thus the soul flies from zone to zone and from world to world1 sipping the sweets of wisdom1 as the bee sucks honey from the flowers2 reading lessons from the leaflet on the tree1 studying the language of the soft whispering zephyr1 and of the hurricane which springs from nothing into devastating power2 and it is ever restless in its researches1 for it seeks its own happiness and improvement in its new discoveries1 and in a better knowledge of ,god's creation4 ,speak to the human soul of liberty1 and swell it with gratitude1 and1 beaming with smiles1 it will follow whereever you lead4 ,speak to it of its immortality and of the divine grandeur of its faculties1 and1 warmed by your appreciation1 it will strive harder for a fuller development and brighter existence4 ,lead it among the roses1 and it will seldom fail to light your pathway with smiles and to remind you of its gratitude4 ,it loves to be noticed2 loves to be assisted2 loves to be made happy2 loves to be warned of danger1 and yet1 with reference to that which pierces it with the most bleeding wounds1 which more than anything else bars from it the sunlight and robs it of happiness--,intemperance--,,it ,,is ,,as ,,heedless ,,as ,,the ,,stone4 ,,imperfectus4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,i wonder if ever a song was sung1 ,but the singer's heart sang sweeter6 ,i wonder if ever a rhyme was rung1 ,but the thought surpassed the meter6 ,i wonder if ever a sculptor wrought1 ,till the cold stone echoed his ardent thought6 ,or if ever a painter1 with light and shade1 ,the dream of his inmost heart portrayed6 ,i wonder if ever a rose was found1 ,and there might not be a fairer6 ,or if ever a glittering gem was ground1 ,and we dreamed not of a rarer6 ,ah6 never on earth do we find the best1 ,but it waits for us in a ,land of ,rest1 ,and a perfect thing we shall never behold1 ,till we pass the portals of shining gold4 ,a ,,woman',s ,,pocket4 ,,by ,,james ,m4 ,,bailey4 ,the most difficult thing to reach is a woman's pocket4 ,this is especially the case if the dress is hung up in a closet1 and the man is in a hurry4 ,we think we are safe in saying that he always is in a hurry on such an occasion4 ,the owner of the dress is in the sitting room serenely engrossed in a book4 ,having told him that the article which he is in quest of is in her dress pocket in the closet she has discharged her whole duty in the matter and can afford to feel serene4 ,he goes at the task with a dim consciousness that he has been there before1 but says nothing4 ,on opening the closet door and finding himself confronted with a number of dresses1 all turned inside out and presenting a most formidable front1 he hastens back to ask ,which dress8 and being told the brown one1 and also asked if she has so many dresses that there need be any great effort to find the right one1 he returns to the closet with alacrity1 and soon has his hands on the brown dress4 ,it is inside out like the rest1--a fact he does not notice1 however1 until he has made several ineffectual attempts to get his hand into it4 ,then he turns it around very carefully and passes over the pocket several times without knowing it4 ,a nervous movement of his hands1 and an appearance of perspiration on his forehead are perceptible4 ,he now dives one hand in at the back1 and feeling around1 finds a place1 and proceeds to explore it1 when he discovers that he is following up the inside of a lining4 ,the nervousness increases1 also the perspiration4 ,he twitches the dress on the hook1 and suddenly the pocket1 white1 plump and exasperating1 comes to view4 ,then he sighs the relief he feels and is mentally grateful he did not allow himself to use any offensive expressions4 ,it is all right now4 ,there is the pocket in plain view--not the inside but the outside--and all he has to do is to put his hand right around in the inside and take out the article4 ,that is all4 ,he can't help but smile to think how near he was to getting mad4 ,then he puts his hand around to the other side4 ,he does not feel the opening4 ,he pushes a little further--now he has got it2 he shoves the hand down1 and is very much surprised to see it appear opposite his knees4 ,he had made a mistake4 ,he tries again2 again he feels the entrance and glides down it only to appear again as before4 ,this makes him open his eyes and straighten his face4 ,he feels of the outside of the pocket1 pinches it curiously1 lifts it up1 shakes it1 and1 after peering closely about the roots of it1 he says1 ,how funny6 and commences again4 ,he does it calmly this time1 because hurrying only makes matters worse4 ,he holds up breadth after breadth1 goes over them carefully1 gets his hand first into a lining1 then into the air again 7where it always surprises him when it appears71 and finally into a pocket1 and is about to cry out with triumph1 when he discovers that it is the pocket to another dress4 ,he is mad now2 the closet air almost stifles him2 he is so nervous he can hardly contain himself1 and the pocket looks at him so exasperatingly that he cannot help but plug it with his clenched fist1 and immediately does it4 ,being somewhat relieved by this performance he has a chance to look about him1 and sees that he has put his foot through a band-box and into the crown of his wife's bonnet2 has broken the brim of his ,panama hat which was hanging in the same closet1 and torn about a yard of bugle trimming from a new cloak4 ,all this trouble is due directly to his wife's infatuation in hanging up her dresses inside out1 so he immediately starts after her1 and impetuously urging her to the closet1 excitedly and almost profanely intimates his doubts of their being a pocket in the dress1 anyway4 ,the cause of the unhappy disaster quietly inserts her hand inside the robe1 and directly brings it forth with the sought for article in its clasp4 ,he doesn't know why1 but this makes him madder than anything else4 ,,mother',s ,,doughnuts4 ,,by ,,charles ,f4 ,,adams4 ,el ,dorado1 #ahea4 ,i've just been down ter ,thompson's1 boys1 ',n feelin' kind o' blue1 ,i thought ,i'd look in at ,the ,ranch1 ,ter find out what wuz new2 ,when ,i seed this sign a-hangin' ,on a shanty by the lake3 ,here's whar yer get your doughnuts ,like yer mother used ter make4 ,i've seen a grizzly show his teeth1 ,i've seen ,kentucky ,pete ,draw out his shooter1 'n advise ,a tenderfoot ter treat2 ,but nuthin' ever tuk me down1 ',n made my benders shake1 ,like that sign about the doughnuts ,that my mother used ter make4 ,a sort o' mist shut out the ranch1 ',n standin' thar instead1 ,i seen an old1 white farm-house1 ,with its doors all painted red4 ,a whiff came through the open door-- ,wuz ,i sleepin' or awake8 ,the smell wuz that of doughnuts ,like my mother used ter make4 ,the bees wuz hummin' round the porch ,whar honeysuckles grew2 ,a yellow dish of apple-sass ,wuz settin' thar in view4 ',n on the table1 by the stove1 ,an old-time ,johnny-cake1 ',n a platter full of doughnuts ,like my mother used ter make4 ,a patient form ,i seemed ter see1 ,in tidy dress of black1 ,i almost thought ,i heard the words1 ,when will my boy come back8 ',n then--the old sign creaked3 ,but now it was the boss who spake3 ',here's whar yer gets yer doughnuts ,like yer mother used ter make4 ,well1 boys1 that kind o' broke me up1 ',n ez ,i've struck pay gravel1 ,i ruther think ,i'll pack my kit1 ,vamoose the ranch1 'n travel4 ,i'll make the old folks jubilant1 ',n if ,i don't mistake1 ,i'll try some o' them doughnuts ,like my mother used ter make4 ,,literary ,,attractions ,,of ,,the ,,bible4 ,,by ,,dr4 ,,hamilton4 ,god made the present earth as the ,home of ,man2 but had he meant it as a mere lodging1 a world less beautiful would have served the purpose4 ,there was no need for the carpet of verdure1 or the ceiling of blue2 no need for the mountains1 and cataracts1 and forests2 no need for the rainbow1 no need for the flowers4 ,a big1 round island1 half of it arable1 and half of it pasture1 with a clump of trees in one corner1 and a magazine of fuel in another1 might have held and fed ten millions of people2 and a hundred islands1 all made in the same pattern1 big and round1 might have held and fed the population of the globe4 ,but man is something more than the animal which wants lodging and food4 ,he has a spiritual nature1 full of keen perceptions and deep sympathies4 ,he has an eye for the sublime and the beautiful1 and his kind ,creator has provided man's abode with affluent materials for these nobler tastes4 ,he has built ,mont ,blanc1 and molten the lake in which its image sleeps4 ,he has intoned ,niagara's thunder1 and has breathed the zephyr which sweeps its spray4 ,he has shagged the steep with its cedars1 and be-sprent the meadow with its king-cups and daisies4 ,he has made it a world of fragrance and music1--a world of brightness and symmetry1--a world where the grand and the graceful1 the awful and lovely1 rejoice together4 ,in fashioning the ,home of ,man1 the ,creator had an eye to something more than convenience1 and built1 not a barrack1 but a palace--not a ,union work-house1 but an ,alhambra2 something which should not only be very comfortable1 but very splendid and very fair2 something which should inspire the soul of its inhabitant1 and even draw forth the very good of complacent ,deity4 ,god also made the ,bible as the guide and oracle of man2 but had ,he meant it as the mere lesson-book of duty1 a volume less various and less attractive would have answered every end4 ,but in giving that ,bible1 its divine ,author had regard to the mind of man4 ,he knew that man has more curiosity than piety1 more taste than sanctity2 and that more persons are anxious to hear some new1 or read some beauteous thing1 than to read or hear about ,god and the great salvation4 ,he knew that few would ever ask1 ,what must ,i do to be saved8 till they came in contact with the ,bible itself2 and1 therefore1 ,he made the ,bible not only an instructive book1 but an attractive one1--not only true1 but enticing4 ,he filled it with marvelous incident and engaging history2 with sunny pictures from ,old ,world scenery1 and affecting anecdotes from the patriarch times4 ,he replenished it with stately argument and thrilling verse1 and sprinkled it over with sententious wisdom and proverbial pungency4 ,he made it a book of lofty thoughts and noble images1--a book of heavenly doctrine1 but withal of earthly adaptation4 ,in preparing a guide to immortality1 ,infinite ,wisdom gave1 not a dictionary1 nor a grammar1 but a ,bible--a book which1 in trying to reach the heart of man1 should captivate his taste2 and which1 in transforming his affection1 should also expand his intellect4 ,the pearl is of great price2 but even the casket is of exquisite beauty4 ,the sword is of ethereal temper1 and nothing cuts so keen as its double edge2 but there are jewels on the hilt1 an exquisite inlaying on the scabbard4 ,the shekels are of the purest ore2 but even the scrip which contains them is of a texture more curious than any which the artists of earth can fashion4 ,the apples are gold2 but even the basket is silver4 ,the ,bible contains no ornamental passages1 nothing written for mere display2 its steadfast purpose is1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and the truest blessedness of man2 it abounds in passages of the purest beauty and stateliest grandeur1 all the grander and all the more beautiful because they are casual and unsought4 ,the fire which flashes from the iron hoof of the ,tartar steed as he scours the midnight path is grander than the artificial firework2 for it is the casual effect of speed and power4 ,the clang of ocean as he booms his billows on the rock1 and the echoing caves give chorus1 is more soul-filling and sublime than all the music of the orchestra1 for it is the music of that main so mighty that there is a grandeur in all it does1--in its sleep a melody1 and in its march a stately psalm4 ,and in the bow which paints the melting cloud there is a beauty which the stained glass or gorgeous drapery emulates in vain2 for it is the glory which gilds beneficence1 the brightness which bespeaks a double boon1 the flush which cannot but come forth when both the sun and shower are there4 ,the style of ,scripture has all this glory4 ,it has the gracefulness of a high utility2 it has the majesty of intrinsic power2 it has the charm of its own sanctity3 it never labors1 never strives1 but1 instinct with great realities and bent on blessed ends1 it has all the translucent beauty and unstudied power which you might expect from its lofty object and all-wise ,author4 ,,the ,,christmas ,,baby4 ,,by ,,will ,,carleton4 ,tha'rt welcome1 little bonny brid4 ,but shouldn't ha' come just when tha' did3 ,teimes are bad4 ,english ,ballad4 ,hoot6 ye little rascal6 ye come it on me this way1 ,crowdin' yerself amongst us this blusterin' winter's day1 ,knowin' that we already have three of ye1 an' seven1 ,an' tryin' to make yerself out a ,christmas present o' ,heaven8 ,ten of ye have we now1 ,sir1 for this world to abuse2 ,an' ,bobbie he have no waistcoat1 an' ,nellie she have no shoes1 ,an' ,sammie he have no shirt1 ,sir 7,i tell it to his shame71 ,an' the one that was just before ye we ain't had time to name6 ,an1 all o' the banks be smashin'1 an' on us poor folk fall2 ,an' ,boss he whittles the wages when work's to be had at all2 ,an' ,tom he have cut his foot off1 an' lies in a woful plight1 ,an' all of us wonders at mornin' as what we shall eat at night2 ,an' but for your father an' ,sandy a-findin' somewhat to do1 ,an' but for the preacher's woman1 who often helps us through1 ,an' but for your poor dear mother a-doin' twice her part1 ,ye'd 'a seen us all in heaven afore ye was ready to start6 ,an' now ye have come1 ye rascal6 so healthy an' fat an' sound1 ,a-weighin'1 ,i'll wager a dollar1 the full of a dozen pound6 ,with yer mother's eyes a flashin'1 yer father's flesh an' build1 ,an' a big mouth an' stomach all ready for to be filled6 ,no1 no6 don't cry1 my baby6 hush up1 my pretty one6 ,don't get my chaff in yer eye1 boy--,i only was just in fun4 ,ye'll like us when ye know us1 although we're cur'us folks2 ,but we don't get much victual1 and half our livin' is jokes6 ,why1 boy1 did ye take me in earnest8 come1 sit upon my knee2 ,i'll tell ye a secret1 youngster1 ,i'll name ye after me4 ,ye shall have all yer brothers an' sisters with ye to play1 ,an' ye shall have yer carriage1 an' ride out every day6 ,why1 boy1 do ye think ye'll suffer8 ,i'm gettin' a trifle old1 ,but it'll be many years yet before ,i lose my hold2 ,an' if ,i should fall on the road1 boy1 still1 them's yer brothers1 there1 ,an' not a rogue of 'em ever would see ye harmed a hair6 ,say6 when ye come from heaven1 my little name-sake dear1 ,did ye see1 'mongst the little girls there1 a face like this one here8 ,that was yer little sister--she died a year ago1 ,an' all of us cried like babies when they laid her under the snow6 ,hang it6 if all the rich men ,i ever see or knew ,came here with all their traps1 boy1 an' offered 'em for you1 ,i'd show 'em to the door1 ,sir1 so quick they'd think it odd1 ,before ,i'd sell to another my ,christmas gift from ,god6 ,a ,,dream ,,of ,,the ,,universe4 ,,by ,,jean ,,paul ,,richter4 ,into the great vestibule of heaven1 ,god called up a man from dreams1 saying1 ,come thou hither1 and see the glory of my house4 ,and1 to the servants that stood around ,his throne1 ,he said1 ,take him1 and undress him from his robes of flesh2 cleanse his vision1 and put a new breath into his nostrils2 only touch not with any change his human heart1--the heart that weeps and trembles4 ,it was done2 and1 with a mighty angel for his guide1 the man stood ready for his infinite voyage2 and from the terraces of heaven1 without sound or farewell1 at once they wheeled away into endless space4 ,sometimes1 with solemn flight of angel wings1 they fled through ,saharas of darkness1--through wildernesses of death1 that divided the world of life2 sometimes they swept over frontiers that were quickening under the prophetic motions from ,god4 ,then1 from a distance that is counted only in heaven1 light dawned for a time through a sleepy film2 by unutterable pace the light swept to them2 they by unutterable pace to the light4 ,in a moment1 the rushing of planets was upon them2 in a moment1 the blazing of suns was around them4 ,then came eternities of twilight1 that revealed1 but were not revealed4 ,on the right hand and on the left1 towered mighty constellations1 that by self-repetition and answers from afar1 that by counter-positions1 built up triumphal gates1 whose architraves1 whose archways--horizontal1 upright--rested1 rose--at altitudes by spans that seemed ghostly from infinitude4 ,without measure were the architraves1 past number were the archways1 beyond memory the gates4 ,within were stairs that scaled the eternities below2 above was below1--below was above1 to the man stripped of gravitating body2 depth was swallowed up in height insurmountable2 height was swallowed up in depth unfathomable4 ,suddenly1 as thus they rode from infinite to infinite2 suddenly1 as thus they tilted over abysmal worlds1 a mighty cry arose that systems more mysterious1 that worlds more billowy1 other heights and other depths1 were coming--were nearing--were at hand4 ,then the man sighed1 and stopped1 and shuddered1 and wept4 ,his overladen heart uttered itself in tears2 and he said1 ,angel1 ,i will go no farther2 for the spirit of man acheth with this infinity4 ,insufferable is the glory of ,god4 ,let me lie down in the grave1 and hide me from the persecutions of the ,infinite2 for end1 ,i see1 there is none4 ,and from all the listening stars that shone around1 issued a choral cry1 ,the man speaks truly2 end there is none that ever yet we heard of4 ,end is there none8 the angel solemnly demanded3 ,is there indeed no end1 and is this the sorrow that kills you8 ,but no voice answered that he might answer himself4 ,then the angel threw up his glorious hands toward the heaven of heavens1 saying1 ,end is there none to the universe of ,god6 ,lo1 also there is no beginning6 ,,keenan',s ,,charge4 ,,by ,,george ,p4 ,,lathrop4 7,chancellorsville1 ,may1 #ahfc47 ,the sun had set2 ,the leaves with dew were wet2 ,down fell a bloody dusk ,on the woods1 that second of ,may1 ,where ,stonewall's corps1 like a beast of prey1 ,tore through1 with angry tusk4 ,they've trapped us1 boys6-- ,rose from our flank a voice4 ,with a rush of steel and smoke ,on came the ,rebels straight1 ,eager as love and wild as hate3 ,and our line reeled and broke2 ,broke and fled4 ,no one staid--but the dead6 ,with curses1 shrieks and cries1 ,horses and wagons and men ,tumbled back through the shuddering glen1 ,and above us the fading skies4 ,there's one hope1 still1-- ,those batteries parked on the hill6 ,battery1 wheel6 7mid the roar7 ,pass pieces2 fix prolonge to fire ,retiring4 ,trot6 ,in the panic dire ,a bugle rings ,trot--and no more4 ,the horses plunged1 ,the cannon lurched and lunged1 ,to join the hopeless rout4 ,but suddenly rode a form ,calmly in front of the human storm1 ,with a stern1 commanding shout3 ,align those guns6 7,we knew it was ,pleasonton's7 ,the cannoneers bent to obey1 ,and worked with a will1 at his word3 ,and the black guns moved as if they had heard4 ,but ah1 the dread delay6 ,to wait is crime2 ,o ,god1 for ten minutes' time6 ,the general looked around4 ,there ,keenan sat1 like a stone1 ,with his three hundred horse alone-- ,less shaken than the ground4 ,major1 your men8 ,are soldiers1 ,general4 ,then1 ,charge1 ,major6 ,do your best3 ,hold the enemy back1 at all cost1 ,till my guns are placed2--else the army is lost4 ,you die to save the rest6 ,by the shrouded gleam of the western skies1 ,brave ,keenan looked in ,pleasonton's eyes ,for an instant1--clear1 and cool1 and still2 ,then1 with a smile1 he said3 ,i will4 ,cavalry1 charge6 ,not a man of them shrank4 ,their sharp1 full cheer1 from rank on rank1 ,rose joyously1 with a willing breath1 ,rose like a greeting hail to death4 ,then forward they sprang1 and spurred and clashed2 ,shouted the officers1 crimson-sashed2 ,rode well the men1 each brave as his fellow1 ,in their faded coats of the blue and yellow2 ,and above in the air with an instinct true1 ,like a bird of war their pennon flew4 ,with clank of scabbards and thunder of steeds1 ,and blades that shine like sunlit reeds1 ,and strong brown faces bravely pale ,for fear their proud attempt shall fail1 ,three hundred ,pennsylvanians close ,on twice ten thousand gallant foes4 ,line after line the troopers came ,to the edge of the wood that was ringed with flame2 ,rode in and sabered and shot--and fell2 ,nor came one back his wounds to tell4 ,and full in the midst rose ,keenan1 tall ,in the gloom1 like a martyr awaiting his fall1 ,while the circle-stroke of his saber1 swung ,round his head like a halo there1 luminous hung4 ,line after line1 ay1 whole platoons1 ,struck dead in their saddles1 of brave dragoons ,by the maddened horses were onward borne ,and into the vortex flung1 trampled and torn2 ,as ,keenan fought with his men1 side by side4 ,so they rode1 till there were no more to ride4 ,but over them1 lying there1 shattered and mute1 ,what deep echo rolls8--',tis a death-salute ,from the cannon in place2 for heroes1 you braved ,your fate not in vain3 the army was saved6 ,over them now1--year following year1 ,over their graves the pine-cones fall1 ,and the whip-poor-will chants his spectre-call2 ,but they stir not again2 they raise no cheer3 ,they have ceased4 ,but their glory shall never cease1 ,nor their light be quenched in the light of peace4 ,the rush of their charge is resounding still ,that saved the army at ,chancellorsville4 ,,useful ,,precepts ,,for ,,girls4 ,first catch your lover4 ,hold him when you have him4 ,don't let go of him to catch every new one that comes along4 ,try to get very well acquainted with him before you take him for life4 ,unless you intend to support him1 find out whether he earns enough to support you4 ,don't make up your mind he is an angel4 ,don't palm yourself off on him for one either4 ,don't let him spend his salary on you2 that right should be reserved until after marriage4 ,if you have any conscientious scruples about marrying a man with a mother1 say so in time that he may either get rid of her to oblige you1 or get rid of you to oblige her1 as he thinks best4 ,if you object to secret societies and tobacco1 it is better to come with your objections now than to reserve them for curtain lectures hereafter4 ,if your adorer happens to fancy a certain shade of hair1 don't color bleach yours to oblige him4 ,remember your hair belongs to you and he doesn't4 ,be very sure it is the man you are in love with1 and not the clothes he wears4 ,fortune and fashion are both so fickle it is foolish to take a stylish suit for better or worse4 ,if you intend to keep three servants after marriage1 settle the matter beforehand4 ,the man who is making love to you may expect you to do your own washing4 ,don't try to hurry up a proposal by carrying on a flirtation with some other fellow4 ,different men are made of different material1 and the one you want might go off in a fit of jealousy and forget to come back4 ,if you have a love letter to write1 do not copy it out of a letter writer4 ,if your young man ever happened to consult the same book he would know your sentiments were borrowed4 ,don't marry a man to oblige any third person in existence4 ,it is your right to suit yourself in the matter4 ,but remember at the same time that love is blind1 and a little friendly advice from one whose advice is worth having may insure you a lifetime of happiness1 or prevent one of misery4 ,in love affairs always keep your eyes wide open1 so that when the right man comes along you may see him4 ,when you see him you will recognize him and the recognition will be mutual4 ,if you have no fault to find with him personally1 financially1 conscientiously1 socially1 morally1 politically1 religiously1 or in any other way1 he is probably perfect enough to suit you1 and you can afford to-- ,believe in him2 hope in him2 love him2 marry him6 ,,widder ,,budd4 ,i'm fifty1 ,i'm fair1 and without a gray hair1 ,an' ,i feel just ez young as a girl4 ,when ,i think o' ,zerubbabel ,lee1 ,i declare ,it sets me all into a whirl4 ,last night he waz here1 an' ,i told him to clear-- ,an' my6 ,how supprised he did look3 ,perhaps ,i wuz rash1 but he's after my cash-- ,i see through his plans like a book4 ,some offers ,i've had that ,i cannot call bad2 ,there was ,deacon ,philander ,breezee2 ,i'd a sartin sed ,yes1 when he wanted a kiss1 ,ef he hadn't so flustrated me4 ,it took me so quick that it felt like a kick-- ,i flew all to pieces at once2 ,sez ,i1 ,you kin go--,i'm not wanting a beau2 ,i acted1 ,i know1 like a dunce4 ,sez he1 ez he rose1 ,i hev come to propose4 ,i stopped him afore he began3 ,sez ,i1 ,you kin go1 an' see ,hepzibah ,stow-- ,i won't be tied down to a man4 ,mariar1 ses he1 ,widder ,tompkins an' me ,kin strike up a bargain1 ,i know2 ,an'1 seein' ez we can't decide to agree1 ,i guess that ,i hed better go4 ,he picked up his hat from the chair where it sat1 ,an' solemnly started away4 ,sez ,i1 with a look that ,i'm sure he mistook1 ,you're perfectly welcome to stay4 ,my face got ez red ez our old waggin-shed-- ,i thought for the land ,i should melt4 ,sez he1 ,i am done4 ,good night1 leetle one1 ,i wish he'd a known how ,i felt4 ,to-day1 ,isaac ,beers1 with his snickers and sneers1 ,whose face is ez ugly ez sin1 ,dropped in just to see about buyin' my steers1 ,an' tickled the mole on my chin4 ,sez ,i1 ,you jest quit2 ,i don't like you a bit2 ,you can't come your sawder on me4 ,you'd better behave till ,jane's cold in her grave1 ,your manners is ruther too free4 ,when dear ,david died 7sniff--sniff71 ez ,i sot by his side 7sniff--sniff72 ,he ketched up my hand in his own 7sniff--sniff72 ,he squeezed it awhile 7sniff--sniff71 an' he sez with a smile 7sniff--sniff71 ,you'll soon be a widder alone 7sniff--sniff--sniff71 ,an' when ,i am gone 7sniff--sniff7 don't you fuss an' take on 7sniff--sniff7 ,like old ,widder ,dorothy ,day 7sniff--sniff74 ,look out for your tin 7sniff--sniff7 if you marry agin 7sniff--sniff71 ,nor throw your affections away 7sniff--sniff--sniff74 ,my children hev grown1 an' have homes o' their own-- ,they're doin' ez well ez they can 7wipes her eyes and nose73 ,an' ,i'm gettin' sick o' this livin' alone-- ,i wouldn't mind havin' a man4 ,fur ,david hez gone to the mansion above-- ,his body is cold in the ground1 ,ef you know of a man who would marry for love1 ,jest find him an' send him around4 ,,his ,,last ,,court4 ,old ,judge ,grepson1 a justice of the peace1 was never known to smile4 ,he came to ,arkansas years ago1 and year after year1 by the will of the voters1 he held his place as magistrate4 ,the lawyers who practiced in his court never joked with him1 because every one soon learned that the old man never engaged in levity4 ,every morning1 no matter how bad the weather might be1 the old man took his place behind the bar which1 with his own hands1 he had made1 and every evening1 just at a certain time1 he closed his books and went home4 ,no one ever engaged him in private conversation1 because he would talk to no one4 ,no one ever went to his home1 a little cottage among the trees in the city's outskirts1 because he had never shown a disposition to make welcome the visits of those who even lived in the immediate vicinity4 ,his office was not given him through the influence of electioneering1 because he never asked any man for his vote4 ,he was first elected because1 having been once summoned in a case of arbitration1 he exhibited the executive side of such a legal mind that the people nominated and elected him4 ,he soon gained the name of the hard justice1 and every lawyer in ,arkansas referred to his decision4 ,his rulings were never reversed by the higher courts4 ,he showed no sentiment in decision4 ,he stood upon the platform of a law which he made a study1 and no one disputed him4 ,one day1 a woman1 charged with misdemeanor1 was arraigned before him4 ,the old man seems more than ever unsteady1 remarked a lawyer as the magistrate took his seat4 ,i don't see how a man so old can stand the vexation of a court much longer4 ,i am not well to-day1 said the ,judge1 turning to the lawyers1 and any cases that you may have you will please dispatch them to the best1 and let me add1 quickest of your ability4 ,every one saw that the old man was unusually feeble1 and no one thought of a scheme to prolong a discussion1 for all the lawyers had learned to reverence him4 ,is this the woman8 asked the ,judge4 ,who is defending her8 ,i have no defence1 your ,honor1 the woman replied4 ,in fact1 ,i do not think ,i need any1 for ,i am here to confess my guilt4 ,no man can defend me1 and she looked at the magistrate with a curious gaze4 ,i have been arrested on a charge of disturbing the peace1 and ,i am willing to submit my case4 ,i am dying of consumption1 ,judge1 and ,i know that any ruling made by the law can have but little effect on me2 and she coughed a hollow1 hacking cough1 and drew around her an old black shawl that she wore4 ,the expression on the face of the magistrate remained unchanged1 but his eyelids dropped and he did not raise them when the woman continued3 ,as ,i say1 no man can defend me4 ,i am too near that awful separation of soul and body4 ,years ago ,i was a child of brightest promise4 ,i lived with my parents in ,kentucky4 ,wayward and light-hearted1 ,i was admired by all the gay society known in the neighborhood4 ,a man came and professed his love for me4 ,i don't say this1 ,judge1 to excite your sympathy4 ,i have many and many a time been drawn before courts1 but ,i never before spoke of my past life4 ,she coughed again and caught a flow of blood on a handkerchief which she pressed to her lips4 ,i speak of it now because ,i know that this is the last court on earth before which ,i will be arraigned4 ,i was fifteen years old when ,i fell in love with the man4 ,my father said he was bad1 but ,i loved him4 ,he came again and again1 and when my father said that he should come no more ,i ran away and married him4 ,my father said ,i should never come home again4 ,i had always been his pride and had loved him dearly1 but he said that ,i must never again come to his home1--my home1 the home of my youth and happiness4 ,how ,i longed to see him4 ,how ,i yearned to put my head on his breast4 ,my husband became addicted to drink4 ,he abused me4 ,i wrote to my father1 asking him to let me come home1 but the answer that came was ',i don't know you6' ,my husband died--yes1 cursed ,god and died6 ,homeless and wretched1 and with my little boy ,i went out into the world4 ,my child died1 and ,i bowed down and wept over a pauper's grave4 ,i wrote to my father again1 but he answered3 ',i know not those who disobey my commandments6' ,i turned away from that letter1 hardened4 ,i spurned my teachings4 ,now ,i am here4 ,several lawyers rushed forward4 ,a crimson stream flowed from her lips4 ,they leaned her lifeless head back against the chair4 ,the old magistrate had not raised his eyes2 ,great ,god6 said a lawyer1 he is dead6 ,the woman was his daughter4 ,,the ,,dead ,,doll4 ,,by ,,margaret ,,vandegrift4 ,you needn't be trying to comfort me--,i tell you my dolly is dead6 ,there's no use in saying she isn't with a crack like that in her head2 ,it's just like you said it wouldn't hurt much to have my tooth out1 that day1 ,and then1 when the man 'most pulled my head off1 you hadn't a word to say4 ,and ,i guess you must think ,i'm a baby1 when you say you can mend it with glue1 ,as if ,i didn't know better than that6 ,why1 just suppose it was you8 ,you might make her look all mended--but what do ,i care for looks8 ,why glue's for chairs and tables1 and toys1 and the backs of books6 ,my dolly6 my own little daughter6 ,oh1 but it's the awfullest crack6 ,it just makes me sick to think of the sound when her poor head went whack ,against that horrible brass thing that holds up that little shelf4 ,now1 ,nursey1 what makes you remind me8 ,i know that ,i did it myself8 ,i think you must be crazy--you'll get her another head6 ,what good would forty heads do her8 ,i tell you my dolly is dead6 ,and to think ,i hadn't quite finished her elegant new ,spring hat6 ,and ,i took a sweet ribbon of her's last night to tie on that horrid cat6 ,when my mamma gave me that ribbon--,i was playing out in the yard-- ,she said to me most expressly1 ,here's a ribbon for ,hildegarde4 ,and ,i went and put it on ,tabby1 and ,hildegarde saw me do it2 ,but ,i said to myself1 ,oh1 never mind1 ,i don't believe she knew it6 ,but ,i know that she knew it now1 and ,i just believe ,i do1 ,that her poor little heart was broken1 and so her head broke too4 ,oh1 my baby6 my little baby6 ,i wish my head had been hit6 ,for ,i've hit it over and over1 and it hasn't cracked a bit4 ,but since the darling is dead1 she'll want to be buried1 of course2 ,we will take my little wagon1 ,nurse1 and you shall be the horse2 ,and ,i'll walk behind and cry2 and we'll put her in this1 you see-- ,this dear little box--and we'll bury her there out under the maple tree4 ,and papa will make me a tombstone1 like the one he made for my bird2 ,and he'll put what ,i tell him on it--yes1 every single word6 ,i shall say1 ,here lies ,hildegarde1 a beautiful doll1 who is dead2 ,she died of a broken heart1 and a dreadful crack in her head4 ,,at ,,the ,,stamp ,,window4 ,just before twelve o'clock yesterday fore-noon there were thirteen men and one woman at the stamp window of the post-office4 ,most of the men had letters to post for the out-going trains4 ,the woman had something tied up in a blue match-box4 ,she got there first1 and she held the position with her head in the window and both elbows on the shelf4 ,is there such a place in this country as ,cleveland8 she began4 ,oh1 yes4 ,do you send mail there8 ,yes4 ,well1 a woman living next door asked me to mail this box for her4 ,i guess it's directed all right4 ,she said it ought to go for a cent4 ,takes two cents1 said the clerk1 after weighing it4 ,if there is writing inside it will be twelve cents4 ,mercy on me1 but how you do charge6 ,here the thirteen men began to push up and hustle around and talk about one old match-box delaying two dozen business letters1 but the woman had lots of time4 ,then it will be two cents1 eh8 ,if there is no writing inside4 ,well1 there may be4 ,i know she is a great hand to write4 ,she's sending some flower seeds to her sister1 and ,i presume she has told her how to plant 'm4 ,two threes6 called out one of the crowd1 as he tried to get to the window4 ,hurry up6 cried another4 ,there ought to be a separate window here for women1 growled a third4 ,then it will take twelve cents8 she calmly queried1 as she fumbled around for her purse4 ,yes4 ,well1 ,i'd better pay it1 ,i guess4 ,from one pocket she took two coppers4 ,from her reticule she took a three cent piece4 ,from her purse she fished out a nickel2 and it was only after a hunt of eighty seconds that she got the twelve cents together4 ,she then consumed four minutes in licking on the stamps1 asking where to post the box1 and wondering if there really was any writing inside1--but woman proposes and man disposes4 ,twenty thousand dollars' worth of business was being detained by a twelve-cent woman1 and a tidal wave suddenly took her away from the window4 ,in sixty seconds the thirteen men had been waited on and gone their ways1 and the woman returned to the window1 handed in the box1 and said3 ,them stamps are licked on kind o' crooked1 but it won't make any difference1 will it8 ,,the ,,nameless ,,guest4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,i wonder if ever the ,angel of ,death ,comes down from the great ,unknown1 ,and soars away1 on the wings of night1 ,unburdened and alone6 ,i wonder if ever the angels' eyes1 ,are filled with pitying tears1 ,as they grant to the souls1 unfit for flight1 ,a few more weary years6 ,for it seems1 at times1 when the world is still1 ,and the soft night winds are whist1 ,as though some spirit were hovering near1 ,in folds of dream-like mist1 ,and ,i feel1 though mortals are nowhere near1 ,that ,i am not quite alone1 ,and1 with dreary thoughts of dying and death1 ,my heart grows cold as stone4 ,but whether 'tis death that hovers near1 ,and knocks at the door of my heart1 ,or whether 'tis some bright angel1 come ,to be of my life a part1 ,i cannot tell1 and ,i long in vain1 ,the secret strange to know1 ,while the moments of mirth and grief and pain1 ,move on in their ceaseless flow4 ,and at night1 when ,i kneel to a ,higher ,power ,and ask ,his tender care1 ,one yearning cry of a wayward life ,is the burden of my prayer1 ,that ,i may bend1 with willing lips1 ,to kiss the chastening rod1 ,and learn the way1 through the golden gate1 ,to the great white throne of ,god4 ,,our ,,heroes ,,shall ,,live4 ,,by ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 ,this brief extract from a splendid oration should be spoken in clear1 defined tones1 rather high pitch1 the utterance slow1 with a rather long pause after each question3 ,oh1 tell me not that they are dead--that generous host1 that airy army of invisible heroes4 ,they hover as a cloud of witnesses above this nation4 ,are they dead that yet speak louder than we can speak1 and a more universal language8 ,are they dead that yet act8 ,are they dead that yet move upon society1 and inspire the people with nobler motives1 and more heroic patriotism8 ,ye that mourn1 let gladness mingle with your tears4 ,it was your son1 but now he is the nation's4 ,he made your household bright3 now his example inspires a thousand households4 ,dear to his brothers and sisters1 he is now brother to every generous youth in the land4 ,before1 he was narrowed1 appropriated1 shut up to you4 ,now he is augmented1 set free1 and given to all4 ,before he was yours3 he is ours4 ,he has died from the family1 that he might live to the nation4 ,not one name shall be forgotten or neglected3 and it shall by and by be confessed of our modern heroes1 as it is of an ancient hero1 that he did more for his country by his death than by his whole life4 ,,lullaby4 ,rockaby1 baby1 thy cradle is green2 ,father's a nobleman1 mother's a queen4 ,rockaby1 lullaby1 all the day long1 ,down to the land of the lullaby song4 ,babyland never again will be thine1 ,land of all mystery1 holy1 divine1 ,motherland1 otherland1 ,wonderland1 underland1 ,land of a time ne'er again to be seen2 ,flowerland1 bowerland1 ,airyland1 fairyland1 ,rockaby1 baby1 thy cradle is green4 ,rockaby1 baby1 thy mother will keep ,gentle watch over thine azure-eyed sleep2 ,baby can't feel what the mother-heart knows1 ,throbbing its fear o'er your quiet repose4 ,mother-heart knows how baby must fight ,wearily on through the fast coming night2 ,battle unending1 ,honor defending1 ,baby must wage with the power unseen4 ,sleep now1 ,o baby1 dear6 ,god and thy mother near2 ,rockaby1 baby1 thy cradle is green4 ,rockaby1 baby1 the days will grow long2 ,silent the voice of the mother-love song1 ,bowed with sore burdens the man-life must own1 ,sorrows that baby must bear all alone4 ,wonderland never can come back again2 ,thought will come soon--and with reason comes pain1 ,sorrowland1 motherland1 ,drearyland1 wearyland1 ,baby and heavenland lying between4 ,smile1 then1 in motherland1 ,dream in the otherland1 ,rockaby1 baby1 thy cradle is green4 ,,penning ,a ,,pig4 ,,james ,m4 ,,bailey4 ,two families in ,slawson had a somewhat singular experience several weeks ago4 ,these families live in a double house1 and each had a pen with two pigs4 ,last ,friday the woman in one part discovered that her two pigs were free from their pen1 and looking after geological specimens at the foot of the yard4 ,she also discovered at the same time that the gate to a cabbage yard adjoining was open1 and that the pigs might at any moment become ravished by a view of the glories within4 ,her husband being away she hurriedly secured the gate1 and then set about to return the truants by the following ingenious plan3 ,taking a shovelful of corn1 she approached as close to the animals as possible1 and1 holding the tempting morsel near enough for them to learn its inviting character1 she screwed her face into an expression of winning sweetness1 and backed slowly toward the pen4 ,it was a beautiful illustration of woman's faith1 and we regret to write that it did not work4 ,the pigs took one snuff at the contents of the shovel1 just to show that they took some interest in the matter1 and1 being convinced thereby that there was nothing injurious in the experiment1 fell to rooting about again with renewed fervor4 ,the nearer the woman came to the pen the straighter her face grew1 and presently lost every vestige of solicitude1 and assumed instead an expression of medium ferocity4 ,what she may have done will never be known1 as at this juncture her husband made his appearance on the back stoop1 and1 her eye resting upon him1 she commenced to apostrophize him in the language married people alone are adepts at4 ,after requesting somebody to show him the idiot who had left those hogs out that he might punch his head1 he drove straight at the truants1 and missed them1 of course4 ,then he drove at them again with a clothes pole1 and missed them again1 although he made another pole by hitting that on a stone4 ,any one who has helped to drive one or two pigs will readily understand the number of articles that passed through the air1 and the style of conversation the man kept up during the chase4 ,finally1 he got one of the animals in a corner1 and1 being by this time utterly regardless of personal appearance or consequences1 threw himself upon the brute1 neatly scraping the fence with the top of his head1 and falling upon the pig in such a way as to hold in abeyance every one of its muscles except those in the throat4 ,these were at once put into active operation1 and the man for a moment thought he had captured a planing-mill4 ,then he raised slowly1 keeping a tight hold of the animal1 and getting on his feet with a pig in his arms1 struck out for the pen1 preceded by his wife and the other woman1 and closely and anxiously observed by all the neighbors for a half-mile around4 ,in this way the procession laboriously moved4 ,the pig1 having worked its head within two inches of the man's ear1 was pouring therein a tale of unparalleled distress1 which1 if not calculated to melt the stoutest heart1 actually threatened to split open the stoutest head4 ,the man was utterly powerless to remedy the horror1 having both hands engaged1 and could only twist his ear a little out of range1 and scream at the top of his voice his plans for the future of them hogs4 ,on reaching the pen1 and while in the act of dumping the howling viper over the side1 the woman next door made an unfortunate discovery4 ,his hogs were in the pen2 the truants were hers4 ,the man1 who was still holding the pig1 and might have1 with reason1 taken a prominent part in the debate1 contented himself by merely expressing a hope that he might be blessed1 and then trudged around to the other pen1 where he arrived after much unlooked for tribulation1 and again hoisted the howling monster up to the top1 when the woman next door made another and still more remarkable discovery4 ,her pigs were in their pen4 ,what's that8 screamed the man1 who was so fixed he could not very well see into the pen1 and was obliged to lift his voice to make himself heard above the din4 ,them ain't my pigs1 screamed the woman4 ,why ain't they8 he yelled4 ,cause my pigs are here1 she shrieked back4 ,it is needless to say that the strange animals were urged out of that garden without the use of subterfuge4 ,,little ,,jim4 ,,by ,,george ,r4 ,,sims4 ,our little ,jim ,was such a limb ,his mother scarce could manage him4 ,his eyes were blue1 ,and looked you through1 ,and seemed to say1 ,i'll have my way6 ,his age was six1 ,his saucy tricks ,but made you smile1 ,though all the while ,you said1 ,you limb1 ,you wicked ,jim1 ,be quiet1 do6 ,poor little ,jim6 ,our eyes are dim ,when soft and low we speak of him4 ,no clattering shoe ,goes running through ,the silent room1 ,now wrapped in gloom4 ,so still he lies1 ,with fast-shut eyes1 ,no need to say1 ,alas6 to-day1 ,you little limb1 ,you baby ,jim1 ,be quiet1 do6 ,,get ,,acquainted ,,with ,,yourself4 ,,by ,r4 ,j4 ,,burdette4 ,telemachus1 it will do you ever so much good if every once in a while you will go away by yourself for an hour or two and get real well acquainted with yourself4 ,as a man thinketh1 so he is4 ,and you will never know thyself thoroughly unless now and then you get alone and sit down and talk to yourself1 cross-examine yourself2 learn what you know2 what are your ambitions1 your aims1 your hopes1--what is your real character2 because1 my dear boy1 your reputation may be one thing and your character quite another4 ,sometimes it does happen1 in this faulty old world1 that a really good man1 a man whose character is above reproach1 may bear the reputation of a rascal2 and once in a while--two or three times in a while1 in fact--a rascal wears the stolen reputation of an honest man4 ,go away now and then1 my boy1 and sit down all by yourself and think4 ,think of nothing under the sun only yourself4 ,yes1 ,i know1 my son1 there are men who never think of anything else1 and ,god never made more useless men2 but that is because they do all their thinking about themselves publicly and loud4 ,they never think alone4 ,you will be honest with yourself when you are alone1 my boy4 ,a man is apt to be honest with himself in the dark4 ,he does not pose in heroic postures when he has no audience4 ,when he stands face to face with himself1 with no human eye to watch him1 and no human ear to listen to his confession1 and only his ,maker1 who knows every secret motive and thought of his life to see and to listen1 a man has to be honest4 ,how could he be a hypocrite then8 ,get away from the crowd a little while every day1 my boy4 ,stand one side and let the world run by1 while you get acquainted with yourself1 and see what kind of a fellow you are4 ,ask yourself hard questions about yourself4 ,find out all you can about yourself4 ,ascertain from original sources if you are really the manner of man people say you are4 ,find out if you are always honest2 if you always tell the square1 perfect truth in business deals2 if your life is as good and upright at eleven o'clock at night as it is at noon2 if you are as sound a temperance man on a fishing expedition as you are at a ,sabbath-school picnic2 if you are as good a boy when you go to ,chicago as you are at home2 if1 in short1 you really are the manner of young man your father hopes you are1 your mother says you are1 and your sweetheart believes you are4 ,get on intimate terms with yourself1 my boy1 and1 believe me1 every time you come out from one of those private interviews you will be a better1 stronger1 purer man4 ,don't forget this1 ,telemachus1 and it will do you good4 ,,the ,,little ,,white ,,hearse4 ,,by ,j4 ,w4 ,,riley4 ,as the little white hearse went glimmering by-- ,the man on the coal cart jerked his lines1 ,and smutted the lid of either eye1 ,and turned and stared at the business signs2 ,and the street-car driver stopped and beat ,his hands on his shoulders and gazed up street ,till his eye on the long track reached the sky-- ,as the little white hearse went glimmering by4 ,as the little white hearse went glimmering by-- ,a stranger petted a ragged child ,in the crowded walk1 and she knew not why1 ,but he gave her a coin for the way she smiled2 ,and a bootblack thrilled with a pleasure strange ,as a customer put back his change ,with a kindly hand and a grateful sigh-- ,as the little white hearse went glimmering by4 ,as the little white hearse went glimmering by-- ,a man looked out of a window dim1 ,and his cheeks were wet and his heart was dry-- ,for a dead child even were dear to him6 ,and he thought of his empty life and said3 ,loveless alive and loveless dead1 ,nor wife nor child in earth or sky6-- ,as the little white hearse went glimmering by4 ,,there',,ll ,,be ,,room ,,in ,,heaven4 ,she was a little old woman1 very plainly dressed in black bombazine that had seen much careful wear2 her bonnet was very old-fashioned1 and people stared at her tottering up the aisle of the church1 evidently bent on securing one of the best seats1 for a great man preached that day4 ,the house was filled with splendidly dressed people who had heard of the fame of the preacher1 of his learning1 his intellect and goodness1 and they wondered at the presumption of the poor old woman4 ,she must have been in her dotage1 for she picked out the pew of the richest and proudest member of the church and took a seat4 ,the three ladies who were seated there beckoned to the sexton1 who bent over the intruder and whispered something1 but she was hard of hearing1 and smiled a little withered smile1 as she said1 gently3 ,oh1 ,i'm quite comfortable here1 quite comfortable4 ,but you are not wanted here1 said the sexton1 pompously2 there is not room4 ,come with me1 my good woman2 ,i will see that you have a seat4 ,not room1 said the old woman1 looking at her shrunken proportions1 and then at the fine ladies4 ,why1 ,i'm not crowded a bit4 ,i rode ten miles to hear the sermon to-day1 because-- ,but here the sexton took her by the arm1 shook her roughly in a polite underhand way1 and then she took the hint4 ,her faded old eyes filled with tears1 her chin quivered2 but she rose meekly and left the pew4 ,turning quietly to the ladies1 who were spreading their rich dresses over the space she left vacant1 she said gently3 ,i hope1 my dears1 there'll be room in heaven for us all4 ,then she followed the pompous sexton to the rear of the church where1 in the last pew1 she was seated between a threadbare girl and a shabby old man4 ,she must be crazy1 said one of the ladies in the pew which she had first occupied4 ,what can an ignorant old woman like her want to hear ,dr4 ---- preach for8 ,she would not be able to understand a word he said4 ,those people are so persistent6 ,the idea of her forcing herself into our pew6 ,isn't that voluntary lovely8 ,there's ,dr4 ---- coming out of the vestry4 ,is he not grand8 ,splendid6 ,what a stately man6 ,you know he has promised to dine with us while he is here4 ,he was a commanding looking man1 and as the organ voluntary stopped1 and he looked over the great crowd of worshipers gathered in the vast church1 he seemed to scan every face4 ,his hand was on the ,bible when suddenly he leaned over the reading desk and beckoned to the sexton1 who obsequiously mounted the steps to receive a mysterious message4 ,and then the three ladies in the grand pew were electrified to see him take his way the whole length of the church to return with the old woman1 when he placed her in the front pew of all1 its other occupants making willing room for her4 ,the great preacher looked at her with a smile of recognition1 and then the services proceeded1 and he preached a sermon that struck fire from every heart4 ,who was she8 asked the ladies who could not make room for her1 as they passed the sexton at the door4 ,the preacher's mother1 was the reply4 ,,the ,,retort ,,dis-,,courteous4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,mr4 ,michael ,mc,glynn1 of ,dublin town1 ,and ,dinny ,o',doyle1 of ,kildare1 ,through the streets of the city1 went up and down1 ,a remarkably guileless pair4 ,said ,michael to ,dinny3 ,me darlin' bhoy1 ,since the roise o' the mornin' sun1 ,niver a dhrop or a boite have ,oi1 ,oi think ,i could ate a bun4 ,said ,dinny to ,michael3 ,av coorse3 av coorse6 ,to ate is the woise man's part2 ,oi have a sinsation loike that mesilf1 ,oi think ,oi could touch a tart4 ,so the kindred souls of this guileless pair1 ,an eating house speedily found1 ,and before them a jar on the table sat1 ,full of horseradish1 freshly ground4 ,with a tablespoon1 ,mr4 ,michael ,mc,glynn ,took all that his mouth would hold1 ,then gasped for breath1 while his head turned hot ,and his spine turned icy cold4 ,the tears on his cheeks came rolling down1 ,but he had no breath to swear1 ,so he simply clutched at the tablecloth1 ,and tore at his red1 red hair4 ,amazed and surprised1 ,mr4 ,dinny ,o',doyle ,said3 ,michael1 me darlin' bhoy1 ,phwat's troublin' yer sowl8 ,phwat's wrong wid ye now8 ,phwat's the raison ye've tears in yer oi8 ,oh1 nothin1 said ,michael2 my grandfather doid ,some twenty-foive years ago1 ,oi chanced to remember the fine owld man1 ,an' ,oi couldn't help croiyin'1 ye know4 ,but1 ,dinny ,o',doyle1 doant mind it at all2 ,how wake an' how choildish ,oi same1 ,then he passed the horseradish and spoon and all2 ,have some of this nice oice crame6 ,so ,dinny dipped into the treacherous jar1 ,and the tears quickly sprang to his eyes1 ,while ,michael ,mc,glynn1 who had got back his breath1 ,affected a strange surprise4 ,phy1 ,dinny1 me bhoy1 ye're croiyin' yersilf1 ,he said with a chuckle and grin2 ,phwat's troublin' yer sowl8 ,phwat's wrong wid ye now8 ,is it wapin' ye are for a sin8 ,is it askin' ye are1 phwat's makin' me croiy8 ,said ,dinny1 ,oi'll spake as ,oi'm bid1 ,oi'm croiyin' bekase ,mr4 ,michael ,mc,glynn1 ,didn't doi when his grandfather did4 ,,zenobia',s ,,defence4 ,,by ,,william ,,ware4 ,zenobia became ,queen of ,palmyra ,a4 ,d4 #bfg1 after the murder of her husband1 ,odenatus4 ,she was a woman of great energy and assumed the title of ,queen of the ,east4 ,she was deprived of her dominion by ,aurelian ,a4 ,d4 #bgb1 and died in retirement near ,rome4 ,i am charged with pride and ambition4 ,the charge is true1 and ,i glory in its truth4 ,whoever achieved anything great in letters1 arts1 or arms1 who was not ambitious8 ,caesar was not more ambitious than ,cicero4 ,it was but in another way4 ,all greatness is born of ambition4 ,let the ambition be a noble one1 and who shall blame it8 ,i confess ,i did once aspire to be queen1 not only of ,palmyra1 but of the ,east4 ,that ,i am4 ,i now aspire to remain so4 ,is it not an honorable ambition8 ,does it not become a descendant of the ,ptolemies and of ,cleopatra8 ,i am applauded by you all for what ,i have already done4 ,you would not it should have been less4 ,but why pause here8 ,is so much ambition praiseworthy1 and more criminal8 ,is it fixed in nature that the limits of this empire should be ,egypt on the one hand1 the ,hellespont and the ,euxine on the other8 ,were not ,suez and ,armenia more natural limits8 ,or hath empire no natural limit1 but is broad as the genius that can devise1 and the power that can win8 ,rome has the ,west4 ,let ,palmyra possess the ,east4 ,not that nature prescribes this and no more4 ,the gods prospering1 ,i mean that the ,mediterranean shall not hem me in upon the west1 or ,persia on the east4 ,longinus is right1--,i would that the world were mine4 ,i feel1 within1 the will and the power to bless it1 were it so4 ,are not my people happy8 ,i look upon the past and the present1 upon my nearer and remoter subjects1 and ask1 nor fear the answer1 ,whom have ,i wronged8 ,what province have ,i oppressed1 what city pillaged1 what region drained with taxes8 ,whose life have ,i unjustly taken1 or whose estates have ,i coveted or robbed8 ,whose honor have ,i wantonly assailed8 ,whose rights1 though of the weakest and poorest1 have ,i violated8 ,i dwell1 where ,i would ever dwell1 in the hearts of my people4 ,it is written in your faces1 that ,i reign not more over you than within you4 ,the foundation of my throne is not more power than love4 ,suppose1 now1 my ambition should add another province to our realm4 ,would that be an evil8 ,the kingdoms already bound to us by the joint acts of ourselves and the late royal ,odenatus1 we found discordant and at war4 ,they are now united and at peace4 ,one harmonious whole has grown out of hostile and sundered parts4 ,at my hands they receive a common justice and equal benefits4 ,the channels of their commerce have ,i opened1 and dug them deep and sure4 ,prosperity and plenty are in all their borders4 ,the streets of our capital bear testimony to the distant and various industry which here seeks its market4 ,this is no vain boasting3 receive it not so1 good friends4 ,it is but the truth4 ,he who traduces himself sins in the same way as he who traduces another4 ,he who is unjust to himself1 or less than just1 breaks a law1 as well as he who hurts his neighbor4 ,i tell you what ,i am1 and what ,i have done1 that your trust for the future may not rest upon ignorant grounds4 ,if ,i am more than just to myself1 rebuke me4 ,if ,i have over-stepped the modesty that became me1 ,i am open to your censure1 and ,i will bear it4 ,but ,i have spoken that you may know your queen1 not only by her acts1 but by her admitted principles4 ,i tell you1 then1 that ,i am ambitious1 that ,i crave dominion1 and while ,i live will reign4 ,sprung from a line of kings1 a throne is my natural seat4 ,i love it4 ,but ,i strive1 too--you can bear me witness that ,i do--that it shall be1 while ,i sit upon it1 an honored1 unpolluted seat4 ,if ,i can1 ,i will hang a yet brighter glory around it4 ,a ,,serenade4#a ,,by ,,thomas ,,hood4 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,thus ,i heard a father cry4 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,the brat will never shut an eye2 ,hither come1 some power divine6 ,close his lids or open mine6 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,what the mischief makes him cry8 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,still he stares--,i wonder why2 ,why are not the sons of earth ,blind1 like puppies1 from their birth8 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,thus ,i heard the father cry2 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,mary1 you must come and try6 ,hush1 oh1 hush1 for mercy's sake-- ,the more ,i sing1 the more you wake6 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,fie1 you little creature1 fie6 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,is no poppy-syrup nigh8 ,give him some1 or give him all1 ,i am nodding to his fall6 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,two such nights and ,i shall die6 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,he'll be bruised1 and so shall ,i-- ,how can ,i from bedposts keep1 ,when ,i'm walking in my sleep8 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,sleep his very looks deny2 ,lullaby1 oh1 lullaby6 ,nature soon will stupefy-- ,my nerves relax--my eyes grow dim-- ,who's that fallen1 me or him8 ,,footnotes3 #a ,this poem can be made very effective as a humorous recitation by the performer imitating a sleepy father vainly endeavoring to quiet a restless child4 ,a doll1 or something to represent one1 should be held in the arms4 ,,queen ,,vashti4 ,,by ,t4 ,,dewitt ,,talmage4 ,we stand amid the palaces of ,shushan4 ,the pinnacles are aflame with the morning light4 ,the columns rise festooned and wreathed1 the wealth of empires flashing from the grooves2 the ceilings adorned with images of bird and beast1 and scenes of prowess and conquest4 ,the walls are hung with shields1 and emblazoned until it seems that the whole round of splendors is exhausted4 ,each arch is a mighty leap of architectural achievement1--golden stars1 shining down on glowing arabesque2 hangings of embroidered work1 in which mingle the blueness of the sky1 the greenness of the grass and the whiteness of the sea foam2 tapestries hung on silver rings1 wedding together the pillars of marble4 ,pavilions reach out in every direction1--these for repose1 filled with luxuriant couches1 in which weary limbs sink until all fatigue is submerged2 these for carousal1 where kings drink down a kingdom at one swallow4 ,amazing spectacle6 ,light of silver dripping down over stairs of ivory on shields of gold2 floors of stained marble1 sunset red and night black1 and inlaid with gleaming pearl4 ,why1 it seems as if a heavenly vision of amethyst1 and jacinth1 and topaz1 and chrysoprasus had descended and alighted upon ,shushan4 ,it seems as if a billow of celestial glory had dashed clear over heaven's battlements upon this metropolis of ,persia4 ,in connection with this palace there is a garden1 where the mighty men of foreign lands are seated at a banquet4 ,under the spread of oak1 and linden1 and acacia1 the tables are arranged4 ,the breath of honey-suckle and frankincense fills the air4 ,fountains leap up into the light1 the spray struck through with rainbows falling in crystalline baptism upon flowering shrubs--then rolling down through channels of marble1 and widening out here and there into pools swirling with the finny tribes of foreign aquariums1 bordered with scarlet anemones1 hypericums1 and many colored ranunculus2 meats of rarest bird and beast smoking up amid wreaths of aromatics2 the vases filled with apricots and almonds2 the basket piled up with apricots1 and dates1 and figs1 and oranges1 and pomegranates2 melons tastefully twined with leaves of acacia2 the bright waters of ,eulaeus filling the urns1 and sweating outside the rim in flashing beads amid the traceries2 wine from the royal vats of ,ispahan and ,shiraz1 in bottles of tinged shell1 and lily-shaped cups of silver1 and flagons and tankards of solid gold4 ,the music rises higher1 and the revelry breaks out into wilder transport1 and the wine has flushed the cheek and touched the brain1 and louder than all other voices are the hiccough of the inebriates1 the gabble of fools1 and the song of the drunkards4 ,in another part of the palace ,queen ,vashti is entertaining the princesses of ,persia at a banquet4 ,drunken ,ahasuerus says to his servants3 ,go out and fetch ,vashti from that banquet with the women1 and bring her to this banquet with the men1 and let me display her beauty4 ,the servants immediately start to obey the king's command1 but there was a rule in ,oriental society that no woman might appear in public without having her face veiled4 ,yet here was a mandate that no one dare dispute1 demanding that ,vashti come in unveiled before the multitude4 ,however1 there was in ,vashti's soul a principle more regal than ,ahasuerus1 more brilliant than the gold of ,shushan1 of more wealth than the revenue of ,persia1 which commanded her to disobey the order of the ,king2 and so all the righteousness and holiness and modesty of her nature rises up into one sublime refusal4 ,she says3 ,i will not go into the banquet unveiled4 ,of course1 ,ahasuerus was infuriated2 and ,vashti1 robbed of her position and her estate1 is driven forth in poverty and ruin to suffer the scorn of a nation1 and yet to receive the applause of after generations1 who shall rise up to admire this martyr to kingly insolence4 ,the last vestige of that feast is gone2 the last garland has faded2 the last arch has fallen2 the last tankard has been destroyed1 and ,shushan is a ruin2 but as long as the world stands there will be multitudes of men and women1 familiar with the ,bible1 who will come into this picture-gallery of ,god and admire the divine portrait of ,vashti1 the ,queen2 ,vashti1 the veiled2 ,vashti1 the sacrifice2 ,vashti1 the silent4 ,w',,en ,,de ,,darky ,,am ,a-,,whis',,lin' ,,in ,,de ,,co',n4 ,,by ,s4 ,q4 ,,lapius4 ,w'en de jewdraps 'gins to glisten1 ,an' de east am growin' red1 ,an' de catbird am a-singin' in de trees2 ,w'en de swallers an' de martins ,am a-quar'lin' in de shed1 ,an' de hollyhocks am callin' to de bees2 ,w'en de gray mule 'gins to whinny ,an' de porker 'gins to squeal1 ,den it's time to be a-wo'kin' in de mo'n1 ,kase de sun am climbin' higher ,an' de han's am in de field-- ,an' de darky am a whis'lin' in de c'on4 ,w'en de fog hab lef' de valley1 ,an' de blue am in de sky1 ,an' de bees am wo'kin' in de medder lot2 ,w'en de hollyhocks am drowsin'1 ,an' de sun am ridin' high1 ,an' de dusty country road am blazin' hot2 ,den de darky 'gins to listen-- ,as de catbird quits his song-- ,fo' de soundin' ob de welcome dinner-ho'n1 ,kase his knees am growin' wabbly1 ,an' de rows am growin' long-- ,an' he's hoin' an' a-whis'lin' in de co'n6 ,w'en de fiery sun am smilin' ,an' a-sinkin' in de wes'1 ,an' de shadders creep along de dusty road2 ,w'en de martins am a-chatter'n' ,an' dey hurry home to res'1 ,an' de longes' row ob all am nea'ly hoed2 ,w'en de bullfrog 'gins to holler1 ,an' de cowbell down de lane ',gins to tinkle in a way dat's mos' fo'lo'n1 ,den amid de gloomy echoes ,comes dat soul-refreshin' strain-- ,ob de darky as he whis'les in de co'n6 ,,the ,,pilot4 ,,by ,,john ,b4 ,,gough4 ,john ,maynard was well known in the lake district as a ,god-fearing1 honest1 and intelligent man4 ,he was pilot on a steamboat from ,detroit to ,buffalo4 ,one summer afternoon--at that time those steamers seldom carried boats--smoke was seen ascending from below2 and the captain called out1 ,simpson1 go below and see what the matter is down there4 ,simpson came up with his face as pale as ashes1 and said1 ,captain1 the ship is on fire6 ,then ,fire6 fire6 fire6 on shipboard4 ,all hands were called up2 buckets of water were dashed on the fire1 but in vain4 ,there were large quantities of rosin and tar on board1 and it was found useless to attempt to save the ship4 ,the passengers rushed forward and inquired of the pilot1 ,how far are we from ,buffalo8 ,seven miles4 ,how long before we can reach there8 ,three-quarters of an hour at our present rate of steam4 ,is there any danger8 ,danger6 ,here1 see the smoke bursting out6--go forward1 if you would save your lives6 ,passengers and crew--men1 women and children--crowded the forward part of the ship4 ,john ,maynard stood at the helm4 ,the flames burst forth in a sheet of fire2 clouds of smoke arose4 ,the captain cried out through his trumpet1 ,john ,maynard6 ,ay1 ay1 sir6 ,are you at the helm8 ,ay1 ay1 sir6 ,how does she head8 ,southeast by east1 sir4 ,head her southeast and run her on shore1 said the captain4 ,nearer1 nearer1 yet nearer she approached the shore4 ,again the captain cried out1 ,john ,maynard6 ,the response came feebly this time1 ,ay1 ay1 sir6 ,can you hold on five minutes longer1 ,john8 he said4 ,by ,god's help1 ,i will6 ,the old man's hair was scorched from the scalp2 one hand was disabled2 his knee upon the stanchion1 his teeth set1 his other hand upon the wheel1 he stood firm as a rock4 ,he beached the ship2 every man1 woman1 and child was saved1 as ,john ,maynard dropped1 and his spirit took its flight to ,god4 ,,the ,,fatal ,,glass4 ,,by ,,laura ,u4 ,,case4 ,he raised the cup to his pure1 sweet lips-- ,lips fresh from a mother's kisses2 ,merry the banquet hall that night1 ,for youth and beauty were there1 and bright ,the glittering lamps shone o'er them2 ,and one had sung with a voice divine1 ,a song in praise of the ruby wine1 ,that graced the feast before them4 ,little he dreamed as he lightly quaffed ,the sparkling wine1 that the first rare draught ,was a link in the chain to bind him1 ,and drag his soul1 like a servile slave1 ,down slippery steps to a shameful grave1 ,from a throne where love enshrined him4 ,she raised the cup to her tainted lips-- ,lips foul with the vilest curses-- ,in a loathsome haunt of sin and shame1 ,where ,christian charity seldom came1 ,with its holy words to teach them ,of the pastures green and waters sweet-- ,of her who wept at the ,master's feet1 ,whose boundless love could reach them4 ,is love so dear1 and life so cheap1 ,that one poor soul1 like a wandering sheep1 ,alone on the bleak1 cold mountain1 ,should gladly turn from a life accursed1 ,to drown the past and quench the thirst ,in draughts from a poisonous fountain8 ,he raised the cup to his trembling lips-- ,lips wrinkled by age and hunger2 ,the meagre pittance he'd begged for food1 ,brightened the palm of the man who stood ,at his bar with his wines around him4 ,he drank1 and turned on tottering feet ,to the bitter storm and the cold1 dark street1 ,where a corpse in the morn they found him4 ,and oh6 could those speechless lips have told ,of the want and sorrow1 hunger and cold ,he had known1 or the answer given1 ,when his trembling soul for entrance plead ,at the crystal gates1 where ,one has said1 ,no drunkard shall enter ,heaven6 ,,katrina',s ,,visit ,,to ,,new ,,york4 ,vell1 von morning ,i says to ,hans 7,hans vos mein husband73 ,hans1 ,i tinks ,i goes down to ,new ,york1 und see some sights in dot village4 ,und ,hans he say3 ,vell ,katrina1 you vork hard pooty mooch1 ,i tinks it vould petter be dot you goes und rest yourself some4 ,so ,i gets meinself ready righd avay quick und in two days ,i vos de shteam cars on vistling avay for ,new ,york4 ,ve vent so fast ,i tinks mein head vould shplit sometimes4 ,de poles for dot delegraph vires goes by like dey vos mad und running a races demselves mit to see vich could go de fastest mit de oder4 ,de engine vistled like sometimes it vos hurt bad1 und screeched mit de pain1 und de horses by dem fields vould run as dey vas scared4 ,i vas pooty mooch as ten hours ven ve rushed into some houses so big enough as all our village1 und de cars begin to shtop vith so many leetle jerks ,i dinks me ,i shall lose all de dinner vot ,i eat vile ,i vas coming all de vay apoudt4 ,vell1 ven dem cars got shtopped1 de peoples all got oudt und ,i picked mein traps oup und got oudt too4 ,i had shust shtepped de blatform on1 ven so mooch as ein hundert men1 mit vips in dere hands1 und dere fingers all in de air oup1 asked me all at vonce1 ,vere ,i go8 ,und every one of dem fellers vanted me to go mit him to his hotel4 ,but ,i tells em ,i guess not2 ,i vas going mit my brudder-mit-law1 vot keeps ein pakeshop on de ,powery1 vere it didn't cost me notings4 ,so ,i got me in dot shtreet cars1 und pays de man mit brass buttons on his coat to let me oudt mit de shtreet vere dot ,yawcup ,schneider leeves4 ,oh1 my6 vot lots of houses6 ,de shtreets vos all ofer filled mit dem4 ,und so many peoples ,i tinks me dere must be a fire1 or a barade1 or some oxcitement vot gets de whole city in von blaces4 ,it dakes me so mooch time to look at everytings ,i forgot me ven to got oudt und rides apast de blaces ,i vants to shtop to1 und has to valk again pack mit dree or four shquares4 ,but ,i vind me dot brudder-mit-law who vos make me so velcome as nefer vos4 ,vell1 dot vos ,saturday mit de afternoon4 ,i vas tired mit dot day's travel und ,i goes me pooty quick to bed und ven ,i vakes in de morning de sun vas high oup in de shky4 ,but ,i gets me oup und puts on mein new silk vrock und tinks me ,i shall go to some fine churches und hear ein grosse breacher4 ,der pells vas ringing so schveet ,i dinks ,i nefer pefore hear such music4 ,ven ,i got de shtreet on de beoples vos all going quiet und nice to dere blaces mit worship1 und ,i makes oup my mind to go in von of dem churches so soon as von comes along4 ,pooty soon ,i comes to de von mit ein shteeples high oup in de shky und ,i goes in mit de beoples und sits me down on ein seat all covered mit a leetle mattress4 ,de big organ vas blaying so soft it seemed likes as if some angels must be dere to make dot music4 ,pooty soon de breacher man shtood in de bulbit oup und read de hymn oudt1 und all de beoples sing until de churches vos filled mit de shweetness4 ,den de breacher man pray1 und read de ,pible1 und den he say dot de bulbit would be occupied by de ,rev4 ,villiam ,r4 ,shtover mit ,leavenworth1 ,kansas4 ,den dot man gommence to breach und he read mit his dext1 ,und ,simon's vife's mudder lay sick mit a fever4 ,he talks for so mooch as ein half hour already ven de beoples sings again und goes homes4 ,i tells mein brudder-mit-law it vos so nice ,i tinks me ,i goes again mit some oder churches4 ,so vot you tinks8 ,i goes mit anoder churches dot afternoon und dot same ,villiam ,r4 ,shtover vos dere und breach dot same sermon ofer again mit dot same dext1 ,und ,simon's vife's mudder lay sick mit a fever4 ,i tinks to my ownself--dot vos too bad1 und ,i goes home und dells ,yawcup1 und he says1 ,nefer mind1 ,katrina1 to-night ve goes somevhere else to churches4 ,so ven de night vas come und de lamps vos all lighted mit de shtreets1 me und mein brudder-mit-law1 ve goes over to dot ,brooklyn town to hear dot ,heinrich ,vard ,peecher4 ,my but dot vos ein grosse church1 und so many beobles vas dere1 ve vas crowded mit de vall back4 ,ven de singing vas all done1 a man vot vos sitting mit a leetle chair got oup und say dot de ,rev4 ,heinrich ,vard ,peecher vas to de ,vhite ,mountains gone mit dot hay fever1 but dot de bulbit vould be occupied on this occasion by de ,rev4 ,villiam ,r4 ,shtover mit ,leavenworth1 ,kansas4 ,und dot ,villiam ,r4 ,shtover he gots mit dot bulbit oup und breaches dot same sermon mit dot same dext1 ,und ,simon's vife's mudder lay sick mit a fever4 ,dot vos too bad again und ,i gets mad4 ,i vos so mad ,i vish dot he got dot fever himself4 ,vell1 von dot man vas troo ,yawcup says to me1 ,come1 ,katrina1 ve'll go down to dot ferry und take de boat vot goes to ,new ,york6 ,ven ve vas on dot boat de fog vas so tick dot you couldn't see your hands pehind your pack4 ,de vistles vas plowing1 und dem pells vos ringing1 und von man shtepped up mit ,yawcup und say ,vot vor dem pells pe ringing so mooch8 ,und ven ,i looked around dere shtood dot ,villiam ,r4 ,shtover mit ,leavenworth1 ,kansas--und ,i said pooty quick3 ,vot vor dem pells vas ringing8 ,vy for ,simon's vife's mudder1 vot must be died1 for ,i hear dree times to-day already dot she vas sick mit ein fever4 ,,the ,,rabbi ,,and ,,the ,,prince4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,versified from the ,talmud4 ,a monarch sat in serious thought1 alone1 ,but little reck'd he of his robe and throne2 ,naught valuing the glory of control1 ,he sought to solve the future of his soul4 ,why should ,i bow the proud1 imperious knee1 ,to mighty powers no mortal eye can see8 ,so mused he long and turned this question o'er1 ,then1 with impatient tread1 he paced the floor1 ,till maddened by conflicting trains of thought ,and speculation vague1 which came to naught1 ,with feverish haste he clutched a tasseled cord ,as desperate hands1 in battle1 clutch a sword4 ,summon ,jehoshua1 the monarch cried4 ,the white-haired ,rabbi soon was at his side4 99444499444499444499 ,i bow no more to powers ,i cannot see2 ,thy faith and learning shall be naught to me1 ,unless1 before the setting of the sun1 ,mine eyes behold the uncreated one4 99444499444499444499 ,the ,rabbi led him to the open air4 ,the oriental sun with furious glare ,sent down its rays1 like beams of molten gold4 ,the aged teacher1 pointing1 said3 ,behold4 ,i cannot1 said the ,prince1 my dazzled eyes ,refuse their service1 turned upon the skies4 99444499444499444499 ,son of the dust1 the ,rabbi gently said ,and bowed1 with reverence1 his hoary head1 ,this one creation1 thou canst not behold1 ,though by thy lofty state and pride made bold4 ,how canst thou then behold the ,god of ,light1 ,before whose face the sunbeams are as night8 ,thine eyes before this trifling labor fall1 ,canst gaze on him who hath created all8 ,son of the dust1 repentance can atone2 ,return and worship ,god1 who rules alone4 ,,the ,,maid ,,of ,,orleans4 ,,by ,j4 ,e4 ,,sagebeer4 ,it was just at the dawn of day1 when the first rays of morning were breaking over ,europe and dispelling the darkness of the ,middle ,ages4 ,france and ,england were engaged in a desperate struggle1 the one for existence1 the other for a throne4 ,all the western part of ,france had avowed the ,english cause1 and the ,english king had been proclaimed at ,paris1 at ,rouen and at ,bordeaux1 while the strongly fortified city of ,orleans1 the key to the ,french possessions1 was besieged4 ,the thunder and lightning of the battlefield are bad enough1 but the starvation and pestilence of a besieged city are infinitely worse4 ,the supplies of ,orleans were exhausted2 the garrison was reduced to a few desperate men1 and the women and children had been abandoned to the ,english4 ,but far away on the border of ,germany1 in the little village of ,domremy1 the ,nazareth of ,france1 ,god was raising up a deliverer for ,orleans1 a savior for the nation4 ,the out-door life of a peasant girl had given to ,joan of ,arc a well-developed form1 while the beauties of her soul and the spiritual tendencies of her nature must have given to her face that womanly beauty that never fails to win respect and love4 ,her standard was a banner of snowy silk2 her weapon a sword1 that from the day she first drew it from its scabbard until she finally laid it down upon the grave of ,st4 ,denis1 was never stained with blood2 and her inspiration was a self-sacrificing devotion to the will of ,god1 to the rights of ,france and her king4 ,without a single opposing shot she passed under the very battlements of the besieging ,english1 and entered ,orleans with soldiers for empty forts and food for starving people4 ,it needed no eloquent speech to incite the men of ,orleans to deeds of valor and of vengeance4 ,the ruins of their homes choked the streets2 the desolated city was one open sepulchre1 while the cries of half-starved children and the wails of heartbroken mothers1 stirred them to such a mad frenzy of enthusiasm1 that now1 since a leader had come1 they would have rushed headlong and thoughtlessly against the ,english forts as into a trap of death4 ,and now the attack was planned and the lines were formed2 and then as the crumbling walls of the city echoed back the wild shouts of the ,orleanites1 the maid of ,domremy1 waving her sword aloft and followed by her snowy banner1 led her ,frenchmen on to slaughter and to victory4 ,then from the ,english archers came flight after flight of swift-winged arrows1 while the wild catapults threw clouds of death-laden stones crashing among the ,french4 ,broadsword and battle-axe clashed on shield and helmet1 while the wild horses1 mad with rage and pain1 rushed with fierce yells upon the foe2 but ever above the din and noise of battle1 above death shouts and saber strokes1 though the dust and smoke obscured her banner1 ever could be heard the clear1 ringing voice of their leader1 shouting for victory and for ,france4 ,an arrow pierced her bosom1 but drawing it out with her own hand and throwing it aside1 she showed the ,french her blood-stained corselet1 and once more urged them on4 ,as when the ,archangel ,michael1 leading the heavenly cohorts1 forced the rebellious angels to the very brink of hell1 then hurled them over and so saved the throne of heaven1 so did the maid of ,orleans1 leading on frenzied ,frenchmen1 press back the ,english step by step1 and slaughtered rank by rank1 till the whole army turned and fled1 and ,orleans was free and ,france was safe4 ,and now her work was done4 ,would that some kindly voice had bade her now go home to tend the sheep and roll their white wool on her distaff6 ,but she who had raised the siege of ,orleans and led the way to ,rheims1 could not escape a jealous fate4 ,the ,duke of ,burgundy had laid siege to ,compiegne4 ,joan of ,arc went to the rescue and was repulsed1 and while bravely fighting in the rear of her retreating troops1 fell prisoner to the recreant ,french and was sold by them to the ,english4 ,for one long year she languished in her prison tower4 ,her keepers insulted her and called her a witch2 and when in desperation she sprang from the tower and was taken up insensible1 they loaded her poor body with chains1 and two guards stayed in her cell day and night4 ,her trial came1 but her doom was already sealed4 ,the ,bishop of ,beauvais1 with a hundred doctors of theology1 were her judges4 ,without a particle of evidence against her1 they convicted her of sorcery and sentenced her to be burnt at the stake4 ,a howl of fiendish joy went up from the blood-thirsty court of ,paris1--a howl of fiendish joy that made its way to every battlefield where she had fought2 it rang against the rescued walls of ,orleans and was echoed to the royal court at ,rheims2 it reached to the bottomless pit and made the imps of ,satan dance with glee2 it echoed through the halls of heaven and made the angels weep2 but there was no rescuer for the helpless girl4 ,even the gladiator1 forced into the fight1 against his will1 when fallen in the arena1 his sword broken and the enemy's knee upon his breast1 might yet hope for thumbs down1 and mercy from the hard-hearted ,roman spectators4 ,but not a single hand was raised to save the maid of ,domremy1 the saviour of ,orleans4 ,had she not faithfully done her work8 ,had she not bled for them8 ,had she not saved the kingdom8 ,and in all chivalrous ,france was there not a champion to take up the gauntlet in defence of a helpless girl8 ,when she led their armies1 their spears blazed in heaven's sunlight2 now they would quench them in her blood4 ,with scarcely time to think of death1 she was hurried away to the public square and chained to the stake1 and when the fagots were fired1 more painful than the circling flames1 she heard the mocking laugh of the angry crowd4 ,higher and higher rose the flames1 until1 pressing the cross to her heart1 her unconscious head sank upon her bosom1 and her pure spirit went up amid the smoke and soared away to heaven4 ,,gentle ,,alice ,,brown4 ,,by ,w4 ,s4 ,,gilbert4 ,this is one of the ,bab-,ballads1 on which the very successful comic opera ,pinafore was founded4 ,it was a robber's daughter1 and her name was ,alice ,brown1 ,her father was the terror of a small ,italian town2 ,her mother was a foolish1 weak1 but amiable old thing2 ,but it isn't of her parents that ,i'm going for to sing4 ,as ,alice was a sitting at her window-sill one day1 ,a beautiful young gentleman he chanced to pass that way2 ,she cast her eyes upon1 and he looked so good and true1 ,that she thought3 ,i could be happy with a gentleman like you6 ,and every morning passed her house that cream of gentlemen1 ,she knew she might expect him at a quarter unto ten2 ,a sorter in the ,custom-house1 it was his daily road 7,the ,custom-house was fifteen minutes' walk from her abode74 ,but ,alice was a pious girl1 who knew it wasn't wise ,to look at strange young sorters with expressive purple eyes2 ,so she sought the village priest to whom her family confessed1 ,the priest by whom their little sins were carefully assessed4 ,oh1 holy father1 ,alice said1 'twould grieve you1 would it not1 ,to discover that ,i was a most disreputable lot8 ,of all unhappy sinners ,i'm the most unhappy one6 ,the padre said3 ,whatever have you been and gone and done8 ,i have helped mamma to steal a little kiddy from its dad1 ,i've assisted dear papa in cutting up a little lad1 ,i've planned a little burglary and forged a little check1 ,and slain a little baby for the coral on its neck6 ,the worthy pastor heaved a sigh1 and dropped a silent tear1 ,and said3 ,you mustn't judge yourself too heavily1 my dear2 ,it's wrong to murder babies1 little corals for to fleece2 ,but sins like these one expiates at half a crown apiece4 ,girls will be girls--you're very young1 and flighty in your mind2 ,old heads upon young shoulders we must not expect to find3 ,we mustn't be too hard upon these little girlish tricks-- ,let's see--five crimes at half-a-crown--exactly twelve-and-six4 ,oh1 father6 little ,alice cried1 your kindness makes me weep1 ,you do these little things for me so singularly cheap-- ,your thoughtful liberality ,i never can forget2 ,but1 oh6 there is another crime ,i haven't mentioned yet6 ,a pleasant looking gentleman1 with pretty purple eyes1 ,i've noticed at my window1 as ,i've sat acatching flies2 ,he passes by it every day as certain as can be-- ,i blush to say ,i've winked at him1 and he has winked at me6 ,for shame6 said father ,paul1 my erring daughter6 ,on my word ,this is the most distressing news that ,i have ever heard4 ,why1 naughty girl1 your excellent papa has pledged your hand ,to a promising young robber1 the lieutenant of his band6 ,this dreadful piece of news will pain your worthy parent so6 ,they are the most remunerative customers ,i know2 ,for many1 many years they've kept starvation from my doors2 ,i never knew so criminal a family as yours6 ,the common country folk in this insipid neighborhood ,have nothing to confess1 they're so ridiculously good2 ,and if you marry any one respectable at all4 ,why1 you'll reform1 and what will then become of ,father ,paul8 ,the worthy priest1 he up and drew his cowl upon his crown1 ,and started off in haste to tell the news to ,robber ,brown-- ,to tell him how his daughter1 who was now for marriage fit1 ,had winked upon a sorter1 who reciprocated it4 ,good ,robber ,brown he muffled up his anger pretty well2 ,he said3 ,i have a notion1 and that notion ,i will tell2 ,i will nab this gay young sorter1 terrify him into fits1 ,and get my gentle wife to chop him into little bits4 ,i've studied human nature1 and ,i know a thing or two3 ,though a girl may fondly love a living gent1 as many do-- ,a feeling of disgust upon her senses there will fall ,when she looks upon his body chopped particularly small4 ,he traced that gallant sorter to a still suburban square2 ,he watched his opportunity1 and seized him unaware2 ,he took a life-preserver and he hit him on the head1 ,and ,mrs4 ,brown dissected him before she went to bed4 ,and pretty little ,alice grew more settled in her mind1 ,she never more was guilty of a weakness of the kind1 ,until at length good ,robber ,brown bestowed her pretty hand ,on the promising young robber1 the lieutenant of his band4 ,,young ,,america4 ,the central figure was a bareheaded woman with a broom in her hand4 ,she stood on the back step1 and was crying3 ,george6 ,there was no response1 but anybody who had been on the other side of the close-boarded fence at the foot of the garden might have observed two boys intently engaged in building a mud pie4 ,that's your mother hollerin' ,georgie1 said one of the two1 placing his eye to a knothole and glancing through to the stoop4 ,i don't care1 said the other4 ,ain't you going in8 ,no6 ,georgie6 came another call1 short and sharp2 do you hear me8 ,there was no answer4 ,where is she now8 inquired ,georgie1 putting in the filling of the pie4 ,on the stoop1 replied his friend at the knothole4 ,what's she doin'8 ,ain't doin' nothin'4 ,george ,augustus6 ,still no answer4 ,you needn't think you can hide from me1 young man1 for ,i can see you1 and if you don't come in here at once1 ,i'll come out there in a way that you'll know it4 ,now this was an eminently natural statement1 but hardly plausible as her eyes would have had to pierce an inch board fence to see ,georgie2 and even were this possible1 it would have required a glance in that special direction1 and not over the top of a pear tree in an almost opposite way4 ,even the boy at the knothole could hardly repress a smile4 ,what's she doin' now8 inquired ,georgie4 ,she stands there yet4 ,i won't speak to you again1 ,george ,augustus1 came the voice4 ,your father will be home in a few minutes1 and ,i shall tell him all about what you have done4 ,still no answer4 ,ain't you afraid8 asked the conscientious young man1 drawing his eye from the knothole to rest it4 ,no6 she won't tell pa2 she never does1 she only says it to scare me4 ,thus enlightened and reassured1 the guard covered the knothole again4 ,ain't you acoming in here1 young man8 again demanded the woman1 or do you want me to come out there to you with a stick8 ,i won't speak to you again1 sir6 ,is she comin'8 asked the baker4 ,no4 ,which way is she lookin'8 ,she's lookin' over in the other yard4 ,do you hear me1 ,i say8 came the call again4 ,no answer4 ,george ,augustus6 do you hear your mother8 ,still no answer4 ,oh1 you just wait1 young man1 till your father comes home1 and he'll make you hear1 ,i'll warrant ye4 ,she's gone in now1 announced the faithful sentinel1 withdrawing from his post4 ,all right6 take hold of this crust and pull it down on that side1 and that'll be another pie done1 said the remorse-stricken ,george ,augustus4 ,,shwate ,,kittie ,,kehoe4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,shwate ,kittie ,kehoe1 ,can ye tell1 ,i do' know4 ,phwat the mischief's about ye that bothers me so8 ,for there's that in yer eye4 ,that ,i wish ,i may die ,if it doesn't pursue me wherever ,i go4 ,och hone6 ,shwate ,kitty ,kehoe4 ,it's a livin' disgrace ,that yer shwate purty face ,should be dhrivin' me sinses all over the place6 ,i go this way an' that1 ,loike a man fur a hat1 ,wid the wind up an alley-way1 runnin' a race4 ,och hone6 ,shwate ,kittie ,kehoe4 ,oh6 ,faith1 but ,i'm sad1 ,fur to know that ,i'm mad1 ,that only intinsifies all that is bad2 ,but phwat can ,i do1 ,whin a shwate smile from you ,turns everythin' rosy and makes me sowl glad8 ,och hone6 ,shwate ,kittie ,kehoe4 ,shwate ,kittie ,kehoe1 ,i beg of ye1 go ,to the outermost inds of the earth1 ,i do' know2 ,if ye'll only do this1 ,jist lave me wan kiss1 ,an' ,i'll die whin yer sthartin'1 ,shwate ,kittie ,kehoe4 ,och hone6 ,och hone6 ,shwate ,kittie ,kehoe4 ,,the ,,country',s ,,greatest ,,evil4 ,a short speech by ,vice-,president ,henry ,wilson1 delivered at the ,national ,temperance ,convention1 in ,chicago1 ,june1 #ahge4 ,forty years of experience and observation have taught me that the greatest evil of our country1 next1 at any rate1 to the one that has gone down in fire and blood to rise no more1 is the evil of intemperance4 ,every day's experience1 every hour of reflection1 teaches me that it is the duty of patriotism1 the duty of humanity1 the duty of ,christianity1 to live ,christian lives1 and to exert temperance influence among the people4 ,there was a time1 when ,i was younger than ,i am now1 when ,i hoped to live long enough to see the cause which my heart loves and my judgment approves stronger than it is to-day4 ,i may be mistaken1 but it seems to me that the present is a rather dark and troubled night for that cause1 and it is because it so seems to me that ,i believe it to be the duty of every honest1 conscientious1 self-sacrificing man of our country to speak and to work for the cause in every legitimate and proper way4 ,and my reliance for the advancement of the cause of temperance is the same reliance which ,i have for the spread of the ,gospel of our ,divine ,lord and ,master4 ,the heart1 the conscience and the reason must be appealed to continually2 and ,christian men and women must remember that the heart of ,christianity is temperance4 ,if it costs a sacrifice1 give it4 ,what is sacrifice to doing good and lifting toward heaven our fellow-men8 ,we have got to rely on appeals and addresses made to the heart of this nation1 to the conscience of the people and the reason of the country4 ,we have got to train up our children in the cause from infancy4 ,we must teach it in the schools and everywhere by word1 and above all by example2 and it seems to me that ,christian ministers1 in this dark hour of our country1 when they see so much intemperance1 and what looks to some of us like a reaction1 should make the voice of the pulpits of this land heard4 ,members of ,christian churches should remember that they have something to do in this cause4 ,if anything stands in the way of ,christianity it is the drunkenness in our land4 ,a word for temperance at this time is the strongest blow against the kingdom of ,satan and for the cause of our ,lord and ,master4 ,suppose you have been disappointed4 ,suppose that many of your laws have failed4 ,we know that we are right4 ,we personally feel and see it4 ,the evidence is around and about us that we cannot be mistaken in living total abstinence lives and recommending such a course to our neighbors4 ,when it costs something to stand by the temperance cause1 then is the hour to stand by it4 ,if ,i could be heard to-day by the people of the land1 by the patriotic young men of this country1 full of life1 vigor and hope1 ,i would say that it is among the first1 the highest1 and the grandest duties1 which the country1 ,god1 and the love of humanity impose1 to work for the cause of total abstinence4 ,i ,,wonder4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,i wonder if1 under the grass-grown sod1 ,the weary human heart finds rest6 ,if the soul1 with its woes1 when it flies to ,god1 ,leaves all its pain1 in the earth's cold breast6 ,or whether we feel1 as we do to-day1 ,that joy holds sorrow in hand1 alway4 ,i wonder if1 after the kiss of death1 ,the love that was sweet1 in days of yore4 ,departs with the last1 faint1 fleeting breath1 ,or deeper grows than ever before6 ,i wonder if1 there in the great ,unknown1 ,fond hearts grow weary when left alone6 ,i think of the daily life ,i lead1 ,its broken dreams and its fitful starts1 ,the hopeless hunger1 the heart's sore need1 ,the joy that gladdens1 the wrong that parts1 ,and wonder whether the coming years ,will bring contentment1 or toil and tears4 ,,speech ,,of ,,patrick ,,henry4 ,delivered before the ,convention of ,delegates of ,virginia1 ,march #bc1 #agge4 ,mr4 ,president3 ,it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope4 ,we are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth1 and listen to the song of that siren1 till she transforms us into beasts4 ,is this the part of wise men1 engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty8 ,are we disposed to be of the number of those who1 having eyes1 see not1 and having ears1 hear not1 the things which so nearly concern our temporal salvation8 ,for my part1 whatever anguish of spirit it may cost1 ,i am willing to know the whole truth1--to know the worst1 and to provide for it6 ,i have but one lamp1 by which my feet are guided2 and that is the lamp of experience4 ,i know of no way of judging of the future but by the past4 ,and1 judging by the past1 ,i wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the ,british ministry1 for the last ten years1 to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the ,house8 ,is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received8 ,trust it not1 sir2 it will prove a snare to your feet6 ,suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss6 ,ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land4 ,are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation8 ,have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled1 that force must be called in to win back our love8 ,let us not deceive ourselves1 sir4 ,these are the implements of war and subjugation1--the last arguments to which kings resort4 ,i ask gentlemen1 sir1 what means this martial array1 if its purpose be not to force us to submission8 ,can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it8 ,has ,great ,britain any enemy in this quarter of the world1 to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies8 ,no1 sir1 she has none4 ,they are meant for us2 they can be meant for no other4 ,they are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the ,british ministry have been so long forging4 ,and what have we to oppose to them8--,shall we try argument8 ,sir1 we have been trying that1 for the last ten years4 ,have we anything new to offer upon the subject8 ,nothing4 ,we have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable2 but it has been all in vain4 ,shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication8 ,what terms shall we find which have not already been exhausted8 ,let us not1 ,i beseech you1 sir1 deceive ourselves longer4 ,sir1 we have done every thing that could be done1 to avert the storm which is now coming on4 ,we have petitioned1 we have remonstrated1 we have supplicated1 we have prostrated ourselves before the throne1 and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and ,parliament4 ,our petitions have been slighted1 our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult1 our supplications have been disregarded1 and we have been spurned1 with contempt1 from the foot of the throne4 ,in vain1 after these things1 may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation4 ,there is no longer any room for hope4 ,if we wish to be free1 if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending1 if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged1 and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained1--we must fight2 ,i repeat it1 sir1 we must fight6 ,an appeal to arms1 and to the ,god of ,hosts1 is all that is left us6 ,they tell us1 sir1 that we are weak1--unable to cope with so formidable an adversary4 ,but when shall we be stronger8 ,will it be the next week1 or the next year8 ,will it be when we are totally disarmed1 and when a ,british guard shall be stationed in every house8 ,shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction8 ,shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs1 and hugging the delusive phantom of hope1 until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot8 ,sir1 we are not weak1 if we make a proper use of those means which the ,god of nature hath placed in our power4 ,three millions of people1 armed in the holy cause of liberty1 and in such a country as that which we possess1 are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us4 ,besides1 sir1 we shall not fight our battles alone4 ,there is a just ,god who presides over the destinies of nations1 and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us4 ,the battle1 sir1 is not to the strong alone2 it is to the vigilant1 the active1 the brave4 ,besides1 sir1 we have no election4 ,if we were base enough to desire it1 it is now too late to retire from the contest4 ,there is no retreat but in submission and slavery6 ,our chains are forged6 ,their clanking may be heard on the plains of ,boston6 ,the war is inevitable2 and let it come6 ,i repeat it1 sir1 let it come6 ,it is in vain1 sir1 to extenuate the matter4 ,gentlemen may cry3 ,peace1 peace6--but there is no peace4 ,the war is actually begun6 ,the next gale that sweeps from the ,north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms6 ,our brethren are already in the field6 ,why stand we here idle8 ,what is it that gentlemen wish8 ,what would they have8 ,is life so dear1 or peace so sweet1 as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery8 ,forbid it1 ,almighty ,god6 ,i know not what course others may take1 but as for me1 give me liberty1 or give me death6 ,,mutation4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,upon the shores of ,no-man's-land1 ,i met an angel1 one whose wings ,shed beams of light on either hand1 ,as radiant as the sunrise brings4 ,and happy souls1 with eager tread1 ,passed up and down the sandy slope2 ,oh1 tell me your fair name6 ,i said2 ,she turned and smiled1 and answered3 ,hope4 ,along the shores of ,no-man's-land1 ,the angel walked1 with folded wings1 ,and shadows fell on every hand1 ,the burden that the night-wind brings4 ,with head turned backward1 sad and slow ,she paced the sands1 her eyelids wet1 ,hope mourns1 ,i said1 and soft and low1 ,the angel sighed3 ,i am ,regret4 ,,six ,,love ,,letters ,are there any more of those letters8 ,when her father asked this question in an awful tone1 ,lucilla ,richmond could not say ,no1 and dared not say ,yes1 but as an intermediate course burst into tears and sobbed behind her handkerchief4 ,bring them to me1 ,lucilla1 said her father1 as if she had answered him1 as indeed she had2 and the girl1 trembling and weeping1 arose to obey him4 ,then ,mrs4 ,richmond1 her daughter's own self grown older1 came behind her husband's chair and patted him on the shoulder4 ,please don't be hard with her1 my dear1 she said1 coaxingly4 ,he's a nice young man1 and it's all our fault1 after all1 as much as hers4 ,perhaps you approve of the whole affair1 ma'am1 said ,mr4 ,richmond4 ,i--no--that is ,i only-- gasped the little woman2 and hearing ,lucilla coming1 she sank into a chair1 blaming herself dreadfully for not having been present at all her daughter's music lessons during the past year4 ,it was inexcusable in a poor music teacher1 who should have known his place1 ,mr4 ,richmond declared2 and he clutched the little perfumed billet which had fallen into his hands1 as he might a scorpion1 and waited for the others with a look upon his face which told of no softening4 ,at last six little white envelopes1 tied together with blue ribbons1 were laid at his elbow by his trembling daughter4 ,lock these up until ,i return home this evening1 he said to his wife2 ,i will read them then4 ,meanwhile ,lucilla is not to see this music teacher on any pretence whatever4 ,mr4 ,richmond put on his hat and departed1 and ,lucilla and her mother took the opportunity of falling into each other's arms4 ,it is so naughty of you1 said ,mrs4 ,richmond4 ,but oh1 dear1 ,i can't blame you4 ,it was exactly so with your father1 and my father objected because of his poverty4 ,he used to be very romantic himself in those old times4 ,such letters as he wrote to me4 ,i have them in my desk yet4 ,he said he'd die if ,i refused him4 ,so does ,fred1 said ,lucilla4 ,and that life would be worthless without me1 and about my being beautiful1--,i'm sure he ought to sympathize a little1 said ,mrs4 ,richmond4 ,she went into her own room to put the letters into her desk2 and as she placed them into one of the pigeon holes1 she saw in another a bundle1 tied exactly as these were1 and drew them out4 ,these letters were to a ,lucilla also1 one who had received them twenty years before4 ,a strange idea came into ,mrs4 ,richmond's mind4 ,when she left the desk she looked guilty and frightened4 ,the dinner hour arrived1 and with it came her husband1 angered and more determined than ever4 ,the meal was passed in silence2 then1 having adjourned to the parlor1 ,mr4 ,richmond seated himself in a great arm-chair1 and demanded1 in a voice of thunder3 ,those absurd letters1 if you please4 ,six letters--six shameful pieces of deception1 ,lucilla1 said the indignant parent4 ,i am shocked that a child of mine should practice such duplicity4 ,hem6 let me see4 ,number one1 ,i believe4 ,june1 and this is ,december4 ,half a year you have deceived us then1 ,lucilla4 ,let me see--ah6 ',from the first moment ,i adored you1' bah6 ,nonsense4 ,people don't fall in love in that absurd manner4 ',with your smiles for a goal1 ,i would win both fame and fortune1 poor as ,i am6' ,fiddlesticks1 ,lucilla4 ,a man who has common sense would always wait until he had a fair commencement before he proposed to a girl4 ,praising your beauty1 eh8 ',the loveliest creature ,i ever saw6' ,exaggeration1 my dear4 ,you are not plain1 but such flattery is absurd4 ',must hear from you or die6' ,dear1 dear1 dear--how absurd6 ,and ,mr4 ,richmond dropped the first letter and picked another4 ,the same stuff1 he commented4 ,i hope you do not believe a word he says4 ,ah6 now in number three he calls you 'an angel6' ,he's romantic1 upon my soul6 ,and what is this8 ',those who forbid me to see you can find no fault with me but my poverty4 ,i am honest--,i am earnest in my efforts4 ,i am by birth a gentleman1 and ,i love you from the depths of my soul4 ,do not let them sell you for gold1 ,lucilla4' ,great heavens1 what impertinence to your parents6 ,i don't remember ,fred saying anything of that kind1 said poor little ,lucilla4 ,he never knew you would object4 ,mr4 ,richmond shook his head1 frowned and then read on until the last sheet lay under his hand4 ,then with an ejaculation of rage1 he sprang to his feet4 ,infamous6 he cried6 ,i'll go to him this instant--,i'll horsewhip him1 ,i'll--,i'll murder him6 ,as for you1 by ,jove1 ,i'll send you to a convent4 ,elope--elope with a music teacher6 ,here1 ,john1 call a cab1 ,i---- ,oh1 papa6 you are crazy6 said ,lucilla4 ,frederick never proposed such a thing4 ,let me see the letter4 ,oh1 that is not ,fred's--upon my word it is not4 ,do look1 papa1 it is dated twenty years back1 and ,frederick's name is not ,charles6 ,papa1 these are your letters to mamma1 written long ago4 ,mother's name is ,lucilla1 you know4 ,mr4 ,richmond sat down in his arm-chair in silence1 very red in the face4 ,how did this occur8 he said1 sternly2 and little ,mrs4 ,richmond1 retreating into a corner1 with her handkerchief to her eyes1 sobbed3 ,i did it on purpose6 ,you know1 ,charles1 it's so long ago1 and ,i thought you might not exactly remember how you fell in love with me at first sight2 how papa and mamma objected1 and how1 at last1 we ran away together2 and it seemed to me if we could bring it back all plainly to you as it was then1 we might let ,lucilla marry the man she loves1 who is good1 if he is not rich4 ,i do not need to be brought back any plainer myself2 women have more time to remember1 you know4 ,and we've been very happy--have we not8 ,and certainly ,mr4 ,richmond could not deny that4 ,the little ruse was favorable to the young music teacher1 who had really only been sentimental1 and had not gone one half so far as an elopement2 and in due course of time the two were married with all the pomp and grandeur befitting the nuptials of a wealthy merchant's daughter1 with the perfect approbation of ,lucilla's father4 ,a ,,roman ,,legend4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,hour by hour1 with skillful pencil1 wrought the artist1 sad and lone1 ,day by day1 he labored nobly1 though to all the world unknown2 ,he was brave1 the youthful artist1 but his soul grew weak and faint1 ,as he strove to place before him1 the fair features of a saint2 ,worn and weary1 he strove vainly1 for the touch of ,heavenly grace1 ,till1 one day1 a radiant sunbeam fell upon the up-turned face1 ,and the very air was flooded with a presence strangely sweet1 ,for the soul1 within the sunbeam1 seemed to make the work complete2 ,swift as thought the artist's pencil deftly touched the features fair1 ,night came down1 but one bright sunbeam left its soul imprisoned there2 ,and around his dingy garret gazed the artist1 wondering1 ,for the work sublime illumed it like the palace of a king2 ,and within the artist nature flamed his first fond love divine1 ,which bewildered all his senses1 as with rare1 old1 ruby wine4 ,yearningly1 he cried3 ,i love thee1 to the radiant saintly face1 ,but the never-ceasing answer was a look of ,heavenly grace4 ,out into the world he wandered1 questioning1 searching everywhere1 ,and the stars above1 full often1 heard his soul burst forth in prayer3 ,god in ,heaven1 in mercy1 hear me6 ,hear thy suppliant's pleading cry1 ,lead1 oh lead6 my footsteps to her4 ,grant but this1 or let me die4 ,friends forsook and want pursued him1 still he struggled on alone1 ,till1 at last1 outworn and trembling1 reason tottered on its throne1 ,and he seemed the helpless plaything of some mad1 relentless fate1 ,till the ,sisterhood of ,mercy found him lying at their gate2 ,made him welcome1 gave him shelter and with ever-patient care ,bathed his brow and brushed the tangled1 matted tresses of his hair4 ,long he lingered on the borders of the holy-land of death1 ,one fair ,sister1 by his bedside1 counting low each fluttering breath4 ,softly fell the evening shadows1 shutting out the golden glow1 ,of a gorgeous1 lingering sunset1 gilding all the earth below1 ,when1 upon his pillow turning1 swift came to him hope's bright gleams1 ,for the anxious face above him was the loved one of his dreams4 ,but her life was one of mercy1 and the band across her brow1 ,gave the spotless testimony of a maiden's holy vow4 ,is this ,heaven8 ,are you an angel8 swift he questioned her1 the while ,she smoothed back his wavy tresses1 only answering with a smile2 ,tell me truly1 couldst thou love me1 since thou wouldst not let me die8 ,but she pointed to the band about her brow and breathed a sigh4 ,in her hours of patient watching1 she had learned the bitter truth1 ,that the ,sisterhood of ,mercy has its anguish and its ruth2 ,nevermore she came1 well-knowing1 from temptation se must fly1 ,for his eager1 tender questions in her heart had found reply4 ,every morning he would question3 ,will she come to me to-day8 ,and the tender1 truthful ,sisters shook their heads and turned away1 ,for adown his classic features passed the shadow of his pain1 ,as he closed his eyes and murmured3 ,she will never come again4 ,in his dreams1 one night1 he fancied she had bent above his bed1 ,and his loving arms reached upward1 but the vision sweet had fled4 ,hopeless1 in his great heart-hunger1 through a storm of wind and rain1 ,to his picture turned the artist1 bowing low with grief and pain2 ,open wide he threw the shutters of his garret casement high1 ,heeding not the vivid lightning1 as it flashed athwart the sky4 ,on his lowly couch reclining1 soon in weariness he slept1 ,while the storm clouds o'er him thundering1 long and loud their vigils kept4 ,wilder grew the night and fiercer blew the winds1 until at last1 ,like a bird of prey or demon1 through the shattered casement1 passed ,the old shutter1 rending1 tearing every wondrous touch and trace ,of the artist's patient labor1 from the radiant1 saintly face2 ,and the jagged bands of lightning1 as they flashed along the floor1 ,lit the crushed and crumpled canvas1 worthless now forevermore4 ,and the artist1 slowly rising1 groped his way across the room1 ,feeling1 knowing he had lost her1 though enshrouded in the gloom4 ,then besought his couch and murmured3 ,it is well1 ,god knoweth best4 ,and the sunbeams of the morning found a weary soul--at rest4 ,a ,,friend ,,of ,,the ,,fly4 ,with a fly-screen under one arm and a bundle of sticky fly-paper under the other1 an honest agent entered a grocery store one day in the summer and said3 ,why don't you keep 'em out8 ,who vash dot8 asked the grocery-man4 ,why1 the pesky flies4 ,you've got 'em by the thousand in here1 and the fly season has only begun4 ,shall ,i put fly-screens in the doors8 ,what for8 ,to keep the flies out4 ,why should ,i keep der flies oudt8 ,flies like some shance to go aroundt und see der city de same ash agents4 ,if a fly ish kept out on der street all der time he might ash vhell be a horse4 ,yes1 but they are a great nuisance4 ,i'll put you up a screen door there for three dollars4 ,not any for me4 ,if a fly vhants to come in here1 und he behaves himself in a respectable manner1 ,i have notings to say4 ,if he don't behave1 ,i bounce him oudt pooty queek1 und don't he forget her6 ,well1 try this fly-paper4 ,every sheet will catch five hundred flies4 ,who vhants to catch 'em8 ,i do--you--everybody4 ,i don't see it like dot4 ,if ,i put dot fly-paper on der counter somebody comes along und wipes his nose mit it1 or somebody leans his elbow on her und vhalks off mit him4 ,it would be shust like my boy ,shake to come in und lick all der molasses off1 to play a shoke on his fadder4 ,say1 ,i'll put down a sheet1 and if it doesn't catch twenty flies in five minutes ,i'll say no more4 ,if you catch twenty flies ,i have to pry 'em loose mit a stick und let 'em go1 und dot vhas too much work4 ,no1 my agent friendt2 flies must have a shance to get along und take some comfort4 ,i vhas poor once myself1 und ,i know all about it4 ,i'll give you seven sheets for ten cents4 ,oxactly1 but ,i won't do it4 ,it looks to me like shmall beesness for a big agent like you to go around mit some confidence games to shwindle flies4 ,a fly vhas born to be a fly1 und to come into my shtore ash often ash he likes4 ,when he comes ,i shall treat him like a shentleman4 ,i gif him a fair show4 ,i don't keep an axe to knock him in der headt1 und ,i don't put some molasses all oafer a sheet of paper und coax him to come und be all stuck up mit his feet till he can't fly away4 ,you can pass along--,i'm no such person like dot4 ,,answered ,,prayers4 ,,by ,,ella ,,wheeler ,,wilcox4 ,i prayed for riches1 and achieved success1-- ,all that ,i touched turned into gold4 ,alas6 ,my cares were greater1 and my peace was less ,when that wish came to pass4 ,i prayed for glory2 and ,i heard my name ,sung by sweet children and by hoary men4 ,but ah6 the hurts1 the hurts that come with fame6 ,i was not happy then4 ,i prayed for love1 and had my soul's desire2 ,through quivering heart and body and through brain ,there swept the flame of its devouring fire2 ,and there the scars remain4 ,i prayed for a contented mind4 ,at length ,great light upon my darkened spirit burst4 ,great peace fell on me1 also1 and great strength4 ,oh6 had that prayer been first6 ,,god ,,in ,,the ,,american ,,constitution4 ,,by ,t4 ,,de ,,witt ,,talmage4 ,not only because of the kindness of ,god to this nation in the past should such a reverential insertion be made1 but because of the fact that we are going to want ,divine interposition still further in our national history4 ,this gold and silver question will never be settled until ,god settles it4 ,this question of tariff and free trade will never be settled until ,god settles it4 ,this question between the ,east and the ,west1 which is getting hotter and hotter1 and looks toward a ,republic of the ,pacific1 will not be settled until ,god settles it4 ,we needed ,god in the one hundred and twenty years of our past national life1 and we will need ,him still more in the next one hundred and twenty years4 ,lift up your heads1 ye everlasting gates of our glorious ,constitution1 and let the ,king of ,glory come in6 ,make one line of that immortal document radiant with ,omnipotence6 ,spell at least one word with ,thrones6 ,at the beginning1 or at the close1 or in the centre1 recognize ,him from whom as a nation we have received all the blessing of the past and upon whom we are dependent for the future4 ,print that one word ,god1 or ,lord1 or ,eternal ,father1 or ,ruler of ,nations1 somewhere between the first word and the last4 ,the ,great ,expounder of the ,constitution sleeps at ,marshfield1 ,massachusetts1 the ,atlantic ,ocean still humming near his pillow of dust its prolonged lullaby2 but is there not some one now living1 who1 in the white marble palace of the nation on yonder hill1 not ten minutes away1 will become the ,irradiator of the ,constitution by causing to be added the most tremendous word of our ,english vocabulary1 the name of that ,being before whom all nations must bow or go into defeat and annihilation1--,god8 ,,the ,,enchanted ,,shirt4 ,,by ,,john ,,hay4 ,the king was sick4 ,his cheek was red1 ,and his eye was clear and bright2 ,he ate and drank with a kingly zest1 ,and peacefully snored at night4 ,but he said he was sick--and a king should know2 ,and doctors came by the score2 ,they did not cure him4 ,he cut off their heads1 ,and sent to the schools for more4 ,at last two famous doctors came1 ,and one was poor as a rat2 ,he had passed his life in studious toil ,and never found time to grow fat4 ,the other had never looked in a book2 ,his patients gave him no trouble2 ,if they recovered1 they paid him well1 ,if they died1 their heirs paid double4 ,together they looked at the royal tongue1 ,as the king on his couch reclined2 ,in succession they thumped his august chest1 ,but no trace of disease could find4 ,the old sage said1 ,you're as sound as a nut4 ,hang him up6 roared the king1 in a gale1 ,in a ten-knot gale of royal range2 ,the other grew a shadow pale2 ,but he pensively rubbed his sagacious nose1 ,and thus his prescription ran3 ,the king will be well if he sleeps one night ,in the shirt of a happy man4 ,wide o'er the realm the couriers rode1 ,and fast their horses ran1 ,and many they saw1 and to many they spake1 ,but they found no happy man4 ,they found poor men who would fain be rich1 ,and rich who thought they were poor2 ,and men who twisted their waists in stays1 ,and women that short hose wore4 ,they saw two men by the roadside sit1 ,and both bemoaned their lot2 ,for one had buried his wife he said1 ,and the other one had not4 ,at last they came to a village gate2 ,a beggar lay whistling there2 ,he whistled and sang and laughed1 and rolled ,on the grass in the soft ,june air4 ,the weary couriers paused and looked ,at the scamp so blithe and gay1 ,and one of them said1 ,heaven save you1 friend1 ,yon seem to be happy to-day4 ,oh yes1 fair sirs1 the rascal laughed1 ,and his voice rang free and glad2 ,an idle man has so much to do ,that he never has time to be sad4 ,this is our man1 the courier said1 ,our luck has led us aright4 ,i will give you a hundred ducats1 friend1 ,for the loan of your shirt to-night4 ,the merry blackguard lay back on the grass ,and laughed till his face was black2 ,i would do it1 ,god wot1 and he roared with fun1 ,but ,i haven't a shirt to my back4 ,each day to the king the reports came in ,of his unsuccessful spies1 ,and the sad panorama of human woes ,passed daily under his eyes4 ,and he grew ashamed of his useless life1 ,and his maladies hatched in gloom2 ,he opened the windows1 and let in the air ,of the free heaven into his room2 ,and out he went in the world1 and toiled ,in his own appointed way1 ,and the people blessed him1 the land was glad1 ,and the king was well and gay4 ,,praying ,,for ,,papa4 ,a man who had been walking for some time in the downward path1 came out of his house and started down town for a night of carousal with some old companions he had promised to meet4 ,his young wife had besought him with imploring eyes to spend the evening with her1 and had reminded him of the time when evenings passed in her company were all too short4 ,his little daughter had clung about his knees and coaxed in her pretty1 wilful way for papa to tell her some bedtime stories1 but habit was stronger than love for wife and child1 and he eluded their tender questioning by the special sophistries the father of evil advances at such times from his credit fund1 and went his way4 ,but when he was a few blocks distant from his home1 he found that in changing his coat he had forgotten to remove his wallet1 and he could not go out on a drinking bout without money1 even though he knew his family needed it1 and his wife was economizing every day more and more in order to make up his deficits1 and he hurried back and crept softly past the windows of the little house1 in order that he might steal in and obtain it without running the gauntlet of either questions or caresses4 ,but something stayed his feet2 there was a fire in the grate within--for the night was chilly--and it lit up the little parlor and brought out in startling effects the pictures on the wall4 ,but these were as nothing to the pictures on the hearth4 ,there1 in the soft glow of the fire-light knelt his child at the mother's feet1 its small hands clasped in prayer1 its fair head bowed2 and as its rosy lips whispered each word with distinctness1 the father listened1 spell-bound to the spot3 ,now ,i lay me down to sleep1 ,i pray the ,lord my soul to keep2 ,if ,i should die before ,i wake1 ,i pray the ,lord my soul to take4 ,sweet petition6 ,the man himself1 who stood there with bearded lips shut tightly together1 had said that prayer once at his mother's knee4 ,where was that mother now8 ,the sunset gates had long ago unbarred to let her through4 ,but the child had not finished2 he heard her say ,god bless mamma1 papa1 and my ownself--and there was a pause1 and she lifted her troubled blue eyes to her mother's face4 ,god bless papa1 prompted the mother1 softly4 ,god bless papa1 lisped the little one4 ,and--please send papa home sober--he could not hear the mother as she said this1 but the child followed in a clear1 inspired tone3 ,god--bless--papa--and--please--send--hi m--home--sober4 ,amen4 ,mother and child sprang to their feet in alarm when the door opened so suddenly1 but they were not afraid when they saw who it was1 returned so soon4 ,that night1 when little ,mamie was being tucked up in bed after such a romp with papa1 she said in the sleepiest and most contented of voices3 ,mamma1 ,god answers most as quick as the telegraph1 doesn't he8 ,,becalmed4 ,,by ,,samuel1 ,k4 ,,cowan4 ,it was as calm as calm could be2 ,a death-still night in ,june2 ,a silver sail on a silver sea1 ,under a silver moon4 ,not the least low air the still sea stirred2 ,but all on the dreaming deep ,the white ship lay1 like a white sea-bird1 ,with folded wings1 asleep4 ,for a long1 long month1 not a breath of air2 ,for a month1 not a drop of rain2 ,and the gaunt crew watched in wild despair1 ,with a fever in throat and brain4 ,and they saw the shore1 like a dim cloud1 stand ,on the far horizon-sea2 ,it was only a day's short sail to the land1 ,and the haven where they would be4 ,too faint to row--no signal brought ,an answer1 far or nigh4 ,father1 have mercy2 leave them not ,alone1 on the deep1 to die4 ,and the gaunt crew prayed on the decks above2 ,and the women prayed below3 ,one drop of rain1 for ,heaven's great love6 ,oh1 ,heaven1 for a breeze to blow6 ,but never a shower from the cloud would burst1 ,and never a breeze would come3 ,o ,god1 to think that man can thirst ,and starve in sight of home6 ,but out to sea with the drifting tide ,the vessel drifted away-- ,till the far-off shore1 like the dim cloud1 died2 ,and the wild crew ceased to pray6 ,like fiends they glared1 with their eyes aglow2 ,like beasts with hunger wild3 ,but a mother prayed1 in the cabin below1 ,by the bed of her little child4 ,it slept1 and lo6 in its sleep it smiled1-- ,a babe of summers three3 ,o ,father1 save my little child1 ,whatever comes to me6 ,calm gleamed the sea1 calm gleamed the sky1 ,no cloud--no sail in view2 ,and they cast them lots1 for who should die ,to feed the starving crew6 ,like beasts they glared1 with hunger wild1 ,and their red-glazed eyes aglow1 ,and the death-lot fell on the little child ,that slept in the cabin below6 ,and the mother shrieked in wild despair3 ,o ,god1 my child--my son4 ,they will take his life1 it is hard to bear2 ,yet1 ,father1 ,thy will be done4 ,and she waked the child from its happy sleep1 ,and she kneeled by the cradle bed2 ,we thirst1 my child1 on the lonely deep2 ,we are dying1 my child1 for bread4 ,on the lone1 lone sea no sail--no breeze2 ,not a drop of rain in the sky2 ,we thirst--we starve--on the lonely seas2 ,and thou1 my child1 must die6 ,she wept3 what tears her wild soul shed ,not ,i1 but ,heaven knows best4 ,and the child rose up from its cradle bed1 ,and crossed its hands on its breast3 ,father1 he lisped1 so good1 so kind1 ,have pity on mother's pain3 ,for mother's sake1 a little wind2 ,father1 a little rain6 ,and she heard them shout for the child from the deck1 ,and she knelt on the cabin stairs3 ,the child6 they cry1 the child--stand back-- ,and a curse on your idiot prayers6 ,and the mother rose in her wild despair1 ,and she bared her throat to the knife3 ,strike--strike me--me2 but spare1 oh1 spare ,my child1 my dear son's life6 ,o ,god1 it was a ghastly sight1-- ,red eyes1 like flaming brands1 ,and a hundred belt-knives flashing bright ,in the clutch of skeleton hands6 ,me--me--strike--strike1 ye fiends of death6 ,but soft--through the ghastly air ,whose falling tear was that8 whose breath ,waves through the mother's hair8 ,a flutter of sail--a ripple of seas-- ,a speck on the cabin pane2 ,o ,god2 it's a breeze--a breeze-- ,and a drop of blessed rain6 ,and the mother rushed to the cabin below1 ,and she wept on the babe's bright hair4 ,the sweet rain falls the sweet winds blow2 ,father has heard thy prayer6 ,bu the child had fallen asleep again1 ,and lo6 in its sleep it smiled4 ,thank ,god1 she cried1 for ,his wind and ,his rain6 ,thank ,god1 for my little child6 ,,in ,,the ,,bottom ,,drawer4 ,i saw wife pull out the bottom drawer of the old family bureau this evening1 and went softly out1 and wandered up and down1 until ,i knew that she had shut it up and gone to her sewing4 ,we have some things laid away in that drawer which the gold of kings could not buy1 and yet they are relics which grieve us until both our hearts are sore4 ,i haven't dared look at them for a year1 but ,i remember each article4 ,there are two worn shoes1 a little chip hat with part of the brim gone1 some stockings1 pants1 a coat1 two or three spools1 bits of broken crockery1 a whip and several toys4 ,wife--poor thing--goes to that drawer every day of her life1 and prays over it1 and lets her tears fall upon the precious articles2 but ,i dare not go4 ,sometimes we speak of little ,jack1 but not often4 ,it has been a long time1 but somehow we can't get over grieving4 ,he was such a burst of sunshine into our lives that his going away has been like covering our every-day existence with a pall4 ,sometimes1 when we sit alone of an evening1 ,i writing and she sewing1 a child on the street will call out as our boy used to1 and we will both start up with beating hearts and a wild hope1 only to find the darkness more of a burden than ever4 ,it is so still and quiet now4 ,i look up at the window where his blue eyes used to sparkle at my coming1 but he is not there4 ,i listen for his pattering feet1 his merry shout1 and his ringing laugh2 but there is no sound4 ,there is no one to climb over my knees1 no one to search my pockets and tease for presents3 and ,i never find the chairs turned over1 the broom down1 or ropes tied to the door-knobs4 ,i want some one to tease me for my knife2 to ride on my shoulder2 to lose my axe2 to follow me to the gate when ,i go1 and be there to meet me when ,i come2 to call good-night from the little bed1 now empty4 ,and wife1 she misses him still more2 there are no little feet to wash1 no prayers to say2 no voice teasing for lumps of sugar1 or sobbing with the pain of a hurt toe2 and she would give her own life1 almost1 to awake at midnight1 and look across to the crib and see our boy there as he used to be4 ,so we preserve our relics2 and when we are dead we hope that strangers will handle them tenderly1 even if they shed no tears over them4 ,,emulation 7,,up ,,to ,,date74 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,he who would thrive must rise at five1 ,the old folks used to say1 ,and so1 of course1 to thrive the more1 ,tis better still to rise at four1 ,and make a longer day4 ,still smarter he who wakes at three1 ,and hurries out of bed2 ,and he who would this man outdo ,must rise when clocks are striking two1 ,to earn his daily bread4 ,to rise and run at stroke of one1 ,advantage still may keep2 ,but he who would them all forestall ,must never go to bed at all1 ,and die for lack of sleep4 ,,destiny ,,of ,,our ,,country4 ,,by ,r4 ,c4 ,,winthrop4 ,here1 then1 sir1 ,i bring these remarks to a close4 ,i have explained1 to the best of my ability1 the views which ,i entertain of the great questions of the day4 ,those views may be misrepresented hereafter1 as they have been heretofore2 but they cannot be misunderstood by any one who desires1 or who is even willing1 to understand them4 ,most gladly would ,i have found myself agreeing more entirely with some of the friends whom ,i see around me1 and with more than one of those elsewhere1 with whom ,i have always been proud to be associated1 and whose lead1 on almost all occasions1 ,i have rejoiced to follow4 ,our tie1 however1 ,i am persuaded1 still remains to us all--a common devotion to the ,union of these ,states1 and a common determination to sacrifice everything but principle to its preservation4 ,our responsibilities are indeed great4 ,this vast republic1 stretching from sea to sea1 and rapidly outgrowing everything but our affections1 looks anxiously to us1 this day1 to take care that it receives no detriment4 ,nor is it too much to say1 that the eyes and the hearts of the friends of constitutional freedom throughout the world are at this moment turned eagerly here1--more eagerly than ever before1--to behold an example of successful republican institutions1 and to see them come out safely and triumphantly from the fiery trial to which they are now subjected6 ,i have the firmest faith that these eyes and these hearts will not be disappointed4 ,i have the strongest belief that the visions and phantoms of disunion which now appall us will soon be remembered only like the clouds of some ,april morning1 or the dissolving views of some evening spectacle4 ,i have the fullest conviction that this glorious republic is destined to outlast all1 all1 at either end of the ,union1 who may be plotting against its peace1 or predicting its downfall4 ,fond1 impious man6 think'st thou yon sanguine cloud ,raised by thy breath1 can quench the orb of day8 ,to morrow1 it repairs its golden flood1 ,and warms the nations with redoubled ray6 ,let us proceed in the settlement of the unfortunate controversies in which we find ourselves involved1 in a spirit of mutual conciliation and concession3--let us invoke fervently upon our efforts the blessings of that ,almighty ,being who is the author of peace and lover of concord3--and we shall still find order springing out of confusion1 harmony evoked from discord1 and peace1 union and liberty1 once more reassured to our land6 ,,the ,,women ,,of ,,mumbles ,,head4 ,,by ,,clement ,,scott4 ,bring1 novelist1 your note-book6 bring1 dramatist1 your pen6 ,and ,i'll tell you a simple story of what women do for men4 ,it's only a tale of a lifeboat1 of the dying and the dead1 ,of the terrible storm and shipwreck that happened off ,mumbles ,head6 ,maybe you have traveled in ,wales1 sir1 and know it north and south2 ,maybe you are friends with the natives that dwell at ,oystermouth2 ,it happens1 no doubt1 that from ,bristol you've crossed in a casual way1 ,and have sailed your yacht in the summer in the blue of ,swansea ,bay4 ,well6 it isn't like that in the winter1 when the lighthouse stands alone1 ,in the teeth of ,atlantic breakers that foam on its face of stone2 ,it wasn't like that when the hurricane blew1 and the storm-bell tolled1 or when ,there was news of a wreck1 and the lifeboat launched1 and a desperate cry for men4 ,when in the world did the coxswain shirk8 a brave old salt was he6 ,proud to the bone of as four strong lads as ever had tasted the sea1 ,welshmen all to the lungs and loins1 who1 about that coast1 'twas said1 ,had saved some hundred lives apiece--at a shilling or so a head6 ,so the father launched the lifeboat1 in the teeth of the tempest's roar1 ,and he stood like a man at the rudder1 with an eye on his boys at the oar4 ,out to the wreck went the father6 out to the wreck went the sons6 ,leaving the weeping of women1 and booming of signal guns2 ,leaving the mother who loved them1 and the girls that the sailors love1 ,going to death for duty1 and trusting to ,god above6 ,do you murmur a prayer1 my brothers1 when cozy and safe in bed1 ,for men like these1 who are ready to die for a wreck off ,mumbles ,head8 ,it didn't go well with the lifeboat6 'twas a terrible storm that blew6 ,and it snapped the rope in a second that was flung to the drowning crew2 ,and then the anchor parted--'twas a tussle to keep afloat6 ,but the father stuck to the rudder1 and the boys to the brave old boat4 ,then at last on the poor doomed lifeboat a wave broke mountains high6 ,god help us now6 said the father4 ,it's over1 my lads6 ,good-bye6 ,half of the crew swam shoreward1 half to the sheltered caves1 ,but father and sons were fighting death in the foam of the angry waves4 ,up at a lighthouse window two women beheld the storm1 ,and saw in the boiling breakers a figure1--a fighting form2 ,it might be a gray-haired father1 then the women held their breath2 ,it might be a fair-haired brother1 who was having a round with death1 ,it might be a lover1 a husband1 whose kisses were on the lips ,of the women whose love is the life of men going down to the sea in ships4 ,they had seen the launch of the lifeboat1 they had seen the worst1 and more1 ,then1 kissing each other1 these women went down from the lighthouse1 straight to shore4 ,there by the rocks on the breakers these sisters1 hand in hand1 ,beheld once more that desperate man who struggled to reach the land4 ',twas only aid he wanted to help him across the wave1 ,but what are a couple of women with only a man to save8 ,what are a couple of women8 well1 more than three craven men ,who stood by the shore with chattering teeth1 refusing to stir--and then ,off went the women's shawls1 sir2 in a second they're torn and rent1 ,then knotting them into a rope of love1 straight into the sea they went6 ,come back6 cried the lighthouse-keeper1 ,for ,god's sake1 girls1 come back6 ,as they caught the waves on their foreheads1 resisting the fierce attack4 ,come back6 moaned the gray-haired mother1 as she stood by the angry sea1 ,if the waves take you1 my darlings1 there's nobody left to me6 ,come back6 said the three strong soldiers1 who still stood faint and pale1 ,you will drown if you face the breakers6 you will fall if you brave the gale6 ,come back6 said the girls1 we will not6 go tell it to all the town1 ,we'll lose our lives1 ,god willing1 before that man shall drown6 ,give one more knot to the shawls1 ,bess6 give one strong clutch of your hand6 ,just follow me1 brave1 to the shingle1 and we'll bring him safe to land6 ,wait for the next wave1 darling6 only a minute more1 ,and ,i'll have him safe in my arms1 dear1 and we'll drag him to the shore4 ,up to the arms in the water1 fighting it breast to breast1 ,they caught and saved a brother alive4 ,god bless them6 you know the rest-- ,well1 many a heart beat stronger1 and many a tear was shed1 ,and many a hearty cheer was raised for ,the ,women of ,mumbles ,head6 ,a ,,reasonable ,,request4 ,,mr4 ,,darnelle ,,asks ,,his ,,fiancee ,a ,,favor1 ,,after ,,their ,,engagement4 ,it is so sudden1 ,mr4 ,darnelle4 ,i know it is1 responded the young man gently4 ,he stood before her with his weight resting easily on one foot1 his left elbow on the mantel-piece1 his right arm behind him1 and his whole attitude one of careless1 unstudied ease and grace1 acquired only by long and patient practice4 ,i know it is1 he repeated4 ,measured by ordinary standards and by the cold conventionalities of society1 it is indeed sudden4 ,we have known each other only twenty-four hours4 ,until #h4be o'clock last night neither of us had ever heard of the other4 ,yet with the heart one day is as one hundred years4 ,could we have known one another better1 darling1 he went on1 with a tremor in his cultivated ,b flat baritone voice1 if we had attended the theatre1 the concert1 the church and the oyster parlor together for a dozen seasons8 ,does not your heart beat responsive to mine8 ,i will not pretend to deny1 ,mr4 ,darnelle1 replied the young lady1 with a rich blush mantling her cheek and brow1 that your avowal moves me strangely4 ,i know it--,i feel it1 he responded eagerly4 ,love is not the slow1 vegetable-like growth of years4 ,it does not move in its course with the measured1 leisurely step of a man working by the day4 ,it springs up like a mushr--like an electric flash4 ,it takes instant possession4 ,it does not need to be jerked in1 as it were4 ,it needs not the agonized coaxing of--of a young man's first chin whiskers1 my darling4 ,it is here6 ,you will forgive my presumption1 will you not1 and speak the words that tremble on your lips--the words that will fill my cup of joy to overflowing8 99 99 99 99 99 ,the evening had passed like a beautiful dream4 ,mr4 ,darnelle1 admonished by the clock that it was time to go1 had risen reluctantly to his feet1 and stood holding the hand of his beautiful betrothed4 ,my love1 he said1 in eager passionate accents1 now that you have blessed my life with a measureless1 ineffable joy1 and made all my future radiant with golden hope1 you will not think ,i am asking too much if ,i plead for just one favor8 ,what is it8 shyly responded the lovely maiden4 ,will you please tell me your first name8 ,,resignation4 ,,by ,h4 ,w4 ,,longfellow4 ,there is no flock1 however watched and tended1 ,but one dead lamb is there6 ,there is no fireside howso'er defended1 ,but has one vacant chair6 ,the air is full of farewells to the dying2 ,and mournings for the dead2 ,the heart of ,rachel1 for her children crying4 ,will not be comforted6 ,let us be patient6 ,these severe afflictions ,not from the ground arise1 ,but oftentimes celestial benedictions ,assume this dark disguise4 ,we see but dimly through the mists and vapors2 ,amid these earthly damps ,what seem to us but sad1 funereal tapers ,may be heaven's distant lamps4 ,there is no ,death6 ,what seems so is transition2 ,this life of mortal breath ,is but a suburb of the life elysian1 ,whose portal we call ,death4 ,she is not dead1--the child of our affection1-- ,but gone unto that school ,where she no longer needs our poor protection1 ,and ,christ himself doth rule4 ,in that great cloister's stillness and seclusion1 ,by guardian angels led1 ,safe from temptation1 safe from sin's pollution1 ,she lives1 whom we call dead4 ,day after day we think what she is doing ,in those bright realms of air2 ,year after year1 her tender steps pursuing1 ,behold her grown more fair4 ,thus do we walk with her1 and keep unbroken ,the bond which nature gives1 ,thinking that our remembrance1 though unspoken1 ,may reach her where she lives4 ,not as a child shall we again behold her2 ,for when with raptures wild ,in our embraces we again enfold her1 ,she will not be a child2 ,but a fair maiden1 in her ,father's mansion1 ,clothed with celestial grace2 ,and beautiful with all the soul's expansion ,shall we behold her face4 ,and though at times impetuous with emotion ,and anguish long suppressed1 ,the swelling heart heaves moaning like the ocean1 ,that cannot be at rest1-- ,we will be patient and assuage the feeling ,we may not wholly stay2 ,by silence sanctifying1 not concealing1 ,the grief that must have way4 ,,an ,,affectionate ,,letter4 ,tipperary1 ,ireland1 ,september the ten4 ,,my ,,dear ,,nephew3 ,i have not heard anything of you sens the last time ,i wrote ye4 ,i have moved from the place where ,i now live1 or ,i should have written to you before4 ,i did not know where a letter might find you first1 but ,i now take my pen in hand to drop you a few lines1 to inform you of the death of your own living uncle1 ,kilpatrick4 ,he died very suddenly after a long illness of six months4 ,poor man1 he suffered a great deal4 ,he lay a long time in convulsions1 perfectly quiet and speechless1 and all the time talking incoherently and inquiring for water4 ,i'm much at a loss to tell you what his death was occasioned by1 but the doctor thinks it was caused by his last sickness1 for he was not well ten days during his confinement4 ,his age ye know jist as well as ,i can tell ye2 he was #be years old last ,march1 lacking fifteen months2 and if he had lived till this time he would be just six months dead4 ,n4 ,b4 ,take notis4 ,i inclose to you a tin pound note1 which ye father sends to ye unbeknown to me4 ,your mother often speaks of ye2 she would like to send ye the brindle cow1 and ,i would inclose her to ye but for the horns4 ,i would beg of ye not to break the sale of this letter until two or three days after ye read it1 for thin ye will be better prepared for the sorrowful news4 ,,patrick ,o',,branigan4 ,to ,michael ,glancy1 ,no4 -- ,broad ,street1 ,united ,states of ,ameriky1 ,state of ,massachusetts1 in ,boston4 ,,the ,,whistling ,,regiment4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,in the recitation which follows1 the effect can be heightened by an accompaniment of the piano and by the whistling of strains from ,annie ,laurie1 adapting the style to the sentiment of the verses4 ,the melody should be played very softly1 except where the battle is alluded to1 and the whistling should be so timed that the last strain of ,annie ,laurie may end with the words1 would lay me down and die4 ,the beat of the drums can be introduced with good effect1 but it is better to omit it unless it can be done skilfully4 ,it is well to state before reciting1 that the escape described is not entirely imaginary as many prisoners made their way through underground passages from rebel prisons1 during the ,civil ,war4 ,an asterisk 7997 at the end of a line denotes where the whistling should commence1 and a dagger 799t7 where it should cease4 ,when the ,north and ,south had parted1 and the boom of the signal gun ,had wakened the ,northern heroes1 for the great deeds to be done1 ,when the nation's cry for soldiers had echoed o'er hill and dale1 ,when hot youth flushed with courage1 while the mother's cheeks turned pale1 ,in the woods of old ,new ,england1 as the day sank down the west1 ,a loved one stood beside me1 her brown head on my breast4 ,from the earliest hours of childhood our paths had been as one1 ,her heart was in my keeping1 though ,i knew not when 'twas won2 ,we had learned to love each other1 in a half unspoken way1 ,but it ripened to full completeness when the parting came1 that day2 ,not a tear in the eyes of azure1 but a deep and fervent prayer1 ,that seemed to say3 ,god bless you1 and guard you1 everywhere4 ,at the call for volunteers1 her face was like drifted snow1 ,she read in my eyes a question and her loyal heart said1 ,go4 ,as the roll of the drums drew nearer1 through the leaves of the rustling trees199 ,the strains of ,annie ,laurie were borne to us1 on the breeze4 ,then ,i drew her pale face nearer and said3 ,brave heart and true1 ,your tender love and prayers shall bring me back to you4 ,and ,i called her my ,annie ,laurie and whispered to her that ,i ,for her sweet sake was willing--to lay me down and die4 ,and ,i said3 ,through the days of danger1 that little song shall be ,like a pass word from this hillside1 to bring your love to me499t ,oh6 many a time1 at nightfall1 in the very shades of death1 ,when the picket lines were pacing their rounds with bated breath199 ,the lips of strong men trembled and brave breasts heaved a sigh1 ,when some one whistled softly1 ,i'd lay me down and die499t ,the tender little ballad our watchword soon became1 ,and in place of ,annie ,laurie1 each had a loved one's name4 ,in the very front of battle1 where the bullets thickest fly199 ,the boys from old ,new ,england oftimes went rushing by1 ,and the rebel lines before us gave way where'er we went1 ,for the gray coats fled in terror from the whistling regiment4 ,amidst the roar of the cannon1 and the shriek of the shells on high1 ,yon could hear the brave boys whistling3 ,i'd lay me down and die499t ,but1 ,alas6 ,though truth is mighty and right will at last prevail1 ,there are times when the best and bravest1 by the wrong outnumbered1 fail2 ,and thus1 one day1 in a skirmish1 but a half-hour's fight at most1 ,a score of the whistling soldiers were caught by the rebel host4 ,with hands fast tied behind us1 we were dragged to a prison pen1 ,where1 hollow-eyed and starving1 lay a thousand loyal men4 ,no roof but the vault of ,heaven1 no bed save the beaten sod1 ,shut in from the world around us1 by a wall where the sentries trod4 ,for a time our ,annie ,laurie brought cheer to that prison pen2 ,a hope to the hearts of the living2 a smile to the dying men4 ,but the spark of ,hope burned dimly1 when each day's setting sun ,dropped the pall of night o'er a comrade1 whose sands of life were run4 ,one night1 in a dismal corner1 where the shadows darkest fell1 ,we huddled close together to hear a soldier tell ,the tales of dear ,new ,england and of loved ones waiting there1 ,when1 ,hark6 a soft1 low whistle1 pierced through the heavy air199 ,and the strain was ,annie ,laurie4 ,each caught the other's eye1 ,and with trembling lips we answered1 ,i'd lay me down and die4 ,from the earth1 near the wall behind us1 a hand came struggling through1 ,with a crumpled bit of paper for the captive boys in blue4 ,and the name6 ,my ,god6 ',twas ,annie1 my ,annie1 true and brave1 ,from the hills of old ,new ,england she had followed me to save499t ,not a word or a sign1 but follow1 where'er you may be led1 ,bring four of your comrades with you1 was all hat the writing said4 ,only eight were left of the twenty and lots were quickly thrown1 ,then our trembling fingers widened the space where the hand had shown4 ,with a stealthy glance at the sentries1 the prisoners gathered round1 ,and the five whom fate had chosen stole silent underground1 ,on1 on1 through the damp earth creeping1 we followed our dusky guide1 ,till under a bank o'erhanging we came to the river side3 ,straight over1 a low voice whispered1 where you see yon beacon light1 ,and ere we could say1 ,god bless you1 he vanished into the night4 ,through the fog and damp of the river1 when the moon was hid from sight1 ,with a fond1 old1 faithful negro1 brave ,annie had crossed each night2 ,and the long1 dark1 narrow passage had grown till we heard close by ,the notes of the dear old pass-word3 ,i'd lay me down and die4 ,with oarlocks muffled and silent1 we pushed out into the stream1 ,when a shot rang out on the stillness4 ,we could see by the musket gleam1 ,a single sentry firing1 but the balls passed harmless by1 ,for the stars had hid their faces and clouds swept o'er the sky4 ,o ,god6 ,how that beacon burning1 brought joy to my heart that night199 ,for ,i knew whose hand had kindled that fire to guide our flight4 ,the new-born hope of freedom filled every arm with strength1 ,and we pulled at the oars like giants till the shore was reached at length4 ,we sprang from the skiff1 half-fainting1 once more in the land of the free1 ,and the lips of my love were waiting to welcome and comfort me4 ,in my wasted arms ,i held her1 while the weary boys close by ,breathed low1 ,for ,annie ,laurie1 ,i'd lay me down and die499t ,,the ,,minister',s ,,grievances4 ,brethren1 said the aged minister1 as he stood up before the church meeting on ,new ,year's ,eve1 ,i am afraid we will have to part4 ,i have labored among you now for fifteen years1 and ,i feel that that is almost enough1 under the peculiar circumstances in which ,i am placed4 ,not that ,i am exactly dissatisfied2 but a clergyman who has been preaching to sinners for fifteen years for five hundred dollars a year1 naturally feels that he is not doing a great work when ,deacon ,jones1 acting as an officer of the church1 pays his last quarter's salary in a promissory note at six months1 and then1 acting as an individual1 offers to discount it for him at ten per cent if he will take it part out in clover seed and pumpkins4 ,i feel somehow as if it would take about eighty-four years of severe preaching to prepare the deacon for existence in a felicitous hereafter4 ,let me say1 also1 that while ,i am deeply grateful to the congregation for the donation party they gave me on ,christmas1 ,i have calculated that it would be far more profitable for me to shut my house and take to the woods than endure another one4 ,i will not refer to the impulsive generosity which persuaded ,sister ,potter to come with a present of eight clothes pins2 ,i will not insinuate anything against ,brother ,ferguson1 who brought with him a quarter of a peck of dried apples of the crop of #ahgb2 ,i shall not allude to the benevolence of ,sister ,tynhirst1 who came with a pen-wiper and a tin horse for the baby2 ,i shall refrain from commenting upon the impression made by ,brother ,hill1 who brought four phosphorescent mackerel1 possibly with an idea that they might be useful in dissipating the gloom in my cellar4 ,i omit reference to ,deacon ,jones' present of an elbow of stove-pipe and a bundle of tooth-picks1 and ,i admit that when ,sister ,peabody brought me sweetened sausage-meat1 and salted and peppered mince-meat for pies1 she did right in not forcing her own family to suffer from her mistake in mixing the material4 ,but ,i do think ,i may fairly remark respecting the case of ,sister ,walsingham1 that after careful thought ,i am unable to perceive how she considered that a present of a box of hair-pins to my wife justified her in consuming half a pumpkin pie1 six buttered muffins1 two platefuls of oysters1 and a large variety of miscellaneous food1 previous to jamming herself full of preserves1 and proceeding to the parlor to join in singing ',there is rest for the weary6' ,such a destruction of the necessaries of life doubtless contributes admirably to the stimulation of commerce1 but it is far too large a commercial operation to rest solely upon the basis of a ten-cent box of hair-pins4 ,as for matters in the church1 ,i do not care to discuss them at length4 ,i might say much about the manner in which the congregation were asked to contribute clothing to our mission in ,senegambia2 we received nothing but four neckties and a brass breast-pin1 excepting a second-hand carriage-whip that ,deacon ,jones gave us4 ,i might allude to the frivolous manner in which ,brother ,atkinson1 our tenor1 converses with ,sister ,priestly1 our soprano1 during my sermons1 and last ,sunday he kissed her when he thought ,i was not looking2 ,i might allude to the absent-mindedness which has permitted ,brother ,brown twice lately to put half a dollar on the collection-plate and take off two quarters and a ten-cent piece in change2 and ,i might dwell upon the circumstance that while ,brother ,toombs1 the undertaker1 sings ',i would not live alway' with professional enthusiasm that is pardonable1 ,i do not see why he should throw such unction into the hymn ',i am unworthy though ,i give my all1' when he is in arrears for two years' pew-rent1 and is always busy examining the carpet-pattern when the plate goes round4 ,i also---- ,but there ,brother ,toombs turned off the gas suddenly1 and the meeting adjourned full of indignation at the good pastor4 ,his resignation was accepted unanimously4 ,,the ,,good ,,old ,,way4 ,john ,mann had a wife who was kind and true1-- ,a wife who loved him well2 ,she cared for the house and their only child2 ,but if ,i the truth must tell1 ,she fretted and pined because ,john was poor ,and his business was slow to pay2 ,but he only said1 when she talked of change1 ,we'll stick to the good old way6 ,she saw her neighbors were growing rich ,and dwelling in houses grand2 ,that she was living in poverty1 ,with wealth upon every hand2 ,and she urged her husband to speculate1 ,to risk his earnings at play2 ,but he only said1 ,my dearest wife1 ,we'll stick to the good old way4 ,for he knew that the money that's quickly got ,is the money that's quickly lost2 ,and the money that stays is the money earned ,at honest endeavor's cost4 ,so he plodded along in his honest style1 ,and he bettered himself each day1 ,and he only said to his fretful wife1 ,we'll stick to the good old way4 ,and at last there came a terrible crash1 ,when beggary1 want1 and shame ,came down on the homes of their wealthy friends1 ,while ,john's remained the same2 ,for he had no debts and he gave no trust1 ,my motto is this1 he'd say1-- ,it's a charm against panics of every kind1-- ',tis stick to the good old way6 ,and his wife looked round on the little house ,that was every nail their own1 ,and she asked forgiveness of honest ,john ,for the peevish mistrust she had shown2 ,but he only said1 as her tearful face ,upon his shoulder lay1 ,the good old way is the best way1 wife2 ,we'll stick to the good old way4 ,,extract ,,from ,,blaine',s ,,oration ,,on ,,james ,a4 ,,garfield4 ,delivered in the ,city of ,washington1 ,monday1 ,february #bg1 #ahhb4 ,on the morning of ,saturday1 ,july #b1 the ,president was a contented and happy man--not in an ordinary degree1 but joyfully1 almost boyishly happy4 ,on his way to the railroad station1 to which he drove slowly1 in conscious enjoyment of the beautiful morning1 with an unwonted sense of leisure and keen anticipation of pleasure1 his talk was all in the grateful and congratulatory vein4 ,he felt that after four months of trial his administration was strong in its grasp of affairs1 strong in popular favor and destined to grow stronger2 that grave difficulties confronting him at his inauguration had been safely passed2 that trouble lay behind him and not before him2 that he was soon to meet the wife whom he loved1 now recovering from an illness which had but lately disquieted and at times almost unnerved him2 that he was going to his ,alma ,mater to renew the most cheerful associations of his young manhood and to exchange greetings with those whose deepening interest had followed every step of his upward progress from the day he entered upon his college course until he had attained the loftiest elevation in the gift of his countrymen4 ,surely1 if happiness can ever come from the honors or triumphs of this world1 on that quiet ,july morning ,james ,a4 ,garfield may well have been a happy man4 ,no foreboding of evil haunted him2 no slightest premonition of danger clouded his sky4 ,his terrible fate was upon him in an instant4 ,one moment he stood erect1 strong1 confident in the years stretching peacefully out before him4 ,the next he lay wounded1 bleeding1 helpless1 doomed to weary weeks of torture1 to silence and the grave4 ,great in life1 he was surpassingly great in death4 ,for no cause1 in the very frenzy of wantonness and wickedness1 by the red hand of murder1 he was thrust from the full tide of this world's interest1 from its hopes1 its aspirations1 its victories1 into the visible presence of death--and he did not quail4 ,not alone for the one short moment in which1 stunned and dazed1 he could give up life hardly aware of its relinquishment1 but through days of deadly languor1 through weeks of agony1 that was not less agony because silently borne1 with clear sight and calm courage he looked into his open grave4 ,what blight and ruin met his anguished eyes whose lips may tell--what brilliant1 broken plans1 what baffled1 high ambitions1 what sundering of strong1 warm1 manhood's friendships1 what bitter rending of sweet household ties6 ,behind him a proud expectant nation2 a great host of sustaining friends2 a cherished and happy mother1 wearing the full1 rich honors of her early toil and tears2 the wife of his youth1 whose whole life lay in his2 the little boys not yet emerged from childhood's days of frolic2 the fair young daughter2 the sturdy sons just springing into closest companionship1 claiming every day and every day rewarding a father's love and care2 and in his heart the eager1 rejoicing power to meet all demands4 ,before him1 desolation and great darkness6 ,and his soul was not shaken4 ,his countrymen were thrilled with instant1 profound and universal sympathy4 ,masterful in his mortal weakness1 he became the centre of a nation's love1 enshrined in the prayers of a world4 ,but all the love and all the sympathy could not share with him his suffering4 ,he trod the winepress alone4 ,with unfaltering front he faced death4 ,with unfailing tenderness he took leave of life4 ,above the demoniac hiss of the assassin's bullet he heard the voice of ,god4 ,with simple resignation he bowed to the ,divine decree4 ,as the end drew near his early craving for the sea returned4 ,the stately mansion of power had been to him the wearisome hospital of pain1 and he begged to be taken from its prison walls1 from its oppressive1 stifling air1 from its homelessness and its hopelessness4 ,gently1 silently1 the love of a great people bore the pale sufferer to the longed-for healing of the sea1 to live or to die1 as ,god should will1 within sight of its heaving billows1 within sound of its manifold voices4 ,with wan1 fevered face tenderly lifted to the cooling breeze he looked out wistfully upon the ocean's changing wonders2 on its far sails1 whitening in the morning light2 on its restless waves1 rolling shoreward to break and die beneath the noonday sun2 on the red clouds of evening1 arching low to the horizon2 on the serene and shining pathway of the stars4 ,let us think that his dying eyes read a mystic meaning which only the rapt and parting soul may know4 ,let us believe that in the silence of the receding world he heard the great waves breaking on a farther shore1 and felt already upon his wasted brow the breath of the eternal morning4 ,,how ,,shall ,i ,,love ,,you8 ,,will ,c4 ,,ferril4 ,how shall ,i love you8 ,i dream all day ,dear1 of a tenderer1 sweeter way2 ,songs that ,i sing to you1 words that ,i say1 ,prayers that are voiceless on lips that would pray2 ,these may not tell of the love of my life2 ,how shall ,i love you1 my sweetheart1 my wife8 ,how shall ,i love you8 ,love is the bread ,of life to a woman--the white and the red ,of all the world's roses1 the light that is shed ,on all the world's pathways1 till life shall be dead6 ,the star in the storm and the strength in the strife2 ,how shall ,i love you1 my sweetheart1 my wife8 ,is there a burden your heart must bear8 ,i shall kneel lowly and lift it1 dear6 ,is there a thorn in the crown that you wear8 ,let it hide in my heart till a rose blossom there6 ,for grief or for glory--for death or for life1 ,so shall ,i love you1 my sweetheart1 my wife4 ,,the ,,little ,,brown ,,curl4 ,a quaint old box with a lid of blue1 ,all faded and worn with age2 ,a soft little curl of a brownish hue1 ,a yellow and half-written page4 ,the letters1 with never a pause nor dot1 ,in a school-boy's hand are cast2 ,the lines and the curl ,i may hold to-day1 ,but the love of the boy is past4 ,it faded away with our childish dreams1 ,died out like the morning mist1 ,and ,i look with a smile on the silken curl ,that once ,i had tenderly kissed4 ,one night in the summer--so long ago-- ,we played by the parlor door1 ,and the moonlight fell1 like a silver veil1 ,spreading itself on the floor4 ,and the children ran on the graveled walk ,at play in their noisy glee2 ,but the maddest1 merriest fun just then ,was nothing to ,john and me4 ,for he was a stately boy of twelve1 ,and ,i was not quite eleven-- ,we thought as we sat by the parlor door ,we had found the gate to heaven4 ,that night when ,i lay on my snowy bed1 ,like many a foolish girl1 ,i kissed and held to my little heart ,this letter and silken curl4 ,i slept and dreamed of the time when ,i ,should wake to a fairy life2 ,and sleeping1 blushed1 when ,i thought that ,john ,had called me his little wife4 ,i have loved since then with a woman's heart1 ,have known all a woman's bliss1 ,but never a dream of the after life ,was ever so sweet as this4 ,the years went by with their silver feet1 ,and often ,i laughed with ,john ,at the vows we made by the parlor door ,when the moon and stars looked on4 ,ah8 boyish vows were broken and lost1 ,and a girl's first dream will end1 ,but ,i dearly loved his beautiful wife1 ,while he was my husband's friend4 ,when at last ,i went to my childhood's home ,far over the bounding wave1 ,i missed my friend1 for the violets grew ,and blossomed over his grave4 ,to-day as ,i opened the old blue box1 ,and looked on this soft brown curl1 ,and read of the love ,john left for me ,when ,i was a little girl1 ,there came to my heart a throb of pain1 ,and my eyes grew moist with tears1 ,for the childish love and the dear1 dear friend1 ,and the long-lost buried years4 ,,de ,,pint ,,wid ,,ole ,,pete4 ,upon the hurricane deck of one of our gunboats1 an elderly looking darkey1 with a very philosophical and retrospective cast of countenance1 squatted on his bundle1 toasting his shins against the chimney1 and apparently plunged into a state of profound meditation4 ,finding1 upon inquiry1 that he belonged to the ,ninth ,illinois1 one of the most gallantly behaved and heavy losing regiments at the ,fort ,donelson battle1 ,i began to interrogate him upon the subject4 ,were you in the fight8 ,had a little taste of it1 sa4 ,stood your ground1 did you8 ,no1 sa1 ,i runs4 ,run at the first fire1 did you8 ,yes1 sa2 and would hab run soona1 had ,i know'd it was comin'4 ,why1 that wasn't very creditable to your courage4 ,massa1 dat isn't my line1 sa2 cookin's my profeshun4 ,well1 but have you no regard for your reputation8 ,yah1 yah6 reputation's nuffin to me by de side ob life4 ,do you consider your life worth more than other people's8 ,it is worth more to me1 sa4 ,then you must value it very highly8 ,yes1 sa1 ,i does2 more dan all dis world1 more dan a million ob dollars1 sa2 for what would dat be wuth to a man wid the bref out ob him8 ,self-preserbation am de fust law wid me4 ,but why should you act upon a different rule from other men8 ,because different men set different values upon deir lives2 mine is not in the market4 ,but if you lost it1 you would have the satisfaction of knowing that you died for your country4 ,what satisfaction would dat be to me when de power ob feelin' was gone8 ,then patriotism and honor are nothing to you8 ,nuffin whatever1 sa2 ,i regard them as among the vanities4 ,if our soldiers were like you1 traitors might have broken up the government without resistance4 ,yes1 sa2 dar would hab been no help for it4 ,do you think any of your company would have missed you1 if you had been killed8 ,maybe not1 sa2 a dead white man ain't much to dese sogers1 let alone a dead nigga2 but ,i'd a missed myself1 and dat was de pint wid me4 ,,mother',s ,,fool4 ',tis plain to see1 said a farmer's wife1 ,these boys will make their mark in life2 ,they were never made to handle a hoe1 ,and at once to a college ought to go2 ,there's ,fred1 he's little better than a fool1 ,but ,john and ,henry must go to school4 ,well1 really1 wife1 quote ,farmer ,brown1 ,as he sat his mug of cider down1 ,fred does more work in a day for me ,than both his brothers do in three4 ,book larnin' will never plant one's corn1 ,nor hoe potatoes1 sure's your born1 ,nor mend a rod of broken fence-- ,for my part give me common sense4 ,but his wife was bound the roast to rule1 ,and ,john and ,henry were sent to school1 ,while ,fred1 of course1 was left behind ,because his mother said he had no mind4 ,five years at school the students spent2 ,then into business each one went4 ,john learned to play the flute and fiddle1 ,and parted his hair1 of course1 in the middle2 ,while his brother looked rather higher than he1 ,and hung out a sign1 ,h4 ,brown1 ,m4 ,d4 ,meanwhile1 at home1 their brother ,fred ,had taken a notion into his head2 ,but he quietly trimmed his apple trees1 ,and weeded onions and planted peas1 ,while somehow or other1 by hook or crook1 ,he managed to read full many a book4 ,until at last his father said ,he was getting book larnin' into his head2 ,but for all that1 added ,farmer ,brown1 ,he's the smartest boy there is in town4 ,the war broke out and ,captain ,fred ,a hundred men to battle led1 ,and when the rebel flag came down1 ,went marching home as ,general ,brown4 ,but he went to work on the farm again1 ,and planted corn and sowed his grain2 ,he shingled the barn and mended the fence1 ,till people declared he had common sense4 ,now1 common sense was very rare1 ,and the ,state ,house needed a portion there2 ,so the family dunce moved into town-- ,the people called him ,governor ,brown2 ,and his brothers1 who went to the city school1 ,came home to live with mother's fool4 ,,an ,,hour ,,of ,,horror4 ,it was close upon the hour of midnight4 ,a man sat alone in an upper room in a tumble-down tenement--a man whose face showed by his furrowed brow1 glaring eyes and pallid lips the effects of a terrible mental struggle going on within him4 ,before him were several pages of manuscript1 and his nervous hand convulsively clutching a pen1 was rapidly adding to them4 ,close to his right hand and frequently touched by it as he plied his pen1 was a gleaming1 glittering object--ivory1 silver and steel--a loaded revolver4 ,the window beside him was open1 and through it the cool breeze entered and fanned his fevered brow4 ,the night without was calm and placid4 ,nature was lovely1 bathed in the light of the summer moon2 but the man was oblivious of the beauties of the night4 ,he glanced at the clock now and then1 and observing the long hand climbing up the incline toward the figure twelve1 he redoubled his labor at his manuscript4 ,anon he glanced at the revolver on the desk beside him4 ,he touched its ivory handle as if faltering in his resolution2 and then went on with his writing4 ,hark6 ,what sound is that that is borne upon the breeze of the summer night8 ,a long1 low wail1 like the cry of a woman in mortal anguish4 ,the man started like a guilty soul1 dashed the dews of perspiration from his clammy brow1 and uttered an incoherent exclamation4 ,again6 again1 that moaning1 uncanny cry6 ,the man heard it and groaned aloud4 ,he dashed aside the last page of his manuscript1 and glanced again at the clock4 ,the hands marked the hour of midnight4 ,he grasped the revolver with a resolute air and exclaimed through his clenched teeth3 ,it must be done6 ,and1 going to the window1 he fired twice4 99 99 99 ,there was a scattering sound in the backyard1 and the next day a gray cat was found dead close to the woodshed4 ,the story and the deed were done4 ,,go ,,vay1 ,,becky ,,miller1 ,,go ,,vay6 ,i don'd lofe you now von schmall little bit1 ,my dream vas blayed oudt1 so blease git up und git2 ,your false-heardted vays ,i can't got along mit-- ,go vay1 ,becky ,miller1 go vay6 ,vas all der young vomans so false-heardted like you1 ,mit a face nice und bright1 but a heart black und plue1 ,und all der vhile schworing you lofed me so drue-- ,go vay1 ,becky ,miller1 go vay6 ,vy1 vonce ,i t'ought you vas a shtar vay up high2 ,i liked you so better as gogonut bie3 ,but oh1 ,becky ,miller1 you hafe profed von big lie-- ,go vay1 ,becky ,miller1 go vay6 ,you dook all de bresents vat ,i did bresent1 ,yes1 gobbled up efery virst thing vot ,i sent2 ,all der vhile mit anoder young rooster you vent-- ,go vay1 ,becky ,miller1 go vay6 ,vhen first ,i found oudt you vas such a big lie1 ,i didn't know vedder to schmudder or die2 ,bud now1 by der chingo1 ,i don't efen cry-- ,go vay1 ,becky ,miller1 go vay6 ,don'd dry make belief you vas sorry aboudt1 ,i don'd belief a dings vot coomes oudt by your moudt2 ,und besides ,i don'd care1 for you vas blayed oudt-- ,go vay1 ,becky ,miller1 go vay6 ,,it ,,is ,a ,,winter ,,night4 ,,by ,,richard ,,henry ,,stoddard4 ,it is a winter night1 ,and the stilly earth is white1 ,with the blowing of the lilies of the snow2 ,once it was as red1 ,with the roses summer shed2 ,but the roses fled with summer1 long ago4 ,we sang a merry tune1 ,in the jolly days of ,june1 ,as we danced adown the garden in the light1 ,but now ,december's come1 ,and our hearts are dark and dumb1 ,as we huddle o'er the embers here to-night4 ,,what ,,the ,,little ,,girl ,,said4 ,ma's upstairs changing her dress1 said the freckle-faced little girl1 tying her doll's bonnet strings and casting her eye about for a tidy large enough to serve as a shawl for that double-jointed young person4 ,oh1 your mother needn't dress up for me1 replied the female agent of the missionary society1 taking a self-satisfied view of herself in the mirror4 ,run up and tell her to come down just as she is in her every-day clothes1 and not stand on ceremony4 ,oh1 but she hasn't got on her every-day clothes4 ,ma was all dressed up in her new brown silk dress1 'cause she expected ,miss ,dimmond to-day4 ,miss ,dimmond always comes over here to show off her nice things1 and ma doesn't mean to get left4 ,when ma saw you coming she said1 'the dickens6' and ,i guess she was mad about something4 ,ma said if you saw her new dress1 she'd have to hear all about the poor heathen1 who don't have silk1 and you'd ask her for money to buy hymn books to send 'em4 ,say1 do the nigger ladies use hymn-book leaves to do their hair up on and make it frizzy8 ,ma says she guesses that's all the good the books do 'em1 if they ever get any books4 ,i wish my doll was a heathen4 ,why1 you wicked little girl6 what do you want of a heathen doll8 inquired the missionary lady1 taking a mental inventory of the new things in the parlor to get material for a homily on worldly extravagance4 ,so folks would send her lots of nice things to wear1 and feel sorry to have her going about naked4 ,then she'd have hair to frizz1 and ,i want a doll with truly hair and eyes that roll up like ,deacon ,silderback's when he says amen on ,sunday4 ,i ain't a wicked girl1 either1 'cause ,uncle ,dick--you know ,uncle ,dick1 he's been out ,west and swears awful and smokes in the house--he says ,i'm a holy terror1 and he hopes ,i'll be an angel pretty soon4 ,ma'll be down in a minute1 so you needn't take your cloak off4 ,she said she'd box my ears if ,i asked you to4 ,ma's putting on that old dress she had last year1 'cause she didn't want you to think she was able to give much this time1 and she needed a muff worse than the queen of the cannon-ball islands needed religion4 ,uncle ,dick says you oughter get to the islands1 'cause you'd be safe there1 and the natives would be sorry they was such sinners anybody would send you to 'em4 ,he says he never seen a heathen hungry enough to eat you1 'less 'twas a blind one1 an' you'd set a blind pagan's teeth on edge so he'd never hanker after any more missionary4 ,uncle ,dick's awful funny1 and makes ma and pa die laughing sometimes4 ,your ,uncle ,richard is a bad1 depraved wretch1 and ought to have remained out ,west1 where his style is appreciated4 ,he sets a horrid example for little girls like you4 ,oh1 ,i think he's nice4 ,he showed me how to slide down the banisters1 and he's teaching me to whistle when ma ain't around4 ,that's a pretty cloak you've got1 ain't it8 ,do you buy all your clothes with missionary money8 ,ma says you do4 ,just then the freckle-faced girl's ma came into the parlor and kissed the missionary lady on the cheek and said she was delighted to see her1 and they proceeded to have a real sociable chat4 ,the little girl's ma cannot understand why a person who professes to be so charitable as the missionary agent does should go right over to ,miss ,dimmond's and say such ill-natured things as she did1 and she thinks the missionary is a double-faced gossip4 ,,we',,re ,,building ,,two ,a ,,day6 ,,by ,,rev4 ,,alfred ,j4 ,,hough4 ,during the ,freethinkers' ,convention1 at ,watkins1 ,n4 ,y41 in response to statements that the churches throughout the land were losing all aggressive power1 a message was received from ,chaplain ,mc,cabe1 of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church ,extension ,board saying in substance and speaking only of his own denomination1 ,all hail the power of ,jesus' name2 we're building two a day6 ,the infidels1 a motley band1 ,in council1 met and said3 ,the churches die all through the land1 ,the last will soon be dead4 ,when suddenly a message came1 ,it filled them with dismay3 ,all hail the power of ,jesus' name6 ,we're building two a day4 ,we're building two a day1 and still1 ,in stately forests stored1 ,are shingle1 rafter1 beam1 and sill1 ,for churches of the ,lord2 ,and underpinning for the same1 ,in quarries piled away2 ,all hail the power of ,jesus' name6 ,we're building two a day4 ,the miners rend the hills apart1 ,earth's bosom is explored1 ,and streams from her metallic heart ,in graceful molds are poured1 ,for bells to sound our ,saviour's fame ,from towers1--and1 swinging1 say1 ,all hail the power of ,jesus' name6 ,we're building two a day4 ,the ,king of saints to war has gone1 ,and matchless are ,his deeds2 ,his sacramental hosts move on1 ,and follow where ,he leads2 ,while infidels ,his church defame1 ,her corner-stones we lay2 ,all hail the power of ,jesus' name6 ,we're laying two a day4 ,the ,christless few the cross would hide1 ,the light of life shut out1 ,and leave the world to wander wide ,through sunless realms of doubt4 ,the pulpits lose their ancient fame1 ,grown obsolete1 they say2 ,all hail the power of ,jesus' name6 ,we're building two a day4 ,extend1 along the line is heard1 ,thy walls1 ,o ,zion1 fair6 ,and ,methodism heeds the word1 ,and answers everywhere4 ,a new church greets the morning's flame1 ,another evening's gray4 ,all hail the power of ,jesus' name6 ,we're building two a day4 ,when infidels in council meet ,next year1 with boastings vain1 ,to chronicle the ,lord's defeat1 ,and count ,his churches slain1 ,oh then may we with joy proclaim1 ,if we ,his call obey3 ,all hail the power of ,jesus' name6 ,we're building ,,three a day4 ,,the ,,modern ,,belle4 ,the daughter sits in the parlor1 ,and rocks in her easy-chair2 ,she is dressed in silks and satins1 ,and jewels are in her hair2 ,she winks1 and giggles1 and simpers1 ,and simpers1 and giggles1 and winks2 ,and though she talks but little1 ,it's vastly more than she thinks4 ,her father goes clad in russet-- ,all brown and seedy at that2 ,his coat is out at the elbows1 ,and he wears a shocking bad hat4 ,he is hoarding and saving his dollars1 ,so carefully1 day by day1 ,while she on her whims and fancies ,is squandering them all away4 ,she lies in bed of a morning ,until the hour of noon1 ,then comes down1 snapping and snarling ,because she's called too soon4 ,her hair is still in papers1 ,her cheeks still bedaubed with paint-- ,remains of last night's blushes ,before she attempted to faint4 ,her feet are so very little1 ,her hands so snowy white1 ,her jewels so very heavy1 ,and her head so very light2 ,her color is made of cosmetics-- ,though this she'll never own2 ,her body is mostly cotton1 ,and her heart is wholly stone4 ,she falls in love with a fellow ,who swells with a foreign air2 ,he marries her for her money1 ,she marries him for his hair-- ,one of the very best matches2 ,both are well mated in life2 ,she's got a fool for a husband1 ,and he's got a fool for a wife4 ,,the ,,puzzled ,,dutchman4 ,,anonymous4 ,a ,humorous ,recitation4 ,one who does not believe in immersion for baptism was holding a protracted meeting1 and one night preached on the subject of baptism4 ,in the course of his remarks he said that some believe it necessary to go down in the water1 and come up out of it1 to be baptized4 ,but this he claimed to be fallacy1 for the preposition into of the ,scriptures should be rendered differently1 as it does not mean into at all times4 ,moses1 he said1 we are told1 went up into the mountain2 and the ,saviour was taken up into a high mountain1 etc4 ,now we do not suppose either went into a mountain but went unto it4 ,so with going down into the water2 it means simply going down close by or near to the water1 and being baptized in the ordinary way1 by sprinkling or pouring4 ,he carried this idea out fully1 and in due season closed his discourse1 when an invitation was given for any one so disposed to rise and express his thoughts4 ,quite a number of his brethren arose and said they were glad they had been present on this occasion1 that they were well pleased with the sound sermon they had just heard1 and felt their souls greatly blessed4 ,finally1 a corpulent gentleman of ,teutonic extraction1 a stranger to all1 arose and broke the silence that was almost painful1 as follows3 ,mister ,breacher1 ,i is so glad ,i vash here to-night1 for ,i has had explained to my mint some dings dat ,i never could pelief pefore4 ,oh1 ,i is so glad dat into does not mean into at all1 but shust close py or near to1 for now ,i can pelief many dings vot ,i could not pelief pefore4 ,we reat1 ,mr4 ,breacher1 dat ,taniel vos cast into de ten of lions1 and came out alife4 ,now ,i neffer could pelief dat1 for wilt peasts would shust eat him right off2 but now it is fery clear to my mint4 ,he vash shust close py or near to1 and tid not get into de ten at all4 ,oh1 ,i ish so glad ,i vash here to-night4 ,again we reat dat de ,heprew children vas cast into de firish furnace1 and dat always look like a beeg story too1 for they would have been purnt up2 but it ish all blain to my mint now1 for dey was shust cast py or close to de firish furnace4 ,oh1 ,i vas so glad ,i vos here to-night4 ,and den1 ,mister ,breacher1 it ish said dat ,jonah vash cast into de sea1 and taken into de whale's pelly4 ,now ,i neffer could pelief dat4 ,it alwish seemed to me to be a beeg fish story1 but it ish all blain to my mint now4 ,he vash not into de whale's pelly at all1 but shump onto his pack and rode ashore4 ,oh1 ,i vash so glad ,i vash here to-night4 ,and now1 ,mister ,breacher1 if you will shust exblain two more bassages of ,scriptures1 ,i shall be oh so happy dat ,i vas here to-night6 ,one of dem ish vere it saish de vicked shall be cast into a lake dat burns mit fire and primstone alwish4 ,oh1 ,mister ,breacher1 shall ,i be cast into dat lake if ,i am vicked1 or shust close py or near to--shust near enough to be comfortable8 ,oh1 ,i hope you tell me ,i shall be cast only shust py a good veys off1 and ,i vill pe so glad ,i vash here to-night4 ,do oder bassage is dat vich saish blessed are they who do these commandments1 dat dey may have right to de dree of life1 and enter in droo de gates of the city1 and not shust close py or near to--shust near enough to see vat ,i have lost--and ,i shall pe so glad ,i vash here to-night4 ,,the ,,fast ,,mail ,,and ,,the ,,stage4 ,,by ,,john ,h4 ,,yates4 ,lay by the weekly1 ,betsey1 it's old like you and ,i1 ,and read the morning's daily1 with its pages scarcely dry4 ,while you and ,i were sleepin'1 they were printing them to-day1 ,in the city by the ocean1 several hundred miles away4 ,how'd ,i get it8 ,bless you1 ,betsey1 you needn't doubt and laugh2 ,it didn't drop down from the clouds nor come by telegraph2 ,i got it by the lightning mail we've read about you know1 ,the mail that ,jonathan got up about a month ago4 ,we farmers livin' 'round the hill went to the town to-day ,to see the fast mail catch the bags that hung beside the way2 ,quick as a flash from thundering clouds1 whose tempest swept the sky1 ,the bags were caught on board the train as it went roarin' by4 ,we are seein' many changes in our fast declinin' years2 ,strange rumors now are soundin' in our hard-of-hearin' ears4 ,ere the sleep that knows no wakin' comes to waft us o'er the stream1 ,some great power may be takin' all the self-conceit from steam4 ,well do we remember1 ,betsey1 when the post-man carried mails1 ,ridin' horseback through the forest 'long the lonely ,indian trails1 ,how impatiently we waited--we were earnest lovers then-- ,for our letters comin' slowly1 many miles through wood and glen4 ,many times1 you know1 we missed them--for the post-man never came-- ,then1 not knowin' what had happened1 we did each the other blame2 ,long those lover quarrels lasted1 but the ,god who melts the proud ,brought our strayin' hearts together and let sunshine through the cloud4 ,then at last the tidings reached us that the faithful post-man fell ,before the forest savage with his wild terrific yell1 ,and your letters lay and moldered1 while the sweet birds sang above1 ,and ,i was savin' bitter things about a woman's love4 ,long and tedious were the journeys--few and far between1 the mails1 ,in the days when we were courtin'--when we thrashed with wooden flails2 ,now the white winged cars are flyin' long the shores of inland seas4 ,and younger lovers read their letters 'mid luxury and ease4 ,we have witnessed many changes in our three-score years and ten2 ,we no longer sit and wonder at the discoveries of men2 ,in the shadow of life's evenin' we rejoice that our dear boys ,are not called to meet the hardships that embittered half our joys4 ,like the old mail through the forest1 youthful years go slowly by2 ,like the fast mail of the present1 manhood's years how swift they fly2 ,we are sitting in the shadows2 soon shall break life's brittle cord-- ,soon shall come the welcome summons by the fast mail of the ,lord4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,little ,,rid ,,hin4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,whitney4 ,well1 thin1 there was once't upon a time1 away off in the ould country1 livin' all her lane in the woods1 in a wee bit iv a house be herself1 a little rid hin4 ,nice an' quiet she was1 and niver did no kind o' harrum in her life4 ,an' there lived out over the hill1 in a din o' the rocks1 a crafty ould felly iv a fox4 ,an' this same ould villain iv a fox1 he laid awake o' nights1 and he prowled around shly iv a day-time1 thinkin' always so busy how he'd git the little rid hin1 an' carry her home an' bile her up for his shupper4 ,but the wise little rid hin niver went intil her bit iv a house1 but she locked the door afther her and pit the kay in her pocket4 ,so the ould rashkill iv a fox1 he watched1 an' he prowled1 an' he laid awake nights1 till he came all to skin an' bone1 an' sorra a ha'porth o' the little rid hin could he git at4 ,but at lasht there came a shcame intil his wicked ould head1 an' he tuk a big bag one mornin'1 over his shouldher1 an' he says till his mother1 says he1 ,mother1 have the pot all bilin' agin' ,i come home1 for ,i'll bring the little rid hin to-night for our shupper4 ,an' away he wint1 over the hill1 an' came crapin' shly an' soft through the woods to where the little rid hin lived in her shnug bit iv a house4 ,an' shure1 jist at the very minute that he got along1 out comes the little rid hin out iv the door1 to pick up shticks to bile her tay-kettle4 ,begorra1 now1 but ,i'll have yees1 says the shly ould fox1 an' in he shlips1 unbeknownst1 intil the house1 an' hides behind the door4 ,an' in comes the little rid hin1 a minute afther1 with her apron full of shticks1 an' shuts too the door an' locks it1 an' pits the kay in her pocket4 ,an' thin she turns round1--an' there stands the baste iv a fox in the corner4 ,well1 thin1 what did she do1 but jist dhrop down her shticks1 and fly up in a great fright and flutter to the big bame acrass the inside o' the roof1 where the fox couldn't git at her6 ,ah1 ha6 says the fox1 ,i'll soon bring you out o' that6 ,an' he began to whirrul round1 an' round1 an' round1 fashter1 an' fashter1 an' fashter1 on the floor1 afther his big1 bushy tail1 till the little rid hin got so dizzy wid lookin'1 that she jist tumbled down aff the bame1 and the fox whipped her up and popped her intil his bag1 and stharted off home in a minute4 ,an' he wint up the wood and down the wood1 half the day long1 with the little rid hin shut up shmotherin' in the bag4 ,sorra a know she knowed where she was at all1 at all4 ,she thought she was all biled an' ate up1 an' finished shure6 ,but1 by an' by1 she remimbered herself1 an' pit her hand in her pocket1 an' tuk out her little bright scissors1 and shnipped a big hole in the bag behind1 an' out she leapt1 an' picked up a big shtone an' popped it intil the bag1 an' rin aff home1 an' locked the door4 ,an' the fox he tugged away up over the hill1 with the big stone at his back thumpin' his shouldhers1 thinkin' to himself how heavy the little rid hin was1 an' what a fine shupper he'd have4 ,an' whin he came in sight iv his din in the rocks' and shpied his ould mother awatchin' for him at the door1 he says1 ,mother6 have ye the pot bilin'8 ,an' the ould mother says1 ,sure1 an' it is2 an' have ye the little rid hin8 ,yes1 jist here in me bag4 ,open the lid o' the pot till ,i pit her in1 says he4 ,an' the ould mother fox she lifted the lid o' the pot1 an' the rashkill untied the bag1 and hild it over the pot o' bilin' wather1 an' shuk in the big1 heavy shtone4 ,an' the bilin' wather shplashed up all over the rogue iv a fox1 an' his mother1 an' schalded them both to death4 ,an' the little rid hin lived safe in her house foriver afther4 ,,only ,a ,,song4 ,it was only a simple ballad1 ,sung to a careless throng2 ,there were none that knew the singer1 ,and few that heeded the song2 ,yet the singer's voice was tender ,and sweet as with love untold2 ,surely those hearts were hardened ,that it left so proud and cold4 ,she sang of the wondrous glory ,that touches the woods in spring1 ,of the strange1 soul-stirring voices ,when the hills break forth and sing2 ,of the happy birds low warbling ,the requiem of the day1 ,and the quiet hush of the valleys ,in the dusk of the gloaming gray4 ,and one in a distant corner-- ,a woman worn with strife-- ,heard in that song a message ,from the spring-time of her life4 ,fair forms rose up before her ,from the mist of vanished years2 ,she sat in a happy blindness1 ,her eyes were veiled in tears4 ,then1 when the song was ended1 ,and hushed the last sweet tone1 ,the listener rose up softly ,and went on her way alone ,once more to her life of labor ,she passed2 but her heart was strong2 ,and she prayed1 ,god bless the singer6 ,and oh1 thank ,god for the song6 ,,the ,,bicycle ,,ride4 ,,by ,,james ,,clarence ,,harvey4 ,whether bicycle riding on ,sunday be sinful or not1 depends entirely upon the spirit in which it is done and the associations of the ride4 ,you have read of the ride of ,paul ,revere1 ,and of ,gilpin's ride1 so fraught with fear2 ,skipper ,ireson's ride in a cart1 ,and the ride where ,sheridan played a part2 ,calendar's ride on a brazen hack1 ,and ,islam's prophet on ,al ,borak2 ,the fateful ride to ,aix from ,ghent1 ,and a dozen others of like portent1 ,but you never have heard of a bicycle spin ,which was piously ended1 though started in sin4 ,tom was a country parson's son1 ,fresh from college and full of fun1 ,fond of flirting with bright-eyed girls1 ,raving1 in verse1 over golden curls1 ,sowing a wild oat1 here and there1 ,in a way that made the parson stare ,and chide him sternly1 when face to face1 ,while1 in private1 he laughed at the young scape-grace4 ,but the wildest passion the boy could feel ,was the love he bore for his shining wheel4 ,he rode it by night and he rode it by day1 ,if he went two rods or ten miles away2 ,and ,deacon ,smith was heard to remark ,that he met that pesky thing in the dark ,and it went right by with a glint and a gleam ,and a wild 'hoot-toot' that made him scream2 ,in spite of the fact that he knew right well ,that evil spirits were all in--well-- ,he wouldn't meet that thing again ,for a corn-crib full of good1 ripe grain4 ,one ,sunday morning1 the sun was bright1 ,the bird's throats bursting with glad delight1 ,the parson-mounted his plump old bay ,and jogged to the church1 two miles away1 ,while ,tom wheeled round1 ten miles or more ,and hid his wheel by the chancel door1 ,and he thought1 as he sat in the parson's pew1 ,i wonder what makes dad look so blue1 ,till it came like a flash to his active mind1 ,he left his sermon and specs behind4 ,now the parson was old and his eyes were dim ,and he couldn't have read a line or a hymn1 ,without his specs for a mint of gold1 ,and his head turned hot while his toes turned cold1 ,and right in the midst of his mental shock1 ,the parson deceived his trusting flock1 ,and gave them eternal life and a crown ,from the book he was holding upside down4 ,tom1 the rascal1 five minutes before1 ,like an arrow had shot from the chancel door4 ,the horses he frightened ,i never can tell1 ,nor how the old church folk were shocked1 as well1 ,and they said they feared that the parson's lad ,was a-gettin' wild and would go to the bad1 ,for 'twas wicked enough to set folks in a craze ,without ridin' sech races on ,sabbath days1 ,and they thought the length of the parson's prayer ,had something to do with his fatherly care4 ,while the truth of it was1 which he afterwards dropped1 ,he didn't know what he could do when he stopped4 ,of course you know how the story will end1 ,the prayer was finished and duly ,amen'd1 ,when ,tom1 all dust1 to the pulpit flew ,and laid down the specs and the sermon too4 ,then the parson preached in a timid way1 ,of sinful pleasure on ,sabbath-day1 ,and he added a postscript1 not in the text4 ,saying that1 when they were sore perplexed1 ,each must decide as he chanced to feel4 ,and ,tom chuckled3 ,sundays1 ,i'll ride my wheel4 ,,the ,,land ,,of ,,our ,,birth4 ,,by ,,lillie ,e4 ,,barr4 ,o6 where is the land that each mortal loves best1 ,the land that is dearest and fairest on earth8 ,it is ,north1 it is ,south1 it is ,east1 it is ,west2 ,for this beautiful land is the land of our birth4 ',tis the home of our childhood2 the fragrance and dew ,of our innocent days are all linked with the spot2 ,and its fields were so green1 and its mountains so blue1 ,that our hearts must be cold ere that land is forgot4 ,we have wandered1 perchance1 far away from the place1 ,but how often we see it in thought and in dreams6 ,feel its winds1 as of old1 blowing cool on our face1 ,hear the songs of its birds1 and the plash of its streams4 ,we may build grander homes than the home of our youth1 ,on far loftier objects our eyes may be cast2 ,but we never forget all its love and its truth2 ,it has charms that will hallow it unto the last4 ,we may learn other tongues1 but that language is best ,that we lisped with our mothers in infancy's days-- ,the language she sung when she rocked us to rest1 ,and gave us good counsel and comfort and praise4 ,we may love other lands1 but wherever we be ,the land that is greenest and fairest on earth ,is the one that1 perhaps1 we may never more see-- ,the home of our fathers--the land of our birth4 ,may its daughters and sons grow in beauty and worth6 ,may the blessing of ,god give it freedom and rest6 ,be it northward1 or southward1 or eastward1 or west1 ,the land of our birth is of all lands the best4 ,,the ,,teacher',s ,,diadem4 ,sitting 'mid the gathering shadows1 weary with the ,sabbath's care2 ,weary with the ,sabbath's burdens1 that she dearly loves to bear2 ,for she sees a shining pathway1 and she gladly presses on2 ',tis the first ,great ,teacher's footprints--it will lead where ,he has gone2 ,with a hand that's never faltered1 with a love that's ne'er grown dim1 ,long and faithfully she's labored1 to ,his fold the lambs to bring4 ,but to-night her soul grows heavy2 through the closed lids fall the tears1 ,as the children pass before her1 that she's taught these many years2 ,and she cries in bitter anguish3 ,shall not one to me be given1 ,to shine upon my coronet amid the hosts of heaven6 ,hear my prayer to-night1 my ,saviour1 in ,thy glorious home above2 ,give to me some little token--some approval of ,thy love4 ,ere the words were scarcely uttered1 banishing the evening gloom1 ,came a soft and shining radiance1 bright'ning all within the room2 ,and an angel in white raiment1 brighter than the morning sun1 ,stood before her1 pointing upward1 while he softly whispered1 ,come4 ,as he paused1 she heard the rustle of his starry pinions bright1 ,and she quickly rose and followed1 out into the stilly night2 ,up above the dim blue ether2 up above the silver stars2 ,on1 beyond the golden portals2 through the open pearly doors2 ,far across the sea of crystal1 to the shining sapphire ,throne1 ,where she heard amid the chorus1 ,welcome1 child2 thy work's well done4 ,surely 'tis her ,saviour speaking2 'tis ,his hands1 aye1 'tis ,his feet2 ,and she cries3 ,enough6 ,i've seen ,him2 all my joys are now complete4 ,all forgot earth's care and sorrow2 all forgot the starry crown2 ',twas enough e'en to be near ,him2 to behold ,him on ,his ,throne4 ,not enough1 the ,saviour answered2 thou wouldst know through all these years1 ,if in vain has been thy teaching1 all thy labor and thy prayers2 ,that from thee the end was hidden1 did thy faith in me grow less8 ,thou hast asked some little token1 ,i will grant thee thy request4 ,from out a golden casket1 inlaid with many a gem1 ,he took--glist'ning with countless jewels--a regal diadem2 ,bright a name shone in each jewel1 names of many scholars dear1 ,who she thought had passed unheeded all her earnest thought and care4 ,but1 she asked1 how came these names here--names ,i never saw before8 ,and the ,saviour smiling answered1 ',tis the fruit thy teachings bore2 ',tis the seed thy love hath planted1 tended by my faithful hand2 ,though unseen by thee1 it's budded1 blossoming in many lands4 ,here are names from darkened ,egypt1 names from ,afric's desert sands2 ,names from isles amid the ocean1 names from ,india's sunny strands2 ,some from ,greenland's frozen mountains1 some from burning tropic plains2 ,from where'er man's found a dwelling1 here you'll find some chosen name4 ,when thine earthly mission's ended1 that in love to thee was given1 ,this is the crown of thy rejoicing1 that awaits thee here in heaven4 ,suddenly the bright light faded2 all was dark within the room2 ,and she sat amid the shadows of the ,sabbath evening gloom2 ,but a peaceful1 holy incense rested on her soul like dew2 ,though the end from her was hidden1 to her ,master she'd be true2 ,sowing seed at morn and even1 pausing not to count the gain2 ,if her bread was on the waters1 ,god would give it back again2 ,if the harvest she had toiled for other hands than hers should reap1 ,he'd repay her for her labor1 who had bade her1 ,feed my sheep4 ,,tobe',s ,,monument4 ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,kilham4 ,it was after taps1 a sultry1 ,southern-summer night4 ,on the extreme edge of the encampment1 on the side nearest the enemy1 a sentinel paused in his walk1 and peered cautiously out into the darkness4 ,pshaw6 he said2 it's nothing but a dog4 ,he was resuming his walk1 when the supposed quadruped rose suddenly1 and walked along on two feet in a manner so unmistakably human1 that the sentinel lowered his musket once more1 and shouted1 ,halt6 ,advance1 and give the counter-sign6 ,a faint1 childish voice said1 ,ain't got none1 massa4 ,well1 there now6 said the sentinel1 if it ain't just a little darkey1 and ,i guess ,i've frightened him half to death4 ,come here1 snowball4 ,the child crept up1 and said1 tremblingly3 ',deed1 massa1 ,i ain't got nuffin ter gib yer4 ,well1 who asked you to give me anything8 ,yer don ax me fer gib yer suffin jes' now2 and ,i ain't got nuffin 'cep' my close what ,i got on4 ,well1 you needn't fret2 ,i don't want 'em4 ,corporal of the guard6 ,post two4 ,the corporal hastened to post two1 and found the sentinel with his hand on the shoulder of a little black boy1 who1 between fear1 fatigue1 and hunger1 was unable to give any account of himself4 ,i'll take him to ,captain ,leigh1 the corporal said2 he's officer of the day4 ,maybe he'll be able to get something out of him4 ,the captain stood in front of his tent1 looking out into the night1 when the corporal and his charge approached4 ,captain1 said he1 here's a boy just come into the lines4 ,very well2 you can leave him here4 ,at the first sound of the captain's voice the boy drew nearer to him1 as knowing instinctively that he had found a friend4 ,you can go into that tent and sleep till morning1 said the captain4 ,what is your name6 was ,captain ,leigh's first question the next morning4 ,name ,tobe4 ,is that all8 ,dat's all1 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,how old are you8 ,dunno1 ,massa ,cap'n4 ,nobody nebber done tole me dat ar4 ,where have you come from8 ,come fum de back o' ,richmon'1 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,what did you come here for8 ,all de res' ob 'em runned away2 an' ole mass he wor so mad1 ,i wor jes' feared o' my life4 ',sides1 ,i t'ought ,i mought fin' my mammy ef ,i got 'mong der ,unions4 ,where is your mother8 ,dunno1 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,ole mass done sol' her down in ,georgy las' corn-shuckin'1 an' ,i ain't nebber heerd ob her sence4 ,but ,i t'ought mebby she mought ha' runned 'way too1 an' ,i'd fin' her wid der ,unions4 ,well1 now1 what are you going to do8 ,dunno1 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,i'd like ter stay 'long wid you4 ,what can you do8 ,kin wait on yer1 ,mass ,cap'n2 kin shine up boots1 an'--brightening up as his eyes1 wandering round caught sight of the horses--kin clean de hosses right smart4 99 99 99 ,if ,i keep you with me you must be a good boy1 and do as ,i tell you4 ',deed ,i will1 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,i'se do ebery work yer say1 sho's yer born4 ,so when the troops left ,harrison's ,landing1 ,tobe went too1 in charge of the captain's horse and baggage2 and1 when the steamer was fairly under way1 he brightened into a new creature as every revolution of the wheel placed a greater distance between himself and old massa4 99 99 99 ,it proved that ,tobe had told the truth about his skill in taking care of horses4 ,captain ,leigh's horse had never looked so well as now1 and the captain was delighted4 ,tobe turned out1 moreover1 to be a very good boy4 ,but the army is not a very good place for boys4 ,so one day ,captain ,leigh said3-- ,tobe1 how would you like to go ,north8 ,whar's it at1 ,mass ,cap'n8 ,i mean my home at the ,north4 ,when is yer gwine1 ,mass ,cap'n8 ,i am not going at all now4 ,does yer mean ter sen' me away from yer1 ,mass ,cap'n8 ,captain ,leigh was touched1 and answered him very gently1-- ,yes1 ,i want to send you away from me now1 because it will be better for you4 ,but1 when the war is over1 ,i shall go home1 and then you can stay with me always if you are a good boy4 ,i allus does jes' de t'ings yer tell me1 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,i know you do4 ,and1 just because you do what ,i tell you so well ,i want to send you to my home1 to run errands for my wife1 and do what work she will give you in the house4 ,and ,i have three little children--two little girls and a baby boy4 ,i want you to go with them when they go out to play and take care of them4 ,my home is in a very pleasant place in the country4 ,don't you think you would like to go there8 ,ef yer goes too1 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,but1 my boy1 ,i can't possibly go now4 ,i'se do jes de t'ing yer say1 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,ef yer tells me to go1 ,i'se go4 ,an' ,i'se jest do ebery word the missus say1 an' ,i look af'r de chillens de bes' ,i knows1 ontel yer comes dar4 ,on'y please come right soon1 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,and1 as the captain left the tent1 ,tobe laid his head upon his arm and cried as if his heart would break4 ,captain ,leigh found a brother officer who was expecting to go home on a furlough1 and who readily agreed to take charge of the boy in whom his friend was so deeply interested4 ,but that night came news that made everybody give up the idea of a furlough1 or going home4 ,the ,richmond government1 being determined to make the ,north feel the war as she had not felt it1 had organized the grand raid4 ,an order came for ,captain ,leigh's regiment to march at daylight4 ,tobe1 said the captain1 you can go in one of the baggage-wagons4 ,strap up my blanket and poncho1 and take them along2 and these boots1 take particular care of them1 for it's not often ,i can get a pair of cavalry boots to fit as they do4 ,yer needn't be feared1 ,mass ,cap'n2 ,i'se take care of 'em de bes' ,i knows4 ,the main body of the raiders were reported on the line of the ,south ,mountains1 making for ,gettysburg4 ,scouting expeditions were sent out from the ,northern army in all directions1 and a body of troops1 including ,captain ,leigh's regiment1 was ordered to proceed by the shortest route to ,gettysburg and head the rebels off4 ,one of the baggage-wagons broke down4 ,the driver of another wagon stopped to help his comrade4 ,the troops passed on1 and the two wagons were left alone on the mountain4 ,in one of them was ,tobe with the captain's boots1 over which he kept constant watch4 ,the men worked busily at the wagon and ,tobe sat watching them4 ,suddenly a tramping of horses' feet was heard1 and a party of cavalry came round a turn in the road4 ,that's good1 said one of the men2 there's some of the boys4 ,if they'll wait a few minutes we can go along with 'em4 ',tain't none of our boys1 said the other1 after a keen glance2 them's rebs4 ,at the word1 ,tobe slid down in the bottom of the wagon under some blankets1 and lay silent and motionless with the boots clasped in his arms4 ,as the soldiers advanced the officer said1 apparently in reply to a question1 ,no1 let the men go2 we can't do anything with prisoners here4 ,but we'll look through the wagon1 and1 if the ,yanks have anything we want1 'all's fair in war4' ,they reined their horses by the wagon1 and1 after a few short1 sharp questions1 proceeded to break open trunks and bags1 and appropriate their contents4 ,the soldiers were about finishing their examination1 when one of them said1 ,what's that under the seat of that wagon8 ,oh6 nothing but a torn blanket1 said another4 ',tain't worth taking4 ,we have got all we want4 ,there may be something under it1 though4 ,he pushed aside the blanket with his sabre1 and there lay ,tobe endeavoring1 but unsuccessfully1 to hide the boots under him4 ,ah6 said the officer1 this is worth while4 ,here's just what ,i wanted4 ,come1 boy1 hand over those boots1 quick4 ',deed1 massa1 said ,tobe1 ,i can't gib 'em ter yer4 ,dey 'longs ter ,mass ,cap'n1 an' he tole me take keer ob 'em mos' partic'lar4 ,can't help that4 ,i've got to have them1 so pass them along4 ,please1 ,massa1 began ,tobe2 but the rebel cut him short4 ,will you give me those boots8 ,if you don't do it1 and in double-quick time1 too1 ,i'll put a ball through your black skin4 ,i won't ask you again4 ,now1 will you give them up8 and he pulled out his pistol4 ',deed1 massa1 ,i can't1 case ,massa ,cap'n-- ,there was a sharp click1 a flash1 a long1 sobbing moan1 and ,tobe lay motionless1 the boots still clasped in his arms1 and great drops of blood slowly gathering upon them4 ,enemy in sight1 shouted a picket riding up4 ,the officer hastily gave an order1 and the rebels dashed off at a furious speed a few moments before a party of ,union cavalry1 with ,captain ,leigh at their head1 appeared1 riding from the opposite direction4 ,a few words sufficed for explanation4 ,captain ,leigh laid his hand on ,tobe's shoulder1 and spoke his name4 ,at the sound of the voice he loved so well1 his eyes opened1 and he said faintly1 ,mass ,cap'n1 ,i done de bes' ,i knowed4 ,i keep de boots4' ,o ,tobe6 groaned the captain1 ,i wish you had given them up4 ,i would have lost everything rather than have had this4 ,mass ,cap'n4 ,yes1 ,tobe1 what is it8 ,de little chillens1 ,mass ,cap'n2 ,i meaned ter wait on 'em right smart4 ,tell 'em--,his voice grew fainter1 and his eyes closed4 ,yes1 my boy3 what shall ,i tell them8 ,tell 'em ,i didn't lose de boots2 ,i kep 'em de bes'--,i knowed4 ,there was a faint sigh1 a flutter of the eyelids1 and the little life that had been so truly de bes' he knowed 7ah6 if we could all say that67 was ended4 ,very reverently ,captain ,leigh lifted the boots1 all wet and stained with blood4 ,i will never wear those boots again1 he said2 but ,i will never part with them4 ,they shall be ,tobe's monument4 ,in the hall of ,captain ,leigh's house is a deep niche1 and in it1 on a marble slab covered with a glass case1 stands a pair of cavalry boots with dark stains upon them1 and on the edge of the slab1 in golden letters1 is the inscription3 ,in memory of ,tobe1 ,faithful unto death4 ,,the ,,crowded ,,street4 ,,by ,,william ,,cullen ,,bryant4 ,let me move slowly through the street1 ,filled with an ever-shifting train1 ,amid the sound of steps that beat ,the murmuring walks like autumn rain4 ,how fast the flitting figures come6 ,the mild1 the fierce1 the stony face-- ,some bright with thoughtless smiles1 and some ,where secret tears have left their trace4 ,they pass to toil1 to strife1 to rest-- ,to halls in which the feast is spread-- ,to chambers where the funeral guest ,in silence sits beside the dead4 ,and some to happy homes repair1 ,where children pressing cheek to cheek1 ,with mute caresses shall declare ,the tenderness they cannot speak4 ,and some1 who walk in calmness here1 ,shall shudder as they reach the door ,where one who made their dwelling dear1 ,its flower1 its light1 is seen no more4 ,youth1 with pale cheek and slender frame1 ,and dreams of greatness in thine eye6 ,go'st thou to build an early name1 ,or early in the task to die8 ,keen son of trade1 with eager brow6 ,who is now fluttering in thy snare8 ,thy golden fortunes1 tower they now1 ,or melt the glittering spires in air8 ,who of this crowd to-night shall tread ,the dance till daylight gleam again8 ,who sorrow o'er the untimely dead8 ,who writhe in throes of mortal pain8 ,some1 famine-struck1 shall think how long ,the cold1 dark hours1 how slow the light2 ,and some1 who flaunt amid the throng1 ,shall hide in dens of shame to-night4 ,each where his tasks or pleasures call1 ,they pass1 and heed each other not4 ,there is who heeds1 who holds them all ,in ,his large love and boundless thought4 ,these struggling tides of life1 that seem ,in wayward1 aimless course to tend1 ,are eddies of the mighty stream ,that rolls to its appointed end4 ,,bessie ,,kendrick',s ,,journey4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,annie ,a4 ,,preston4 ,cars stop twenty minutes6 called out ,conductor ,richardson at ,allen's ,junction4 ,then1 as the train came to a dead halt1 he jumped down upon the depot platform1 ran along to the front of the long line of passenger cars1 to where the engine was standing1 and1 swinging himself up into the cab1 said to the engineer3 ,frank2 ,i want you to come back to the first passenger coach1 and see a little girl that ,i don't know hardly what to make of4 ,frank nodded1 and1 without speaking1 deliberately wiped his oily hands in a bunch of waste1 took a look at his grim1 dusty face in a narrow little mirror that hung beside the steam gauge1 pulled off his short frock1 put on a coat1 changed his little black1 greasy cap for a soft felt1 taking these dress-up articles from the tender-box1 where an engineer has something stowed away for all emergencies1 and went back to the cars as requested4 ,he entered the car and made his way to the seat where the conductor sat talking to a bright-looking little girl1 about nine years old1 oddly dressed in a woman's shawl and bonnet4 ,several of the passengers were grouped around the seat1 evidently much interested in the child1 who wore a sad1 prematurely old countenance1 but seemed to be neither timid nor confused4 ,here is the engineer1 said the conductor1 kindly1 as ,frank approached4 ,she held up her hand to him1 with a winsome smile breaking over her pinched little face1 and said3 ,my papa was an engineer before he became sick and went to live on a farm in ,montana4 ,he is dead1 and my mamma is dead4 ,she died first1 before ,willie and ,susie4 ,my papa used to tell me that after he should be dead there would be no one to take care of me1 and then ,i must get on the cars and go to his old home in ,vermont4 ,and he said1 'cause ,i hadn't any ticket1 ,i must ask for the engineer and tell him ,i am ,james ,kendrick's little girl1 and that he used to run on the ,m4 ,s4 road4 ,the pleading blue eyes were now suffused with tears2 but she did not cry after the manner of childhood in general4 ,engineer ,frank stooped down and kissed her very tenderly2 and then1 as he brushed the tears from his own eyes1 said3 ,well1 my dear1 so you are little ,bessie ,kendrick4 ,i rather think a merciful ,providence guided you on board this train4 ,then1 turning around to the group of passengers1 he went on3 ,i knew ,jim ,kendrick well4 ,he was a man out of ten thousand4 ,when ,i first came to ,indiana1 before ,i got acclimated1 ,i was sick a great part of the time1 so that ,i could not work1 and ,i got homesick and discouraged4 ,could not keep my board bill paid up1 to say nothing of my doctor's bill1 and ,i didn't much care whether ,i lived or died4 ,one day1 when the pay car came along and the men were getting their monthly pay1 and there wasn't a cent coming to me1 for ,i hadn't worked an hour for the last month1 ,i felt so 'blue' that ,i sat down on a pile of railroad ties and leaned my elbows on my knees1 with my head in my hands1 and cried like a boy1 out of sheer homesickness and discouragement4 ,pretty soon one came along and said1 in a voice that seemed like sweet music in my ears1 for ,i hadn't found much real sympathy1 although the boys were all good to me in their way3 ',you've been having a rough time of it1 and you must let me help you out4' ,i looked up1 and there stood ,jim ,kendrick1 with his month's pay in his hand4 ,he took out from the roll of bills a twenty-dollar note and held it out to me4 ,i knew he had a sickly wife and two or three children1 and that he had a hard time of it himself to pull through from month to month1 so ,i said1 half-ashamed of the tears that were still streaming down my face1 ',indeed1 ,i cannot take the money2 you must need it yourself4' ',indeed1 you will take it1 man1' said ,jim4 ',you will be all right in a few days1 and then you can pay it back4 ,now come home with me to supper and see the babies4 ,it will do you good4' ,i took the note and accepted the invitation1 and after that went to his house frequently1 until he moved away1 and ,i gradually lost sight of him4 ,i had returned the loan1 but it was impossible to repay the good that little act of kindness did me1 and ,i guess ,jim ,kendrick's little girl here won't want for anything if ,i can prevent it4 ,then turning to the child1 whose bright eyes were wide open now1 the engineer said to her3 ,i'll take you home with me when we get up to ,wayne4 ,my wife will fix you up1 and we'll find out whether these ,vermont folks want you or not4 ,if they do1 ,mary or ,i shall go with you4 ,but1 if they don't care much about having you1 you shall stay with us and be our girl1 for we have none of our own4 ,you look very much like your father1 ,god bless him4 ,just then the eastern train whistled1 ,engineer ,frank vanished out of the car door and went forward to the engine1 wiping the tears with his coat sleeve1 while the conductor and passengers could not suppress the tears this little episode evoked during the twenty minutes' stop at ,allen's ,junction4 ,,there ,,is ,a ,,tongue ,,in ,,every ,,leaf4 ,there is a tongue in every leaf1 ,a voice in every rill-- ,a voice that speaketh everywhere1 ,in flood1 and fire1 through earth and air6 ,a tongue that's never still6 ',tis the ,great ,spirit1 wide diffused ,through everything we see1 ,that with our spirits communeth ,of things mysterious--life and death1 ,time and eternity6 ,i see ,him in the blazing sun1 ,and in the thunder-cloud2 ,i hear ,him in the mighty roar ,that rusheth through the forest hoar ,when winds are raging loud4 ,i feel ,him in the silent dews1 ,by grateful earth betray'd2 ,i feel ,him in the gentle showers1 ,the soft south wind1 the breath of flowers1 ,the sunshine and the shade4 ,i see ,him1 hear ,him1 everywhere1 ,in all things--darkness1 light1 ,silence and sound2 but1 most of all1 ,when slumber's dusty curtains fall1 ,i' the silent hour of night4 ,,let ,,us ,,give ,,thanks4 ,,by ,,ellen ,,isabella ,,tupper4 ,for all that ,god in mercy sends3 ,for health and children1 home and friends1 ,for comfort in the time of need1 ,for every kindly word and deed1 ,for happy thoughts and holy talk1 ,for guidance in our daily walk-- ,for everything give thanks6 ,for beauty in this world of ours1 ,for verdant grass and lovely flowers1 ,for song of birds1 for hum of bees1 ,for the refreshing summer breeze1 ,for hill and plain1 for streams and wood1 ,for the great ocean's mighty flood-- ,in everything give thanks6 ,for the sweet sleep which comes with night1 ,for the returning morning's light1 ,for the bright sun that shines on high1 ,for the stars glittering in the sky2 ,for these and everything we see1 ,o ,lord6 our hearts we lift to ,thee ,for everything give thanks6 ,,little ,,feet4 ,up from all the city's by-ways1 ,from the breathless1 sickening heat1 ,to the wide-swung gate of heaven1 ,eager throng the little feet4 ,not a challenge has the warder ,for these souls so sinless white2 ,round each brow the ,saviour's blessing ,circles like a crown of light4 ,see1 the ,lord ,himself stands waiting1 ,wide ,his loving arms are spread2 ,on his heart of hearts is pillowed ,every weary baby's head4 ,but below1 with tear-wet faces1 ,and with hearts all empty grown1 ,stand the mourning men and women1 ,vainly calling back their own4 ,upward floats the voice of mourning-- ,jesus1 ,master1 dost thou care8 ,aye1 ,he feels each drop of anguish-- ,he doth all our sorrows bear4 ,wipe thine eyes1 ,o heavy laden2 ,look beyond the clouds and see1 ,with your dear one on ,his bosom1 ,jesus stands and calls to thee4 ,waits with yearning1 all unfathomed-- ,love you cannot understand1 ,lures you upward with the beckoning ,of your buried baby's hand4 ,a ,,rainy ,,day4 ,patter1 patter1 patter1 ,on the window-pane2 ,drip1 drip1 drip1 ,comes the heavy rain4 ,now the little birdies ,fly away to bed1 ,and each tender blossom ,droops its pretty head4 ,but the little rootlets1 ,in the earth below1 ,open wide their tiny mouths ,where the rain-drops flow2 ,and the thirsty grasses ,soon grow fresh and green1 ,with the pretty daisies ,springing up between4 ,,fashionable4 ,a fashionable woman ,in a fashionable pew2 ,a fashionable bonnet ,of a fashionable hue2 ,a fashionable mantle ,and a fashionable gown2 ,a fashionable ,christian ,in a fashionable town2 ,a fashionable prayer-book4 ,and a fashionable choir2 ,a fashionable chapel ,with a fashionable spire2 ,a fashionable preacher ,with a fashionable speech2 ,a fashionable sermon ,with a fashionable reach2 ,a fashionable welcome ,at the fashionable door2 ,a fashionable penny ,for the fashionable poor2 ,a fashionable heaven ,and a fashionable hell2 ,a fashionable ,bible ,for this fashionable belle2 ,a fashionable kneeling ,and a fashionable nod2 ,a fashionable everything1 ,but no fashionable ,god4 ,,resurgam4 ,,by ,,eben ,e4 ,,rexford4 ,there is no ,god1 he said1 and turned away ,from those who sought to lead him to the light2 ,here is a violet1 growing for a day1 ,when winter comes1 and all the world is white1 ,it will be dead4 ,and ,i am like the flower1 ,to-day1 here am ,i1 and to-morrow1 dust4 ,is life worth living for its little hour ,of empty pleasure1 if decay we must8 ,the autumn came1 and under fallen leaves ,the little violet was hid away4 ,dead6 dead6 cried he4 ,alas1 all nature grieves ,for what she loves is destined to decay4 ,soon like the violet1 in soft1 damp earth ,i shall be hidden1 and above my head ,a stone will tell the record of my birth ,and of my nothingness when ,i am dead4 ,spring came1 and from the mold the little flower ,he had thought dead1 sprung up to sweetest bloom4 ,he saw it1 and his heart was touched that hour1 ,and grasped the earth-old mystery of the tomb4 ,god of the flower1 he said1 with reverent voice1 ,the violet lives again1 and why not ,i8 ,at last my blind eyes see1 and ,i rejoice4 ,the soul within me was not born to die6 ,,the ,,fault ,,of ,,the ,,age4 ,,by ,,ella ,,wheeler ,,wilcox4 ,the fault of the age is a mad endeavor ,to leap to heights that were made to climb2 ,by a burst of strength or a thought that is clever ,we plan to outwit and forestall ,time4 ,we scorn to wait for the thing worth having2 ,we want high noon at the day's dim dawn1 ,we find no pleasure in toiling and saving ,as our forefathers did in the good times gone4 ,we force our roses before their season ,to bloom and blossom that we may wear2 ,and then we wonder and ask the reason ,why perfect buds are so few and rare4 ,we crave the gain1 but despise the getting2 ,we want wealth1 not as reward1 but dower2 ,and the strength that is wasted in useless fretting ,would fell a forest or build a tower4 ,to covet the prize1 yet to shrink from the winning2 ,to thirst for glory1 yet fear the fight-- ,why1 what can it lead to at last but sinning1 ,to mental languor and moral blight8 ,better the old slow way of striving ,and counting small gains when the year is done1 ,than to use our forces all in contriving ,and to grasp for pleasures we have not won4 ,,the ,,book ,,canvasser4 ,,by ,,max ,,adeler4 ,he came into my office with a portfolio under his arm4 ,placing it upon the table1 removing a ruined hat1 and wiping his nose upon a ragged handkerchief that had been so long out of the wash that it was positively gloomy1 he said3 ,mr4 ----1 ,i'm canvassing for the ,national ,portrait ,gallery2 splendid work2 comes in numbers1 fifty cents apiece2 contains pictures of all the great ,american heroes from the earliest times down to the present day4 ,everybody subscribing for it1 and ,i want to see if ,i can't take your name4 ,now1 just cast your eyes over that1 he said1 opening his book and pointing to an engraving1 ,that's--lemme see--yes1 that's ,columbus1 perhaps you've heard sumfin' about him8 ,the publisher was telling me to-day before ,i started out that he discovered--,no2 was it ,columbus that dis--,oh6 yes4 ,columbus1 he discovered ,america--was the first man here4 ,he came over in a ship1 the publisher said1 and it took fire1 and he stayed on deck because his father told him to1 if ,i remember right1 and when the old thing busted to pieces he was killed4 ,handsome picture1 ain't it8 ,taken from a photograph1 all of 'em are2 done especially for this work4 ,his clothes are kinder odd but they say that's the way they dressed in them days4 ,look at this one4 ,now isn't that splendid8 ,william ,penn1 one of the early settlers4 ,i was reading t'other day about him4 ,when he first arrived he got a lot of ,indians up a tree1 and when they shook some apples down1 he set one on top of his son's head1 and shot an arrow plump through it and never fazed him4 ,they say it struck them ,indians cold2 he was such a terrific shooter4 ,fine countenance1 hasn't he8 ,face shaved clean2 he didn't wear a mustache1 ,i believe1 but he seems to have let himself out on hair4 ,now1 my view is1 that every man ought to have a picture of that ,patriarch so's to see how the fust settlers looked and what kind of weskets they yoused to wear4 ,see his legs2 too6 ,trousers a little short maybe1 as if he was going to wade in a creek2 but he's all there4 ,got some kind of a paper in his hand1 ,i see4 ,subscription list1 ,i reckon4 ,now1 how does that strike you8 ,there's something nice4 ,that ,i think1 is--is--that's a--a--yes1 to be sure1 ,washington--you recollect him1 of course8 ,some people call him ,father of his ,country1 ,george--,washington4 ,he had no middle name1 ,i believe4 ,he lived about two hundred years ago and he was a fighter4 ,i heard the publisher telling a man about him crossing the ,delaware ,river up yer at ,trenton1 and seems to me1 if ,i recollect right1 ,i've read about it myself4 ,he was courting some girl on the ,jersey side1 and he used to swim over at nights to see her when the old man was asleep4 ,the girl's family were down on him1 ,i reckon4 ,he looks like a man to do that1 don't he8 ,he's got it in his eye4 ,if it'd been me ,i'd gone over on a bridge1 but he probably wanted to show off afore her2 some men are so reckless1 you know4 ,now1 if you'll conclude to take this ,i'll get the publisher to write out some more stories about him1 and bring 'em round to you1 so's you can study up on him4 ,i know he did ever so many other things1 but ,i've forgot 'em2 my memory's so awful poor4 ,less see6 ,who have we next8 ,ah6 ,franklin6 ,benjamin ,franklin6 ,he was one of the old original pioneers1 ,i think4 ,i disremember exactly what he is celebrated for1 but ,i think it was a flying a--oh6 yes1 flying a kite1 that's it4 ,the publisher mentioned it4 ,he was out one day flying a kite1 you know1 like boys do now-a-days1 and while she was a flickering up in the sky1 and he was giving her more string1 an apple fell off a tree and hit him on the head2--then he discovered the attraction of gravitation1 ,i think they call it4 ,smart1 wasn't it8 ,now1 if you or me'd a been hit1 it'd just a made us mad like as not and set us a ravin'4 ,but men are so different4 ,one man's meat's another man's pison4 ,see what a double chin he's got4 ,no beard on him1 either1 though a goatee would have been becoming to such a round face4 ,he hasn't got on a sword and ,i reckon he was no soldier2--fit some when he was a boy1 maybe1 or went out with the home-guard1 but not a regular warrior4 ,i ain't one1 myself1 and ,i think all the better of him for it4 ,ah1 here we are6 ,look at that6 ,smith and ,pocahontas6 ,john ,smith6 ,isn't that gorgeous8 ,see1 how she kneels over him1 and sticks out her hands while he lays on the ground1 and that big fellow with a club tries to hammer him up4 ,talk about woman's love6 ,there it is for you4 ,modocs1 ,i believe1 ,anyway some ,indians out ,west there1 somewheres2 and the publisher tells me that ,captain ,shackanasty1 or whatever his name is there1 was going to bang old ,smith over the head with a log of wood1 and this here girl she was sweet on ,smith1 it appears1 and she broke loose1 and jumped forward and says to the man with the stick1 ',why don't you let ,john alone8 ,me and him are going to marry1 and if you kill him ,i'll never speak to you as long as ,i live1' or words like them1 and so the man he give it up1 and both of them hunted up a preacher and were married and lived happy ever afterward4 ,beautiful story1 isn't it8 ,a good wife she made him1 too1 ,i'll bet1 if she was a little copper-colored4 ,and don't she look just lovely in that picture8 ,but ,smith appears kinder sick1 evidently thinks his goose is cooked1 and ,i don't wonder1 with that ,modoc swooping down on him with such a discouraging club4 ,and now we come to--to ah--to--,putnam--,general ,putnam3--he fought in the war1 too2 and one day a lot of 'em caught him when he was off his guard1 and they tied him flat on his back on a horse and then licked the horse like the very mischief4 ,and what does that horse do but go pitching down about four hundred stone steps in front of the house1 with ,general ,putnam lying there nearly skeered to death4 ,leastways the publisher said somehow that way1 and ,i oncet read about it myself4 ,but he came out safe1 and ,i reckon sold the horse and made a pretty good thing of it4 ,what surprises me is he didn't break his neck1 but maybe it was a mule1 for they're pretty sure footed1 you know4 ,surprising what some of these men have gone through1 ain't it8 ,turn over a couple of leaves4 ,that's ,general ,jackson4 ,my father shook hands with him once4 ,he was a fighter1 ,i know4 ,he fit down in ,new ,orleans4 ,broke up the rebel ,legislature1 and then when the ,ku ,kluxes got after him he fought 'em behind cotton breastworks and licked 'em 'til they couldn't stand4 ,they say he was terrific when he got real mad4 ,hit straight from the shoulder and fetched his man every time4 ,andrew1 his fust name was2 and look how his hair stands up4 ,and then1 here's ,john ,adams and ,daniel ,boone and two or three pirates1 and a whole lot more pictures1 so you see it's cheap as dirt4 ,lemme have your name1 won't you8 ,,the ,,misnomer4 ,,by ,,josie ,c4 ,,malott4 ,it sounds rather queer1 ,i must freely confess1 ,to hear a man ask kind heaven to bless ,himself and his neighbor1 when over the way ,his drinking saloon stands open all day4 ,you may call it a drug store1 but doesn't ,god know8 ,can you hide from ,his eye the sorrow and woe-- ,the pain and the anguish1 the grief and the shame ,that comes from the house with a high-sounding name8 ,such ill gotten wealth will surely take wing ,and leave naught behind but the deadliest sting2 ,and oh1 the account must be settled some day1 ,for the drug store saloon kept over the way4 ,can you face the just ,judge and the souls you have wrecked8 ,oh1 pause ere too late and note the effect4 ,do you know you're destroying both body and soul ,of the men whose honor and manhood you've stole8 ,does the hard accusation arouse you to fright8 ,have you never looked at yourself in the light ,of a thief1 nay1 worse1 a murderer1 too8 ,god brands you as such1 and you know it is true6 ,they're the deadliest poisons you have for sale-- ,the liquors you keep--yet you always fail ,to mark them as such1 and the men who drink ,can have what they want if they bring you the chink4 ,don't call such a place a drug store1 pray2 ,but drinking saloon1 and you'd better say ,on the sign o'er the door in letters clear1 ,ye abandon all hope who enter here6 ,,the ,,doorstep4 ,,by ,e4 ,c4 ,,stedman4 ,the conference-meeting through at last1 ,we boys around the vestry waited ,to see the girls come tripping past ,like snowbirds willing to be mated4 ,not braver he that leaps the wall ,by level musket-flashes litten1 ,than ,i1 who stepped before them all1 ,who longed to see me get the mitten4 ,but no2 she blushed and took my arm6 ,we let the old folks have the highway1 ,and started toward the ,maple ,farm ,along a kind of lover's by-way4 ,i can't remember what we said1 ',twas nothing worth a song or story2 ,yet that rude path by which we sped ,seemed all transformed and in a glory4 ,the snow was crisp beneath our feet1 ,the moon was full1 the fields were gleaming2 ,by hood and tippet sheltered sweet1 ,her face with youth and health was beaming4 ,the little hand outside her muff-- ,o sculptor1 if you could but mould it6 ,so lightly touched my jacket-cuff1 ,to keep it warm ,i had to hold it4 ,to have her with me there alone1-- ',twas love and fear and triumph blended4 ,at last we reached the foot-worn stone ,where that delicious journey ended4 ,the old folks1 too1 were almost home2 ,her dimpled hand the latches fingered1 ,we heard the voices nearer come1 ,yet on the doorstep still we lingered4 ,she took her ringlets from her hood1 ,and with a ,thank you1 ,ned1 dissembled2 ,but yet ,i knew she understood ,with what a daring wish ,i trembled4 ,a cloud past kindly overhead1 ,the moon was slyly peeping through it1 ,yet hid its face1 as if it said1 ,come1 now or never6 do it6 do it6 ,my lips till then had only known ,the kiss of mother and of sister1 ,but somehow full upon her own ,sweet1 rosy1 darling mouth--,i kissed her6 ,perhaps 'twas boyish love1 yet still1 ,o1 listless woman6 weary lover6 ,to feel once more that fresh1 wild thrill ,i'd give--but who can live youth over8 ,,how ,,old ,,mose ,,counted ,,eggs4 ,old ,mose1 who sold eggs and chickens on the streets of ,austin for a living1 is as honest an old negro as ever lived1 but he has got the habit of chatting familiarly with his customers1 hence he frequently makes mistakes in counting out the eggs they buy4 ,he carries his wares around in a small cart drawn by a diminutive donkey4 ,he stopped in front of the residence of ,mrs4 ,samuel ,burton4 ,the old lady herself came out to the gate to make the purchases4 ,have you any eggs this morning1 ,uncle ,mose8 she asked4 ,yes1 indeed ,i has4 ,jest got in ten dozen from the kentry4 ,are they fresh8 ,i gua'ntee 'em4 ,i knows dey am fresh jest the same as ef ,i had led 'em myself4 ,i'll take nine dozen4 ,you can just count them into this basket4 ,all right1 mum4 ,he counts1 ,one1 two1 free1 foah1 five1 six1 seben1 eight1 nine1 ten4 ,you kin rely on dem bein fresh4 ,how's your son coming on at de school8 ,he mus' be mos' grown4 ,yes1 ,uncle ,mose1 he is a clerk in a bank at ,galveston4 ,why1 how ole am de boy8 ,he is eighteen4 ,you don't tole me so4 ,eighteen and getting a salary already1 eighteen 7counting71 nineteen1 twenty1 twenty-one1 twenty-two1 twenty-free1 twenty-foah1 twenty-five1 and how's yore gal comin' on8 ,she was mos' growed up de las' time ,i seed her4 ,she is married and living in ,dallas4 ,wall1 ,i declar'4 ,how de time scoots away6 ,an' yo' say she has childruns8 ,why1 how ole am de gal8 ,she mus' be jess about-- ,thirty-three4 ,am dat so8 7counting71 firty-free1 firty-foah1 firty-five1 firty-six1 firty-seben1 firty-eight1 firty-nine1 forty1 forty-one1 forty-two1 forty-free4 ,hit am so singular dat you has sich old childruns4 ,i can't b'leeve you has granchildruns4 ,you don't look more den forty yeahs ole yerseff4 ,nonsense1 old man1 ,i see you want to flatter me4 ,when a person gets to be fifty-three years old---- ,fifty-free8 ,i jess dun gwinter beleeve hit1 fifty-free1 fifty-foah1 fifty-five1 fifty-six--,i want you to pay tenshun when ,i counts de eggs1 so dar'll be no mistake--fifty-nine1 sixty1 sixty-one1 sixty-two1 sixty-tree1 sixty-foah--,whew4 ,dat am a warm day4 ,dis am de time ob yeah when ,i feels ,i'se gettin' old myself4 ,i ain't long fer dis world4 ,you comes from an old family4 ,when your fodder died he was sebenty years ole4 ,seventy-two4 ,dat's old1 suah4 ,sebenty-two1 sebenty-free1 sebenty-foah1 sebenty-five1 sebenty-six1 sebenty-seben1 sebenty-eight1 sebenty-nine--and your mudder8 ,she was one ob the noblest looking ladies ,i ebber see4 ,you reminds me ob her so much4 ,she libbed to mos' a hundred4 ,i bleeves she was done pass a centurion when she died4 ,no1 ,uncle ,mose1 she was only ninety-six when she died4 ,den she warn't no chicken when she died4 ,i know dat--ninety-six1 ninety-seben1 ninety-eight1 ninety-nine1 one hundred1 one1 two1 free1 foah1 five1 six1 seben1 eight--dar #ajh nice fresh eggs--jess nine dozen1 and here am one moah egg in case ,i has discounted myself4 ,old ,mose went on his way rejoicing4 ,a few days afterward ,mrs4 ,burton said to her husband3 ,i am afraid we will have to discharge ,matilda4 ,i am satisfied she steals the milk and eggs4 ,i am positive about the eggs1 for ,i bought them day before yesterday1 and now about half of them are gone4 ,i stood right there and heard ,old ,mose count them myself and there were nine dozen4 ,,annie ,,and ,,willie',s ,,prayer4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,sophia ,p4 ,,snow4 ',twas the eve before ,christmas1 ,good-night had been said1 ,and ,annie and ,willie had crept into bed2 ,there were tears on their pillows1 and tears in their eyes1 ,and each little bosom was heaving with sighs1 ,for to-night their stern father's command had been given ,that they should retire precisely at seven ,instead of at eight--for they troubled him more ,with questions unheard of than ever before3 ,he had told them he thought this delusion a sin1 ,no such a creature as ,santa ,claus ever had been4 ,and he hoped1 after this1 he should never more hear ,how he scrambled down chimneys with presents each year4 ,and this was the reason that two little heads ,so restlessly tossed on their soft1 downy beds4 ,eight1 nine1 and the clock on the steeple tolled ten1 ,not a word had been spoken by either till then1 ,when ,willie's sad face from the blanket did peep1 ,and whispered1 ,dear ,annie1 is 'ou fast as'eep8 ,why no1 brother ,willie1 a sweet voice replies1 ,i've long tried in vain1 but ,i can't shut my eyes1 ,for somehow it makes me so sorry because ,dear papa has said there is no ',santa ,claus1' ,now we know there is1 and it can't be denied1 ,for he came every year before mamma died2 ,but1 then1 ,i've been thinking that she used to pray1 ,and ,god would hear everything mamma would say1 ,and maybe she asked him to send ,santa ,claus here ,with the sack full of presents he brought every year4 ,well1 why tan't we p'ay dest as mamma did den1 ,and ask ,dod to send him with p'esents aden8 ,i've been thinking so too1 and without a word more ,four little bare feet bounded out on the floor1 ,and four little knees the carpet pressed1 ,and two tiny hands were clasped close to each breast4 ,now ,willie1 you know we must firmly believe ,that the presents we asked for we're sure to receive2 ,you must wait very still till ,i say the ',amen1' ,and by that you will know that your turn has come then4 ,dear ,jesus1 look down on my brother and me1 ,and grant us the favor we are asking of thee4 ,i want a wax dolly1 a tea-set and ring1 ,and an ebony work-box that shuts with a spring4 ,bless papa1 dear ,jesus1 and cause him to see ,that ,santa ,claus loves us as much as does he2 ,don't let him get fretful and angry again ,at dear brother ,willie and ,annie4 ,amen4 ,please1 ,desus1 'et ,santa ,taus tum down to-night1 ,and b'ing us some p'esents before it is light2 ,i want he should div' me a nice 'ittie s'ed1 ,with bright shinin' 'unners1 and all painted red2 ,a box full of tandy1 a book1 and a toy1 ,amen1 and then ,desus1 ,i'll be a dood boy4 ,their prayers being ended1 they raised up their heads1 ,and with hearts light and cheerful1 again sought their beds4 ,they were lost soon in slumber1 both peaceful and deep1 ,and with fairies in dreamland were roaming in sleep4 ,eight1 nine1 and the little ,french clock had struck ten1 ,ere the father had thought of his children again3 ,he seems now to hear ,annie's half-suppressed sighs1 ,and to see the big tears stand in ,willie's blue eyes4 ,i was harsh with my darlings1 he mentally said1 ,and should not have sent them so early to bed2 ,but then ,i was troubled2 my feelings found vent1 ,for bank stock to-day has gone down ten per cent ,but of course they've forgotten their troubles ere this1 ,and that ,i denied them the thrice-asked-for kiss3 ,but1 just to make sure1 ,i'll go up to their door1 ,for ,i never spoke harsh to my darlings before4 ,so saying1 he softly ascended the stairs1 ,and arrived at the door to hear both of their prayers2 ,his ,annie's ,bless papa drew forth the big tears1 ,and ,willie's grave promise fell sweet on his ears4 ,strange--strange--,i'd forgotten1 said he with a sigh1 ,how ,i longed when a child to have ,christmas draw nigh4 ,i'll atone for my harshness1 he inwardly said1 ,by answering their prayers ere ,i sleep in my bed4 ,then he turned to the stairs and softly went down1 ,threw off velvet slippers and silk dressing-gown1 ,donned hat1 coat1 and boots1 and was out in the street-- ,a millionaire facing the cold driving sleet6 ,nor stopped he until he had bought every thing1 ,from the box full of candy to the tiny gold ring2 ,indeed1 he kept adding so much to his store1 ,that the various presents outnumbered a score4 ,then homeward he turned1 when his holiday load1 ,with ,aunt ,mary's help1 in the nursery was stowed4 ,miss ,dolly was seated beneath a pine tree1 ,by the side of a table spread out for her tea2 ,a work-box well filled in the centre was laid ,and on it the ring for which ,annie had prayed4 ,a soldier in uniform stood by a sled ,with bright shining runners1 and all painted red4 ,there were balls1 dogs1 and horses1 books pleasing to see1 ,and birds of all colors were perched in the tree6 ,while ,santa ,claus1 laughing1 stood up in the top1 ,as if getting ready more presents to drop4 ,and as the fond father the picture surveyed1 ,he thought for his trouble he had amply been paid1 ,and he said to himself1 as he brushed off a tear1 ,i'm happier to-night than ,i've been for a year2 ,i've enjoyed more true pleasure than ever before1 ,what care ,i if bank stock falls ten per cent more ,hereafter ,i'll make it a rule1 ,i believe1 ,to have ,santa ,claus visit us each ,christmas ,eve4 ,so thinking1 he gently extinguished the light1 ,and1 tripping down stairs1 retired for the night4 ,as soon as the beams of the bright morning sun ,put the darkness to flight1 and the stars one by one4 ,four little blue eyes out of sleep opened wide1 ,and at the same moment the presents espied2 ,then out of their beds they sprang with a bound1 ,and the very gifts prayed for were all of them found4 ,they laughed and they cried1 in their innocent glee1 ,and shouted for papa to come quick and see ,what presents old ,santa ,claus brought in the night 7,just the things that they wanted71 and left before light2 ,and now1 added ,annie1 in a voice soft and low1 ,you'll believe there's a ',santa ,claus1' papa1 ,i know2 ,while dear little ,willie climbed up on his knee1 ,determined no secret between them should be1 ,and told in soft whispers how ,annie had said ,that their dear blessed mamma1 so long ago dead1 ,used to kneel down by the side of her chair1 ,and that ,god up in heaven had answered her prayer4 ,den we dot up and prayed dust well as we tould1 ,and ,dod answered our prayers3 now wasn't ,he dood8 ,i should say that ,he was if ,he sent you all these1 ,and knew just what presents my children would please4 7,well1 well1 let him think so1 the dear little elf1 ',twould be cruel to tell him ,i did it myself47 ,blind father6 who caused your stern heart to relent1 ,and the hasty words spoken so soon to repent8 ',twas the ,being who bade you steal softly up stairs1 ,and made you ,his agent to answer their prayers4 ,,the ,,old ,,oaken ,,bucket4 ,,by ,,samuel ,,woodworth4 ,how dear to this heart are the scenes of my childhood1 ,when fond recollection presents them to view6 ,the orchard1 the meadow1 the deep-tangled wild-wood1 ,and every loved spot which my infancy knew2 ,the wide-spreading pond1 and the mill which stood by it1 ,the bridge and the rock where the cataract fell2 ,the cot of my father1 the dairy-house nigh it1 ,and e'en the rude bucket1 which hung in the well4 ,the old oaken bucket1 the iron-bound bucket1 ,the moss-covered bucket1 which hung in the well4 ,that moss-covered bucket ,i hail as a treasure2 ,for often1 at noon1 when returned from the field1 ,i found it the source of an exquisite pleasure1 ,the purest and sweetest that nature can yield4 ,how ardent ,i seized it1 with hands that were glowing6 ,and quick to the white-pebbled bottom it fell2 ,then soon with the emblem of truth overflowing1 ,and dripping with coolness1 it rose from the well4 ,the old oaken bucket1 the iron-bound bucket1 ,the moss-covered bucket arose from the well4 ,how sweet from the green mossy brim to receive it1 ,as poised on the curb it inclined to my lips6 ,not a full blushing goblet could tempt me to leave it1 ,though filled with the nectar that ,jupiter sips4 ,and now1 far removed from the loved situation1 ,the tear of regret will intrusively swell1 ,as fancy reverts to my father's plantation1 ,and sighs for the bucket which hangs in the well2 ,the old oaken bucket1 the iron-bound bucket1 ,the moss-covered bucket1 which hangs in the well4 ,,mr4 ,,winkle ,,puts ,,on ,,skates4 ,,by ,,charles ,,dickens4 ,now1 said ,wardle1 after a substantial lunch1 what say you to an hour on the ice8 ,we shall have plenty of time4 ,capital6 said ,mr4 ,benjamin ,allen4 ,prime6 ejaculated ,mr4 ,bob ,sawyer4 ,you skate1 of course1 ,winkle8 said ,wardle4 ,ye-yes2 ,o yes1 replied ,mr4 ,winkle4 ,i--,i--am rather out of practice6 ,o1 do skate1 ,mr4 ,winkle1 said ,arabella4 ,i like to see it so much4 ,o1 it is so graceful1 said another young lady4 ,a third young lady said it was elegant1 and a fourth expressed her opinion that it was swanlike4 ,i should be very happy1 ,i'm sure1 said ,mr4 ,winkle1 reddening2 but ,i have no skates4 ,this objection was at once overruled4 ,trundle had a couple of pairs1 and the fat boy announced that there were half a dozen more down stairs2 whereat ,mr4 ,winkle expressed exquisite delight1 and looked exquisitely uncomfortable4 ,old ,wardle led the way to a pretty large sheet of ice2 and the fat boy and ,mr4 ,weller having shoveled and swept away the snow which had fallen on it during the night1 ,mr4 ,bob ,sawyer adjusted his skates with a dexterity which to ,mr4 ,winkle was perfectly marvelous1 and described circles with his left leg1 and cut figures of eight1 and inscribed upon the ice1 without once stopping for breath1 a great many other pleasant and astonishing devices1 to the excessive satisfaction of ,mr4 ,pickwick1 ,mr4 ,tupman and the ladies2 which reached a pitch of positive enthusiasm when old ,wardle and ,benjamin ,allen1 assisted by the aforesaid ,bob ,sawyer1 performed some mystic evolutions which they called a reel4 ,all this time ,mr4 ,winkle1 with his face and hands blue with the cold1 had been forcing a gimlet into the soles of his feet1 and putting his skates on1 with the points behind1 and getting the straps into a very complicated and entangled state1 with the assistance of ,mr4 ,snodgrass1 who knew rather less about skates than a ,hindoo4 ,at length1 however1 with the assistance of ,mr4 ,weller1 the unfortunate skates were firmly screwed and buckled on1 and ,mr4 ,winkle was raised to his feet4 ,now1 then1 sir1 said ,sam1 in an encouraging tone1 off with you1 and show 'em how to do it4 ,stop1 ,sam1 stop6 said ,mr4 ,winkle1 trembling violently1 and clutching hold of ,sam's arm with the grasp of a drowning man4 ,how slippery it is1 ,sam6 ,not an uncommon thing upon ice1 sir1 replied ,mr4 ,weller4 ,hold up1 sir6 ,this last observation of ,mr4 ,weller's bore reference to a demonstration ,mr4 ,winkle made at the instant1 of a frantic desire to throw his feet in the air1 and dash the back of his head on the ice4 ,these--these--are very awkward skates1 said ,mr4 ,winkle1 staggering4 ,now1 ,winkle1 cried ,mr4 ,pickwick1 quite unconscious that there was anything the matter4 ,come2 the ladies are all anxiety4 ,yes1 yes1 replied ,mr4 ,winkle1 with a ghastly smile4 ,i'm coming4 ,just going to begin1 said ,sam1 endeavoring to disengage himself4 ,now1 sir1 start off6 ,just hold me at first1 ,sam1 will you8 said ,mr4 ,winkle4 ,there--that's right4 ,i shall soon get in the way of it1 ,sam4 ,not too fast1 ,sam--not too fast6 ,mr4 ,winkle stooping forward1 with his body half doubled up1 was being assisted over the ice by ,mr4 ,weller in a very singular and un-swanlike manner1 when ,mr4 ,pickwick most innocently shouted from the opposite bank--,sam6 ,sir6 shouted back ,mr4 ,weller4 ,here6 ,i want you4 ,let go1 sir1 said ,sam4 ,don't you hear the governor calling8 ,let go1 sir4 ,with a violent effort ,mr4 ,weller disengaged himself from the grasp of the agonized ,pickwickian1 and in so doing administered a considerable impetus to the unhappy ,mr4 ,winkle4 ,with an accuracy which no degree of dexterity or practice could have insured1 that unfortunate gentleman bore swiftly down into the centre of the reel at the very moment when ,mr4 ,bob ,sawyer was performing a flourish of unparalleled beauty4 ,mr4 ,winkle struck ,wildly against him1 and with a loud crash they both fell heavily down4 ,mr4 ,pickwick ran to the spot4 ,bob ,sawyer had risen to his feet1 but ,mr4 ,winkle was far too wise to do anything of the kind in skates4 ,he was seated on the ice1 making spasmodic efforts to smile2 but anguish was depicted on every lineament of his countenance4 ,are you hurt8 inquired ,mr4 ,benjamin ,allen1 with great anxiety4 ,not much1 said ,mr4 ,winkle1 rubbing his back very hard4 ,i wish you'd let me bleed you1 said ,mr4 ,benjamin1 with great eagerness4 ,no1 thank you1 replied ,mr4 ,winkle1 hurriedly4 ,i really think you had better1 said ,allen4 ,thank you1 replied ,mr4 ,winkle2 ,i'd rather not4 ,what do you think1 ,mr4 ,pickwick8 inquired ,bob ,sawyer4 ,mr4 ,pickwick was excited and indignant4 ,he beckoned to ,mr4 ,weller and said1 in a stern voice1 ,take his skates off6 ,no2 but really ,i had scarcely begun1 remonstrated ,mr4 ,winkle4 ,take his skates off6 repeated ,mr4 ,pickwick1 firmly4 ,the command was not to be resisted4 ,mr4 ,winkle allowed ,sam to obey it1 in silence4 ,lift him up1 said ,mr4 ,pickwick4 ,sam assisted him to rise4 ,mr4 ,pickwick retired a few paces apart from the bystanders2 and1 beckoning his friend to approach1 fixed a searching look upon him and uttered in a low1 but distinct and emphatic tone1 these remarkable words3 ,you're a humbug1 sir6 ,a what8 said ,mr4 ,winkle1 starting4 ,a humbug1 sir6 ,i will speak plainer1 if you wish it4 ,an impostor1 sir6 ,with these words ,mr4 ,pickwick turned slowly on his heel and rejoined his friends4 ,,my ,,mother',s ,,bible4 ,,by ,,george ,p4 ,,morris4 ,this book is all that's left me now6 ,tears will unbidden start1-- ,with faltering lip and throbbing brow ,i press it to my heart4 ,for many generations past1 ,here is our family tree3 ,my mother's hand this ,bible clasped2 ,she1 dying1 gave it me4 ,ah6 well do ,i remember those ,whose names these records bear1 ,who round the hearthstone used to close ,after the evening prayer1 ,and speak of what these pages said1 ,in tones my heart would thrill6 ,though they are with the silent dead1 ,here are they living still6 ,my father read this holy book ,to brothers1 sisters1 dear2 ,how calm was my poor mother's look1 ,who leaned ,god's word to hear4 ,her angel-face--,i see it yet6 ,what thronging memories come6 ,again that little group is met ,within the halls of home6 ,thou truest friend man ever knew1 ,thy constancy ,i've tried2 ,where all were false ,i found thee true1 ,my counsellor and guide4 ,the mines of earth no treasure give ,that could this volume buy3 ,in teaching me the way to live1 ,it taught me how to die4 ,,after-,,dinner ,,speech ,,by ,a ,,frenchman4 ,milors and ,gentlemans--,you excellent chairman1 ,m4 le ,baron de ,mount-,stuart1 he have say to me1 ',make de toast4' ,den ,i say to him dat ,i have no toast to make2 but he nudge my elbow ver soft1 and say dat dere is von toast dat nobody but von ,frenchman can make proper2 and1 derefore1 wid your kind permission1 ,i vill make de toast4 ',de brevete is de sole of de feet1' as you great philosophere1 ,dr4 ,johnson1 do say1 in dat amusing little vork of his1 de ,pronouncing ,dictionaire2 and1 derefore1 ,i vill not say ver moch to de point4 ,ah6 mes amis6 ven ,i hear to myself de flowing speech1 de oration magnifique of your ,lor' ,maire1 ,monsieur ,gobbledown1 ,i feel dat it is von great privilege for von etranger to sit at de same table1 and to eat de same food1 as dat grand1 dat majestique man1 who are de tereur of de voleurs and de brigands of de metropolis1 and who is also1 ,i for to suppose1 a halterman and de chief of you common scoundrel4 ,milors and gentlemans1 ,i feel that ,i can perspire to no greatare honueur dan to be von common scoundrelman myself2 but1 helas6 dat plaisir are not for me1 as ,i are not freeman of your great cite1 not von liveryman servant of von you compagnies joint-stock4 ,but ,i must not forget de toast4 ,milors and ,gentlemans6 ,de immortal ,shakispeare he have write1 ',de ting of beauty are de joy for nevermore4' ,it is de ladies who are de toast4 ,vat is more entrancing dan de charmante smile1 de soft voice1 de vinking eye of de beautiful lady6 ,it is de ladies who do sweeten the cares of life4 ,it is de ladies who are de guiding stars of our existence4 ,it is de ladies who do cheer but not inebriate1 and1 derefore1 vid all homage to dere sex1 de toast dat ,i have to propose is1 ',de ,ladies6 ,heaven bless dem all6' ,,the ,,whirling ,,wheel4 ,,by ,,tudor ,,jenks4 ,oh6 the regular round is a kind of a grind6 ,we rise in the morning only to find ,that ,monday's but ,tuesday1 and ,wednesday's the same1 ,and ,thursday's a change in nothing but name2 ,a ,friday and ,saturday wind up the week2 ,on ,sunday we rest1 and attempt to look meek4 ,so set a firm shoulder ,and push on the wheel6 ,the mill that we're grinding ,works for our weal4 ,and although the dull round is a kind of a grind1 ,it has compensations that we may find4 ,famine and slaughter and sieges no more ,are likely to leave their cards at the door4 ,let others delight in adventurous lives-- ,we read their sore trials at home to our wives4 ,so set a firm shoulder ,and push on the wheel6 ,the mill that we're grinding ,works for our weal4 ,the regular round1 though a kind of a grind1 ,brings thoughts of contentment to quiet the mind3 ,the babies sleep soundly in snug little beds2 ,there's a tight little roof o'er the ringletted heads2 ,the wife's welcome comes with the set of the sun1 ,and the worker may rest1 for the day's work is done4 ,so set a firm shoulder ,and push on the wheel6 ,the mill that we're grinding ,works for our weal4 ,oh6 the regular round is a kind of a grind1 ,but the world's scenes are shifted by workmen behind4 ,the star who struts central may show no more art ,than the sturdy first citizen filling his part4 ,when the king to our plaudits has graciously bowed1 ,the crowd sees the king1 while the king sees the crowd4 ,so set a firm shoulder ,and push on the wheel6 ,the mill that we're grinding ,works for our weal4 ,when the great mill has stopped1 and the work is complete1 ,and the workers receive the reward that is meet1 ,who can tell what the ,master shall say is the best8 ,we but know that the worker who's aided the rest1 ,who has kept his wheel turning from morning to night1 ,who has not wronged his fellow1 is not far from right4 ,so set a firm shoulder ,and push on the wheel6 ,the mill that we're grinding ,shall work out our weal4 ,,the ,,black ,,horse ,,and ,,his ,,rider4 ,,by ,,charles ,,sheppard4 ,it was the seventh of ,october1 #aggg4 ,horatio ,gates stood before his tent1 gazing steadfastly upon the two armies now arrayed in order of battle4 ,it was a clear1 bracing day1 mellow with the richness of autumn4 ,the sky was cloudless2 the foliage of the wood scarce tinged with purple and gold2 the buckwheat in yonder fields frostened into snowy ripeness4 ,but the tread of legions shook the ground2 from every bush shot the glimmer of the rifle barrel2 on every hillside blazed the sharpened bayonet4 ,gates was sad and thoughtful as he watched the evolutions of the two armies4 ,but all at once a smoke arose1 a thunder shook the ground1 and a chorus of shouts and groans yelled along the darkened air4 ,the play of death had begun4 ,the two flags1 this of the stars1 that of the red cross1 tossed amid the smoke of battle1 while the sky was clouded with leaden folds1 and the earth throbbed with the pulsations of a mighty heart4 ,suddenly1 ,gates and his officers were startled4 ,along the height on which they stood came a rider1 upon a black horse1 rushing toward the distant battle4 ,there was something in the appearance of this horse and his rider that struck them with surprise4 ,look6 he draws his sword1 the sharp blade quivers through the air--he points to the distant battle1 and1 lo6 he is gone2 gone through those clouds1 while his shout echoes over the plains4 ,wherever the fight is the thickest1 there1 through intervals of cannon smoke1 you may see riding madly forward that strange soldier1 mounted on his steed black as death4 ,look at him1 as with face red with ,british blood he waves his sword and shouts to his legions4 ,now you may see him fighting in that cannon's glare1 and the next moment he is away off yonder1 leading the forlorn hope up that steep cliff4 ,is it not a magnificent sight to see that strange soldier and that noble black horse1 dashing like a meteor1 down the long columns of battle8 ,let us look for a moment into those dense war clouds4 ,over this thick hedge bursts a band of ,american militiamen1 their rude farmer coats stained with blood1 while scattering their arms by the way1 they flee before that company of redcoat hirelings1 who come rushing forward1 their solid front of bayonets gleaming in the battle light4 ,in this moment of their flight1 a horse comes crashing over the plains4 ,the unknown rider reins his steed back on his haunches right in the path of a broad-shouldered militiaman4 ,now6 cowards6 advance another step and ,i'll strike you to the heart6 shouts the unknown1 extending a pistol in either hand4 ,what6 are you ,americans1 men1 and fly before ,british soldiers8 ,back again1 and face them once more1 or ,i myself will ride you down4 ,this appeal was not without its effect4 ,the militiaman turns2 his comrades1 as if by one impulse1 follow his example4 ,in one line1 but thirty men in all1 they confront thirty sharp bayonets4 ,the ,british advance4 ,now1 upon the rebels1 charge6 shouts the red-coat officer4 ,they spring forward at the same bound4 ,look6 their bayonets almost touch the muzzles of their rifles4 ,at this moment the voice of the unknown rider is heard3 ,now let them have it6 ,fire6 ,a sound is heard1 a smoke is seen1 twenty ,britons are down1 some writhing in death1 some crawling along the soil1 and some speechless as stone4 ,the remaining ten start back4 ,club your rifles and charge them home6 shouts the unknown4 ,that black horse springs forward1 followed by the militiamen4 ,then a confused conflict--a cry for quarter1 and a vision of twenty farmers grouped around the rider of the black horse1 greeting him with cheers4 ,thus it was all the day long4 ,wherever that black horse and his rider went1 there followed victory4 ,at last1 toward the setting of the sun1 the crisis of the conflict came4 ,that fortress yonder1 on ,bemiss' ,heights1 must be won1 or the ,american cause is lost6 ,that cliff is too steep--that death is too certain4 ,the officers cannot persuade the men to advance4 ,the ,americans have lost the field4 ,even ,morgan1 that iron man among iron men1 leans on his rifle and despairs of the field4 ,but look yonder6 ,in this moment when all is dismay and horror1 here crashing on1 comes the black horse and his rider4 ,that rider bends upon his steed1 his frenzied face covered with sweat and dust and blood2 he lays his hand upon that bold rifleman's shoulder1 and1 as though living fire had been poured into his veins1 he seized his rifle and started toward the rock4 ,and now look6 now hold your breath1 as that ,black ,steed crashes up that steep cliff4 ,that steed quivers6 he totters6 he falls6 ,no6 ,no6 ,still on1 still up the cliff1 still on toward the fortress4 ,the rider turns his face and shouts1 ,come on1 men of ,quebec6 come on6 ,that call is needless4 ,already the bold riflemen are on the rock4 ,now ,british cannon pour your fires1 and lay your dead in tens and twenties on the rock4 ,now1 red-coat hirelings1 shout your battle-cry if you can6 ,for look6 there1 in the gate of the fortress1 as the smoke clears away1 stands the ,black ,horse and his rider4 ,that steed falls dead1 pierced by an hundred balls2 but his rider1 as the ,british cry for quarter1 lifts up his voice and shouts afar to ,horatio ,gates waiting yonder in his tent1 ,saratoga is won6 ,as that cry goes up to heaven1 he falls with his leg shattered by a cannon-ball4 ,who was the rider of the black horse8 ,do you not guess his name8 ,then bend down and gaze on that shattered limb1 and you shall see that it bears the mark of a former wound4 ,that wound was received in the storming of ,quebec4 ,that rider of the ,black ,horse was ,benedict ,arnold4 ,,she ,,cut ,,his ,,hair4 ,you can always tell a boy whose mother cuts his hair4 ,not because the edges of it look as if it had been chewed off by an absent-minded horse2 but you can tell it by the way he stops on the streets and wriggles his shoulders4 ,when a fond mother has to cut her boy's hair she is careful to guard against any annoyance and muss by laying a sheet on the carpet4 ,it has never yet occurred to her to set him over a bare floor and put the sheet around his neck4 ,then she draws the front hair over his eyes1 and leaves it there while she cuts that which is at the back2 the hair which lies over his eyes appears to be surcharged with electric needles1 and that which is silently dropping down over his shirtband appears to be on fire4 ,she has unconsciously continued to push his head forward until his nose presses his breast1 and is too busily engaged to notice the snuffling sound that is becoming alarmingly frequent4 ,in the meantime he is seized with an irresistible desire to blow his nose1 but recollects that his handkerchief is in the other room4 ,then a fly lights on his nose1 and does it so unexpectedly that he involuntarily dodges and catches the points of the shears in his left ear4 ,at this he commences to cry and wish he was a man4 ,but his mother doesn't notice him4 ,she merely hits him on the other ear to inspire him with confidence and goes on with the work4 ,when she is through she holds his jacket-collar back from his neck1 and with her mouth blows the short bits of hair from the top of his head down his back4 ,he calls her attention to this fact1 but she looks for a new place on his head and hits him there1 and asks him why he didn't use a handkerchief4 ,then he takes his awfully disfigured head to the mirror and looks at it1 and1 young as he is1 shudders as he thinks of what the boys on the street will say4 ,,an ,,appeal ,,for ,,liberty4 ,,by ,,joseph ,,story4 ,i call upon you1 fathers1 by the shades of your ancestors--by the dear ashes which repose in this precious soil--by all you are1 and all you hope to be--resist every object of disunion1 resist every encroachment upon your liberties1 resist every attempt to fetter your consciences1 or smother your public schools1 or extinguish your system of public instruction4 ,i call upon you1 mothers1 by that which never fails in woman1 the love of your off-spring2 teach them1 as they climb your knees1 or lean on your bosoms1 the blessings of liberty4 ,swear them at the altar1 as with their baptismal vows1 to be true to their country1 and never to forget or forsake her4 ,i call upon you1 young men1 to remember whose sons you are2 whose inheritance you possess4 ,life can never be too short1 which brings nothing but disgrace and oppression4 ,death never comes too soon1 if necessary in defence of the liberties of your country4 ,i call upon you1 old men1 for your counsels1 and your prayers1 and your benedictions4 ,may not your gray hairs go down in sorrow to the grave1 with the recollection that you have lived in vain4 ,may not your last sun sink in the west upon a nation of slaves4 ,no2 ,i read in the destiny of my country far better hopes1 far brighter visions4 ,we1 who are now assembled here1 must soon be gathered to the congregation of other days4 ,the time of our departure is at hand1 to make way for our children upon the theatre of life4 ,may ,god speed them and theirs4 ,may he who1 at the distance of another century1 shall stand here to celebrate this day1 still look round upon a free1 happy1 and virtuous people4 ,may he have reason to exult as we do4 ,may he1 with all the enthusiasm of truth as well as of poetry1 exclaim1 that here is still his country4 ,,old ,,uncle ,,jake4 ,he was bowed by many a year of service2 he was white-woolled1 thick-lipped1 and a true son of ,africa1 yet a grand and knightly soul animated that dusky breast--a soul that many a scion of the blood royal might envy4 ,the children loved him1 the neighbors respected him1 his own color looked up to him as a superior being1 and they whose goods and chattels he had formerly been1 were sure to heed his counsels in all important family matters4 ,aye1 he had an honorable record4 ,if his skin was black1 his soul was white as the whitest and from lusty boyhood to the present there had been no need of stripes for ,uncle ,jake4 ,he had been the playmate of young marster1 the boon companion in all 'possum hunts and fishing frolics1 and when each had arrived at man's estate the goodfellowship contracted in youth knew no surcease4 ,when the tocsin of war resounded through the ,south1 and the call for volunteers was made1 marster was one of the first to buckle on his armor and hasten to the front--doing so with greater heart as ,uncle ,jake was left in charge of those dearer than life to him4 ,and royally did the poor unlettered ,african fulfil the trust committed to his keeping4 ,he took upon himself the burden of all plantation matters and sooner than one hair on the heads of missus or chillun should be injured1 he would have sacrificed his life freely any day4 ,and when the war was over he positively refused to join in the hegira of his brethren1 preferring rather to live on in the same old place that had witnessed his birth and the strength of his manhood's prime4 ,in grateful recognition of his long servitude a comfortable cottage was built for him in a secluded nook of the plantation1 in which1 with his faithful old wife1 he lived a peaceful and contented life1 tilling the few acres which had been granted him and doing all sorts of odd jobs out of the pure love he bore old marse4 ,but ,uncle ,jake was getting old now--more and more heavily the weight of years fell upon him--the whiter grew his locks until at last the time came when he could no longer pursue his accustomed duties1 and all reluctant and unwilling he took to his bed never to rise again4 ,for weeks and months he lingered on the ,border ,land1 attended by loving hands1 and his slightest wish was gratified2 indeed1 so long he hovered between life and death1 that those who loved him best began to cherish a faint hope that he would be spared to them4 ,but the fiat had gone forth--,uncle ,jake must die4 ,one evening1 just as the setting sun was flooding the fair landscape with his golden beams1 a tearful group were assembled at his bedside1 who had been hastily summoned thither to bid farewell to one who had been so true a friend to them all4 ,there were marster and missus and their children and ,jake's own wife and children1 with a few of his fellow servants1 all united in a democracy of grief that knew no distinction of caste in the supreme moment4 ,no sound was heard save a half-suppressed sob now and then--the tick-tick of the clock on the rude mantel and the labored breathing of the dying man4 ,for hours he had lain in a sort of stupor1 broken only at intervals by delirious mutterings1 when suddenly his eyes1 in which was a preternatural brightness1 opened and fixed themselves long and earnestly in turn upon each one of the faces bent so sorrowfully over him4 ,then in a feeble1 fluttering voice1 like the last effort of an expiring taper1 he addressed his master1 who was tenderly wiping the moisture from his brow3 ,ole marse1 ,i'se been a good and faithful servant to yer all dese years1 has ,i not8 ,yes1 ,jake4 ,ebber since we was boys togedder ,i'se lubed yer1 and stuck to yer through thick and thin1 and now dat ,jake is goin' home yer doan' treasure up nothin' agin me1 do yer1 marse8 ,no1 no1 ,jake4 ,old missus1 come nearer1 honey1 ,jake's eyes is gettin' mighty dim now1 and he kan't see yer4 ,yer'll nebber forgit how ,jake tuk keer of yer an' de chilluns when ole marster gone to de war8 ,an' yer'll be kind to my wife and chilluns for my sake1 won't yer8 ,yes1 yes1 ,jake1 ,i'll be kind to them1 and ,i will never forget your fidelity1 old friend4 ,t'ank de ,lawd6 ,i kin die happy now1 when ,i'se know dat yer an' master will 'member me an' be kind to dem ,i'se leaving behind4 ,an' de chillun--whar's de chillun8 ,i'se wants ter tell 'em all goodby an' say a las' few words to dem1 too4 ,and in his eagerness1 with a strength born of death1 the old man half arose upon his elbow and laid a trembling hand upon the head of each of the awe-struck children4 ,god bless yer1 chillun1 one an' all4 ,i lubs my own little picaninnies1 but ,i lubs old marster's just as well4 ,i doan' want none o' yer to forgit how ,uncle ,jake has trotted yer on his knee an' toted yer on his back an' keep' a watchful eye on yer1 les' yet git into mischief by yer pranks4 ,promise me1 chillun1 dat you'll nebber forgit dese ting4 ,it pleases ,uncle ,jake to think yer'll 'member him arter he's gone from yer sight for ebber4 ,as well as they were able for their tears1 the little ones gave the required promise1 and greatly pleased1 the old man sank back exhausted upon his pillow4 ,after lying a few minutes with closed eyes1 as if in sleep1 he suddenly whispered3 ,dinah1 whar is you8 ,i wants yer to cum closer ter me1 honey1 an' put yer arms around my neck an' lay yer cheek ter mine like yer used ter do when we was courtin' down in de huckleberry patch4 ,i wants ter die in yer arms1 ole wife4 ,yer is black1 an' de white folks mought not be able ter see any booty in yer1 but ,jake knows what a true an' lovin' wife you'se bin ter him1 an' he can see de booty dat's hidden out o' sight4 ,i'se gwine ter cross ober der great wide ribber dey call ,death1 into a kentry whar' dere'll nebber be any mo' black skins--whar' ,i'll wear de white robe and de golden crown1 an' ,i'se got ter wait fur yer dere4 ,dinah1 my lub6 my lub6 ,hark1 honey6 doan' yer hear de bells ob heaven a-ringing8 ,an' doan' yer see de pearly gates a-openin' to let ole black ,jake go frew8 ,i'se a comin'1 holy angels--,i'se a comin'1 blessed ,lawd6 ,glory hallelewger6 ,ole ,jake's mos' got ober de ribber4 ,his feet is touchin' de water--but it's gettin' so cold1 ,dinah1 honey--,i can't feel de clasp of yer arms any mo'4 ,i'se-- ,and with a last1 long1 fluttering sigh1 as knightly and true a soul as ever dwelt in human breast took its light to a realm where there is indeed neither black nor white1 nor bond nor free1 but all are like unto the angels4 ,,the ,,hot ,,axle4 ,,by ,t4 ,,de ,,witt ,,talmage4 ,the express train was flying from ,cork to ,queenstown2 it was going like sixty--that is1 about sixty miles an hour4 ,no sight of ,irish village to arrest our speed1 no sign of a breakdown2 and yet the train halted4 ,we looked out of a window2 saw a brakeman and a crowd of passengers gathering around the locomotive1 and a dense smoke arising4 ,what was the matter8 ,a hot axle6 ,i thought then1 as ,i think now1 that is what is the matter with people everywhere4 ,in this swift1 express ,american life1 we go too fast for our endurance4 ,we think ourselves getting on splendidly1 when1 in the midst of our success1 we come to a dead halt4 ,what is the matter8 ,the nerves or muscles or our brain give out2 we make too many revolutions in an hour4 ,a hot axle6 ,men make the mistake of working according to their opportunities1 and not according to their capacity of endurance4 ,can ,i be a merchant1 and president of a bank1 and a director in a life insurance company1 and a school commission1 and help edit a paper1 and supervise the politics of our ward1 and run for ,congress8 ,i can6 the man says to himself4 ,the store drives him2 the bank drives him2 the school drives him2 politics drive him4 ,he takes all the scoldings and frets and exasperations of each position4 ,some day1 at the height of the business season1 he does not come to the store4 ,from the most important meeting of the bank directors he is absent4 ,in the excitement of the most important political canvass he fails to be at the place appointed4 ,what is the matter8 ,his health has broken down2 the train halts long before it gets to the station4 ,a hot axle6 ,literary men have great opportunities opening in this day4 ,if they take all that open1 they are dead men1 or worse--living men that ought to be dead4 ,the pen runs so easy when you have good ink and smooth paper1 and an easy desk to write on1 and the consciousness of an audience of one1 two1 or three hundred thousand readers4 ,so great is the invitation to literary work1 that the professional men of the day are overdone4 ,they sit1 faint and fagged out1 on the verge of newspapers and books2 each one does the work of three4 ,and these men sit up late nights and choke down chunks of meat without mastication1 and scold their wives through irritability1 and maul innocent authors1 and run the physical machinery with a liver miserably given out4 ,the driving shaft has gone fifty times a second4 ,they stop at no station4 ,the steam-chest is hot and swollen4 ,the brain and digestion begins to smoke4 ,stop1 ye flying quills6 ,down brakes6 ,a hot axle6 ,some of our young people have read--till they are crazed--of learned blacksmiths who at the forge conquered thirty languages2 and shoemakers who1 pounding sole-leather1 got to be philosophers2 and of milliners who1 while their customers were at the glass trying on their spring hats1 wrote a volume of first-rate poems4 ,the fact is1 no blacksmith ought to be troubled with more than five languages2 and1 instead of shoemakers becoming philosophers1 we would like to turn our surplus supply of philosophers into shoemakers2 and the supply of poetry is so much greater than the demand1 that we wish milliners would stick to their business4 ,extraordinary examples of work and endurance may do us much good4 ,because ,napoleon slept only four hours a night1 hundreds of students have tried the experiment2 but1 instead of ,austerlitz and ,saragossa1 there came of it only a sick headache and a botch of a recitation4 ,let us not go beyond our endurance1 cutting short our days and making a wreck of our life work1 but labor earnestly1 zealously1 intelligently for success2 and in the twilight of old age peace and happiness will be ours--not the shattered and praised remains of a career disastrously checked4 ,,the ,,children4#b ,,by ,,charles ,,dickens4 ,when the lessons and tasks are ended1 ,and the school for the day is dismissed1 ,and the little ones gather around me ,to bid me good-night and be kissed2 ,oh1 the little white arms that encircle ,my neck in a tender embrace6 ,oh1 the smiles that are halos of heaven1 ,shedding sunshine and love on my face6 ,and when they are gone ,i sit dreaming ,of my childhood too lovely to last2 ,of love1 that my heart will remember ,when it wakes to the pulse of the past4 ,ere the world and its wickedness made me ,a partner of sorrow and sin1 ,when the glory of ,god was about me1 ,and the glory of gladness within4 ,oh1 my heart grows weak as a woman's1 ,and the fountain of feelings will flow1 ,when ,i think of the paths steep and stony ,where the feet of the dear ones must go2 ,of the mountains of sin hanging o'er them1 ,of the tempests of fate blowing wild2 ,oh1 there's nothing on earth half so holy ,as the innocent heart of a child4 ,they are idols of hearts and of households1 ,they are angels of ,god in disguise1 ,his sunlight still sleeps in their tresses1 ,his glory still beams in their eyes2 ,oh1 those truants from earth and from heaven1 ,they have made me more manly and mild1 ,and ,i know how ,jesus could liken ,the kingdom of ,god to a child4 ,seek not a life for the dear ones ,all radiant1 as others have done1 ,but that life may have just as much shadow ,to temper the glare of the sun2 ,i would pray ,god to guard them from evil1 ,but my prayer would bound back to myself2 ,ah1 a seraph may pray for a sinner1 ,but a sinner must pray for himself4 ,the twig is so easily bended1 ,i have banished the rule and the rod2 ,i have taught them the goodness of knowledge1 ,they have taught me the goodness of ,god4 ,my heart is a dungeon of darkness1 ,where ,i shut them from breaking a rule2 ,my frown is sufficient correction1 ,my love is the law of the school4 ,i shall leave the old house in the autumn1 ,to traverse its threshold no more-- ,ah1 how ,i shall sigh for the dear ones ,that meet me each morn at the door4 ,i shall miss the good-nights and the kisses1 ,and the gush of their innocent glee1 ,the group on the green and the flowers ,that are brought every morning to me4 ,i shall miss them at morn and eve1 ,their songs in the school and the street1 ,shall miss the low hum of their voices1 ,and the tramp of their delicate feet4 ,when lessons and tasks are all ended1 ,and death says the school is dismissed1 ,may the little ones gather around me ,to bid me good-night and be kissed4 ,,footnotes3 #b ,found in the desk of ,charles ,dickens after his death4 ,,charity4 ,when you meet with one suspected ,of some secret deed of shame1 ,and for this by all rejected ,as a thing of evil fame1 ,guard thine every look and action1 ,speak no word of heartless blame1 ,for the slanderer's vile detraction ,yet may soil thy goodly name4 ,when you meet with one pursuing ,ways the lost have entered in1 ,working out his own undoing ,with his recklessness and sin2 ,think1 if placed in his condition1 ,would a kind word be in vain1 ,or a look of cold suspicion ,win thee back to truth again8 ,there are spots that bear no flowers1 ,not because the soil is bad1 ,but the ,summer's genial showers ,never made their bosoms glad4 ,better have an act that's kindly ,treated sometimes with disdain1 ,than1 in judging others blindly1 ,doom the innocent to pain4 ,,no ,,objection ,,to ,,children4 ,it was a block of yellow-brown houses in ,south ,boston1 looking as much like a sheet of gingerbread as anything4 ,an express-wagon had just backed up to ,no4 #ba in that block1 and the driver1 unloosing ropes here and there1 proceeded to unpack the luggage4 ,what have we here8 exclaimed ,mrs4 ,bacon1 the downstairs tenant4 ,a menagerie1 ,i do believe4 ,come here1 ,john4 ,there was1 indeed1 on the very top of the load a gray horse that in the twilight looked very real till one noticed the rockers on which it stood4 ,but there was a kennel with a live terrier's head at the window1 a bird-cage with its fluttering tenant1 a crib and high chair besides1 suggesting that the folks in the other part might1 in the language of ,mrs4 ,bacon1 make music4 ,now1 the downstairs tenants1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,bacon1 were precise1 orderly people1 living1 like many other city people1 in desert-island fashion1 and only hoping that everybody else would mind their own business4 ,it had been for weeks their great comfort that the other part was unoccupied1 and now this load of household goods brimming over with pets and their belongings was an unwelcome sight4 ,there were no young ,bacons--no1 indeed6 ,plants did not flourish in their shaded windows nor canary birds splash water from their tiny baths upon the clear glass4 ,no dog barked a noisy welcome when his master returned at night4 ,no cat purred in her mistress's lap4 ,the housekeeping of the ,bacons was a fight against dirt1 dust1 sunshine and noise2 and somehow pets bring all these4 ,well1 ,john1 said ,mrs4 ,bacon as she turned from the window and pulled the shade over the sacred glass1 there's an end to peace and quiet4 ,we must keep the entry doors locked2 and don't you be whistling round to attract a child4 ,give them an inch and they'll take an ell4 ,if folks must have rocking horses and what goes with them1 they ought to move into the country1 where they will not be pestering other people4 ,but1 to the surprise of the ,bacons1 they were not pestered1 only by the patter of little feet overhead1 or a woman's voice singing cradle-songs or joining in her child's laughter4 ,crying there was1 too1 sometimes1 but it was so soon hushed in motherly caresses that it seemed a sort of rainbow grievance only4 ,at night1 when the father came home1 there was quite a joyful noise upstairs1 at which time ,john's face was a little wistful4 ,but the new family did not intrude for ever so small a favor4 ,mrs4 ,bacon took good care to keep out of sight whenever the new tenants were passing through the entry-way4 ,one small pair of boots had considerable traveling to do up and down the stairs for a stroll on the sidewalk or to old ,dorchester ,heights1 just beyond1 for spoils of wild flowers4 ,one day ,little ,boots came back from this favorite resort1 and instead of climbing the stairs1 as usual1 strayed hesitatingly toward ,mrs4 ,bacon's kitchen door4 ,smells the gingerbread1 soliloquized ,mrs4 ,bacon1 grimly4 ,glad the door is locked4 ,she glanced toward it to be sure2 yes1 it was locked1 though the key had been transferred to another door4 ,but shining through the keyhole was a very bright and sweet-looking star of an eye4 ,only a moment it twinkled1 and then there was thrust in very gently the stem of a dandelion1 and the small boots scampered away up the stairs4 ,little mischief6 exclaimed ,mrs4 ,bacon1 and she would have pushed the intruding stem outside1 but her hands were in the dough4 ,if he wanted a piece of gingerbread1 why didn't he say so8 ,mebbe he was afraid of me2 cats run like all possessed when they see me4 ,i can't have my key-holes choked up with dandelion stems--that's so4 ,soon's ,i get my hands out of this it will walk into the stove1 that dandelion will4 ,but the dandelion was too fresh and perfect1 and brought back the old childhood days to ,mrs4 ,bacon so clearly that she changed her mind4 ,there was an old horseradish bottle on the pantry-shelf which1 filled with water1 received the dandelion4 ,there1 resting in the kitchen window1 it smiled all day4 ,there was quite a commotion upstairs that night1 and ,john and his wife1 drowsily hearing it1 thanked their stars that they were not routed by children's ails4 ,the next day ,mrs4 ,bacon's watchful ear caught the sound of ,little ,boots on the stairs1 and again the blue eyes twinkled at the keyhole4 ,this time the door opened in response3 ,well1 child1 what is it8 ,want some gingerbread8 ,oh no1 thank you1 dear1 said the little voice--a very hoarse little voice it was1 and the throat was all wrapped in flannel4 ,i wanted to know if you liked my f'ower8 ,see8 ,mrs4 ,bacon pointed to the glorified horseradish bottle4 ,is your name ,mrs4 ,bacon1 dear8 ,bacon--no 'dear' about it4 ,i like to call you 'dear4' ,don't your little boy call you so8 ,no4 ,ally6 ,ally1 child6 called the mother anxiously2 come back1 darling2 you'll get cold4 ,i'll take him up1 responded ,mrs4 ,bacon2 and taking with unwonted tenderness the three-years-old darling1 she landed him safely upstairs4 ,it's the croup1 explained the mother4 ,he got cold yesterday1 out for dandelions--his favorite flower1 ma'am4 ,calls 'em preserved sunshine2 saw me put up fruit last fall--there's where he got the idea2 though1 as to telling where he gets all his ideas1 that beats me4 ,the doctor says he's that kind of a child the croup is likely to go hard with4 ,scares me to death to hear him cough4 ,goose oil is good for croup1 remarked ,mrs4 ,bacon4 ,did you ever try it8 asked the new neighbor1 innocently4 ,me8 ,no use for it4 ,got a bottle1 though4 ,have it if you like4 ,alas6 the doctor's prophecy was true4 ,the fatal disease developed that very night4 99 99 99 99 99 ,little boots are still and starry eyes shine afar off now4 ,as he lay in his beautiful last sleep1 a flower amid the white flowers1 a woman's brown hand slipped a few dandelions tenderly--oh1 so tenderly6--into the dainty cold fingers4 ,that is right1 ,mrs4 ,bacon1 dear1 said the poor mother4 ',preserved sunshine6' ,that's what he is to us4 ,the new tenants have moved into the country1 and ,no4 #ba1 upper tenement1 is again to let4 ,mrs4 ,bacon hopes the landlord will add to his advertisement1 ,no objection to children4 ,,banford',s ,,burglar-,,alarm4 ,another ,daring ,burglary6 read ,mrs4 ,banford1 as she picked up the morning3 paper4 ,lucullus1 she said1 turning to her husband1 this is the fourth outrage of the kind in this town within a week1 and if you don't procure a burglar-alarm1 or adopt some other means of security1 ,i shall not remain in this house another night4 ,some morning we'll get up and find ourselves murdered and the house robbed if we have to depend on the police for protection4 ,banford assured his wife that he would have the matter attended to at once4 ,then he left the house and didn't return until evening4 ,when ,mrs4 ,b4 asked him if he had given a second thought to the subject which she had broached in the morning1 he drew a newspaper from his pocket1 and said3 ,see here1 ,mirandy6 ,there's no use o' foolin' away money on one o' those new-fangled burglar-alarms4 ,economy is wealth4 ,here's a capital idea suggested in this paper--cheap1 simple and effective4 ,and then he read the suggestion about hanging a tin pan on the chamber-door4 ,i tell you1 ,mirandy6 the man who conceived that brilliant notion is a heaven-born genius--a boon to mankind2 and his name should go ringing down the corridors of time with those of such brilliant intellect as ,watt1 ,morse1 ,edison1 and other successful scientific investigators4 ,you see1 the least jar of the door will dislodge the pan1 and the noise occasioned thereby will not only awaken the occupants of the room1 but will also scare the burglar half to death1 and perhaps the pan will strike him on the head and fracture his skull4 ,it is a glorious scheme1 and the fact that it was not utilized years ago is the most remarkable thing about it4 ,well1 assented ,mrs4 ,b4 in less sanguine tones1 it may be better than nothing1 and it won't cost anything2 and as ,susan has gone out to spend the night with her sick sister1 and we'll be all alone1 ,i'll hunt up the pans now4 ,accordingly1 each inside door was crowned with a tin pan and left slightly ajar4 ,banford also thoughtfully placed a six-shooter under his pillow and stood a base-ball bat within easy reach4 ,now1 ,mirandy1 he courageously observed1 as they were preparing to retire1 if you are awakened by a noise during the night1 don't scream and jump out of bed4 ,just lie still1 or some o' the bullets ,i fire at the burglar may go through you and kill you4 ,let me wrestle with the intruder1 and ,i'll soon make him regret that he had not postponed being born for a few centuries6 ,then they turned down the gas with a feeling of increased security1 and were soon asleep4 ,about half-past midnight they were awakened by a noise that sounded like a sharp clap of thunder1 followed by a wail that almost chilled the marrow in their bones4 ,goodness6 screamed ,mrs4 ,b41 in a voice swollen with terror1 as she dived under the bed-clothes4 ,we'll be murdered in a minute4 ,shoot him1 ,lucullus6 ,quick--shoot him6 ,banford1 after considerable nervous fumbling under the pillow1 grasped his revolver with an unsteady hand and discharged its six barrels in rapid succession1 but not with very gratifying results4 ,one bullet shattered the mirror in the bureau2 another plowed a furrow along the ceiling2 another splintered the bed-post2 a fourth perforated a portrait of his wife's mother2 and the other two left their imprint on the walls4 ,d-d-don't be fuf-fuf-frightened1 ,m-mirandy1 said ,banford1 encouragingly1 his articulation sounding as if it had collided with an ,arctic wave3 ,i gug-guess ,i've kik-kik-killed him4 ,he'll not kik-kik-come here-- ,at this juncture there was a noise in an adjoining room1 as if a two-ton meteorite had crashed through a boiler-foundry1 and ,mrs4 ,b4 uttered a series of ear-piercing shrieks that would have scared the life out of any burglar4 ,m-mirandy1 stammered the frightened and demoralized ,banford1 grasping the base-ball bat and swinging it around with such reckless promiscuousness that he struck his terror-stricken wife on the head1 ,mum-mirandy1 the house is fuf-full of midnight mum-marauders1 and we'll be bub-bub-butchered in cold bub-bub-blood6 ,save yourself and don't mum-mind about me6 ,and leaping out of bed1 he sprang through a window on to the roof of a back building1 and accidentally rolled off into the yard1 fifteen feet below1 just as another burglar-alarm went off with a clamor almost as deafening and harrowing as an amateur orchestra4 ,mrs4 ,b41 thinking she had been hit by the burglar1 emitted a fresh outburst of shrieks1 while her husband lay groaning in the back yard1 with a sprained ankle and a frightful gash in his head4 ,a policeman had now been awakened by the uproar1 and boldly mounting the front stoop1 he pulled the door-bell out by the roots without evoking a response4 ,then he hesitated4 ,if a foul murder has been committed1 he mused1 the assassin has already made good his escape4 ,this thought gave him courage1 and he forced an entrance4 ,in the entry he collided with a hat-rack1 which he mistook for the outlaw1 and almost demolished it with several whacks of his club4 ,then he made a careful reconnaissance1 and dislodged one of the burglar-alarms4 ,spare my life1 he yelled to his imaginary assailant1 and ,i'll let you escape6 ,he thought he had been stabbed with a frying-pan4 ,he rushed out of the house and secured the assistance of four of his fellow-officers1 and a search of the building was resumed4 ,mrs4 ,banford was found in bed unconscious4 ,her husband was found in the yard in nearly a similar condition2 and the burglar was found under the sofa1 shivering with fear1 and with his tail clasped tightly between his legs4 ,the cause of the panic was soon explained4 ,mrs4 ,banford had overlooked the presence of her pet dog in the house1 and this innocent animal1 in running from one room to another1 had dislodged the cheap and effective burglar-alarms4 ,,better ,,things4 ,,by ,,george ,,macdonald4 ,better to smell the violet cool1 than sip the glowing wine2 ,better to hark a hidden brook1 than watch a diamond shine4 ,better the love of a gentle heart1 than beauty's favor proud2 ,better the rose's living seed1 than roses in a crowd4 ,better to love in loneliness1 than to bask in love all day2 ,better the fountain in the heart1 than the fountain by the way4 ,better be fed by a mother's hand1 than eat alone at will2 ,better to trust in ,god1 than say3 ,my goods my storehouse fill4 ,better to be a little wise1 than in knowledge to abound2 ,better to teach a child1 than toil to fill perfection's round4 ,better to sit at a master's feet1 than thrill a listening ,state2 ,better suspect that thou art proud1 than be sure that thou art great4 ,better to walk the real unseen1 than watch the hour's event2 ,better the ,well done6 at the last1 than the air with shouting rent4 ,better to have a quiet grief1 than a hurrying delight2 ,better the twilight of the dawn1 than the noonday burning bright4 ,better a death when work is done1 than earth's most favored birth2 ,better a child in ,god's great house1 than the king of all the earth4