P3 ss-y^ 
 
CONGRESS 
 
 ;'''018 477 561 A 
 
PS 3545 
 .H84 n4 
 1919 
 Copy 1 
 
 "\ 
 
 MltMiuii^nm &i a'^unhtttt 
 
 ^kl^tx 
 
 Ip 
 
 esw® 
 
 
 .^^ Cy^^^^Bliiliiilt 
 
 \= 
 
 J 
 

 ,^ 
 
 

 .^ 
 
 This little book has been printed at the re- 
 quest of my closest friends. While it may be 
 far from perfect. I trust that the reader may 
 gain benefit from reading it and be gentle in 
 
 his or her criticism. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
Copyright 1919. 
 
 ©Ci.A5862J4 
 
 yy^^ . ] 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 To you, Eugenia, I dedicate this little book 
 in remembrance of our pleasant association and 
 with deepest appreciation of the encourage- 
 ment you have given me. C. M. W. 
 
The books we read become a part of us. There- "!': 
 
 fore, let those we read be such as will call forth v 
 
 our loftiest thoughts, noblest ambitions, our hap- { 
 
 piest moods, and help us to make Life more beau- * 
 tiful. 
 
TO EUGENIA. 
 
 Oh! Somewhere in the shadows, 
 
 Perchance along some lonely shore; 
 
 Thy wandering spirit lingers, 
 
 List'ning to the wild waves' roar. 
 
 Thou knowest not my sorrows. 
 
 Time rushes by thee as a dream; 
 Unheedd and unmarked, alas! — 
 
 Lest it reveal the years between. 
 
 Eventide fades fast tonight, 
 
 The moon doth dimly gleam upon the sea; 
 And w^here thou wanderest, there my heart 
 
 Is wandering — Lost in Thee! 
 
 THE FLOWER IN MY GARDEN. 
 
 Oh, like a flower sweet and rare 
 That fades before the winter's blast 
 
 You came into my garden fair, 
 
 And from its radiant Summer passed. 
 
 Oh, many were the blossoms there 
 
 That drank the moonlight and the dew, 
 
 And many were the winds to share 
 The sweetness of my flower, you. 
 
Then came a wind whose frosty breath 
 Swept o'er my garden like a spell, 
 
 And I found the Reaper, Death, 
 Standing where my blossoms fell. 
 
 I know that somewhere in the space 
 My flowers live and bloom fr me. 
 
 But, in that radiant Garden Place, — 
 No blossom grow so fair as thee. 
 
 WHEN I GO HOME AGAIN. 
 
 Ah, soon shall I go home again 
 Where once I loved to laugh and play. 
 My aching heart shall feel no pain, 
 When all the Darkness turns to Day. 
 
 Ah, soon shall I go home again 
 Where Joy and Love were left behind, 
 Which thro the years I've sought in vain, 
 And now my eyes with tears are blind. 
 
 Ah, soon shall I go home again 
 To friends I loved in long-lost years; 
 And it seems to me I hear a strain — 
 A voice that moves my soul to tears! 
 
 Ah, soon shall I go home again 
 Is all my lips will let me say. 
 And O, my heart will feel no pain 
 When all the Darkness turns to Day! 
 
 A PRAYER FOR TO-DAY. 
 
 I do not ask to look beyond 
 
 The Veil that screens the Unknown Way; 
 But, Oh, I ask that I may leam 
 
 To be content with Life today. 
 
A SONG TO THE SEA 
 
 My heart's g-one a-roaming to the sea-side, dear 
 Where the billows are foaming and the sea-winds 
 
 blow 
 Where no one is straying, and the waves sing low. 
 
 My heart's gone loaming to the sea-side, dear 
 And there in the gloaming, away from all din 
 i linger with wonder while the tide comes in. 
 
 My heart's gone a-roving to the sea-side, dear 
 Where white clouds are moving and the weird 
 
 sea-song 
 Fills my soul with delight through all the night 
 
 long. 
 
 TO EUGENIA. 
 
 No darkened cloud drifts o'er thy path 
 Whose shadow does not fall on mine. 
 
 No gleamf-rom Heaven comes to thee, — 
 But that I feel its warmth divine. 
 
 No sunset dies in yon rich sky — 
 
 No morn breaks o'er the glimmering sea, 
 
 No flowers bloom, O, friend, for me 
 Whose beauty is not shared with thee! 
 
 CONTENT. 
 
 If thou hast learned to be content 
 When cares would bow th yheart with grief, 
 When friend seem false, and thy intent 
 Is misconstrued — give me thy hand. 
 
 If thou hast learned to be content 
 When Poverty impends o'er thee, 
 When all the' world is madly bent 
 On gain of wealth — give me thy hand. 
 
If thou hast learned to be content 
 When age comes on, the years fleet by, 
 When friends drift out, thy youth is spent, 
 And Life is brief — give me thy hand! 
 
 COURAGE. 
 
 Tho I must toil and struggle onward, 
 When my goal seems far away; 
 Beyond the skies of gray above me — 
 I know there gleams the Light of Day. 
 
 I shall not say my feet are weary, 
 Nor lose courage through the years. 
 But I shall journey, always hopeful 
 E'en in sadness and in tears. 
 
 TO THE SEA 
 
 Oh, I must go back to the murmuring sea 
 Where oft I have wandered, and where I met thee, 
 I miss the refreshing, the salty sea-wind. 
 And I must go back where, haply, I'll find 
 Thy spirit still waiting in silence for me. 
 
 A WISH 
 
 Would that I had the mind of a child, 
 And the calm, sweet thoughts of youth. 
 Would I could see, in the life of man, 
 More of courage, faith and truth. 
 
 Would I could dream as a child doth dream, 
 And awake in joy at morn. 
 Would I could see, in the rose I pluck, 
 Only its beauty and not the thora. • 
 
Teach me, oh Spirit of Infinite love 
 
 To think as a child, I pray, — 
 
 Lift, from my world-weary eyes, the veil 
 
 That screens from my vision the Light of Day 
 
 THE LOST HOPE. 
 
 I know not where my Hope was lost,- 
 The Hope, which I had placed in thee. 
 I only know, and yet recall 
 The day that you were lost to me. 
 
 I only know my dreams were vain. 
 And that the love I gave to thee. 
 Was but a pleasure to be lost, 
 And now — a broken melody. 
 
 Somewhere I know I shall behold 
 Thy air, sweet face, and then for me 
 My every dream shall be fulfilled 
 In yonder Realm, Eternity! 
 
 £3 
 
 TO A BIRD. 
 
 Thou art the same sweet bird, I know, 
 That sang to me in the long ago, 
 When care and woe were far removed. 
 And I was safe with those I loved. 
 
 Thou art the same sweet bird, who then 
 Sang everywhere, o'er moor and fen. 
 While I ran forth in ecstacy. 
 And longed to soar in the sky with thee. 
 
 Sing me a song, sweet bird, I pray. 
 While the 1^UU'<J(WS world is far away. 
 I am so wear yt and strain,. — 
 Sing to me, songster, again and again. 
 
Softly and blithely, sing now to me, 
 And my heart shall quicken when I listen to thee. 
 Fill me with gladness, and courage renew — 
 Banish my sadness and Life's gray hue. 
 
 ETERNITY AND TODAY. 
 Suggested from Reading Omar Khayyam, 
 
 Ere this hast thou not learned 
 
 The Great Eternity is but a place 
 From whence no one hath yet returned? 
 
 Where Hope is wandering throughout space 
 In search of things that never were 
 
 And Bliss which is not there. 
 A place where long 
 
 Our souls in silentness await 
 Some fancied Happiness 
 
 In the inevitable course of Fate. 
 
 Why sacrifice Today in Lent 
 
 For days supposed to be, 
 For days no one hath ever spent 
 
 And yet returned to tell us of? 
 Ah! grasp the Joys that may be thine — 
 
 For thee Tomorrow may not dawn — 
 Fill o'er thy glass with Pleasure's wine 
 
 Before Today is gone! 
 
 0, well, someone may say^, 
 
 Who fancies there will be 
 An awful Destiny for such as thee — 
 
 "Ne'er mind, spend now thy Day 
 And lose the Great Eternity." 
 
 Fill o'er thy glass again and say, 
 "Thinkest thou I dread the world 
 
 Thou savest is to be? 
 
 Hast thou the roll of Fate unfurled 
 And read therein my Destiny?" 
 
 10 
 
"I'll drink Today, and while I may 
 Drain every glass that's offered me — 
 
 Did not the Poet say, 'A little while ^ 
 And then, no more of thee and me?" 
 
 A little while, and we shall go 
 
 Alike into the dust — Then, what — 
 And who doth know what good 'twill do to trust ? 
 
 O, WHISPER SOFT AND LOW TO ME, 
 
 O, whisper soft and low to me. 
 
 How much you loved me Long Ago. 
 
 The years have wrought a change in thee. 
 It seems, and Hope has ceased to glow. 
 
 Entreat me not to e'er forget 
 The pleasurers we have known. 
 
 The years have brought me deep regret — 
 But not like that since you have gone. 
 
 Ah! say you love the memory 
 
 Of that immo vtal hour, 
 When all my Hopes were lost in thee — 
 
 To recall them now I have no power. 
 
 Tell me, tell me, I implore. 
 
 That I have loved thee not in vain. 
 
 That you have longed to live once more. 
 The days that cannot come again. 
 ***** 
 
 O, whisper soft and low to me, 
 
 For my o'ershadowed Soul 
 Is nearing yon Eternity — 
 
 Wherein I see the Final Goal, 
 
 I beg of thee to let me bear 
 This one sweet Hope with me — 
 
 That vou, you love me, dear, 
 
 And"^ I'll not dread the World to be. 
 
 11 
 
TO- 
 OK! I often wonder, dear, 
 If in the world that is to be 
 I shall have you always near; 
 Shall there behold this same sweet face 
 Pressed cLose to mine; 
 
 Shall there enfold thee in my arms as now, 
 While time goes on throughout Eternity. 
 
 THE SHELL. 
 
 I wandered once at evenfall 
 
 In mystic gloom along some shore, 
 
 Seeking there forgetfulness 
 
 For days that — 0, will come no more. 
 
 Ah! long enraptured there I stood, 
 
 As one in pensive reverie. 
 And all my soul with gladness filled. 
 
 Betook to murmuring as the sea. 
 
 Anon the tide came surging in. 
 
 As if incensed, and at my feet was cast 
 A shell of beauty rare — 
 Forsooth, it had a Soul within ! 
 
 A Soul within, which spoke to me 
 
 In tones so soft and low, 
 I fancied it was the voice of one 
 
 I knew and loved in the Long Ago. 
 
 "Ah! thrust me not into the sea 
 
 For I have long been tempest tossed. 
 
 I am wounded and a pilgrim- — 
 And all my Hopes are lost." 
 
 I took the shell up tenderly 
 
 And held it closely to my heart; 
 
 Indeed, before such happiness 
 
 Ne'er had I known, this treasure brought. 
 
 12 
 
"Oblivion, oblivion, 
 
 For pleasures long since flown. 
 Hath made this hour sweet — 
 
 Why should I sigh for hours gone? 
 
 "From what Enchanted Shore, hast thou, 
 
 O, little shell been borne? 
 Perchance from out that Mystic World 
 To which my Soul shall go — alone." 
 
 And Then The Shell Replied. 
 
 "Ah! once I dwelt in happiness 
 
 Within a World where Hope was King, 
 And every day was bright and fair — 
 
 And 'twas my duty there to sing. 
 
 "King Hope, he loved me vv'ell, I know. 
 How oft we wandered to the shore, 
 
 And there for hours I would sing 
 Of Youth^of Love and Days of Yore. 
 
 "Alas! we wandered to the shore — 
 
 (That day has long since passed away), 
 
 And while we stood enchanted there 
 We heard a voice sing low this lay." 
 
 I've lingered often on this shore 
 
 And watched the waves upon the sea — 
 
 Trusting, hoping evermore. 
 
 That they would bear thee Home to me. 
 
 Oft *til mom has unto even wora, 
 
 I've waited here for thee, 
 To come from out that Mystic Bourne 
 
 That lies beyond the sea. 
 
 13 
 
"King Hope was sad, and said to me" 
 "I bid thee seek the voice we hear 
 
 And take my inmost Soul with thee, 
 Tliis message, too, I pray thee bear". 
 
 I am wand'ring in the Shadows 
 
 Near the Great Eternity — 
 When thou hast ciossed the threshold, Death, 
 
 I'll be w^aiting there for thee. 
 
 "Methinks I've found that voice at last — 
 
 In truth 'twas strangely like thine own- 
 Now, cast me far into the deep 
 
 And Hope shall find me ere the dawn." 
 
 Ah! sadly when the tide returned 
 I threw the shell into the sea. 
 
 And out the deep a Spirit rose 
 And bore it far from me! 
 
 I do not crave for wealth or fame, 
 
 For future years to bring me pleasure; 
 
 The time has flown I need not name 
 
 That bore away my heart's f^nd treasure, 
 
 And yet I truly hope 
 
 That my efforts shall not be in vain. 
 
 I trust that my dim light may guide some Sailor 
 
 On Life's uncertain sea. 
 
 And when the flood of years shall cease to flow, 
 
 How Sweet 'twill be to know in b^ss. 
 
 The ones I loved long years ago! 
 
 14 
 
FAME. 
 
 1 sought to mount the Heights of Fame, 
 And, Oh! my heart would not be stilled, 
 
 Until I gained the Pinnacle 
 And Fate my wond'rous Dream fulfilled. 
 
 The Path was rough and I grew faint 
 For want of strength to jx)urney on, 
 
 When Courage failed and Hope was lost 
 And I was left to drift alone. 
 
 Undaunted, still I struggled on, 
 
 And murmured not when friends had fled, 
 And stifled grief o'er shattered Dreams — 
 
 E'en Failure's stare gave me no dread. 
 
 Higher, and higher up, I climbed. 
 
 Beholding only in the years 
 A realization of my Dream — 
 
 But, Oh! it brought me tears! 
 
 The fantasies of things to be 
 
 Are less alluring when realized, 
 
 Fgv when I reached the topmost round — 
 All, save my soul, was sacrificed. 
 
 TO THE FUTURE. 
 
 I knx)w not what the future holds for me; 
 Whether more of sunlight or of shadows 
 Shall be mine; But this I know, 
 Whate'er it be, my heart shall be hopeful. 
 And I shall not repine. 
 
 He who pilots my footsteps each day, 
 Shal be with me thro' gladness and sorrow; 
 To lighten my burden on life's weary way. 
 And ril trust to His keeping 
 The Unknown Tomorrow. 
 
 15 
 
I dread not the approach 
 
 Of that Inevitable Hour 
 
 When into Eternity my spirit is called; 
 
 At the threshold of Death, 
 
 I shall stand unappalled, 
 
 For I shall be safe in His Infinite power. 
 
 REFLECTIONS ON THE WAR. 
 
 Behold the mighty armaments, 
 
 Long drawn, arrayed from sea to sea; 
 
 Behold the trembling thrones, alas! 
 And kings that soon shall cease to be. 
 
 From yonder battlement afar 
 
 There comes a deadly volley forth; 
 
 See. how a thousand men or more, 
 Are mowed as weeds upon the earth! 
 
 Ilie surging lines move madly on, 
 
 Incensed, forgetful of their law and God. 
 
 The ghastly dead melt not their hearts, 
 Nor groans of men or blood soaked sod. 
 
 Along the way they leave no trace 
 
 Of homes nor fields with ripening grain. 
 
 N-o city sleeps reposed and still 
 
 That hears the din as they march amain. 
 
 Oh! men have fled from clemency 
 
 And spurned her plea for peace, 
 And they have drenched their swords in blood 
 
 As if the fight should NEVER cease! 
 
 Behold upon yon battlefield 
 
 A million men. Along the shore, 
 
 Lie a milion men who hear the call — 
 "To arms! To arms!" — no more. 
 
 16 
 
That you shx)uld be thus sacrificed, 
 Oh! martyrs to a cause unknown, 
 
 Does seem incredible, alas! 
 
 Yet aught it seems can now be done 
 
 How long, how long in dread suspense, 
 The dawn of Peace shall we await? 
 
 When war no more shall scourge the w^orld. 
 And render nations desolate. 
 
 They hasten to the river's shore; 
 
 From w^hence did come so many men? 
 Tke God of War gave but one call, 
 
 Behold the horde that followed him! 
 
 Oh! thou impetuous king. 
 
 Who hath a nation sacrificed 
 At thy altar of ambition — 
 
 What gain hath thus been realized? 
 
 Thy wasted lands are steeped in blood 
 O'er which thou leadest nx)w as captive, 
 
 A guiltless people — Ah! thou canst ne'er 
 Such insolence .etrieve! 
 
 Yon antique tower ablaze from shells, 
 Stood fairest once among them all — 
 
 See how the sacred altar lies 
 A mass of ruins beyond recall. 
 
 Ye have consignee! to flames 
 A shrine erected to thy God, 
 
 Who since the w^rld began 
 Hath blessings poured, 
 Despite the doubt of man. 
 
 The effrontery with which thou dost 
 Invoke the favor of Divinity 
 
 In such a devastation, 
 Indeed appalls humanity! 
 
 17 
 
Come hence, and look beyond the veil, 
 
 Thro' centuries to be — Alas! 
 Behold the multitudes borne down 
 
 By debt and sorrow as they pass. 
 
 Ah! but one word from thee 
 
 Might OBce have stayed that dread decree. 
 Ye set the torch of war aflame 
 
 And thus began the mieeiT. 
 
 Oh! maddened Vengence shall descend 
 
 And hurl thee from thy throne 
 To infamy and keen remorse, 
 
 And e'en thy life shall not atone. 
 
 ^ 3)C :|C 4( 4c 
 
 Ha«t Thou, O, God, forsaken man — 
 Remembereth not that he is dust, 
 
 And wilt not end the awful strife — 
 In whom shall we then place our trust? 
 
 Adown the vista of the years, 
 
 And e'en thro' ages that will be — 
 
 I see the natJoois yet unborn 
 Struggling for Supremacy! 
 
 Oh! they with faces lifted up. 
 
 Implore Thy clemency — 
 Do Thou forbear a little while 
 
 'Til man shall turn to Thee. 
 
 When he hath realized 
 
 That worldly laurels are but dross, 
 He shall turn with heart and soul 
 
 To f,ollow Thee and bear the Cross! 
 
 After Youth, there comes an awakening 
 
 Like that of ©ne who dreams a pleasant dream, 
 
 And the awakening makes the dreamer sad. 
 
 18 
 
THOUGHTS SUGGESTED BY A STROLL IN A 
 WOODLAND AT THE CLOSE OF DAY. 
 
 Beyond the woodland sinks the sun 
 
 And shadows fall upon the field; 
 The weary laborer's task is done, 
 
 The orchis fragrant odors yield. 
 
 Before me lies a misty plain 
 
 O'er wihch the dying sunlight gleams; 
 
 Thro' the glen and down the lane, 
 I trace the yellow, languid beams. 
 
 Upon yon woodland, far away, 
 
 Falls the spendor of glimmering rays; 
 
 On slowly creeps the twilight gray. 
 
 While the sunlight takes his last fond gaze. 
 
 Across the sky drifts purple clouds, 
 
 Swiftly speeding from my sight; 
 Stars approach in numerous crowds 
 
 Serenely streams the soft moonlight. 
 
 Afar a Silent City rears 
 
 Her m.arbled towers high; 
 Mine eyes fill o'er with bitter tears— 
 
 Oh! the years that have gone by. 
 
 The wo-od is wrapt in solitude. 
 
 E'en the air is strangely still; 
 Where none of the noisy world mtrude, 
 
 Mv thoughts are straving, far at will. 
 ^ "^ ***** 
 
 In the world of Shadowy Day, 
 
 Wkere scenes retui-n of years long flown; 
 For hours that have passed away, 
 
 Oh! let me find oblivion! 
 
 ***** 
 
 Should I forget those pleasures dear 
 Recall no days that have now flown 7 
 
 Ah! no. sad memory lingering near 
 Entranced me and my hopes are gone! 
 
 19 
 
Ah! like those clouds, 
 
 A weary wanderer now I roam, 
 And I am far from God and home; 
 
 Within the coming years I see 
 No gleam of joy awaiting me. 
 
 Oh! life hath now^ lost every charm .it ever held 
 for me, and 
 And drearily, drearily drag the days. 
 UnkrLOwn-. ungained, the Great Eternity 
 Bevond which gleams the Light always! 
 ***** 
 
 Ah! now my weary dream has passed. 
 
 How swift the change came over me! 
 The spell to wonderful to last, 
 
 Has left me in a reverie. 
 
 The Reverie. 
 
 At last I've gained my blissful Bourne, 
 And all the heartaches now are o'er; 
 
 Behold! the mist I revel in, 
 
 Behold! how beautiful the Shore! 
 
 A boundless, endless world indeed, 
 A Mystic World, v/here hangs o'er all 
 
 A cloud, like that which veils the years; 
 The years — the years beyond recall! 
 
 A REVERIE AT EVENING. 
 
 When twilight is fading intx) night, 
 I love to wander in that woodland, 
 I love to muse in the pale moonlight 
 And dream of hours that are yet to come; 
 There's joy in the silent wood 
 Where none of the noisy world intrude; 
 I forget the hopes that are blighted 
 And walk with Nature hand in hand, 
 Who soothes my weary heart. 
 
 20 
 
TO A STRANGER. 
 
 I saw you once, you crossed my path, 
 
 But that was long ago, 
 And o'er me lingers yet, where'er I go, 
 
 The sacred ligiht you left. 
 
 Ah! now it sems that Mystic Light 
 Doth dim and dimmer grow. 
 
 Like the stars at early dawn, 
 When the sun begins to glow, 
 And all my hopes are gone. 
 
 I saw you once, y^u crossed my path, 
 And sad the while since then; 
 
 And Oh! that Light is but a Shadow 
 That will ever, ever follow^ 
 
 But never gleam again! 
 
 LINES TO MY SCHOOLMATES AND EARLY 
 
 COMPANIONS. 
 
 Valcour. 
 
 Valcour, schoolmate of my earlier years, 
 The link is broken that bound our hearts as one. 
 Together we roamed o'er the pine covered hills, 
 Together we pored o'er long forgotten lore. 
 In Autumn we gathered with childish joy 
 The nuts in woodland or glen. 
 
 Rivals we were for the prize that was given 
 To him who masters the studies 
 By pedagogues taught. 
 
 Ah! have you forgotten the days that have flown, 
 Hours we know now were too beautiful to last. 
 Or the wide stretching wood that stood near 
 the School? 
 
 21 
 
Oh! fondest of all recollections — 
 Those days that are gone! 
 
 In years that may come, 
 
 No matter my fate; 
 
 Tho' memory trace with deepest regret, 
 
 The hours of bliss forever now flown. 
 
 I'll smile thro' the ears that may dim the way. 
 
 Oh! dream of all dreams — 
 The days that are past! 
 
 And have you forgotten, when deep in the wood, 
 The quarrel between truest of friends; 
 How 1, when challenged, went forth 
 And trembled with fear as a leaf on a tree? 
 Yet parted the combatants I thought I had ac- 
 complished 
 A victory that should be recorded 
 On the pages of history. 
 
 And there on the spot where the deed was done 
 Erect a monument forever to stand? 
 
 From those scenes my heart's childish fancy 
 
 Has never learned to stray. 
 
 Then, I marked not the sadness that Autumn e'er 
 
 brought 
 I marked not the wailing of the bleak Autumn 
 
 wind. 
 I heard not a sigh the breezes e'er bore 
 Tho' sweeping through the City that slept. 
 
 I read unmoved, the moss-covered rhymes 
 On the towers that marked each home of the 
 
 dead. 
 I deemed it were useless to sigh 
 For the Spirits who reveled in bliss. 
 Often I knelt in the old village church 
 And prayed that the Father might guide me 
 To the shore that re-echoes the songs of the 
 
 blest! 
 
 22 
 
Oh! time, ye have fled with my joy and my hopes, 
 
 But not with my tears! 
 
 In the future I see no bright, cheering b'eam. 
 
 But Heaven will bless me in my hour of grief. 
 
 And when in the evening of Life I retire 
 
 For a sweet oblivion of sleep, 
 
 Thy last glaming ray then lead me 
 
 To the quiet, lovely land of Dreams. 
 
 TO THE THRUSH. 
 
 Thou sangest a song that was sweet and gay 
 In the dark woodland at the close of day, 
 And I and my soul went forth to hear 
 Thy notes divine and deep and clear. 
 
 Thou sangest a song of the days that were gone, 
 Of the Long lost years and pleasures flown; 
 Thou sangest of the faces I could not recall 
 And that was the song which was saddest of all. 
 
 Thou sangest of the beauty of the stars and 
 
 night. 
 Of the moon in its splendor that was gleaming 
 
 so bright; 
 Thou sangest a song to my soul and to me 
 Of the happiness we'd know in a World that 
 
 would be. 
 
 Thou sangest of the Day that would come again, 
 The pleasures we would share, and then 
 Thou sangest of the faces we at last could recall. 
 And that was the song which was sweetest 
 of all. 
 
 How beautiful is Hope! She springeth 
 As a flower in the desert places of life. 
 
 23 
 
TO BYGONE DAYS. 
 
 But, ah! they're gone, 
 
 Those sweet, sweet days of yore; 
 
 Forever lost, gone forevermore; 
 
 Fain would I recall ye happiest, 
 
 Dearest days of all, 
 
 Then my soul was glad and free, 
 
 Filled with songs and ecstasy. 
 
 Oh! sweet are the thoughts of your 
 
 Golden hours, 
 
 Which in my memory forever shal Iremain 
 
 When all other charms have lost their powers, 
 
 Thy visions shall comfort me oft' and again. 
 
 AUTUMN DAYS. 
 
 Now the wood is bleak and bare, 
 Gone the skies that were so fair, 
 Flown from every glen and dell, 
 The lovely birds, Farewell! Farewell! 
 
 Ah! how can I pass through 
 
 The dreary days that have no cheering hue! 
 
 The retreating sun that dimly gleams. 
 
 Sheds o'er me but fantastic dreams 
 
 Of other, lonesome, weary years. 
 
 Which have drifted past 
 
 In streams of tears. 
 
 A sullen veil impeds twixt Earth and Heaven, 
 
 The wind seems unto sadness given; 
 
 For he hears no bore, no more, 
 
 The song of bird which late he bore. 
 
 To weary hearts that sought his cooling breath 
 
 In woodland dells among the heath. 
 
 24 
 
TO— 
 
 Oh! thou are lost, it seems to me, 
 And I can call thee back no more, 
 And I can call thee mine no more. 
 
 Since we have parted, joy hath fled 
 And boiTie thee to another shore. 
 
 Oh! that I could stay dread Fate, 
 And yet revoke her sad decree, 
 And yet recall her mad decree, 
 
 Revive my blighted hopes again, 
 I'd find and bring thee back to me. 
 
 REVERIE AT MORN. 
 
 Oh! for an hour alone with Thee, 
 For Thou hast hastened from this world; 
 And on Thy throne with head bowed low 
 Thou gazest down thro' a darkened veil. 
 
 Oh! men have fled from reason — 
 Forgetful of their vows to Thee. 
 Thou wx)nd'rest why 
 They call Thee still a "Mystery." 
 
 Tliou Great and Unknown God, to me 
 Itseems I must commune with Thee; 
 Within the heart there is a call 
 That none can answer — only Thee. 
 
 Oh! could I call Thee back to mc, 
 For Thou art good, and knoweth all; 
 Vain man hath mocked Thy gentle voice, 
 And careth aught if he shall fall. 
 
 Oh! pardon for a cx)nscience lost to Thee, 
 For I shall never gain the other Shore; 
 But in a world of mystic gloom 
 My soul shall wander ever more. 
 
 25 
 
A WISH. 
 
 Oh! let me from the sorid strife 
 That marks the lives of men. 
 
 Give me the simple life, 
 
 The heart of the woods again. 
 
 Oh! let me from the sickening gloom 
 That oomes with hidden face, 
 
 In guise of bliss and summer bloom 
 With mien of wonted grace. 
 
 Give me the light of autumn sun, 
 Like that which gleams afar, 
 
 Upon the fields, when day is done, 
 And dies away for evening star. 
 
 TO MARIE. 
 
 Whose voice is soft and so enchanting, 
 Whose face is sweet and fair to me; 
 
 Whose tender touch is so entrancing, 
 Whose life is more than mine to me? 
 Thine owm, Oh! dear Marie. 
 
 Speak only one kind word to me. 
 And all my sadness steals away. 
 
 Sing but one song and ecstasy 
 
 Shall fill my soul through all the day, 
 As thine is filled with joy, Marie. 
 
 TO MARIE. 
 
 Beholdest thou yon Silent Sea? 
 Beyond it dwells my sweet Marit 
 Beyond it smiles my sweet Marie. 
 
 When eve'n comes, she seeks the shore 
 And beckoning, stands and waits for me. 
 
 26 
 
Dearer, as the years drift on, 
 
 Nearer,, like the tide that sweeps to Sea. 
 Dearer every hour, 'ere 'tis gone, 
 
 You seem, Marie, to me. 
 
 Nearer seems your face than e'er before, 
 Fairer than in the years now flown. 
 
 Closer seems your heart — yet come no more 
 The days that we have knx)wn. 
 
 Oh! memories of you. Dear Marie! 
 Oh! forgetfulness for all the Past! 
 Let me look into the years 
 As far as I can see 
 And recall no more 
 The days that could not last. 
 
 Oh! nearer seems the world to me 
 
 Since you, dear heart, have crossed my way 
 The thought of you, my lost Marie, 
 
 Is one that fain would stay. 
 
 LINES ON THE DEATH OF A FRIEND. 
 
 Where the songbird sings the sweetest, 
 Where the fairest flowers bloom; 
 
 There is w^here I love to wonder 
 Neai- my gentle Mary's tomb. 
 
 Where the drooping cedar sighs, 
 Where all is calm, so calm and still; 
 
 There, nothing breaks the silence 
 But the ripple of the rill. 
 
 In that silent marble City 
 
 I can hear her voice so low, 
 Whispering thro' the fragant breezes 
 
 Of the years of long ago. 
 
 27 
 
I can hear her softly sing-ing 
 Songs that now I have forgot — 
 
 A vision rushes to my memory — 
 That time — Oh! name it not. 
 
 Now I see her in the heavens. 
 
 Clad in robes of spotless white; 
 Rejoicing, mingling with the angels 
 
 In a world of Pure Delight. 
 
 She has vanished from^ my sight, 
 To other realms her soul has flown; 
 
 And I am left to wander. 
 
 On forever, all -alone. 
 
 A LAMENT. 
 
 Why sighs the wind thro' yonder grove, 
 
 And silence sway unbidden? 
 Why does my heart forever rove 
 
 Around those towers by mosses hidden? 
 
 A dreary spot, yet ^ Oh! liow dear, 
 A Sacred Shrine w^here I my love 
 Pour forth in tears for her 
 Who slumbersnear, whose soul 
 Has long since flown above. 
 
 Oh! whv these bitter tears, 
 
 These weary days? Why should I sigh 
 O'er blighted hopes and other years, 
 
 And hours which have di-ifted by? 
 
 Ah! Hopes r.nd Dreams too gav to last, 
 
 To you. Farewell! 
 You now have passed 
 
 Into the Vx'orM of Shadowy Day. 
 ***** 
 
 The wind sighs low in yonder wood, 
 The moon gleams, dear, upon the way 
 
 That thou and I no more shall tread, 
 Since thou hast flown for aye. 
 
 28 
 
Oh! Time and Chanpfe, 
 
 Y,ou have flown with my joy; 
 
 But not with my tears- 
 No happiness have I without alloy — 
 Sorrow for Gladness appears. 
 
 Oh! Silence, solace in my lonely hour! 
 
 I cannot tell to thee my thoughts; 
 My pen falls quivering, without power 
 
 All else save thee forgot. 
 
 THE CALL OF MY WESTLAND HOME, 
 
 'Tis a plaintive call — like the sea-gulFs cry 
 
 That seeks her nest when the waves leap high. 
 
 Tis a lingering call-like the tone of bells 
 
 Tliat sound afar o'er hills and dells. 
 
 It bids my heart to cease to roam 
 
 And take the road to my Westand home, 
 
 'Tis a call that haunts me all the while. 
 Like a long-hushed voice that comes to one 
 From out the silence of past years 
 With memories sweet of days that are gone. 
 
 I must heed the call to the prairie land 
 For my heart is tired of empty years, 
 And I long for the peace that might be mine 
 In my Westland home where there are no tears. 
 
 TO— 
 
 Oh. I have wandered, dear, so far 
 And sought for thee in every clime- 
 
 'Til now it seems you've drifted out 
 Beyond all hope, and space and Time. 
 
 It matters not where'er I go 
 Thy presence follows, follows me. 
 In every sky and sunset fair 
 
 I see the ca^m, sweet face of thee. 
 
 29 
 
FOR THE ''BLUES" 
 
 Wen I gets to feelin' weary 
 Kind 'o tired 'o Life, you know, 
 
 I starts to singin'-keeps on singin' 
 An' I givs my ''Blues" de "go". 
 
 It's hard to keep on smilin' 
 
 Wen ole Man Trouble comes along; 
 But I finds dat he wont' linger 
 
 If I sings a little song. 
 
 So. wen I gets to feelin' weary — 
 Kind 'o leery, don't you know, — 
 
 I starts to smilin'-keeps on smilin' 
 An' I gives my "Blues" de "go". 
 
 A DREAM. 
 
 I dreamt I sat one night with thee, — 
 
 Alone with thee beside thy bed 
 
 While thou weii; passing from this Life 
 
 I saw thy flushed cheeks grow^ pale, 
 
 And, oh, it seemed my heart would break 
 
 When thy sweet face was turned toward mine 
 
 And I bent o'er to kiss thy fevered lips. 
 
 I heard thee whisper — "I am going." 
 
 And then thine eyes were fixed on mine. 
 
 It seemed thy gaze did penetrate 
 
 My heart, my thoughts, my very soul! 
 
 And as the Light and Life of those sweet eyes 
 
 Did dim and dimmer grow 
 
 The Hope, that long my heart had cherished, fled. 
 
 And then my soul went out with thee! 
 
 We'll wander, dear, no more 
 On this enchanted isle. 
 
 This Mystic World and Shore 
 We'll leave behind awhile. 
 
 30 
 
TO— 
 
 Come let us fling far into space 
 
 All reveries and dreams of years 
 
 Now lost for aye to thee and me, — 
 
 For Life is but a little span. 
 
 Ah, waste it not in useless tears. 
 
 Forsooth, we not what awaits the After-life, 
 
 If anything. 
 
 Then what a foolish deed it seems 
 
 To sacrifice our hearts* desires 
 
 And to come fleeting fancy cling. 
 
 I'd rather have one thistle bloom 
 
 To call my own and hold it in my hand 
 
 Than promises of all the flowers in Eternity. 
 
 TO A NIGHTINGALE. 
 
 I heard thee sing at eve, sweet bird, 
 When all thy gay companions far 
 Into the night had flown. A star 
 Came out and followed me 
 When I went forth to hear thy song. 
 
 And as thy wild, sweet notes did die 
 Away to echoes soft and low. 
 My heart stood still a moment 
 Then all my sadness fled with thee 
 And blended with thy melody. 
 
 TO MY MOTHER 
 
 There's a beautiful isle 
 
 In a far-away sea 
 Where thy voice, all the while, 
 
 Seems calling for me 
 
 I've wandered and sought thee 
 
 In gladness and tears, 
 And my Journey hath brought me 
 
 To the Hope of the years. 
 
 31 
 
TO— 
 
 When thy sweet face is pale with death 
 
 And I bend o'er thy form to say 
 "Farewell" to lips that answer not 
 
 God, give me hope and strength. I pray. 
 
 May I recall no unkind word 
 
 Nor tears that may have brought thee grief. 
 May I rejoice that you have found 
 
 In God and Heaven a sweet relief. 
 
 And in the years that wait for me, 
 I pray that thy sweet spirit, dear. 
 
 Shall always guide my steps aright 
 And I shall feel that you are near. 
 
 I HAVE LOST YOU! 
 
 I have lost you — Oh, I've lost you 
 And my sadness deepens with the years: 
 Can you not come from out the Shadow, 
 And dispel this mist of tears ? 
 
 I have lost you, Oh, I've lost you 
 And the gladness of your smile is gone 
 Could not your Spirit linger near 
 E'en just an hour, when I'm alone? 
 
 I have lost you — Oh, I've lost you 
 
 And your song, your voice is hushed and still. 
 
 The joy we knew is far behind 
 
 With dreams that never were fulfilled. 
 
 I have lost you — Oh. I've lost you 
 And the love your heart bestowed on me. 
 Can you not whisper through the Silence 
 Just one word to gladden mc ? 
 
TO A TOILER. 
 
 O, brave, sweet soul that toilest on 
 Amid the turmoil ancl the strife 
 At weary tasks from day to day, 
 And murmur'st not when pain or loss 
 Must be thy lot, and o'er thy path 
 The sunlight often dimly gleams. 
 Teach me how^ to go, I pray, 
 Unreluctantly, and do my work 
 Tho' weary it may be 
 And bear the courage which thou hast. 
 
 If I can be content to-day, 
 
 I will not seek the distant shoi-e, — 
 
 I will not ask to live again 
 
 The happy days that come no more. 
 
 TO E. V. 
 
 That Realm from whence thy soul and mine 
 
 Emerged to this Uncertain Vale, — 
 
 Knew thee and me, and I knew thee, — 
 
 We dwelt there one in some fair dale, 
 
 And, there my Spirit wanders still. 
 ***** 
 
 O, I have anchored one sweet Hope 
 Afar in yon Eternity, 
 And, tho the years bring bitter tears. 
 That Hope, with its sublimity. 
 Shall make my heart forget its grief. 
 
 TO— 
 
 O, wander where thou may est 
 Beyond all space and time 
 In quest of some sweet draught 
 To still the voice of conscience. 
 Wander on, but know, my friend, 
 'Twill not be found in anv clime. 
 
 33 
 
TO ARMS, AMERICA! 
 
 We falter with wonder why empires to-day 
 Are rapidly falling into dust and decay. 
 Why the Spirit of Freedom seems facing defeat, 
 And Peace has been driven in hasty vet i eat. 
 
 Why millions are dying, dying and more 
 To perish as nobly ere the struggle is o'er. 
 Why the Spirit of Repression with her banner 
 
 unfurled 
 Has challenged and threatened to conquer the 
 
 world ! 
 
 Out of an Abyss of Destruction and Wrath, 
 The Demon, — called "War" has entered our path. 
 Innumerable, immeasurable the horde as they 
 
 stand 
 Waiting to ravage our blood-bought land! 
 
 We're struggling for Freedom, and Democracv's 
 
 Light 
 That men rnay be wrested from Tyranny's might. 
 We're striking for a free land whre free men are 
 
 born. 
 Where Hatred and Oppression are held as in scorn 
 
 We're dying for Liberty's cause among men, — 
 We're dying for Home and Peace once again. 
 Oh, hasten America, with your Army and Fleet, 
 That Democracy may s-tand Immovable Feet! 
 
 Let come what will and do not fret, 
 
 Tho' dark the days pass o'er thy way 
 
 The olden years and long lost love, 
 
 O, do forget. The flowers that bloiom, 
 
 And Joy that for a while 
 
 Fils oe'r thy glass shall vanish with the years. 
 
 34 
 
TO A FRIEND. 
 
 Ah, strangely sad, it seems to me, 
 That friends we love should drift so far 
 Unheeded down the myriad streams 
 Until they reach the Impassable Bar, 
 And then we turn in haste to say 
 "Farewell "^before they drift away. 
 
 Yet quite more strange and sad it seems 
 That long-loved friends should change, 
 
 and then 
 Drift out to leave us but a shattered dream 
 Of what they were or might have been. 
 
 TO EDGAR ALLAN POE 
 
 Oh, none hath sung so well as thou. 
 
 Thou art the dreamer's poet,^ — 
 
 A Singer of deep Mysteries 
 
 Upon a lute of magic strings. 
 
 Thou touchest cords responsive to thy theme, 
 
 Which hold the listener mute until thy song i; 
 
 sung. 
 Thy tones, thy songs stay v/ith the heart 
 That tears them, even once. 
 And feels the spell of thy Enchanted Harp 
 Come o'er it like a wondrous dream, 
 Tho one would evade thy wild lament, 
 He can but list until the end 
 In Mystic Silentness. 
 
 Here beneath t'his sylvan shade. 
 Let me dream an hour by. 
 For, O, To-day, thou soon must fade, 
 And leave behind a smile or sigh. 
 
 Like the flying of sweet moments; 
 Like the sighing of the West-wind; 
 Like the dying of the sunlight 
 Passed my smiling Majorie 
 Into the world that is to be 
 
 35 
 
TO A LITTLE FRIEND. 
 
 O, out of the shadows of years that have flown 
 I beg you, come back, little man, as of old, 
 "An' les' us go fishin' an' playin' agin' 
 Or huntin' fer relicks, an' diggin' fer goF." 
 
 "Wont' you come iookin' just as you did then,^ — 
 Bare-headed, light-heai-ted. Bring a can full er 
 
 bait. 
 I'll get us a cane an' hook, an' a line — 
 Then we'll go down by the old pastur' gate. — 
 
 I hope there will gather a cloudlet or two 
 Just so you'll look up at the sky an' say, 
 "You reckin it'll rain much 'fore we git back? 
 An' aint we a-gonna have fun all the day? 
 
 "Les' us sit under the old, shady tree 
 That stood by the creek when we used to go there, 
 We'll fling in our lineSy an' wnisper real low, 
 "So's tM^on't scare the fishes, — 'cause fishes can 
 hear. 
 
 "An' when we're through fishin', — I want you to 
 
 say, 
 "Oh, tell me some stories. Just any you know. 
 'Bout Jack an' the Beanstalk, Brer' Rabbit an' all 
 Or make me up some like you did long ago. 
 
 For O, little man, I've never since found 
 
 Any joy like that of our childhood years. 
 
 When we listened at night to the whippoorwill's 
 
 song 
 And our hearts knew nothing of sadness or tears. 
 
 And that is just why — why I want to go back. 
 And meet you in memory, and sit by your door, — 
 It will rest me fi'om wandering. And lighten 
 
 my heart 
 To see the glad smile on your face once more, 
 
 86 
 
TO YOUR EYES. 
 
 When I gaze in the streams of thy languishing 
 
 eyes, 
 I behold the reflection of they beautiful soul; 
 And, Oh. as a dreamer enraptured, — appalled, — 
 I linger and worship, completely enthralled. 
 
 Ah, the wonderful dreams in thy Mystical eyes 
 Are entrancing, enchanting, like a Magical spell, 
 And I stand as a captive 'neath the treacherous 
 
 Wand 
 Of their power and beauty, unconsciously charmed 
 
 Ah, the luminous light of thy sparkling eyes 
 Hath shown as a candle in the Night of my Soul; 
 And now, while we linger, Oh, let me arise, 
 And drink to the charms of thy marvelous eyes! 
 
 A WOODLAND REVERIE. 
 
 I love to seek a lonely spot 
 Far in the woodland, and retreat 
 From all the world a little while 
 Where quietude and calmness meet. 
 
 A spell, it seems, comes over me — 
 So deep, it stills the troubled mind, 
 And I forget in my repose, 
 The restless heart I left behind. _ 
 
 Within an hour I live again 
 
 Thro many years; and in my dreams 
 
 I live my life anew. I tred.. 
 
 With careful step, a different path, 
 
 And change my thoughts and ways it seems. 
 
 And in the soft, calm breeze that blows 
 Among the branches o'er my head. 
 The voice of Him doth seem to say, — 
 **0f Life nor Death, have thou no dread!" 
 
 37 
 
TO— 
 
 Ah! linger in the shadows, dear! 
 Or where the glim'ring sunlight falls; 
 Come, let us wander, dear. 
 Where'er yon woodland calls. 
 
 I'll lead thee not in shady bowers. 
 If thou dost love the sunlight fair, 
 But 'long a path of beauty rare 
 Where blossom lovely flowers. 
 
 And thou shalt pluck the fairest bud, 
 And I shall wear it as a token 
 Of the love that's left unspoken. 
 Which came in the breeze that blows. 
 
 Thou shalt seek thy favorite dell 
 Where the ligering sunlight gleams, 
 We'll wander long the winding streams 
 And whence we've gone — no one can tell. 
 
 Oh! say not nay, while my heai-t is gay, 
 But come with a heart that is glad 
 Like mine — ere my soul is sad — 
 For we may not see another today. 
 
 TO— 
 
 I sought for one, oh, dear, like thee! 
 
 Among th crowds, in every place, 
 'Til hope was lost, it seemed to me. 
 
 Before I found thy lovely face. 
 
 Through all the years before we met, 
 I was like a sea shell cast 
 On some strange shore — 
 
 Oh! let's forget those years, 
 For they have long since past. 
 
 38 
 
ODE TO M. 
 
 The night is so calm and still, 
 Breezes blow softly in yon woodland, 
 Where the moon casts her shadows 
 To wander at will. 
 
 High on some bough 
 
 From her silent abode 
 
 The owlet is wailing, 
 
 And so is my heart, wailing now. 
 
 How dark is that woodland 
 
 Where oft have I roved; 
 
 The moonbeams steal gently along 
 
 The pathway I trod, 
 
 With her who now lies 'neath the sod. 
 
 Why lingers this Sadness, 
 Like phantoms to haunt me ? 
 Why falter that Gladness. 
 Like sorrow to daunt me? 
 
 Why live I secluded, in despair, 
 When daily she's calling me 
 To that heaven so fair? 
 Anon shall I answer your call. 
 
 I'll answer in accents of beautiful song 
 
 And then I'll be with you, 
 
 My dearest, my all. 
 
 To dwell forever in the Heavenly Throng. 
 
 Sweet is the breath of the autumn breeze, 
 
 As it sweeps o'er meadows, by flowers, through 
 
 trees. 
 The sun shines warmly on the frost-covered plam 
 And glances through patches of cotton and cane. 
 Oh! it makes my heart sad 
 When I see the woods in brown mantle clad. 
 
LINES SUGGESTED BY A VISIT TO MY OLD 
 HOME. 
 
 Scenes of my Childhood, 
 
 I am with you again, 
 To gaze upon that sweet wildwood; 
 
 But, Oh; it gives me pain! 
 All round the old home place 
 
 A sadness now reigns; 
 And I shudder when I think 
 
 Of the wonderful change. 
 
 Hushed are many of the voices 
 
 That I once loved to hear; 
 And my heart no longer reioices 
 
 But yields to fear. 
 
 As I tread on thy floor. 
 
 Oh! dearest spot of all; 
 
 How my thoughts revert to the 
 
 Days of yore! 
 
 To sports and gaiety of the past, 
 
 Hours that were too beautiful to last! 
 
 The garden, and pathway, 
 
 Are gone from my view, 
 The orchard, the meadow — 
 
 The grapevine too. 
 
 Abode of my childhood, 
 Shall I sleep 'neath thy 
 Bower no more ? 
 Shall never I ramble o'er 
 Those hills again ? 
 
 Thy rooms are all vacant, 
 
 And the loved ones, 
 
 Which once tread on thy floor, 
 
 Have vanished to be seen no morel 
 
 40 
 
OCTOBER THOUGHTS. 
 
 \h.e bleak wind in sighing, 
 The pale leaves are dying, 
 
 And swiftly pass the days. 
 The sweet flowers are drooping 
 As cold da^s come trooping; 
 Birds have ceased singing 
 
 Of springtime in praise. 
 
 The dead leaves are falling, 
 The bob- white is calling 
 
 From every bough. 
 The owlet is screaming, 
 The moonlight is gleaming 
 
 Thi'u yon woodland now. 
 
 OUR FAREWELL. 
 
 We said "Farewell," the parting words were 
 spoken; 
 
 Perchance 'twas b-etter so. 
 I left you then, my heart was broken, 
 
 You heard them not, my sigh so low. 
 
 'Tis long since we have met — 
 
 I murmur not, tho' my heart sighs still. 
 
 Sweet memories of thee haunt me yet, 
 And thy spirit comes at will. 
 
 Some day the time must come 
 When God shall call us both away; 
 Oh! may we reach His heavenly throne 
 And dwell with Him for ave! 
 
 What means it, heart, that you have loved, 
 Where is the gain, when you yourself, 
 Pay all the homage to the friends you've loved — 
 But love will hope e'en to the end. 
 
 41 
 
TO- 
 
 Come, let us wander, dear, alone, 
 
 Along the road to Yesterday. 
 My heart is dreaming of yeara now flown 
 
 Of the hours now passed away. 
 
 Thme path is loveliest down the lane 
 
 Where childhood's flowers grow; 
 Those same sweet blossoms let us pluck again, 
 
 As we did in the long ago. 
 
 THE LOST LIGHT. 
 
 Once there shown upon my way 
 A lovely ray, silver ray. 
 Brighter it gleamed than any Light 
 That ever led my steps aright. 
 
 Once I heard a kindly voice 
 That made my lonely heart rejoice; 
 But now 'tis hushed and still, 
 I hear it no more, list as I will. 
 
 Other days rush to my memory, 
 Faces from the world to be 
 Steal 'round me, o'er me as a cloud — 
 Sorrow flits before me in a shroud. 
 
 Oh! might I sip Oblivion 
 
 For hours field and faces flown, 
 
 Oh! could I gain that darkened Shore 
 
 Beyond which lies the form that is no more. 
 
 Oh! memories dark and drear, 
 Visions of the years that were, 
 Why do you follow near and haunt me 
 With a gladness still that daunts me? 
 
 42 
 
TO— 
 
 Hast thou beheld at early dawn 
 
 When the sun begins to glow, 
 How all Nature wakes and looks to hirri — 
 
 How he sheds his beams on the world below ? 
 
 Just so you came into my heart and life 
 And changed the Shadow^s into Light. 
 
 Every ray that gleamed for me was dim 
 Until you came and I found in you 
 A consolation all the while. 
 
 But thou hast left me 
 
 And our friendship now is o'er. 
 Take this, thy broken vow, with thee, 
 
 Let me behold thy face no more! 
 
 TO— 
 
 I would that some sweet Spirit, dear. 
 Could hear my thots to thee 
 
 And whisper softly in thine ear 
 
 How near, how near you are to me. 
 
 A darkened cloud hung o'er my soul 
 Until I found sweet Hope in thee, 
 
 Then all my Life with gladness filled, 
 Seemed like a dream, a dream to me. 
 
 "Ah! Ha!" Decreed some Evil Fate, 
 "Thy bliss e'er thou art quite aware, 
 
 Shall end, and thou be desolate — " 
 
 And then you fled, I know not where. 
 
 I fancy still that you'll return 
 
 Within the years that wait for me, 
 
 Oh! let my dreams be not in vain 
 For all my Hopes are lost in thee. 
 
 43 
 
TO OTHER DAYS. 
 
 When the shades of night are falling 
 And the dews steal softly from the sky, 
 
 It is then that thoughts vrander back 
 To days gone by. 
 
 I see as in a vision ! 
 
 The dear old home beneath the elms 
 And scenes of childhood are recalled, 
 The school and schoolmates 
 
 Our secrets yet untold. 
 
 Visions of meadows, hills and vales, 
 
 Rush forward to my eyes, 
 Fields of daisies, streams of crystal water 
 
 And clear skies. 
 
 Those days of childhood now are flown. 
 How sad it is they nevermore come! 
 
 Yet still I know a land of beauty 
 Where we shall dwell eternally. 
 
 And all our sorrows end. 
 
 Happier far than childhood days. 
 
 Is it in that home so fair, 
 We'll sing of Him in songs of praise, 
 
 In that land of beauty rare. 
 
 TO MARJORIE. 
 
 Oh! Marjorie, my little IVlarjorie, 
 You are my sunshine all the while; 
 
 What consolations sweet I find in thee, 
 What a blessing is thy smile! 
 
 As one who lingering by the sea 
 And musing on the Long Ago, 
 Becomes enchanted, lost in 
 Reverie and mystic dreams — 
 Just so am I enraptured — 
 And my soul is lost in thee. 
 
 44 
 
LINES ON THE DEATH OF A PET. 
 
 Dear pet. I did not know 
 That I should lay you low, 
 This time on yester morn. 
 Let them laugh and scorn 
 Who \Yill; if not a tear 
 Is shed, but mine — care not, 
 Sweet pet, my tear is thine. 
 
 Though no blossoms now are near 
 To decorate thy grave 
 When spring returns, fairest flowers 
 Of the field for thee I'll save. 
 
 Ah ! let them mock. Their jest 
 Can never shock the sod 
 That covers thee. They'll lie 
 As low as ever thou wilt sink 
 And the glebe shall cover them 
 That covers thee! 
 
 ECHOES. 
 
 Adown the Lane of Long Ago 
 Where sun and shadow play at will 
 My heart returns and wanders there 
 Where Silent Voices echo still. 
 
 Again I stand beneath the trees. 
 And wistful faces come and smile 
 As tho they wished to say to me 
 "Oh, come with us and bide awhile." _ 
 
 Ah. like the fresh'ning bi-eeze that blows 
 And like the fragance of the flowers; 
 Ah, like the charm that lingers there 
 Come the thoughts of other hours. 
 
 45 
 
Once more I hear in Memory 
 A plaintive song beyond the land 
 And far through all the wood resounds 
 The wild, sweet voice of the thrush again. 
 
 As night comes on, and silently 
 The moon in Magic beauty gleams, 
 And o'er that World a Stillness falls, — 
 I dream once more, my childish dreams. 
 
 Around the old home door, it seems. 
 The Smiling Faces lost to me 
 Come back to linger there and say 
 "We've come to bide a while with thee." 
 
 MY CASTLE DREAM. 
 
 I built myself a castle fair 
 Beside the sea of Life; 
 And long I toiled, yet patiently 
 Amid the turmoil and the strife. 
 
 'Twas wrought of Hopes and Dreams of years, 
 And oh the wondrous skill I plied 
 To so construct its walls and tower 
 That they might brave the surging tide. 
 
 And after years of weary toil, 
 
 I sat me down upon the shore 
 
 To view with pride my palace grand. 
 
 "Ah, let", I said, "the breakers roar — 
 
 "And storms assail in fearful rage. 
 My castle still unmoved shall stand. 
 Its pillars are of Courage strong 
 I have not built on shifting sand. 
 
 "I have not toiled nor wept in vain. 
 
 I have realized my life long Dream. 
 
 How could my heart in early years 
 
 Have said, "A failure does it seem?" 
 ♦ ♦ * * ♦ 
 
 46 
 
Anon there rose upon that sea 
 
 A darkened cloud, and waves leaped high- 
 
 So high into the air it seemed 
 
 They dashed and beat against the sky. 
 
 Straight forward to the shore they came, 
 (As if directed by some Power 
 Whose awful strength they held withm!) 
 And swept upon my castle tower. 
 
 "O, Master of the sea, "I cried, 
 Wreck not the work of all my years— 
 My castle is so beautiful — " 
 But, ah, it fell despite my tears. 
 
 And you who build from day to day 
 A castle as mine own 
 Will find your labor is in vain 
 If you strive, and strive alone. 
 
 If we would have our castles last 
 Then we must build by the Master s plan; 
 And tho dread waves submerge the walls, 
 And storms rage long,— they still will stand. 
 
 Somewhere there lies a lovely land 
 Where Shadows never fall, 
 
 ,Where Phoebus waves his Magic Wand 
 And lo! there's Gladness over all! 
 
 47 
 
n^ % 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 IHH 
 
 018 477 561 (t\ 
 
 lou. Prt'g & Pub. Company 
 Charleston, S. C.