By whose immovable stem I stand, and seem Almost annihilated- not a prince,
In all the proud old world beyond the deep E're wore his crown as loftily as he
Wears the green coronal of leaves, with which Thy hand has graced him. Nestled at his
Is beauty, such as blooms not in the glare
Of the broad sun. That delicate forest flower,
With scented breath, and look so like a smile,
Seems as it issues from the shapeless mould,
An emanation of the in-dwelling Life,
A visible token of the upholding Love,
That are the soul of this wide universe."
Kate was very thankful for this solid gold, as she termed it, and passed on amid "the fair ranks of trees," until she met a stranger, who gave his name as Oscar Dunreath, and with his name, this addition to her store:
"There is a bud of heavenly birth,
That blooms upon this lovely earth
To cheer the lonely paths of life,
And soothe us 'mid its cares and strife;
That bud is friendship- priceless gem-
Life's brightest, sparkling diadem.
O, mayst thou ever true remain,
And ne'er thy holy name profane;
But ever kind and constant prove
To the warm heart's trusting love -
And placid joy and light impart,
To guide and cheer the wearied heart
That beats in unison with thine
So loved, so gentle and divine."
Another offering was presented by an unknown hand; but Kate thought the heart which dictated the gift, must be a cheerful sunshiny heart, and one which
would make its possessor serene and cheerful, even amid the cares and disappointments of this life.
The World as it is.
"The world is not so bad a world
As some would like to make it;
Though whether good, or whether bad,
Depends on how we take it.
For if we scold and fret all day
From dewy morn till even,
This world will ne'er afford to man
A foretaste here of heaven.
This world in truth 's as good a world,
As e'er was known to any
Who have not seen another yet,
And these are very many;
And if the men, and women, too
Have plenty of employment
Those surely must be hard to please
Who cannot find enjoyment.
This world is quite a clever world,
In rain or pleasant weather,
If people would but learn to live
In harmony together;
Nor seek to burst the kindly bond
By love and peace cemented,
And learn the best of lessons yet
To always be contented.
Then were the world a pleasant world,
And pleasant folks were in it,
The day would pass most pleasantly
To those who thus begin it;
And all the nameless grievances
Brought on by borrowed troubles
Would prove, as certainly they are,
A mass of empty bubbles."
Continuing her walk, Kate at length became weary, and seated herself near a little rivulet whose tiny wavelets sparkled in the sunbeams, which shone through the leaves, as the soft wind parted them as
if for the purpose of giving the rays of light an opportunity to see the reflection of their own bright faces in the watery mirror. She had not long been seated there, when she heard a low plaintive voice singing the following words:
""Tis morn—1 the sea-breeze seems to bring
Joy, health and freshness on its wing-
Bright flowers, to me all strange and new,
And glittering in the early dew-
And perfumes rise from every grove
As incense to the clouds that move
Like spirits o'er yon welkin clear-
But I am sad thou art not here.
'Tis noon —a calm, unbroken sleep
Is on the blue waves of the deep-
A soft haze, like a fairy dream,
Is floating over wood and stream,
And many a broad magnolia flower,
Within that shady woodland bower,
Is gleaming like a lovely star
But I am sad-thou art afar.
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