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Yet, patient husbandman, I till,

With faith and prayers, that precious hill,

Sow it with penitential pains,

And, hopeful, wait the latter rains;
Content if, after all, the spot
Yield barely one forget-me-not -
Whether or figs or thistles make
My crop, content for Charlie's sake.

I have no houses, builded well-
Only that little lonesome cell,
Where never romping playmates come,
Nor bashful sweethearts, cunning-dumb —
An April burst of girls and boys,
Their rainbow cloud of glooms and joys
Born with their songs, gone with their toys;
Nor ever is its stillness stirred
By purr of cat, or chirp of bird,
Or mother's twilight legend, told
Of Horner's pie, or Tiddler's gold,
Or fairy hobbling to the door,
Red-cloaked and weird, banned and poor,
To bless the good child's gracious eyes,
The good child's wistful charities,
And crippled changeling's hunch to make
Dance on his crutch, for good child's sake.

How is it with the child? "Tis well;
Nor would I any miracle
Might stir my sleeper's tranquil trance,
Or plague his painless countenance:
I would not any seer might place
His staff on my immortal's face,
Or lip to lip, and eye to eye,
Charm back his pale mortality.
No, Shunammite! I would not break
God's stillness. Let them weep who wake.

For Charlie's sake my lot is blest:
No comfort like his mother's breast,
No praise like hers; no charm expressed
In fairest forms hath half her zest.
For Charlie's sake this bird's caressed
That death left lonely in the nest ;
For Charlie's sake my heart is dressed,
As for its birthday, in its best;
For Charlie's sake we leave the rest
To Him who gave, and who did take,
And saved us twice, for Charlie's sake.

JOHN WILLIAMSON PALMER.

Early Friendship.

THE half-seen memories of childish days,

When pains and pleasures lightly came and went;

The sympathies of boyhood rashly spent In fearful wanderings through forbidden ways; The vague but manly wish to tread the maze Of life to noble ends; whereon intent, Asking to know for what man here is sent, The bravest heart must often pause, and gaze; The firm resolve to seek the chosen end

Of manhood's judgment, cautious and mature: Each of these viewless bonds binds friend to friend With strength no selfish purpose can secure; My happy lot is this, that all attend

shall last endure.

AUBREY DE VERE.

When shall we Three Meet again?

WHEN shall we three meet again?
When shall we three meet again?
Oft shall glowing hope expire,
Oft shall wearied love retire,
Oft shall death and sorrow reign,
Ere we three shall meet again.

Though in distant lands we sigh, Parched beneath a hostile sky; Though the deep between us rolls, Friendship shall unite our souls.

And sable curls all silvered o'er with white; When lofty trees I see barren of leaves,

Which erst from heat did canopy the herd, And Summer's green all girded up in sheaves, Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard; Then, of thy beauty do I question make,

That thou among the wastes of time must go, Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake, And die as fast as they see others grow; And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defence, Save breed, to brave him, when he takes thee hence.

SHALL I compare thee to a Summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate; Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And Summer's lease hath all too short a date.