no twinge of conscience
to deny me any theme
When Care has cast her anchor
In the harbor of a dream--

[Illustration]

In fact, to speak in earnest,
I believe it adds a charm
To spice the good a trifle
with a little dust of harm,--

For I find an extra flavor
in Memory's mellow wine
That makes me drink the deeper
to that old sweetheart of mine.

[Illustration]

O Childhood-days enchanted!
O the magic of the Spring!--
With all green boughs to blossom white,
and all bluebirds to sing!

When all the air, to toss and quaff,
made life a jubilee
And changed the children's song and
laugh to shrieks of ecstasy.

[Illustration]

With eyes half closed in clouds that ooze
from lips that taste, as well,
The peppermint and cinnamon,
I hear the old School-bell,

And from "Recess" romp in again
from "Blackman's" broken line,
To--smile, behind my "lesson",
at that old sweetheart of mine.

[Illustration]

A face of lily-beauty,
with a form of airy grace,
Floats out of my tobacco
as the "Genii" from the vase

And I thrill beneath the glances
of a pair of azure eyes
As glowing as the summer
and as tender as the skies.

[Illustration]

I can see the pink sunbonnet
and the little, checkered dress
She wore when first I kissed her
and she answered the caress

With the written declaration that,
"As surely as the vine
Grew 'round the stump," she loved me--
that old sweetheart of mine.

[Illustration]

Again I make her presents,
in a really helpless way,--
The big "Rhode Island Greening"--
(I was hungry too, that day!)--

But I follow her from Spelling,
with her hand behind her--so--
And I slip the apple in it--
and the Teacher doesn't know!

[Illustration]

I give my _treasures_ to her--all,--
my pencil--blue-and-red;--
And, if little girls played marbles,
_mine_ should all be _hers_, instead!--

But _she_ gave me her _photograph_,
and printed "Ever Thine"
Across the back--in blue-and-red--
that old sweetheart of mine!

[Illustration]

And again I feel the pressure
of her slender little hand,
As we used to talk together
of the future we had planned,--

When I should be a