e shadow passed, my heart leaped up in joy--
The words--the sin--he did not understand.
But ere the cloud had left his childish face
Upon my heart this deeper shadow lay:
I cannot always keep my darlings safe;
They'll leave the shelter of the fold some day.
Strong-willed, strong-hearted, loving boys--
Harmonious souls by angels set attune--
Oh, may my fingers touch the keys aright!
I ask of Heaven than this no greater boon;
No greater boon than wisdom from on high
To strengthen them against the snares of sin;
To teach them how to live and how to die,
To hear their Master bid them "Enter in!"
So, with my good-night kiss upon your lips
I'll banish all the shadows from my heart,
And know He'll send His blessed sunshine in,
If only you and I will do _our_ part.

My Choice

I'm only a boy, but before me lie
Life's paths untrod, and a sunny sky
Bends o'er the paths, and smiles on me.
And under its blue serene, I see
Two ways stretch out, one, narrow and straight;
The other, broad, and an open gate
Beckons me on, and smiling and sweet
Are the Heavens fair, and down at my feet
Fair flowers bloom, and the grasses nod
On the level slope of the emerald sod.
In the bosky dells my eyes discern
The feathery flakes of the filmy fern,
The birds' low song in the shadows deep
Lull my fancies to dreamful sleep.
The sun-flecked slopes and the open gate
Seem for my eager feet to wait.
But the narrow way, though rough and steep,
Has a charm for me, and my senses leap
As I view the heights that seem to rise
From the lowly earth, to the sunlit skies.
Though rough and steep, and with danger fraught,
Though the glorious heights with my life be bought--
I'll turn from the broad road leading down,
And seek the heights and the laurel crown.
From the blood-stained prints of my thorn-pierced feet,
Spring wonderful flowers, whose fragrance sweet,
Borne on the breath of the balmy air,
Charms my heart and dispels my care.
The beetling crags that block my way,
The storm cloud's gloom, where the lightnings play,
But give me strength for each new emprise,
And joys my soul as I slowly rise;
For snares and cliffs, to a boy like me
Should only incentives to action be.
I'm bound to rise--If I earnestly try
I know I can reach the hilltops high.
But I have no time to loiter and play,
On the tempting slopes of the downward w