m from thy youth.

Affection's ties oft sunder; and the home
Of peace and love, sorrow and death can enter.
Art thou, indeed, a mourner? dost thou roam
Alone and sad, where late thy joys did centre?
"The Word is nigh thee!" and though bitter grief
Makes all the future seem one day of sorrow,--
Its words of peace shall grant thee sweet relief;
The night of pain and fear shall find a joyous morrow

"The Word of God is nigh thee!" let it be
The lamp that o'er thy pathway sheds its light,
Then, through the mists of error, thou shalt see
The way of truth, all radiant and bright,
In which of old the sons of God did go,
Leaning on Him who was their friend and guide;
Nor shall thy heart be faint, thy step be slow,
Till thou in Heaven, thy home, shalt triumph by their side

The Word of God shall bless thee, in the hour
When human hopes and human friends shall fail:
It was in health thy portion, and its power
Is mightiest even in the gloomy vale.
No evil shalt thou fear while He is with thee;
The sting of death his hand shall take away,
His rod and staff shall comfort thee and cheer thee,
And thou with Him shalt dwell through heaven's eternal day.

AUNT RACHEL.

WE remember as it were yesterday the first time we saw her, though
it was a brief glance, and she was so quickly forgotten that most of
us had passed into the supper-room and the rest had reached the
door, heedless of the stranger, when one of our party, perhaps more
thoughtful than the others, cast her eyes on the quiet little figure
that stood, near the fire as if irresolute, whether to follow or
remain. With lady-like politeness she received the excuses which one
of the gentlemen offered for having preceded her, and entered the
room.

She was very slight, and thin, and pale, her, eyes were of a light
gray and her hair inclined to redness, but her forehead, was broad
and smooth and, about her thin lips there hovered an expression of
sweetness and repose.

We have forgotten now what first led us to feel that beneath that
unprepossessing exterior were concealed the pulses of a warm,
generous heart, and the powers of a strong and cultivated mind, but
we remember well the morning that she set her seal upon our heart.

It was a clear, cold, brilliant morning in March. The whole broad
country was covered with a thick crust of hard, glittering snow, and
every tree was encased in ice