hina plates that stand upon the shelves.

And well I knew the talk they had, the talk that was of me,
Of the shadow on the household, and the son that went to sea;
And, oh, the wicked fool I seemed, in every kind of way,
To be here and hauling frozen ropes on blessed Christmas Day.

They lit the high sea-light, and the dark began to fall.
"All hands to loose topgallant sails!" I heard the captain call.
"By the Lord, she'll never stand it," our first mate, Jackson, cried.
... "It's the one way or the other, Mr. Jackson," he replied.

She staggered to her bearings, but the sails were new and good,
And the ship smelt up to windward just as though she understood.
As the winter's day was ending, in the entry of the night,
We cleared the weary headland, and passed below the light.

And they heaved a mighty breath, every soul on board but me,
As they saw her nose again pointing handsome out to sea;
But all that I could think of, in the darkness and the cold,
Was just that I was leaving home and my folks were growing old.

_Robert Louis Stevenson._

"LAST CHRISTMAS WAS A YEAR AGO."

(THE OLD LADY SPEAKS.)

Last Christmas was a year ago
Says I to David, I-says-I,
"We're goin' to mornin' service, so
You hitch up right away: I'll try
To tell the girls jes what to do
Fer dinner. We'll be back by two."
I didn't wait to hear what he
Would more'n like say back to me,
But banged the stable-door and flew
Back to the house, jes plumb chilled through.

Cold! _Wooh!_ how cold it was! My-oh!
Frost flyin', and the air, you know--
"Jes sharp enough," heerd David swear,
"To shave a man and cut his hair!"
And blow _and_ blow! and _snow_ and SNOW,
Where it had drifted 'long the fence
And 'crost the road,--some places, though,
Jes swep' clean to the gravel, so
The goin' was as bad fer sleighs
As 't was fer wagons,--and _both_ ways,
'Twixt snow-drifts and the bare ground, I've
Jes wondered we got through alive;
I hain't saw nothin' 'fore er sence
'At beat it _anywheres_ I know--
Last Christmas was a year ago.

And David said, as we set out,
'At Christmas services was 'bout
As cold and wuthless kind o' love
To offer up as _he_ knowed of;
And, as fer _him_, he railly thought
'At the Good Bein' up above
Would think more of us--as he ought--
A-stayin' home on sich a day
And thankin' of him thataway.