The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-05-29
"a span is all that we can boast,
An inch or two Of time:
Man L. hut Nnnifr md dr,r&

"a span is all that we can boast,
An inch or two Of time:
Man is but vanity and dust"
A search for the drawing knife
/ stopped his song. and as a cloud drifteC
over the sun and soothed all the lane
with shadow, grandma sang in The
plalntive strains of China:
We'll might the SIN in darkness hi1e.
And shut his glorl-s in.
| When Christ the mighty Maker died
| For man, the creatures sin"
While like a triumphant echo from
the work bench end of the choir came
ringing the glorious strains of ..St.
Martins" thrilling and inspiring as a
blast of trumpets, cheering as a bugie
| call, grand in its lone of mistaken con-
| fdence:
'Beneath the shadow of Thy throne,
| Thy saints have dwelt secure;
| Sufficient is Thine arm alone
And our defense is sure"
But the cloud drifted away and the
sunburst of light blazed over the earth
again, and in stately measure "Dun-
dee" swelled in its half note step from
the bench:
"a faith that shines more bright and clear
When tempests rage without;
That when in danger knows no fear
In darkness feels no doubt"
1t may have been the majestic old
tune, or it may have been, l rather
think it was, the cooling wood dove,
mourning in the tall old elm down bv
the horse well, that made grandma sing:
Return. oh. holy dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest;
hate the sins that made thee mourn"
Rock, rock, rock, the old straight
back rocker finished the verse without
flight of my pigeons sweeping from the
barn roof over to the cool woods changed
grandma's song to joyous "Amster-
dam
Rise, my soul. and stretch thy wings,
Thy better portion trace;
Rise from transitOry things,
Toward Heaven. thy native place.
Sun. and moon, and stars decay,
Time shall soon this earth remove,
Rise, my soul, and haste away"
But grandpa, with lusty arm and
changing hammer. beating on the iron
rings that bound the ends of the single
tree. sang aloud, with terrible voice,
that direful old revival hymn that used
to melt with sudden fear the trembling
souls of impenitent youth:
''Sav, have Won an arm like God,
That YOU His will oppose?
Fear yOu not that iron rod
With which He breaks His fOes?"
And like a soothing balm to his
avenging chant that seemed to echo the
dread thunders of Sinai, came the
notes of the wood dove, and
dear old grandma sweet "Aletta":
Jesus all thv grinfs hath borne;
View Him bleeding on the tree
Pouring out His life for thee;
There thy every sin He bore.
Weeping soul, lament no more"
A distant strain of song from the men
in the field with Uncle John caught the
old mans ear, and he Strengthened him
self moment, to rest or to listen. He |
looked a the rcapers. then down ut the !
trees by the spring in the |
pasture, across at the long ranks of |
corn, ut the golden field of oats, wait |
ing impatiently for the reapers and |
sang:
ION .Iordan's stormy banks stand,
And east Il wiStfu eye
To Cana:n ms fair and hapDy land,
Where my possessions lie"
While like a bencdiction came chanting
INTO his song the mourning dove ant
grandma S ''IiOn.'
Has thy night been long and mOurnful?
Have thy friends unfaithfui proved?
Have thy foes been proud and scornful
BY thy signs and tears unmoved?
Cease thy mourning;
Zion still is well beloved"
DOXOLOGY.
A rattle of wheels down the carriage
lrive, n chorus of pleasant voices ard
'iprling laughter, cataract of talk, of
,and box AMI package and sample and
rice list, and news of the friends in
'eoria who is dead and who is mar
led, who they saw and what he said -
he girls have returned from town, the
ervice Of song is over and his last
lynn mingling with the joyous IL, Gil
er and merry chatter of his girls, rs he
rove the horses over to the arm, /
eard grandfather softly singing to
'OrtOnville"
Way should the children of a king
Go mourning ali their davsE"
-R06t. j. BHrdstte, in Br00klun Eaqlc.