The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-03-30
THE GATE AJAR.

! 'Tis sometimes given one TO behold
A glimpse of the city whose streets OF gold
ft. John revealed In his vision rare,
In words which spoke It wondrous fair
And so 'tis known that when things go
A. trusted officer shadows the throng
That dwell where gems In twinkling gee
Shed linpid light on the Jasper Sea.
81. Peter, grown so old and sere,
Mustneods sit down In the armchair near,
And his poor old brain, for ages taxed,
He could not In brief keep up with the
Of this galloplng, brcathlcss, haf-frenzicd
And So It's no wonder, in his infrm speel,
He sent the man to heaven, the woman to
hell
At satau's threshold she stood detected;
A thin, worn wreck the furnace reflected;
Too weak to stand, too daZed to see
His royal Satanic majesty.
Then spake the Arch Fiend, with gesture
eve want neither fools nor dead folks
Cast her forth whence she came; and let
natures economy
Relcgate her from her present anatomyl"
Now were told that those In the bottom
May sometimes look where the patrlarchs
And satan. having lived in heaven so long,
Knew. just where to find in that happy
The man late accepted His harp Of gold
Lay listless by; his white wings volumes
told;
For they closely folded snoring saint,
So full of ambrosla Il made one faint.
The angels played their best, but he
Could sleep through all eternity
The Arch Fiend laughed, and with hyp-
motto hold
Led Gabriel to see he'd been shamefuly
Then watched, as his wont, when he's set
things brewing
And hoped soon to have that fat man stew
Ing
"wake up!" said Gabriel; "no loafng here.
It's work, work, work, year after year!
That harp Is to play on, those wings to fly
On errands of mercy, In the sweet by and
bye"
But the mans dull gaze bespoke shell
And Gabriel saw that this wouldn't do,
And the woman had been most wrOnged of
the two.
The angelic guard stood musing long;
Then said; MY frlenu, on earth no song
Ere scnped your lips to cheer a soul.
OF fatuOus gourmand-your shining iowl
Bears witness, and she, perforce, must
And pray for very pity of t. Now swear
BY this bright sword, by Michael there,
BY. yonder reeking pit, that she, your wife,
Ne'er tore from your scalp hair in her
life
And swear, for / know 1t, she could cook
without books;
For your stomach is purfed past the bounds
of good looks;
And honestly own that your genial smile
IL
file.
If she. snubbed you at length, who brought
II to pass?
You started all right with your bonnie lass,
But you lost your nerve grew sluggish,
too.
And as your hair shed her beardet grew.
And last, but worst, when your poor wife
felt
That her summons had come, she came and
knelt
with you, Knave! with you; and tried her
best
To pass you in to heavenly rest.
But when the imp led her away.
And you Were uShered into endless day,
No backward glance, no pleading word
For her lost soul from you was heard.
Now IL you'd have said, as you passed
through,
My dear old Peter. let her come, too:
And If she cant sit quite as high as I
"ris better than sending her there TO fry!
I'd have saved you-but now you must go,
Shivering quiycrlng, down below;
And unless some fate arrest your doom
You're booked henceforth for living
tomb"
The sun was gliding vale and rill
As man and his wife climbed Zon's hill.
He-cast from heaven, she-driven from
hell
Had met once more the old story to tell.
Her face was fair her voice so low
The husband scarce knew If 'twere she or
no.
And his manly grace and martial air
stamped them anew, well-matched pair.
And SO the Scriptures had come to pass:
"The last shall be first aud the first shall
be last."-Mrs. Edwin G. Reynolds.