Year: 1865

By THEODORE r1LToN.
know a tale of olden time,


And this to fill an idle day,
I fashion into idle rhyme,


And all who care to read it may.
The autumn leaves were all aflame,


And so in autumn time of life,
A parsons heart was tinged the same
With holy fire to wed wife.
He girt the saddle on his mare,


To 90 the way bis heart inclined;
But wore sObered look and air,


As one who had troubled mind.
In riding past the graveyard gate,


His eyes were overfilled with tears,
For there he saw the slab of slate,


Where lay his wife of former years.
She used to say it wronged the dead
To wed again above the grave;
The words kept running in his head,
And much bewilderment they gave.
AS through the ranks of golden rod
He wound his way up Prospect Hill,
BE humbly asked Almighty God


To grant token of His will.
The parsons vision cleansed by prayer,
His duty grew as clear as light;
And duty never looks 80 fair


As seen by prayer illumined sight.
Already had he fixed his choice;


For every Sunday in the choir,
He heard the Widow Churchill's voice.
Until she grew his hearts desire.
A woman pure of soul was she,


By sorrow purified the more,
Whose welded mate was lost at sea
Now nearly twenty years before.
The parsons passion, unconfessed,


Like smouldered heat within him bu ned
Which never once the widow guessed,
Or haply it had been returned.
With hazel whip the mare was switched,
And cantered up the rocky road,
And underneath tree was hitched,
At Captain Churchill's old abode.
The dame was busy sitting -four,


Nor heard the conner till he said:
BE praise to that Almighty Power


Who giveth man his daily bread"
The widow, caught by such guest,
In just her linsey woolsey gown,
Instead of in her Sunday best,


Dropped bashfully her eyelids down.
Then spake her suitor to her face,


" l have solemn word to say,
Whereto is need of heavenly grace,
So, widow Churchill, let us pray!"
Devoutly did the couple knsel-


ha Of tha nhosr
The widow at the spinning wheel
And this the burden of the prayer:
He mourned for uncommitted sin,
Imp1ored q pardon for mankind,
And craved that grace would enter in
And sweetly move the widows mind.
Then rising from his prayerful knees,
Il yearned to take wife," he said,
"And loving thee, If God shall please,
Nor thou refuse, we twain will wed J"
The widow started in surprise,


For women old are women STILL
But answered, lifting not her eyes,
:" seek to know thy heavenle will"
The heavenly will was plain indeed,
And pointed to the flowery yoke,
For love is not human need


For young alone, but aged folk.
While yet the astors were in bloom,
There came throng from far and near,
To wish the joy of bride and groom,
And eat and drink the wedding cheer.
That night, beside the bridal bed.


Up spoke the bride in tender tone:
Il have a message from the dead,


And time has come to make it known.
THE years are twelve this very day,
Since she whose title now is mine,
The night before she passed away,


Bequeathed to me this written line:
To thee, 0 friend of all my life,


Ivow, before my strength be spent,
That should he wed another wife,


If thou art she, rest content"
He gazed upon the well known hand,
Thought backward Of the bygone years,
Thought forward of the heavenly land,
And answered not a word for tears
A hallowed honeymoon they passed,


And younger grew in growing old,
TIL, sweetly fading outs last,


They left the tale that have told.