Year: 1873

O God, though Thou s'8Fest me yci VIII
1 trust iu Thee


And 20 be made lls way among the
long eIass to square, old.iashioucd
gfa,e--with all she nsmea on ityery old
except our, which, with its remarkable
cpitaph, had only been written the very
last yrar


To the memory ol


BARBARA HERON


Aged g..


who expressly desired that these words
Of God should be written on her grave for
the comfort Of whoever should come here,
repcutant and sorrow.strickeu.


Who is a God Ike unto Thee '.,, Thou
wilt east all their sins into the depth Of
The sea.


For the Lord shall comfort Zion: He
will comfort an her waste places, aud
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
and her desert like the garden Of the
Lord JOY and gladness shall be found
therein thanksgiving and the voice Of
melody.


And the stranger bowed himself to the
ground, oa II be had heard an angels
voice. Perhaps he did Here was the
loye--type ofthat heavenly love that he
was wildly cIutehing in At faith that was
half despair l-the love that survived sin
aud suffering aud death, and stretched a
hand to save aud soothc from the very
grave itself ....
Oh, Barbara, your tenderness had
taught you TO lay sweet snares for every
possible opportunity! on, Barbara,
Barbafa! surely God mnst have comfort.
ed YOU In your lonely walkings IN those
green avenues by the ruined abbey, lie
did not empty your pure heart of its
earthly love, but He dropped into 1t a
balm which changed its bitterness TO ce-
lestal nectar, Up in heaven, whore you
are, Barbara, there is only JOY over the
returning sinnerl


! And still the stranger sat on the damp
winter sod with bis face between bis
hands. Tie was not wishing her back,
the dear love o, his youth. Better where
she was, where no mortal soil could ever
touch that great love, which was long
enough, and strong enough, to stretch
from heaven to earth. Only there he sat
shutting out from his eyes the sweet.
peaceful scenes around him, even as they
must be shut from his lie, and seeing
far beyond the waste places and wilder
ness that bis own sins had made, into that
| joyful country where the ransomcd of the
Lord shall return, where they shall OBJ
tain joy and gladress, and sorrow and
signing shall flee away,


| That night the stranger walked again
in front of that lowly house in the quite
| by-way Christmas sayors came through
the kitchen window, bright light CLEANED
between the curtains, even sounds OF
glad young laughter and merry song
reached the lonely watcher without. And
he could thank God for them now. llc
could even smile in sympathy with the
Joy he might not share. He had his own


In that lowly house, after supper, when
the young ones were quiet round the fire
cracking nuts and asking riddles. Aunt
Mary fell into a soft sleep on the sofa.
They saw her smile in her slumbcr, and
when she woke she told them in her sub.
dued, pathetic little voice, that she had
been dreaming Of poor Uncle Dick: she
Jaw him with dear Barbara Heron, and
Barbara looked so happyl Aud even in
my sleep, dears, she said, wondered
within myself, were we all on earth still
or all safe together in heaven5


II must have been about that time that
the stranger left Norham by the midnight
mail-train, lie stood up in the carriage
and stretched ont his head TIL the last
spire Of Norham Cathedral was lost in
the darkness. But even he had gotten
his Christmas Blessing ere he departed
the prodigal son had found bis royal feast
heavenly peace and human love


He came and he went like ghost
said old Peter, at the -Four Swans.