Year: 1873




Who expressly desired that these words of God
should be written on her grave for the comfort Of
whoever should come here repentant and sorrow-
stricken ~


'' Who is 4 God like unto thee? Thou
wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea-


''For the Lord shall covlfort Zion: He VIII COM
fort al her waste places, and be viii make her
wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the gar
den Of the Lord: joy and gladnoss shall be found
therein: thanksgiving and the voice Of melody


And the stranger bowed himself to
the ground, as if he had heard an an
gels voice. Perhaps he did. Here was
the love-type of that heavenly love
that he was wildly clutching in faith
that was half despair 1.-The love that
survived sin and suffering and death,
and stretched hand to save and soothe
from the very grave itself.


Oh, Barbara, Barbara, your tender
ness had taught you to lay sweet
snares for every possible opportunity !
Oh, Barbara, Barbara surely God
must have comforted you in your lonely
walkings in those green avenues by the
ruined abbey He did not empty your
pure heart of its earthly love, but He
dropped into it balm which changed
its bitterness to celestial nectar. Up in
Heaven. where you are, Barbara, there
is only joy over the returning sinner


And still the stranger sat on the damp
winter sod with his face between his
hands. He was not wishing her back,
the dear love of his youth. Better
where she was, where no mortal seul
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 fIom his eyes
the sweet, peaceful scenes around him,
even rs they must be shut frosa his life.
and seeing far beyond the waste
places and 4" Wilderness" that his own
sins had made, into that joyful country
where 60 the ransomed of the-Lord shall
return, " where "they shall obtain Joy
and gladness, and sorrow and signing
shall fee away.


That night the stranger walked again
in front of that lowly house in the quiet
by-way. Christmas savors came through
the kitchen window, bright light gleam-
ed 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.
| He 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 rid
dies, Aunt Mary fell into a soft sleep on
the sofa. They saw her smile in her
slumber, and when she woke she told
them in her subdued, pathetic voice,
that she had been dreaming of poor
Uncle Dick; she saw him with dear
Barbara Heron, and Barbara looked
so happyl" And even in my sleep,
dears," she said, g I wondered within
myself, were we all on earth still, or all
safe together IN heavens"


It must have been about that time
that the stranger left Norham by the
midnight mail-train. He stood up in
the carriage, and stretched out his head
till the last spire of Norham cathedral
was lost in the darkness. But even he
had gotten his Christmas blessing er,
he departed-the prodigal son has
found his royal feast-heavenly peac'
and human love.


"He came and he went like ghostl'
said old Peter, at the Four Swans.
Sunday BEagazino.