Year: 1873

But God heard my prayers-the blind mans


prayers-and spared her to me, my


sweet,
And our home grew merry with cradle songs


and the patter of little feet;
With the patter of little baby feet that would


toddle up to my chair,
To lay little soft head on my knee, that loved


to nestle there.
SO the year. pass'd on, and even life now often


seem'd hard to me;
But when l sat in the eventide, with my little


ones on my knee,
While Bessie would sing us some quaint old


song of love or of doughty deed,
I'd think how good and pleasant it was to the
life / had thought to lead.
Let's see, It's twelvemonths ago since first l


noticed, with strange surprise,
That the darkness seem'd to grow lighter-like


at times to my poor blind eyes,
And a yearning, passionate, trembling hope


crept into my heart and brain;
But never a word | said to the wife, lest my


thoughts should be false and vain:
Never a word | said to my love, lest her heart


should be overcast,
To know | had CHERISHED a hope like this, to


find it a myth at last
But | quietly told my story to VIII, we


saunterd up and down
The garden, and we two thought of plan for


getting me up to town.
Then | spoke to the wife of book I'd plann d,


that fancied would answer well,
But | wanted some talk with firm in town, to


see if they thought t would sell;
And Willie had promised to go with me and


see me through it, | said,
For l knew that she couldn't leave the BARNS,


or I'd like her TO go instead.
She tried to persuade me from it at first, and


doIefully prophesied
All sorts of accidents and mishaps, and then


she pleaded and tried
To get me to take her with us, too; but at last


we settled it right,
And Willie was pledged again and again not to


trust me out of his sight.
So we went to town for week or so, and


you'll easily understand
My fluttering hopes, and doubts, and fears


now the test was near at hand:
Enough, that one wondrous day, Saul-like, the


scales dropp'd off from my sight,
And l tainted in WIlie's brotherly arms, in a


sudden burst O light
l was dazed and giddy-lile for while, but


soon got round again;
And o. the grateful, passionate joy that


throbb,d in my every vein!
Dear God, what a happy world it was-how


winsome and fair to see!-
The very stones of the London streets seem'd


beautiful to mel
And deep, deep down in my heart of hearts


there nestled this crownlng bliss:
80, what will she feel, my Bessie, my love-


when she comes to hear of this
O the tears of JOY, Q the clasping arms, O the


bonnie head on my breast,
When | come to tell her the glorious news, my


beautiful, my bestn
We sat far into that happy night, l and dear


old Will
All, the rose-like spell of those rich deep hours


is fragrant memory still
And we talk'd of the dear ones down at home,


and the story we had to tell,
And the wondrous love of the Master above


who ''doeth all things well.'
We spoke of Bessie again and again, and


ALWAYS with moisten'd eyes,
And we felt 'twould be best to spare my love


too sudden glad surprise;
So was to keep on my old blue specs" by


way of a loving ruse,
And to patiently bide the fitting time for gently


breaking the news.
You can easily guess what my feelings were


when got back home at last;
And how as | trod on the threshold here, my


heart beat thick and fast;
And how had nearly told her all, in burst


o passionate bliss,
As nv darling flew to welcome me home with


a loving clasp and kiss.
Dear heart, twas the same sweet bonnie face,


nav, BONNER than before.
With the old soft charm in the lustrous eyes


that had won my heart of vore.
Sweet ewes that were moist with tender tears


that went TO my heart to see:
God knows that l never knew till then the


daDths of her love for me-