There was a big booming in my ears, great heavy iron bells that swung to-and-fro on either side, and sent out deafening reverberations that steeped the senses in a musical melody of sonorous sound; to-and-fro, backward and forward, yet ever receding in a gradually widening circle, monotonous, mournful, weird, suffusing the soul with an unutterable […]

Dear God, ’tis hard, so awful hard to lose The one we love, and see him go afar, With scarce one thought of aching hearts behind, Nor wistful eyes, nor outstretched yearning hands. Chide not, dear God, if surging thoughts arise. And bitter questionings of love and fate, But rather give my weary heart thy […]

There was a terrible noise in the school-yard at intermission; peeping out the windows the boys could be seen huddled in an immense bunch, in the middle of the yard. It looked like a fight, a mob, a knock-down,–anything, so we rushed out to the door hastily, fearfully, ready to scold, punish, console, frown, bind […]

FIRST. How few of us In all the world’s great, ceaseless struggling strife, Go to our work with gladsome, buoyant step, And love it for its sake, whate’er it be. Because it is a labor, or, mayhap, Some sweet, peculiar art of God’s own gift; And not the promise of the world’s slow smile of […]

The literary manager of the club arose, cleared his throat, adjusted his cravat, fixed his eyes sternly upon the young man, and in a sonorous voice, a little marred by his habitual lisp, asked: “Mr. —-, will you please tell us your opinion upon the question, whether woman’s chances for matrimony are increased or decreased […]

I. “And she tied a bunch of violets with a tress of her pretty brown hair.” She sat in the yellow glow of the lamplight softly humming these words. It was Easter evening, and the newly risen spring world was slowly sinking to a gentle, rosy, opalescent slumber, sweetly tired of the joy which had […]

All day had she watched and waited for his coming, and still her strained ears caught no sounds of the footsteps she loved and longed to hear. All day while the great sun panted on his way around the brazen skies; all day while the busy world throbbed its mighty engines of labor, nor witted […]