This Old School-master

He sat at his desk at the close of day, For he feit the weïght of his many years, His form was bent and his hair was grey, And his eycs were dimmcd with falling tcars, The school was out and his task was done. And the house seetned now so strangeiy fctill, As;the last red bcam of the setting sun Stole silently over the window-slll. Stole silently into the twilight gloorn. And the decpening shadows feil athmart The vacunt seats and the vacant room, And the vacant place In the old man's hcart; Kor his school had been all in all to him, Who had no wife, nor children, nor land nor gold, But his frame was weak. and his eyes were dim. And the fiat was ssucd at last- "Too old.w He bowcd his hcad on his trembling hands A moment as one might bow to pray, 'Too old,"they say, and the school demandt A wiser and younger head lo-day. 'Too oíd ! too old ! " these men iorget lt was I who guardcd their tender years ; Their hcarts were hard and they pittied r.Ot My trembling lips and my falling tears. "Too old ! too oíd t " it was all they said I looked in their faces one by one, But they turncd away and my heart was lead, Dear Lord, it is hard, but Thy will be done. The night stole on and a decper gloom Was over the vacant bcuches cast, The master sat in the silent room, But his muid was back in the days long past. And the shadows took to his tear-dimmed sight, Dear wcll-known face and his heart was thrilled With the blessed sense of the old delight, For the vacant benches all were filled, And he slowly rose at his desk and took His well-worn Bible that lay within, And he said, as he Hghlly tjppcd the book, "lt is the huur, let school begm. ' And he smiled as his kindly glancc feil On the well loved facrs therr - John, Hob and Will and laughing Xcd, And blue-eycd Bes s with the golden hair. And Torn and Charley, and Ben and Paul, Who stood at the head of the spell ing class - All in their places- and yt t they all Were lying under the graveyard grass. He read the book and he knelt to pray, And he callcd the class to recite. Kor the darkness all had rolled away Krom a soul that saw by an inward Hght. Wjth words of praise for a work of care, With kind reproof for a broken rule, The old man tottered now here now there, Through the spectral ranks of his shadowed school. Thus all night long, till the morning came, And darkness had folded her robe of gloom. And the sun looked in with his eye ofname, On the vacant seats of the silent room. The wind stole over the window-sill, And swept the aisles with a merry rout, But the face of the master was white and still, The work was fimshed and his school was out.