Shadows

When the children are hushed in the nursery, And the swnllow tleeps in the eaves, And the night wind is muraiurjng secreta Apart to the listeniug leaves ; Then I open the inner chaniber ïhat was closed from the dust of day, And gently undraw the curtain Where my holiest treasures lay. Sweet spirits that may not slnmber ; Cool shadows from lights now gone ; And the echo of voices sounding, All sounding for me alone. And, blending aruong the others, One echo is softer yet, One shadow is cooler, deeper, And my dimming eyes grow wet. For the image I gaze on longest Is the image that blessed my youth The angel that Ut my journey With her lamp of love and truth. We traveled life's way together A little while side by side ; And, when I grew faint and weary, That light was my strength and guide. A.nd dearev it grew - how dearer ! Till I w.itcbed it wane and fade ; And my angel said as we parted, Be patiënt, be not afraid, And when I am sick and weary With the heat and the dust of the day, How the sense of her words comes o'er me ; Her words ere she went away. And I ask for a patiënt wisdom, As I journey the way alone ; Till I tread on the golden threshold Of the heaven where she is gone, When the children are hushed in the nursery, And the swallow sleeps iu the eaves, And the night wind is mufmüring secrets Apart to the listening lpaves.