A Little Link

Sha sleops - tho -welcome wintry Btm Ia shining on her little face, Tho firelight glinta upon hor hair, My procious bosom, oh ! how fair, How very fair sho ia! And soft sho sloeps, my littlo ono, As sadly to and fro I pace, And dream anew of olden bliaa. Tho flowors I plucked for her delight Havo fallen f rom the tiny hand ; The painted toy that charmed her eyes With quaint dosign and action, liea Beside tho pictured book; Btrange thoughta ariae, O ! blossom briglit, That vex and thrill me aa I stand Anear, and on thy featurea look. Thy mother'a face, thy mothor's smilo, Thy mother'a ringlets flowing free- Her tinted check, her forehead white, Her eyes, brown vella of liquid light - xea, au uer uuurma aru mine; Thy mother kissed thy Ups eratwhilo, Before she sont thee forth to me, And to that kies I added mina And when thia evening's shadowa fall, And thou art by her aide again, Will she, too, seek aa I have sought The kisa the childish lipa have brought Our parted lips to blcaa? Will sho, too, fondly queation all I said and did, and seok to gain A glimpse of our lost happineas? Ah dor my wif e ! ah sweet my wiie 1 Too lightly won, too lightly lost; Might ripor age repair witn teara The havoc made in earlier years. Should we weep, thou and I? Bhould we clasp hands and end the strlfa That all our vouthful years hath crossed. And íare together tiil we dio? If we two stood upon tho brink Of that wide gulf that yawna beneath Thy Ufo and mino this many a day, And one shouldto the other say, "I erred the first- and most," Should we Btretch out glad hands and link Our Uves, and lot the dark "haa been" Float from ub like a grim gray ghost? 'Tia hard to say, for pride ia strong, And either blamed the other's heat; Eut aa I look upon the faco Of my one child, and in it trace Tho look of one away, My heart cries out against the wrong That bara us both from union sweet; "And whoso the blame?" I sadly aay. I waa to blame, for I waa hard ; Sho waa to blame, for she was prqud ; And so the pride and hardneaa built A wall between ua high as guilt ; But when my hearfc grow soft, she barrod The gate on love. I cried aloud; But ene was deaf unto my prayer. And so we driftod far apart, While friends came in to heal the broach, Pqor f ools ! to think that they could touch With balm tho hearts that aciied too much, Too wildly for despair. But pride put gauds above the smart, And we were gay and light of speech, And jeered at love and mocked at cara But stül the child, the little child, Goes at stated seasons forth From her to me, from me to her, And keeps keen thrüling thoughts astir, Awaking old regret Thought springa to-night unfetterod, wild, Oh, wife ! what ia lifo's living worth If thou and I are parted yet? Lo ! I will break the bonds that hold My life and thine in separate ways, And standing by thee face to face Beseech thee fill thine empty place, And bless my lonely soul. With love like that fair love of old, That gladdened all our morning days, But stronger grown. and calm. and wholo. I will not grudge to own the wrong- Great heaven, what elender form is here ! What loving eyes look into mine ! What hands in mine qwn hands entwino? My wife, my wife at last ! Wake up, white bosom, sleep not long, Awako to bless thy mother doar ; Our days of dark are gono and past My bird, thou hast flown home to mo, Thrico welcome to thine early nest ! Nay, aot a word between ua twain Of all the empty years of pain For evermoro be said It is onough for me and thee' That thou art here upon my breaat, ïhat all our foolish paat ia dead.