nd from the east to the west, he brandished his
fiery scepter as though he had usurped all heaven and
earth. As he bid the soft Persian in ancient times, so 5
now, and fiercely too, he bid me bow down and worship
him; so now in his pride he seemed to command me, and
say, "Thou shalt have none other gods but me." I was
all alone before him. There were these two pitted together,
and face to face--the mighty sun for one, and for 10
the other this poor, pale, solitary Self of mine.

But on the eighth day, and before I had yet turned away
from Jehovah for the glittering god of the Persians, there
appeared a dark line upon the edge of the forward horizon,
and soon the line deepened into a delicate fringe that 15
sparkled here and there as though it were sown with diamonds.
There, then, before me were the gardens and the
minarets of Egypt, and the mighty works of the Nile, and
I, I had lived to see, and I saw them.

When evening came I was still within the confines of the 20
desert, and my tent was pitched as usual; but one of my
Arabs stalked away rapidly toward the west without telling
me of the errand on which he was bent. After a while he
returned. He had toiled on a graceful service; he had
traveled all the way on to the border of the living world, 25
and brought me back for a token an ear of rice, full, fresh,
and green.

--_Eothen._

1. Several aspects of the desert are herein
described. The first is a native sheik. What are
the others?

2. The camel and the blazing sun belong peculiarly
to the desert. What comments has Mr. Kinglake made
on each?

3. Show on your maps approximately where this
journey was made.

MAY IS BUILDING HER HOUSE

BY RICHARD LE GALLIENNE

This poem is a series of clearly drawn pictures
grouped about a central image of the month of May
as the builder of a house. While you read it,
preferably aloud, try to see the pictures and feel
the rhythm of the words. The thought in the last
stanza may remind you of the "Ode to a Butterfly."
Richard Le Gallienne is a poet of our own day, now
living in this country.

(Used by permission of the author)

May is buildi