.
As is the glad warmth of the sunshine
Whene'er the earth is dark and cold;
So, to the loving heart that wears it,
Is Virtue's purest crown of gold.

V.

"Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth
is heaviness."--PROVERBS xiv, _v._ 13.

What though kind friends that gather round me
Seek to make my heart rejoice?
I miss the face I love so dearly--
Miss the music of thy voice;
And though I smile, as if in gladness,
Tis but the phantom of a smile;
My heart, in sorrowing and sadness,
Mourns thy absence all the while.

CHRISTMAS ANTICIPATIONS.

As the sun looks down on the ice-bound river
Melting the stream that is frozen o'er,
So gladness to hearts that the long years sever
Comes with old Christmas as of yore.
For the hearth glows bright in the yule-log's light,
And we look for the face that is far away:
'Twill come with the morn--with the wakening dawn,
And our hearts will be happy on Christmas Day.

The holly-branch laughs with its berries bright,
As we hang it up high in the air;
The mistletoe shakes with subdued delight
The leaves that its branches wear;
The ivy smiles out from its place on the wall;
And the fire-light gives welcome cheer;
We have dreamt they are coming--and, one and all,
Are wondering "Will they be here?"

Christmas bells are ringing--ringing,
Ringing out the olden chime;
Choristers are singing--singing,
Singing carols, keeping time;
And my heart is waiting--waiting,
Waiting for the day so near;
For my Love is coming--coming,
Coming with the glad New Year.

As flowerets turn towards the sun,
As streams run to the sea,
So yearns my heart for Christmas-time
That brings my love to me!

GOLDEN TRESSES.

Like threads of golden sunshine
By angels' fingers wove,
Sweet as the scented woodbine,
Are the tresses of my love.
The winds that whisper softly
I'd give my life to be,
That I might kiss those tresses bright,
And die in ecstasy.

Those threads of golden sunshine
Like bonds my heart enchain,
And when in dreams I wander
They win me back again.
They throw a gleam of glory
O'er the pathway where I go,
As when of old, in splendour bright,
Heav'n's angels walkt below.

HOPE FOR THE BEST.

Hope on for the best