hands are helpless, whose head is bowed by the weight of years, whose
eyes are sightless, from whose trembling lips are scarcely heard the
whispered prayer, "Lead, kindly light."

"Lead, kindly light." The sunken eyes are closed in death, the tired
hands are folded, the heart has ceased to beat, the mute lips are
stilled, the weary feet are at rest, a look of ineffable peace rests
upon the still face, while all the air is filled with sweet music and
the murmur of gentle voices pleading, "Lead, kindly light."




A FABLE

[Illustration]

In one of the German forests the stood a tree, which could not be
classified by any of the learned scientists. It was not more beautiful
than many others, but there were distinctive peculiarities which no
other tree possessed. Her dress was of a sadder hue than that of her
companions, and the birds refused to build their nests in her branches.
She was unable to understand the language of her brothers and sisters
and so stood alone and unheeded in the dense forest. One morning she
awakened and found standing by her side a companion tree, odd, like
herself, and she said in her heart:--"I shall be no longer alone. He
will understand my language and we shall hold sweet converse." But he,
in his heart, was saying--"What strange tree is this? We two are unlike
all our companions. I like it not." But she did not hear the murmur of
discontent, and her heart grew glad within her at the great joy that had