Behind the sea-wall's rugged length,
Unchanged, your leaves unfold,
Like love behind the manly strength
Of the brave hearts of old.

So live the fathers in their sons:
Their sturdy faith be ours

And ours the love that overruns
Its rocky strength with flowers.

The Pilgrim's wild and wintry day
Its shadow round us draws;
The Mayflower of his stormy bay,
Our freedom's struggling cause.

But warmer suns erelong shall bring
To life the frozen sod;

And, through dead leaves of hope, shall spring

Afresh the flowers of God!

-7. G. Whittier.

THE FLOWER BED. ·

BABY, what do the blossoms say,

Down in the garden walk?

They nod and bend in the twilight gray;
Say! can you hear them talk?

They say, "Oh, darling baby bright,

We're going to sleep! good night, good night!

The gentle breezes have come to sing

How God takes care of everything."

Baby, what does the robin say,
Do you hear his evening song?
He sits and sings his twilight lay,

With a heart all merry and strong.
He sings, "Good night, my baby dear;
Sleep well, sleep soft, and do not fear;
For somehow I know as I sit and sing,
That God takes care of everything."

- Sarah E. Henshaw.

MAY.

TARTING, starting from the earth,
See the pretty flowers!

Wakened from their winter's sleep
By the springtime showers.

Now we know that May hath come,
O'er the meadows dancing;

Robin lilts his sweetest song,
Sunbeams round him glancing.

Bluebird 's knocking at the door,
Swallow's hither coming;
And, o'er all the sunny mead,
Springtime bees are humming.

Golden sunshine, silver rain,
Each its work is doing.
Birds and bees and blossoms fair,

Now the world renewing.

O thou merry month o' May!
We have come to meet you;
Little lads and lassies gay,
Happily we greet you.

From your pretty flowers, dear,
We will take a warning;
And we'll try our work to do

In life's fair May morning.

- Helen B. Curtis.

APPLE BLOSSOMS.

HE orchard trees are white,

THE

For the bright May sun is shining,
And the blossoms show

Like a drift of snow,

From a cloud with a rosy lining.

And two little bright blue eyes,

With a sweet surprise are glowing; "Oh! mamma, I see

A popcorn tree

And the corn-ball just a-growing."

MAY.

HY are bees and butterflies

WHY

Dancing in the sun?

Violets and buttercups

Blooming, every one?

-Selected.

As though some one were chasing them?
Bless me! this is May.

Please to tell me why the trees

Have put new bonnets on? Please to tell me why the crows Their picnics have begun?

Why does all the whole big world

Smell like a fresh bouquet

Picked from one of God's flower beds?

Oh, I know! it's May.

I

THE VIOLET.

LOVE all things the seasons bring,

All buds that start, all birds that sing,
All leaves from white to jet,

All the sweet words that summer sends,
When she recalls her flowery friends,

But chief- the Violet!

I love, how much I love the rose,

On whose soft lips the south wind blows,
In pretty amorous threat;

The lily paler than the moon,

The odorous, wondrous world of June,

She comes, the first, the fairest thing
That Heaven upon the earth doth fling,
Ere Winter's star is set:

She dwells behind her leafy screen,
And gives, as angels give, unseen,
the Violet!

So, love

What modest thoughts the Violet teaches,
What gracious boons the Violet preaches,

Bright maiden, ne'er forget!

But learn, and love, and so depart,

And sing thou with thy wiser heart, "Long live the Violet!"

-Barry Cornwall.

FLOWER DANCES.

IN May the valley lilies ring,

Their bells chime clear and sweet;
They cry, "Come forth, ye flowerets all,
And dance with twinkling feet."

The blossoms, gold and blue and white,
Come quickly, one and all;

The speedwell, the forget-me-not,

The violets hear the call.