Part 59 (1/2)

1.00 A YEAR .10 A COPY

Volume 1. No. 6 APRIL, 1910 Copyright for 1910 C. P. Gilman

The human soul is built for the love and service of the whole world.

We confine it to the love and service of five or six persons, and the salvation of one.

WHEN THOU GAINEST HAPPINESS

When thou gainest happiness, Life's full cup of sweetest wine; Dost thou stop in grieving blind Over those dark years behind?

Bitter now, rebellious, mad, For the things thou hast not had-- Before everything was thine?

Dost not rather wonder why Nearing blaze of joy like this, Some prevision had not lit Those dark hours with hope of it?

That thou couldst in patient strength Have endured that sorrow's length-- _Nothing_--to the coming bliss!

Now, awaken! Look ahead!

See the earth one garden fair!

See the evils of to-day Like a child's faults put away!

See our little history seem Like a short forgotten dream!

See a full-grown rising race Find our joy their commonplace!

Find such new joy of their own As our best hopes have not known!

And take shame for thy despair!

MARTHA'S MOTHER

It was nine feet long.

It was eight feet high.

It was six feet wide.

There was a closet, actually!--a closet one foot deep--that was why she took this room. There was the bed, and the trunk, and just room to open the closet door part way--that accounted for the length. There was the bed and the bureau and the chair--that accounted for the width. Between the bedside and the bureau and chair side was a strip extending the whole nine feet. There was room to turn around by the window. There was room to turn round by the door. Martha was thin.

One, two, three, four--turn.

One, two, three, four--turn.

She managed it nicely.

”It is a stateroom,” she always said to herself. ”It is a luxurious, large, well-furnished stateroom with a real window. It is _not_ a cell.”

Martha had a vigorous constructive imagination. Sometimes it was the joy of her life, her magic carpet, her Aladdin's lamp. Sometimes it frightened her--frightened her horribly, it was so strong.

The cell idea had come to her one gloomy day, and she had foolishly allowed it to enter--played with it a little while. Since then she had to keep a special bar on that particular intruder, so she had arranged a stateroom ”set,” and forcibly kept it on hand.