of my childhood ways, but storm and drear had changed things to an age of bronzed hue.

4. My old rose was gone which stood by the doorway, resting its hands against the wall. And seemed to watch me as I would fleet across the terrace, as if to guard against my fall.

5. I went to look through the garden of the days of long ago, and I saw that my brook lay mired and neglected, which so proudly through its vintage once did flow.

6. My old oak, too, had fallen which stood by the garden wall; crowned with azure gray like the light of fall. Casting its shadows across our brook, it was so strong, so mighty, and tall.

7. My cherry trees and the peaches, too, were gone, some hand had cast them aside. And the lilies and the magnolias and all the orchard beauties of my childhood pride.

8. There were only tiny fragments of our ships which in the rustic brook still yet did lie. When since so short a time when our gay sails and flags upon its waters did fly.

9. There had been a great rain out upon the hills, and our brook had become a mighty sea. Then we went with our ships to explore unknown lands, Julie, and Anna, and Me.

10. We set our ships in order and gave up our brave[Pg 48] young lives to fate. We proudly manned our sails from the old elm tree down to the lower gate.

[Pg 48]

11. The tide rose high and turbulent and cast our ships upon a foreign shore. And we took charge of that land in order as by our swords and crowns we swore.

12. A bull screamed in the distance upon the bronzed hills. The cattle were coming home across the fringed rills. As in haste our ships we sought to fill, with trophies of that vintage land for our conquest to tell.

13. When we heard the voice of our Mother calling from over the mighty sea: "Come home, children, come home," she called across the river, "for Julie, and Anna, and Me."

14. I stood in the evening shadows with my head bare and gray. And as I looked through the evening twilight I saw my orchard beauties transplanted upon a hill to the leeward just away.

15. My old Oak was there, and the apple trees, and the peaches and the pretty things that bloom in red and rone. And I thought I heard the voice of our old 

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