Through all the long, long night of years The people's cry ascendeth, And earth is wet with blood and tears; But our meek suffering endeth! The few shall not forever sway The many moil in sorrow; The powers of hell are strong to-day, Though hearts brood o'er the past, our eyes For lo! our day bursts up the skies- Keep heart! who bear the Cross to-day, O youth, flame-earnest, still aspire Our yearning opes a portal; Build up heroic lives, and all Be like a sheathen saber, Triumph and toil are twins; and aye Joy suns the cloud of sorrow, And 'tis the martyrdom to-day Brings victory to-morrow! THE MEMBRANEOUS CROUP. MARK TWAIN. WHEN that frightful and incurable disease membraneous croup was ravaging the town and driving all mothers mad with terror, I called Mrs. McWilliams's attention to little Penelope and said, "Darling, I wouldn't let that child chew that pine stick if I were you." "Precious, where is the harm in it?" said she, but at the same time preparing to take away the stick. I replied, "Love, it is notorious that pine is the least nutritious wood that a child can eat." My wife's hand paused in the act of taking the stick. She bridled perceptibly and said: 66 'Hubby, you know better than that. You know you do. Doctors all say that the turpentine in pine wood is good for a weak back and the kidneys. “Ah, I did not know that the child's kidneys and spine were affected, and that the family physician had recommended-" "Who said the child's spine and kidneys were affected?" My love, you intimated it." 66 "The idea! I never intimated anything of the kind." 66 Why, my dear, it hasn't been two minutes since you said-" "I don't care what I said. There isn't any harm in the child's chewing a bit of pine stick if she wants to, and you know it perfectly well. And she shall chew it, too. So there, now!" "Say no more, my dear. I now see the force of your reasoning, and I will go and order two or three cords of the best pine wood to-day. No child of mine shall want, while I-" 66 'Oh, please go along to your office and let me have some peace. A body can never make the simplest remark, but you must take it up and go to arguing and arguing and arguing till you don't know what you are talking about, and you never do!" "Very well. It shall be as you say. want of logic in your last remark which-” But there is a However she was gone with a flourish before I could finish, and had taken the child with her. That night she confronted me with a face as white as a sheet. "O Mortimer, there's another! Little Georgie Gordon is taken!" "Membraneous croup?" "Membraneous croup." "Is there any hope for him?" "None in the wide world! Oh, what is to become of us?" By and by the nurse brought in our Penelope to say goodnight, and she gave a slight cough. My wife fell back like one stricken with death, but the next moment she was up and brimming with the activities which terror inspires. She commanded that the child's crib be removed from the nursery to our bedroom, and she went along to see the order executed. She took me with her of course. We arranged matters speedily. A cot bed was put up in my wife's dressing-room for the nurse, but now Mrs. McWilliams said we were too far away from the other baby, and what if he, too, were to have the symptoms in the night? and she blanched again, poor thing. We then restored the crib and the nurse to the nursery, and put up a bed for ourselves in a room adjoining. Presently, however, Mrs. McWilliams said, suppose the baby should catch it from Penelope! This thought struck a new panic to her heart, and the whole tribe of us could not get the crib out of the nursery again fast enough to satisfy my wife, though she assisted in her own person, and well nigh pulled the crib to pieces in her frantic hurry. We moved down-stairs; but there was no place there to stow the nurse, and Mrs. McWilliams said the nurse's experience would be an inestimable help. So we returned bag and baggage to our own bedroom once more, and felt a great gladness, like storm-buffeted birds that have found their nest again. Mrs. McWilliams sped to the nursery to see how things were going on there. She was back in a moment with a new dread. She said, "What can make Baby sleep so?" I said, "Why, my darling, Baby always sleeps like a graven image." "I know, I know; but there's something peculiar about his sleep now. He seems to breathe so-so regularly. Oh, this is dreadful!" "But, my dear, he always breathes regularly." "Oh, I know it, but there's something frightful about it now. His nurse is too young and inexperienced. Maria shall stay there with her, and be on hand if anything happens." "That's a good idea, but who will help you?" "You can help me all I want. I wouldn't allow anybody but myself to do anything, anyhow, at such a time as this." Penelope coughed twice in her sleep. "Oh, why don't that doctor come! Mortimer, this room is too warm. Turn off the register, quick!" I shut it off, glancing at the thermometer at the same time, and wondering if seventy degrees was too warm for a sick child. The coachman arrived from town with the news that our physician was ill and confined to his bed. Mrs. McWilliams turned a dead eye upon me and said in a dead voice: "There is a providence in it. It is foreordained. He never was sick before, never. We have not been living as we ought to live, Mortimer. Time and time again I have told you so. Now you see the result. Our child will never get well. Be thankful if you can forgive yourself. I never can forgive myself!" I said, without intent to hurt, but with heedless choice of words, that I could not see that we had been living such an abandoned life. "Mortimer! Do you want to bring the judgment upon Baby too?" Then she began to cry, but suddenly exclaimed: "The doctor must have sent medicines!" "Certainly. They are here. I was only waiting for you to give me a chance." Don't you "Well, do give them to me. know that every minute is precious now? But what was the use of sending medicines when he knows that the disease is incurable?" I said that while there was life there was hope. 66 Hope! Mortimer, you know no more what you are talking about than a child unborn. If you would--as live, the directions say, give one teaspoonful once an hour! Once an hour! As if we had a whole year before us to save the child in! Mortimer, please hurry! Give the poor perishing thing a tablespoonful, and do try to be quick!" "Why my dear, a tablespoonful might-" "Don't drive me frantic! Oh, I know she can't live till |