120 MB. schebmebhobn's
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f we have lingered over the memories of thattime, which with its few pretty, simple surround-ings our elder people can remember tenderly,we have not done as much by it as we would ;but now we will trim our sails, and try to makebetter headway. The bride, smiling graciously, and the bride-groom, submissively, were stationed under Mr.Barendt's crown. Our readers can for themselves, even if theyare no Van Arsdales, fancy how the allegoricFour Seasons were attired, and how they pre-sented to the fair young wife a Poem, whichthey would have sung, if they had dared. Inplace of smging, — when, after some homely ur-gency, he found that he could not have it, —Mr.Van Arsdale took it upon himself to read it. "A CABOL FOB THE YOUNG WIFE. Come forth, thou pretty bride ! With dainty feetTread thy fair world, where sun-driyen shadows fleet.This earth is thine, with thine own sky above ;And these thy flowers, wherewith the earth blooms love.Come forth, where all things wait 1 MARRIAGE AND WIDOWHOOD. 121 See ! this is not the world where thou wast born ;This is no world thou sawest, yestermorn :The mead, the water, rock, and height, and tree,A new Ufe wear, this day, sweet bride for thee 1Come ere the hour wears late ! " "I^U keep those vQiPSes as long as I Kve,'*said the bride, taking them from the reader,and hurrying away with them in her hand : —" and your crown," — prettily remembering Mr.Barendt. " Let *s have a new one, every year till weget tired 1 " he answered. " Time, you '11 wait a minute," said Mr. VanArsdale to a figure very old, with a frightfulscjrthe, which he was funnily cautioning every-one to beware of. " She '11 be back directly I "While Time and the rest waited, Mr. VanSandtvoordt, the editor asked, — "Who did you get to write that poem foryou?" " Nobody," was the answer. " Whatl you don't mean to claim it? " theeditor asked again, laughing. "Colonel Masker?" suggested Mr. Parsons. " No, he went down to New York, before I 6
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