Verena in the Midst: A Kind of a Story

by E. V. Lucas

Does the winged life destroy;

But he who kisses the joy as it flies

Lives in eternity’s sunrise.

If you trap the moment before it’s ripe

The tears of repentance you’ll certainly wipe;

But if once you let the ripe moment go,

You can never wipe off the tears of woe.

A lot of wisdom there, but for most of us, who are so far from being children, rather a counsel of perfection.—Good night.

R. H.

P.S.—A travelling friend tells me that outside the gate of the Misericordia, in Osaka, Japan, is this notice, the meaning of which is clear after a moment’s examination: “The sisters of the Misericordia harbour every kind of disease and have no respect for religion.”