So thou, oh soul, obscure and hidden long,

Uncared for and unknown must bide thy time,

And like the aspiring seed strike, deep and strong,

Roots that shall bear thee upward in thy prime,

So firm sustained, thou shalt the worthier be

For life’s fair flower that all men honor thee.


UPS AND DOWNS.

CHAPTER I.

“I trust Mrs. Davidson is at last satisfied.”