Richard H. Stoddard.
SMILES AND TEARS.
BOTH sword and guns are strong, no doubt,
And so are tongue and pen,
And so are sheaves of good bank-notes,
To sway the souls of men;
But guns and swords, and gold and thought,
Though mighty in their sphere,
Are often poorer than a smile,
And weaker than a tear.
NICOLO’S LITTLE FRIEND.
NICOLO, Nicolo, where are you? Where have you hidden yourself? Come here; I want you.”
It was a very bright-eyed little girl who spoke these words—under a bright sky, too—the sunny sky of Italy.
But Nicolo, a boy some years older than herself, looked far from bright or happy; he was lying full length on the ground in the sunlight; but his face was overcast and melancholy.