"She's dead," said Jack, in a trembling voice. When he looked at Teen the tears were in her eyes.

66

Why, Teen?" "I a'n't good company to-night. Leave me; I'll go home by myself."

"No, I won't leave you!" cried Jack, a sudden purpose lighting his soul. "I'll never leave ye; I'll marry ye! What do you say to that, Teen?"

up

Teen looked up into Jack's handsome face. fit for you." Teen sighed.

"Jack, dear, I a'n't

"Don't cry about it, Teen. You need n't have me if want to."

"But I do want to, Jack."

"Honest? Will you make me a good wife, Teen?" "I'll try."

"Will you swear to me by the 'Rock of Ages'?”

"What's that?"

you don't

"It's a hymn my mother used to sing. Will you, Teen?"

"Oh, yes, I'll do it.

"We'll try."

Where can we find one?"

So they started out in the great city to find the "Rock of Ages." They chanced at last upon a place known as Mother Mary's meeting. They went in and stood staring around. Mother Mary crossed over to them.

"We've come to find the 'Rock of Ages.' He laid Teen's hand in Mother Mary's. "I'm going to marry her. I want her to swear by something holy she'll be a good wife to me. We've been huntin' all over town for the 'Rock of Ages.' My mother used to sing it; she's dead."

Mother Mary began the old hymn, and all the people swelled the chorus,

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee!

Be of sin the double cure,

Save me from its guilt and power."

Jack tried to sing, but Teen hid her face and cried.

sang the people.

"Thou can'st save, and Thou alone,"

"Swear by that you'll be a good wife to me."

"I swear I'll be a true wife to you."

Mother Mary's husband married them, and the hymn was the wedding march.

Jack did not drink for a long time.

He rented a little cottage,

Teen was

and felt proud and happy to have a home of his own. very happy, but it did not last. Jack took to his old ways, and his wife to the tears they bring.

One night, after a voyage, Jack stepped on the wharf clean and sober. He thought he would buy something for Teen. Suddenly he caught her name. It may have been said by accident. God knows. It did the deed. With head bent and clinched hands he rushed into the first open door. He drank for hours, and reeled home.

Teen was sitting, pale and pretty, in an easy chair, a cradle by her side, with Baby Jack only a few weeks old. She held out her arms, and said softly, "Dear Jack!"

He struck her.

"Own up ye 've played me false! Stand up."

She looked up into his face and smiled.

"Dear Jack, I've loved you. I have been an honest wife."

"I'll teach ye to be the talk of the wharves! Stand up, I say." She tottered up.

"I swear on the 'Rock of Ages' I have been an honest wife, and there's none on earth or heaven can say I haven't. Jack, dear, ye 'll be so sorry. Oh! not the pistol!

He struck her down, and then he stupidly remembered she spoke of the baby. A child waked and cried.

"Teen, the baby's crying," he said, as he stumbled out in the open air. When he came to himself he was in a fishing vessel. He fished desperately. He made money. One day he suddenly said to a mate, "Rowe, look there! See! A woman yonder in the water!"

"Nonsense! Jack. I can't see nothin'."

"I tell you there's a woman with yellow hair coming this way. My God! it's my wife! it's Teen! Heaven save me! I'll never drink another drop. Oh, Teen! did I hurt ye, dear?"

"Jack," said Rowe, "there's a warrant after ye, and the sheriff's

on the tug between us and the wharf.”

"What have I done, old boy?"
"You've killed somebody."
"Killed somebody?"

He turned away. Presently there started a strong, sweet voice. It was Jack's,

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in thee.

"When I soar to worlds unknown,

See thee on Thy judgment throne."

Suddenly he leaped. His right hand pointed to heaven. The waters rushed to greet him as he went down, and then closed over him with a murmur that seemed to say,

"Thou can'st save, and Thou alone."

-E. S. Phelps.

A LOST CHORD.

Seated one day at the organ,

I was weary and ill at ease
And my fingers wandered idly
Over the noisy keys.

I do not know what I was playing,
Or what I was dreaming then;
But I struck one chord of music,

Like the sound of a great Amen.

It flooded the crimson twilight

Like the close of an angel's psalm,
And it lay on my fevered spirit
With a touch of infinite calm.

It quieted pain and sorrow,

Like love overcoming strife;
It seemed the harmonious echo
From our discordant life.

It linked all perplexèd meanings
Into one perfect peace,
And trembled away into silence
As if it were loath to cease.

I have sought, but I seek it vainly,
That one lost chord divine,

Which came from the soul of the organ
And entered into mine.

It may be that death's bright angel
Will speak in that chord again,

It may be that only in Heaven

I shall hear that grand Amen.

MRS. O'SHEA SEES HAMLET.

HER IMPRESSIONS OF THE GHOST AND THE PLAY.

The top o' the marning to ye, Mrs. McAllister. Faith an' its glad I am to see ye, for I know ye are dying to hear about me visit to the thayeter lasht evening. There wuz a big crowd o' payple at the doore, an' we wuz nearly crushed before we got in, an' me new bunnet wuz pulled half off uv me head. We walked up six pair o' stairs, for Pat said it was more iristocratic up theer than in the lower sates. The whole thayeter wuz varry bootiful indade, maʼam, all goold an' silver an' dimonds. I wuz a staring aroun' the place, when I saw a big curtin on the end begin to roll up, an' I could see

right out of doors. Putty soon, as I'm a good Christian woman, Mrs. McAllister, what do you suppose walked along? A big ghost! niver a thing else, the saints presarve us! I giv one schrame—ye might a heered me up to Rocksberry—an' I shtarted to lave the place, but Patrick grabbed holt o' me an' hilt me onter the cheer. "Murder an' 'ounz," I hollered, "do ye want me kilt be a ghost? Sure I am scairt to death, an' if he opens his mouth I'll drap dead!" While I wuz shakin' an' gettin' the spiral maginnis in me lift side, who should ketch holt o' me arrum but that desateful villin, Perliceman Maguire. "Ye must kape quiet, madam," says he, 66 or lave the thayeter; ye are dishturbin the orjiance." "I think they could hear varry well," I says, lookin' around, "if that red-headed, cross-eyed perliceman would shut his mouth.” As sure as ye live, the whole crowd wuz laughin' at Teddy fit to die, an' his face turned the color of his mustache.

The ghost was gone before this, that the soger and the fellers were talkin' about, whin all at wance back it kem agin; upon me sowl I wuz all uv a thrimble jist to look at the craytur. Divil a worrd did he shpake at all at all, but stalked along like ghostesses do, wid a shtick in his hand. In a little while the curtin kem down an' me breath kem back.

"If ye 'll listen to the play an' not kape yellin' and skreetchin', ye'll find out that it's about a woman who killed off her first husband an' married another, an' the ghost of him comes prowlin' round to see how things is gettin' on."

"Do ye mane to insinuate that I killed Tim Calligan?” says I, sthandin up an' puttin' me elbows out wid me two hands rehstin on me hips like this. "The Lord knows he wuz tin times as dacent as any uv the O'Sheas!" "I wish he wuz alive now, thin," said that miserable Pat. "Faith, if he wuz," says I, "he'd thrash ye widin an inch o' yer life. Wish he wuz alive, do ye? Shure he wuz n't cowld in his grave when ye kem round wid yer blarney; sorra the day I listened to ye!" I wuz about to take a handful o' hair out o' Pat's head, when the most illigant perliceman ye ever saw, wid curly hair and shwate eyes, shpoke till me. "The nixt act is about to begin," says he, "an' if ye could postpone yer family discussions till the curtain drops agin," says he, "ye would greatly oblige me, Mrs.