“He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life.  This is the true life for which we endure the trials of the present.  For this we labor and do good works.  A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things he possesseth; for to be spiritually-minded is life.  I have finished my course; my toil will be recompensed an hundredfold; and I go to Him whose loving kindness is better than life.”

* * * * *

A POETICAL VERSION.

OF A PORTION OF THE SECOND CHAPTER OF JOEL.

BY LADD SPENCER.

  In Zion blow the trumpet,
    Let it sound through every land;
  And let the wicked tremble,
    For the Lord is nigh at hand. 
  Alas! a day of darkness—­
    A day of clouds and gloom—­
  Approaches fast, when all shall be
    As silent as the tomb!

  As the morn upon the mountains,
    There comes a mighty train,
  The like of which hath never been. 
    And ne’er shall be again. 
  A burning fire before them,
    And behind a raging flame—­
  Alas, that beauty so should be
    Enwrapt in sin and shame!

  The earth doth quake before them,
    The sun withdraws its light;
  The heavens and earth are shrouded
    In darkest, deepest night. 
  Then weep, ye evil doers,
    Let tears of anguish flow;
  Your evil deeds have brought you
    A load of endless woe!

* * * * *

TAKING BOARDERS.

BY T.S.  ARTHUR.

CHAPTER I.

A lady, past the prime of life, sat, thoughtful, as twilight fell duskily around her, in a room furnished with great elegance.  That her thoughts were far from being pleasant, the sober, even sad expression of her countenance too clearly testified.  She was dressed in deep mourning.  A faint sigh parted her lips as she looked up, on hearing the door of the apartment in which she was sitting open.  The person who entered, a tall and beautiful girl, also in mourning, came and sat down by her side, and leaned her head, with a pensive, troubled air, down upon her shoulder.

“We must decide upon something, Edith, and that with as little delay as possible,” said the elder of the two ladies, soon after the younger one entered.  This was said in a tone of great despondency.

“Upon what shall we decide, mother?” and the young lady raised her head from its reclining position, and looked earnestly into the eyes of her parent.

“We must decide to do something by which the family can be sustained.  Your father’s death has left us, unfortunately and unexpectedly, as you already know, with scarcely a thousand dollars beyond the furniture of this house, instead of an independence which we supposed him to possess.  His death was sad and afflictive enough—­more than it seemed I could bear.  But to have this added!”