Part 36 (1/2)

If thine eneive him water to drink; for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee

Proverbs, XXV

TO THE DANDELION

Dear co the dusty road with hare of blithesoh-hearted buccaneers, o'erjoyed that they An Eldorado in the grass have found, Which not the rich earth's ample round May match in wealth--thou art more dear to me Than all the prouder summer-blooms that be

Lowell

TRUE GREATNESS

On the evening of the twenty-second of May, 1509, two figures were seated at the wide doorway of a handsoround, with his back against the angle of the door-post, and his long legs stretched out, while he held a large book open on his knee, and occasionally made a dash with his hand at an inquisitive fly, with an air of interest stronger than that excited by the finely-printed copy of Petrarch which he kept open at one place, as if he were learning so by heart

Ro him Her hands were crossed on her lap, and her eyes were fixed absently on the distantaround her

An eager life had left its marks upon her: the finely-olden croas less massive; but there was a placidity on Roed to it in youth It is but once that we can know our worst sorrows, and Romola had known them while life was new

Absorbed in this way, she was not at first aware that Lillo had ceased to look at his book, and atching her with a slightly impatient air, which meant that he wanted to talk to her, but was not quite sure whether she would like that entertain looks make themselves felt at last Romola did presently turn away her eyes frohter and brighter s the book on his lap, till he got close to her and lodged his chin on her knee

”What is it, Lillo?” said Ro his hair back from his brow

Lillo was a handso out to be ular than his father's The blood of the Tuscan peasant was in his veins

”Mamma Romola, what am I to be?” he said, well contented that there was a prospect of talking till it would be too late to con Petrarch any longer

”What should you like to be, Lillo? You ht be a scholar My father was a scholar, you know, and taught reat deal That is the reason why I can teach you”

”Yes,” said Lillo, rather hesitatingly ”But he is old and blind in the picture Did he get a great deal of glory?”

”Not much, Lillo The world was not always very kind to hiher places because they could flatter and say as false And then his dear son thought it right to leave hi blind and lonely, felt unable to do the things that would have ht still have lived in his works after he was in his grave”

”I should not like that sort of life,” said Lillo, ”I should like to be soreatthat would not hinder ood deal of pleasure”

”That is not easy, my Lillo It is only a poor sort of happiness that could ever co very hest happiness, such as goes along with being a greatfor the rest of the world as well as ourselves; and this sort of happiness often brings so much pain with it, that we can tell it fro ould choose before everything, because our souls see it is good

There are soand difficult in the world, that no reat--he can hardly keep hi th to endure what is hard and painful My father had the greatness that belongs to integrity; he chose poverty and obscurity rather than falsehood And so, my Lillo, if you s God has put within reach of men, you must learn to fix your mind on that end, and not on ill happen to you because of it

And re lower, and make it the rule of your life to seek your own pleasure and escape froht co on a base mind, which is the one form of sorrow that has no balm in it, and that may well make a man say, 'It would have been better for , Lillo”