90 THE HALL OF SHELLS. 
thickened varices upon its surface, each of 
which marks a year of my life and the season 
of rest that came to me after my toils. I pride 
myself no one could have fashioned a fairer 
dwelling, and when at length I was torn from 
it I left its halls filled with memories. ‘Those 
smallest coils echo with the songs of life’s 
morning; its joys as well as its sorrows are all 
repeated there. Upon one side you may see a 
pearly scar. It was there that a borer pierced 
my walls while the shell was yet tender. The 
thrills of horror of that moment still haunt 
those small chambers, Rescue came and I 
lived to mend the broken wall, but you will 
see the scar remains. 
“Later the walls of my citadel were again 
pierced and the horrible borer once more 
sought my life; but again I was delivered. 
This time I had grown too large for these 
small chambers, and if you will carefully ex- 
amine the interior of my house you will see a 
partition is built shutting off the broken and 
outgrown chambers. ‘Those are painful memo. 
ries, and mingled with the merrier music in the 
coils you may hear cries that are wild and 
plaintive. 
“Upon the island sands where I was cast I 
once heard a wise man say, ‘Sorrow gives some 
od 
