THE LAST DAISY. 



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will find, to their glad surprise, that the waste outside 

 wilderness which they pictured the heaven that awaited 

 them to be, is a part of their own earthly home, made 

 to rejoice and blossom as the rose. 



THE LAST DAISY. 



OUR dear wee Callum, on the river's brink, 

 A solitary ox-eye daisy found, 

 That lingered in the late September light, 

 The last of its fair sisterhood ; with all 

 The sadness in its eye of joys o'erpassed ; 

 Its golden disk and silver halo dimmed 

 By Autumn's breath. Scarce taller than its stem. 

 With large round eyes of wonder innocent, 

 And almost on a level with the flower. 

 The child gazed fondly on the lone earth-star, 

 Raying its beauty round it in the grass, 

 And saw strange mystic glory in its face, 

 Unknown to older eyes which sin has filmed. 

 Do not the angels of these little ones 

 Behold always the Father's smiling face 

 Bent o'er each thing of beauty He has made ? 

 With childlike glee, subdued by soft regret, 

 He plucked the precious prize, and quaintly said, 

 " Tis the last go wan of the happy year ! " 

 Fair flower ! fair child ! so lovely in their life, 

 And not divided in their lovely death ! 

 In one short week the little feet were still, 

 The soul-full eyes closed to all earthly sights. 



