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Slowly they wandered, hand in hand— 
The fairest two in all the land— 
Until, the meadows roaming through, 
They saw a blossom strange and new. 
The Child stretched forth His arms, “More, morel” 
He cried—“They ne’er were here before,” 
The mother said. But Jesus knew 
Those wondrous flowers of crimson hue 
Had sprung from every blood-red stain 
Dropped on the field of gathered grain, 
When, speeding on her errand fleet, 
The stones had pierced His mother’s feet. 
—Hope Willis . 
Primrose. 
Welcome, pale Primrose! 
How much thy presence beautifies the ground ; 
How sweet thy modest and unaffected pride 
Glows on the sunny bank and wood’s warm side! 
— J. Clare. 
Cheerfulness. 
B E cheerful, my friend, ever cheerful!—In answer to the question, How 
are we, for instance, to overcome temptations? a devotional writer 
says: 
“Cheerfulness is the first thing, Cheerfulness is the second, and 
Cheerfulness is the third.” 
Cheerfulness furnishes, too, the best soil for the growth of goodness 
and virtue. 
