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Has perchance the old Nokomis,
Has my wife, my Minnehaha,

Wronged or grieved you by unkindness,
Failed in hospitable duties?"

Then the shadows ceased from weeping,
Ceased from sobbing and lamenting,
And they said, with gentle voices:
"We are ghosts of the departed,

Souls of those who once were with you.
From the realms of Chibiabos
Hither have we come to try you,
Hither have we come to warn you.
"Cries of grief and lamentation
Reach us in the Blessed Islands;
Cries of anguish from the living,
Calling back their friends departed,
Sadden us with useless sorrow.

Therefore have we come to try you;
No one knows us, no one heeds us.
We are but a burden to you,
And we see that the departed
Have no place among the living.
"Think of this, O Hiawatha!
Speak of it to all the people,
That henceforward and forever
They no more with lamentations
Sadden the souls of the departed
In the Islands of the Blessed.
"Farewell, noble Hiawatha!
We have put you to the trial,
To the proof have put your patience,
By the insult of our presence,

By the outrage of our actions.

We have found you great and noble.

Fail not in the greater trial,
Faint not in the harder struggle."
When they ceased, a sudden darkness
Fell and filled the silent wigwam.
Hiawatha heard a rustle

As of garments trailing by him,
Heard the curtain of the doorway
Lifted by a hand he saw not,
Felt the cold breath of the night air,
For a moment saw the starlight;
But he saw the ghosts no longer,
Saw no more the wandering spirits
From the kingdom of Ponemah,
From the land of the Hereafter.

H. W. LONGFELLOW.

ISAIAH XXXV.

THE wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom

as the rose.

It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.

Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble

knees.

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the

tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.

And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of drag ons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sigh. ing shall flee away.-BIBLE.

THE NEW CHURCH ORGAN.

HEY'VE got a bran new organ, Sue,

THEY'

For all their fuss and search;

They've done just as they said they'd do,
And fetched it into church.

They're bound the creature shall be seen,
And on the preacher's right,
They've hoisted up the new machine

In everybody's sight.

They've got a chorister and choir,
Again' my voice and vote;
For it was never my desire
To praise the Lord by note!

I've been a sister good and true,
For five an' thirty year;

I've done what seemed my part to do,
And prayed my duty clear;

I've sung my hymns both slow and quick,
Just as the preacher read;

And twice, when Deacon Tubbs was sick, I took the fork an' led!

And now, their bold new fangled ways

Is comin' all about;

And I, right in my latter days,

Am fairly crowded out!

To-day the preacher, good old dear,
With tears in all his eyes,

Read "I can read my title clear
To mansions in the skies."

I always liked that blessed hymn,
I s'pose I always will;

It somehow gratifies my whim,
In good old Ortonville.

But when that choir got up to sing,

I couldn't catch a word;

They ung the most dog-gondest thing

Jody ever heard!

Some worldly chaps were standing near, An' when I seed them grin,

I bid farewell to every fear

And boldly waded in.

I thought I'd chase their tune along,
And tried with all my might;

But though my voice is good and strong,
I couldn't steer it right;

When they was high then I was low,

And also contra'wise;

And I too fast or they too slow,
To "mansions in the skies."

And after every verse, you know,
They played a little tune;
I didn't understand, and so
I started in too soon.

I pitched it pretty middling high,
I fetched a lusty tone,
But oh, alas! I found that I

Was singin' there alone!
They laughed a little, I am told,

But I had done my best;
And not a wave of trouble rolled
Across my peaceful breast.

And Sister Brown-I could but look

She sits right front of me;
She never was no singin' book,
An' never went to be;

But then she always tried to do
The best she could, she said;
She understood the time right through,
And kept it with her head;
But when she tried this morning, oh!
I had to laugh or cough,

It kept her head a bobbin' so,

It e'en a'most came off!

And Deacon Tubbs-he broke all down,

As one might well suppose

He took one look at Sister Brown,

And meekly scratched his nose.