’Twas a vision true, as the future proved, For the boy, once sold a slave, By a faithful life rose to princely power, And the world its homage gave. Have you dreamed a dream of a future time, Of a fortune and a name? Of success and honor and love and joy, And at last undying fame? If your dream comes true you must toil and strive With a purpose strong and pure, For the kingly heart and the godly life Wins a crown that shall endure. ------------------------------------ LITTLE MR. BY-AND-BY. ------------------ [Illustration] LITTLE Mr. By-and-By, You will mark him by his cry, And the way he loiters when Called again and yet again, Glum if he must leave his play, Though all time be holiday. Little Mr. By-and-By, Eyes cast down and mouth awry! In the mountains of the moon He is known as Pretty Soon; And he is cousin to Don’t Care, As no doubt you’re well aware. Little Mr. By-and-By Always has a fretful “Why?” When he’s asked to come or go; Like his sister—Susan Slow. Hope we’ll never, you or I, Be like Mr. By-and-By. ------------------------------------ NIP AND TUCK [Illustration: Jamie’s Guests on their Way to Lunch with Him.] NIP and Tuck lived in the same ledge of rocks. Nip was a chippie and was Jamie’s pet. Tuck was a red squirrel, who, strange to say, was a dear friend of the little chippie. Jamie kept on hand a basket of all kinds of nuts with which to treat his two little friends. Jamie was as fond of nuts as Nip was, so they lunched together every day at eleven o’clock, and had a “nut-crack” at five. When the table was spread Jamie would rap on the rock with a nut and Nip would come at once. ------------------------------------ [Illustration: Finding Her Sunday School Lesson in the Best of Books.] ------------------------------------ SWEET CHARITY. ------------------ A POOR little half-starved child, living in a London alley, had a ticket given to her by a kind lady to admit her to a free tea and entertainment. She was wild with delight at the idea, and was running up to tell her mother, when she stumbled over a child crouched on the stairs crying.