Sudden a shriek assails his heart,-- A female shriek, so piercing wild, As makes his very life-blood start:-- "My child! Almighty God, my child!" He hears, And 'gainst the tottering wall The ponderous ladder rears: While blazing fragments round him fall, And crackling sounds assail his ears, His sinewy arm, with one rude crash, Hurls to the earth the opposing sash; And, heedless of the startling din, Though smoky volumes round him roll, The mother's shriek has pierced his soul,-- See! see! he plunges in! The admiring crowd, with hopes and fears, In breathless expectation stands, When, lo! the daring youth appears, Hailed by a burst of warm, ecstatic cheers, Bearing the child triumphant in his arms. Anonymous. CCI. SPEAK GENTLY. Speak gently: it is better far To rule by love than fear. Speak gently: let no harsh words mar The good we might do here. Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; And gently friendship's accents flow,-- Affection's voice is kind. Speak gently to the little child, Its love be sure to gain; Teach it in accents soft and mild,-- It may not long remain. Speak gently to the young; for they Will leave enough to bear: Pass through this life as best we may, 'T is full of anxious care. Speak gently to the aged one, Grieve not the care-worn heart; The sands of life are nearly run,-- Let such in peace depart. Speak gently, kindly to the poor; Let no harsh tone be heard; They have enough they must endure, Without an unkind word. Speak gently to the erring;--know They must have toiled in vain; Perchance unkindness made them so;-- O! win them back again.