Upon the cold, damp bosom of the earth He laid his head and wept--alone! Beneath The bending skies and sighing boughs; no loving Hand upon his brow; no ear to hear the Groans that shook his iron frame; nor knew he How near in that dark hour the heart of Him Who suffered in the garden all alone Was bending down to his. The soul may weep And still the flesh demand its own: Too proud To eat the bread of charity, he sought And found employment in the mines. He worked With heavy heart, crushed for a time by dark Despair; and giving way to hunger for Revenge, he well-nigh fell; but when at last A kindly light broke thro’ the gloom of his Black night of grief, and he could say, “Thy will Be done”; in him awoke new life and hope And high resolve to make of his own life A memorial to them; and to strive To reach the measure of their highest hope. To this end he hoarded all his earnings, And with the salvage from the wreck of their Estate, went bravely forth, determined to Fulfill their wish so oft expres’d that he Might go away to school--they named the school-- The greatest in the northland, whence they hoped To see him come one day with cultured mind. HOMER LEE. Homer Lee was born and reared upon the Sacred ground where beacon lights were kindl’d On the hills, before the war that broke the Chains of monarchy and set this nation Free. His father owned ships and lands and Merchandise; and the son--the eldest born-- Had never known a wish ungratified. Albeit, he was not puffed up, or vain, Or churlish by over-much indulgence, For he was nurtured in the Quaker faith, And early taught to draw the line ’twixt Right and wrong; and measure men by what They _are_ and not by what they _have or say_. Unlike in all respects were Cedric Vaughn And Homer Lee, save in those noble traits Of character which make men strong and brave And true. Homer, lighter built and younger, But noted for his prowess--when he met The tall, dark, princely stranger from the south, As by the power of some magnetic chain Was strangely drawn to him. Touched by the kind Demeanor of this fair-haired, happy youth, Cedric’s heart went out to him. So, as the Years went by, between them grew a friendship Strong as that of Pythias and his friend. DORA LEE. Homer’s sister, Dora Lee, rejoiced at Their success, or wept when disappointment Crossed their path. Likewise, she shared in all their Happy leisure hours, when sailing on the Bay, or riding horseback o’er the hills. And When their united strength their pennant saved, The campus rang with shouts of victory And plaudits for the heroes of the day, She wept for joy. Dora Lee loved Cedric, But he knew it not nor dreamed that she whose Faithful heart could never love but one, Had consecrated that one love to him.