Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: RUTH AND I. It was not day, and was not night; The eve had just begun to light, Along the lovely west, His golden candles, one by one, And girded up with clouds, the sun Was sunken to his rest. Between the furrows, brown and dry, We walked in silence — Ruth and I ; We two had been, since morn Began her tender tunes to beat Upon the May-leaves young and sweet, Together, planting corn. Homeward the evening cattle went In patient, slow, full-fed content, Led by a rough, strong steer, His forehead all with burs thick set, His horns of silver tipt with jet, And shapeless shadow, near. With timid, half-reluctant grace. Like lovers in some favored place, The light and darkness met, And the air trembled, near and far, With many a little tuneful jar Of milk-pans being set. We heard the house-maids at their cares. Pouring their hearts out unawares In some sad poet's ditty, And heard the fluttering echoes round Reply like souls all softly drowned In heavenly love and pity. All sights, all sounds in earth and air Were of the sweetest; everywhere Ear, eye, and heart were fed ; The grass with one small burning flower Blushed bright, as if the elves that hour Their coats thereon had spread. One moment, where we crossed the brook Two little sunburnt hands I took,— Why did I let them go? I 've been since then in many a land, Touched, held, kissed many a fairer hand, But none that thrilled me so. Why, when the bliss Heaven tor us made Is in our very bosoms laid, Should we be all unmoved, And walk, as now do Ruth and I, 'Twixt th' world's furrows, brown and dry, Unloving and unloved ? HAGEN WALDER. The day, with a cold, dead color Was rising over the hill, When little Hagen Walder Went out to grind in th' ...