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: THE YOUTH AND THE WITHERED TREE. There stood a youth by a withered tree, And he looked on its branches old ; And he thought his heart could never be So cheerless and so cold Aa that withered tree. So the young reason, so they say ; Their feelings cannot pass away : It was not strange That he should think the open brow, And the heart that heat so warmly now, Could never change. Years, stirring years, pass'd o'er his form- Sometimes of dark'ning clouds and storm, Sometimes of joy ; But his heart had hardened in that space, And none in the haughty man could trace The gentle boy. He had won himself a lofty name, And the garland of a warrior's fame Was on his brow ; But the joyous soul, the open heart, The thoughts with guile that had no part, Where were they now ? How changed that man so proudly cold, From the gallant youth of bearing bold In days of yore ! Did ever pass that time long gone, When he looked the withered tree upon, His memory o'er ? Aye ! and his brain with anguish burned, And from the busy world he turned In bitter scorn ; When he would silently recall - The heart so prompt to feel for all, He then had borne. Years still rolled on, when one bright day, Ere Autumn hues had pass'd away For winter snow ; When e'en the withered tree looked bright, Beneath the rich and streaming light Of the sunset's glow ; There stood beside its leafless bough An aged man, with furrowed brow And silv'ryhair. Full many a year had o'er him pass'd, Full many a flower had bloomed since last He had been there. With the bright and sunny smile of youth, With bounding step and heart of truth, He left it then : A feeble man, by sickness bowed, While whitened was the brow so proud, He came again. An...