cr own readers

DAVID'S LA)[EXT FOR ABSALmr. 203
But thou no more, with thy sweet voice, shalt come,
To meet me, Absalom!
7." And, oh! when I am stricken, and my heart,
Like a br uised reed, is waiting to he broken,
H ow will its love for thee, as I depart,
Yearn for thine ear to drink its last deep token !
I t wer e so sweet, amid death's ga thering gloom,
To see t hee, A bsalom !
8." A nd now, farewell ! 'Tis hard to give thee up,
\Vith death so like a gentle slumber on th ee !­
And thy dark sin !-oh, I could drink the cup,
If from this woe its bitterness had won thee.
) Iay God have called thee, like a wanderer, home,
)ly erring Absalom!"
9. H e covered up his face, and bowed hi mself
A moment on his child; th en, giving him
A look of melt ing tendern ess, he clasped
H is hands convulsively, as if in pra yer.
A nd, as a stre ngth w ere given him of God,
H e rose up calmly, and composed th e pall
Firmly and decentl y- and left him there,
A s if his rest had been a breathing sleep.
X. P. W ILLI S.
straight'-ened
be-trayed'
sym!m e-try
ad-mit-ted
re-versed'
bier
stead-fast-ly
slum-Ser-er
star-tied
feat-ures
re-sist-less
bea u-ti-Iul-ly
yeam~ ing
ca-ress '
man-tling
de-cent-ly
W oan ExERCI3E:-
1. how th e connec tio n in meaning between the wor ds thrill, trill,
and drill
2. ~ [ ak e sente nces showing the use of the words betray (t wo mean ­
ings) , traitor, and treason, and the compound words form ed
from t hem.
3. 'Vrite in pro se t he substa nce of th e first thr ee sections,
For X OTES, see '[Ofjf !67.