THE GUINEA POEM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 72

THE GUINEA POEM.

A CHEQUE FOR £1 Is has b«en tent to tfco writer of this verse— Mr A. G.-M., Blue Spur: If Robbie Burns wai here thla day To write a line or twa, I'm satisfied that he would «ay That BAPON beats them a. WIN A GUINEA! Prize Poem published every Saturday. Best original four shortLnnt adrt. veree about " SAPON " wins each week. SAPON wrapper mutt b& enclosed. Address. "SAPON" [Oatmeal Washing Powder], P.O. Box 635, Wellington. If your Grocer does not stock Sapon, pl«a«i send his name and addi***.

Souvenir Book) is written the last versa of "dossing the Bar." It is beautiful, and to my mind the perfect ideal, to find one advanced in yeaxsHiwaiting with quiet patience yet deep longing the one " clear call for me." And more than ever I know the hearts that have grown to love^" the Grandmother" will turn to her with affectionate greeting this Christmas and New Year. Don't for one moment, dear Emmeline, think tiie Grandmother has forgotten. My dear friend, it has often been in my mind to do this.' Somehow I have been afraid to start for fear I could not write a satisfactory letter. Seeing my sister comrades' contributions has made me diffident %bout writing. I have so enjoyed the different contributions on one subject and another, and have felt as I think a "wallflower" at. a dance must feel. What is the use of my being here? X am out of it all. T hope you will •11 take -into -consideration the great age of Grandmother, who is, as fast as time will take her, going on for 100. With Sweetbriar, Dicken* is my favourite writer. Why? Because he wrote of - life,- a» we, the people, know it. Ah ! he w«s a grand writer, good and wholesome food for "the* mind. Next. comes George Mvcdoh&ld, more spiratual, and sound commonsense, to say nothing of the Scotch pawky humour which- it takes ' a Scotchman to understand. (I think I see you smile).- Buskin was beyond me when I. had the- chance of reading his works. My father loved him 1 ;- also Young's ,"Nsght !fhoughta." My dear mother's book must be mentioned, and, of course, the Book' of books. But, as Boj- Friend says, it is like choosing a favourite flower, etc. How nicely Boy Friend always writes! Now comes Rangiora, with James I*ne Allen. I have never heard the name before, but her selections from "The Choir Invisible" end' "The Increasing Purpose l ' are to my mind quite unique, and I also will cut them lout for my scrap-book for future reference. As you may know, my life here has- debarred me from * choice of reading matter. Yeflowbaoked rubbish there is no end' to in Fiji, ' many of which I have fried to find interesting, but in vain, and the good new books axe beyond my means. I have quite a number of books of travel, also books on these islands, but when one- has read one of them they know just about as much as they will when they have xead all. Most of them, on mission work, get very monotonous. I won- ' deT how Zee is getting on in the Hebrides? Tennyson is my favourite poet, and if ever I hay* been tempted to waver in my allegiance, his "Crossing the Bar" sealed it for ever. How often in my isolation I have sat on the seashore and repeated to myself with a full heart and tear-laden eyes, "Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me. And may there be no moaning of the bar when I put out to sea^' As I listen to the moan of the, tide away in the distance as the great ■ rollers pour in under and over the areef, gradually spending their force until they r**ch the sandy beach on which I sit in a gentle ripple at my feet. I think how like my life it all is. Tis eventide with me; the peace and quiet, the sunset, are all here, and - 1 only wait "the one clear call for me.'' When are you going to take your trip to the Islands, dear Emmeline? So many New Zcalanders pay us a visit now, and sesm to enjoy it; but don't run away with the idea most of them seem to return borne with : that when they have seen Suva and -the Rewa River .they have seen Fiji, any more than seeing Dun«din is seeing New Zealand. A-h. the beauty of * trip round 4he coasts of these islands to a good sailor in a comfortable steamer is « treat few experience. Of course one must have eyes to see. Well, dear, there is lots I would like *o write about, but your time is precious df mine is not. Remember me kindly %o all 4h« members of the clnb. Wishing you all a joyous Christmas and a happy New Year. •"With much love, ever yours, GRANDMOTHER.