THE LOCKED DOOR.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 20, 3 March 1893, Page 15

THE LOCKED DOOR.

Two ftiends once closed between them mutually, A door with double lock?, one oo each side ; With separate keys, fashioned with cunning art, Sure of himself, strong in fresh-wounded pride, Each, for his own side only, held tbe key. And thus for weary weeks they dwelt apart, Till one, at last, whose dropping tears had drowned The fire of wrath that in bis b^eom burned, Full of forgivenet-s, softly stole and turned The key ; then bougtit to ope the d tor, but found The othtr lock still fast; still locked the door 1 Then the old anger lenped to sudden flame, And, laying on his frund'a hard heart the blame, He thot again the bolt and turned once more To nurse, in bitterness, the re-opened wound. That night the other thought of olden days, And melted in the memory ; they seemed So nrarer than estrangement's later boars, That of the quarrel be thought be must have dreamed. And so unlocked the door ; yet all bis powers Failed still to 6hake it. Then he muttered, " Fool, To think that stubborn churl would e'er repent 1' And eocketward again the bolt he sent. And thus before the first friend's wrath could cool, The othei's heart giew hard again and kept The bar between them while they waked or slept. But one calm eve they both wake from a dream Of what has been, so clear forthshadowing, too, The golden prophecy of what may be ; Each rises in the mconlight'a softened gleam, Resolves to try again all he can do, Once more before the barrier he stands ; And as, again, slowly (ach iron key Rasps in the ru3ted wards, an answering sound Comes from the o'her side. The gre-it door flies Open and leaves tbe old fiiendt», newly found, Lovingly looking in each other's eyes, With re-united hearts and firm-claa, ed hunds.

— Cincinnati Enquirer

C. \V. PAKKU.

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