THE MARTYRS OF UGANDA.*-ELLEN MURRAY.

In 1885, at the Victoria Nyanza Mission, in Africa, the young king of Uganda, a mere lad of unstable character, permitted the martyrdom of three Christian boys, his own subjects. He is also supposed to have been instrumental in causing the murder of Bishop Hannington, which occurred about the same time.

Night on the great grass plains of Africa,
Night on the great lake shore,-

The sound of waves upon the sandy bar;
The growling of the lion dies afar-
Wakens the fearful roar

Of men, athirst for gore.

Night and the moon at full is all ablaze;
The faint stars ride on high;

A red, red glare; the air a smoky haze;
Circling, a thousand savage faces gaze;
And frantic shout and cry

Shriek through the purple sky.

A red, red blaze, a broken tree stump there;
Three boys,-chained, unafraid,—

The young dark faces full of silent prayer;
Young eyes that fearless meet the fagot's flare ;-
So Azariah staid,

Shadrach and Meshach prayed.

One said: "The path is terrible and long,

But Jesus goes before,

And where he leads, we follow. He is strong;

Like him, we pray for those who do this wrong,

And when this pain is o'er

He'll meet us on the shore."

One answered: "We will keep baptismal vows
Unbroken, in the fire-

The holy cross was signed upon our brows.

Christ's faithful soldiers, all your strength arouse!

Than the wild shouting, higher

Let our last song aspire!"

Then spoke the third: "The Hebrew children came
Unharmed from furnace glow-

The Son of God is with us in this flame;

We cannot see him, yet is he the same.

Before us he shall go

Where life's cool waters flow."

*Written expressly for this collection.

The dancing multitude were hushed and stilled,
Silenced the clanging shout,

As through the crackling flames, arose and thrilled
The clear young voices, with strong courage filled,—
The Hebrew's song rang out

Through the wild woods about.

Upon the dying lips dies out the song;

The fire, flickering, dies.

Like beasts of prey, dark shadows flit along,
Fleeing with sudden dread the accomplished wrong.
A blackened ash-heap lies

Beneath the silent skies.

Sing out, O Azariah, sing again!

O Shadrach, Meshach, sing,

Wake the old song that rang on Dura's plain!

For the new martyrs from the fire pain

Let all the heavens ring

To greet their entering.

For Afric's martyrs twine the crown of stars,
Give the boy's hands their palms,

For the young feet fling open heaven's bars
And lead them in with all their glorious scars;
Down by the river calms
Uplift the joyous psalms!

A SCHOOL-BOY ON CORNS.

Corns are of two kinds, vegetable and animal. Vegetable corn grows in rows, and animal corn grows on toes. There are several kinds of corn;-there is the unicorn, capricorn, pop-corn, corn dodgers, corn-field, and the corn which is the corn you feel the most. It is said, I believe, that gophers like corn, but persons having corn do not like to "go fur," if they can help it. Corns have kernels, and some colonels have corns. Vegetable corn grows on ears, but animal corn grows on feet, at the other end of the body. Another kind of corn is the acorn; this grows on oaks, but there is no hoax about the corn. a corn with an indefinite article added.

The acorn is Try it and see

Many a man when he has a corn wishes it was an acorn, but not an aching corn.

Folks that have corns sometimes send for a doctor, and if the doctor himself is corned, he probably won't do so well as if he isn't. The doctor says corns are produced by tight boots and shoes, which is the reason why, when a man is "tight," they say he is corned. If a farmer manages well, he can get a good deal of corn on an acre, but I know of a farmer that has one corn that makes the biggest acher on his farm. The bigger crop of vegetable corn a man raises, the better he likes it; but the bigger crop of animal corn he raises, the better he doesn't like it.

Another kind of corn is the corn dodger. The way it is made is very simple, and it is as follows,--that is, if you want to know: You go along the street and meet a man you know has a corn, and a rough character; then you step on the toe that has the corn on it, and see if you don't have occasion to dodge. In that way you will find out what a corn dodger is. He will tell you the rest.

A SERENADE.*-THOMAS HOOD.

"Lullaby, oh, lullaby!"
Thus I heard a father cry.
"Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

The brat will never shut an eye;
Hither come, some power divine!
Close his lids or open mine!

"Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

What the mischief makes him cry?

Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

Still he stares-I wonder why;

Why are not the sons of earth

Blind, like puppies, from their birth?

*This poem can be made very effective as a humorous recitation by the performer imitating a sleepy father vainly endeavoring to quiet a restless child. A doll, or something to represent one, should be held in the arms.

"Lullaby, oh, lullaby!"

Thus I heard the father cry;
"Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

Mary, you must come and try!
Hush, oh, hush, for mercy's sake—
The more I sing, the more you wake!

"Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Fie, you little creature, fie!
Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

Is no poppy-syrup nigh?
Give him some, or give him all,
I am nodding to his fall!

"Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

Two such nights and I shall die!
Lullaby, oh, lullaby!

He'll be bruised, and so shall I -
How can I from bedposts keep,
When I'm walking in my sleep?

"Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Sleep his very looks deny;
Lullaby, oh, lullaby!
Nature soon will stupefy-
My nerves relax-my eyes grow dim-
Who's that fallen-me or him?"

THE LEGEND OF ST. CHRISTOPHER.-MARY FLETCHER, Long ago, so says my story, dwelt in some far-distant land, Offerus, a mighty giant, stout of limb and strong of hand; Brave and fearless, too, in spirit, and within himself he said, "I will serve some royal master, one who knows no fear nor dread.

"Him I serve must be the greatest of all kings upon the earth, For the man who fears his fellow, him I hold but little worth." So he searched through many countries, traversed many a river wide,

Passed o'er many a sandy desert, climbed up many a mountain side.

And at last he found a monarch great and powerful, and he thought,

"I have found the mightiest monarch, I have found the lord i sought."

So he made that king his master, served him well, with all his might,

Did his pleasure, fought his battles, guarded him by day and

night.

But one evening at the banquet, when went round the jest and tale,

Some one named a neighbor sovereign, and the king grew sad and pale;

And the giant, standing near him, saw, amazed, his looks, and said,

"Art thou not the mightiest monarch? Wherefore then turn pale with dread?"

"Yea, I am the mightiest monarch," quoth the king, "except that one,

He whose name thou heard'st. I fear him, other mortal fear I none."

Spake the giant, "Dost thou fear him? he shall be my master then;

He whom I may serve and honor must not fear his fellowmen."

So he found that other sovereign; and he asked him, “Dost thou fear

Any mortal, man or woman, any sovereign far or near?" With a laugh the king made answer, "None fear I of mortal

birth

Far or near, the wide world over; I am mightiest on the .earth."

Then cried Offerus right joyful, "I thy servant true will be, Fight for thee, do all thy pleasure, serve thee well and faith

fully."

And from that time forth the giant served that mighty monarch well,

Honored him, and loved him truly, till at last it thus befell:

Sat the king with all his nobles in the stately palace hall, Wine and mead were circling freely, gay and gladsome were they all;

Some were jesting, some were singing, some told tales of love and fame,

But, at last, a heedless courtier spoke the evil spirit's name.

Then the monarch crossed his forehead, and the giant, standing by,

Noted that his cheek grew pallid, and that fear was in his eye.