WIDOWED.
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Wearing even then the draping Of its soft immortal vail,Then I shrank away in terror From the bitter painful truth,Shutting out its presence even With the faith of early youth.
When your lips would sometimes whisper Over mine a breath of fear,That the change I so much dreaded For you, darling, was so near,Oh! I could not quite believe you, And I put aside your fears,—Bravely met your anxious glances With a smile and not with tears.
But my hope was slowly dying In my bosom day by day,When I saw the painful quiver Of your lips and heard you say:"The end is so much nearer, O my darling! than you think;I can see the rolling river With the flowers on its brink;
