George M. Vickers

“ And it may have been a mother,
A fond father, or a wife,
Or a maid whose love was dearer
To the soldier’s heart than life.
Then the silent midnight marches,
And the fierce-fought battle’s roar,
And the sailor’s lonely watches,
Gone, please God, forevermore:
Though these ne’er can be forgotten
While the dew our graves shall wet,
Yet the color of our jackets
Let each gallant heart forget;
For the ranks are growing smaller,
And though decked in blue or gray,
Soon both armies will be sleeping
In their shelter-tents of clay. ”

“ Shylock (takes Mrs. Petruchio’s hand.)
You are a widow, and I without a wife,
Seek, vainly seek, for joy in life—
Will you, in short, old Shylock wed?
Mrs. Pet.—Think you, sir, my reason’s fled. (Withdrawing hand indignantly.) Marry you? Never! Sooner would I see you hanged.
Shylock.—But are you happy?
Romeo.—
Happy in this, she is not yet so old
But she may learn; and happier than this,
She is not bred so dull but she can learn;
Happiest of all is, that her gentle spirit
Would ne’er commit itself to yours.
Shylock.—Go to, and why?
Mrs. Othello.—
Oh! ”

“ Every beast and bird, and fish came mustering to the sound,
Every man and every maid from miles of country round:
Meggan on her herdsman’s arm, with her shepherd, May;
Flocks and herds trooped at their heels along the hillside way;
No foot too feeble for the ascent, not any head too gray,
Some were swift and none were slow.
So Margaret sang her sisters home in their marriage mirth;
Sang free birds out of the sky, beasts along the earth,
Sang up fishes of the deep—all breathing things that move,
Sang from far and sang from near to her lovely love;
Sang together friend and foe ”

“ Let thy voice be heard and thy power be felt among us. Bind our hearts together with a threefold cord which cannot be broken, and may the glory of thy presence surround us ever as with a halo; but to thee, as to all who have preceded thee, I am compelled to say, thy place is not upon the throne, as the ruling angel of the Sunday-school. ”

“ I have knelt in the clear moonlight, while the soft zephyrs of June fanned my heated brow, and with my hands on my heart made the most passionate appeal romantic maiden could desire. I have proposed in the giddy mazes of the waltz; I have besought a fair girl to be mine while skating, reminding her at the time that the path of life was far too slippery to be trodden alone; I have popped the question on the stairs, and in fact everywhere I could; the last time being in the surf at Long Branch, where I begged the object of my affections to let us breast the waves of life together. ”

“ Prythee, peace!
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none!
Mrs. Pet.—
What seek’st thou?
Avaunt, and quit my sight! let the earth hide thee!
Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold;
Thou hast no speculation in thy eyes
Which thou dost glare with!
Helena (to Shylock) .—
Win her with gifts if she respect not words;
Dumb jewels often, in their silent kind,
More quick than words do move a woman’s mind.
Mrs. Pet.—See here, old man, just tell me what you want?
Shylock.—
My daughter! ”

“ Then Meggan mused within herself: “Better be first with him,
Than dwell where fairer Margaret sits, who shines my brightness dim,
Forever second where she sits, however fair I be:
I will be lady of his love, and he shall worship me;
I will be lady of his herds and stoop to his degree,
At home where kids and fatlings grow.”
Sped a shepherd from the height headlong down to look,
White lambs followed, lured by love of their shepherd’s crook:
He turned neither east nor west, neither north nor south,
But knelt right down to May, for love of her sweet-singing mouth ”

“ Thus far had Maud unchecked reproved when Gertrude coldly said:
“I care not for the living dupes, why blame me for the dead?
Thy lover, sure, is naught to me, so quell thy jealous fears;
When seeking game I ever strive to strike among my peers.”
“Tis not my lover,” Maud replied, while blushes bathed her brow,
“But brother Paul I fain would save—for him I’m pleading now.
Of kin, he’s all I have on earth—so noble, brave and pure—
Too good, alas, to sacrifice—defeat he’d ne’er endure.” ”

“ Their skins; and pearled with dew
These damsons, violet-blue.
(While September is speaking, August lifts the basket to the ground, selects various fruits, and withdraws slowly along the gravel walk, eating a pear as he goes.)
September.
My song is half a sigh
Because my green leaves die;
Sweet are my fruits, but all my leaves are dying;
And well may Autumn sigh,
And well may I
Who watch the sere leaves flying.
My leaves that fade and fall,
I note you one and all;
I call you, and the autumn wind is calling,
Lamenting for your fall,
And for the pall
You spread on earth in falling. ”

“ Would you the truth proclaim? Would you save the Athenian? Your priestly word can save him. If I procure you liberty, you will not play me false? No, no! I will not doubt you; you could not be so cruel! Remember, Calenus, you have promised! [1062]
How can I release the priest? [1063] how best the truth make known? how gain the præetor’s ear? Ah! these gems [1064] I have worn so long may clear the way. I was not born a slave—no, no! My birth is equal his. Why, then freedom would give me the right to love dear Glaucus. ”

“ People began to stir, and the gal opened the shutters. Just then the first beam of the sun fell upon the blossoms a little more, and it techt the roses on the bushes, and the next thing it was broad day; the sun fairly blazed, the birds sung like they’d split their little throats; all the leaves was movin’, and flashin’ diamonds of dew, and the whole wide world was bright and happy as a king. Seemed to me like there was a good breakfast in every house in the land, and not a sick child or woman anywhere. ”

“ The subject of my speech is one
We hear of every day—
’Tis simply all about the fear
We have of what “they say!”
How happy all of us could be,
If, as we go our way,
We did not stop to think and care
So much for what “they say.”
We never dress to go outside,
To church, to ball, or play,
But everything we wear or do
Is ruled by what “they say.”
Half of the struggles we each make
To keep up a display,
Might be avoided, were it not
For dread of what “they say.”
The half of those who leave their homes
For Long Branch and Cape May
Would never go, if it were not
For fear of what “they say.” ”

“ I make heaven jubilant with anthems of praise. My voice is heard on earth in the lullabys of the nursery, in the songs of childhood, in the hymns of the sanctuary and in the ballads of the nation. My power is felt by the refined and the savage.
Let me be the ruling angel of the Sunday-school. I will furnish each department with an organ. I will teach all to sing. The tunes and the time shall be perfect, and no discord shall be heard amid the blended notes. Books of music shall be in abundance and all hearts shall thrill with gladness.
[Listen to Music] ”

“ All looked toward the camp. It was in a blaze; both tents and wagons were being devoured by the red-tongued flames. “Why, Edith,” shouted Frank, who had just reached the carriage, “what on earth are you doing here?” The heat from the burning camp became so intense that Edith’s face was almost scorched, “Edith,” shouted Frank, louder than before. Edith looked at her brother, rubbed her eyes, and then looked again. “Where are the gypsies?” she asked—“Ha! ha! ha!” laughed Frank, “you have been dreaming; you are almost baked by the sun.” ”

“ There is no marble slab to mark out the spot; only the drifted snow, only the bare leafless willow that moans and sighs above it.
Hark! he speaks; his voice is feeble; he mournfully cries, “Mother, I’ve come home to die with you. Here on your long-neglected grave, here let me pillow my head and fancy I sleep in your arms; and the soft music within that dear church, let me fancy ’tis your sweet voice as you lull me to sleep. I dare not enter yon church, where in youth I worshiped my God.” ”

“ Shylock.—Peace! one word: in yonder pile, for little more than half the cost, a seal-skin wrap and overcoat may grace your youthful forms.
Romeo (to Shylock in undertone) .—I pray thee, gentle signor of the Gilded Balls, say naught before this maid that will reveal the fact that half my garments now repose upon your shelves.
Helena (to Shylock) .—To-night I’ll steal into thy place of trade, and, under cover of the evening’s shades, examine well the seal-skin sack whereof you speak. Say nothing now, sir; mum’s the word! ”

“ Em’ly.—Sir Knight, if eloquence could tempt me to reveal my face before the proper time, then your words would win your wish. I am not what you think I am. Knights woo not poor peasant maids, and I am poor, and humble, too.
Dingle.—The wealth of those bright eyes would make one rich though he were a beggar.
Em’ly.—Flattery from friends is at best embarrassing; from strangers it is wholly out of place.
Dingle (Aside) .—There’s no humbleness in that remark. (Aloud) I crave your forgiveness; I am the last man in the world who would do an ungallant act. ”

“ No, he hain’t no folks or friends but me:
His dad was killed in ’sixty-three.
Shot at the front, where bursting shell
And cannon sang their song of hell,
And muskets hissed with fiery breath,
As brave men fell to their tune of death.
I promised his father before he died,
As the life blood rushed from his wounded side,
I promised him, sir, and it gave him joy,
That I’d protect his darling boy.
I simply did what his father would,
And helped the weak, as all men should. ”

“ Now, the road that passed the cottage was much used by travelers, as it led in both directions to large cities; but on this particular afternoon not a human being, nor an animal, nor a vehicle of any sort could be seen on its white, gleaming surface; and save the drone of a passing bee, or an occasional chirp from a cricket under the porch, not a sound broke the deep stillness. Even the birds seemed to be dozing, so nap-inspiring was that sultry summer afternoon.
An hour later and Edith was still sleeping, when the distant rumble of wheels could be heard. ”

“ To him she was just an angel who had come from the holy skies
That his heart might bask forever in the light of her lustrous eyes.
No wine, no cards, and no hunting: he kept at my lady’s side—
’Twas a great big boy with a sweetheart, not a man with a year-won bride.
She pined in the lonely mansion: she wanted society-life—
She wanted to play my lady as well as Sir Rupert’s wife.
Sir Rupert must ask a party—not of bumpkins, but folks from the town;
He had plenty of friends in London; would he not ask them down? ”

“ A few moments later an odd-looking, top-heavy vehicle, drawn by two lank horses, emerged into view. Behind the wagon, mounted on a mule, rode a dark-visaged man.
When the wagon arrived in front of the house it stopped, and the man on the mule advanced to the garden fence, dismounted, and threw his reins over the gate post. He then opened the gate, and was about to pass to the rear of the cottage when he spied little Edith. The slanting sunbeams had crept so close to her face that it was only a question of a few moments when the bright glare would end her sleep. ”

“ Dorothy.—The exemption law was enacted as a merciful barrier against the sweeping tide of adversity—a life-boat for helpless castaways: how then dare any man’s hand thwart the law and defeat its purpose? To waive that law repeals it: is this an absolute monarchy?
Dingle.—This government is run upon a solid cash basis: if you have cash, you can smile at waivers. The remedy, young woman, is cash. That’s my prescription for landlords’ warrants; it’s a powerful antidote. (Taps his pocket and laughs) .
Dorothy.—You shock me, sir ”

“ That tells the oppressed they may come and be free!
O proud flag of freedom, how swells with delight
The breast of the wand’rer who meets thee afar;
What home-visions come with the gladdening sight,
And how fond dwells his eye on each stripe and each star!
Thus be it forever, while oceans may sever,
Or fate hold in exile, a man from our shore!
Tho’ fairer the clime, an American never
Forgets his own colors, but loves them the more. ”

“ Vernon Institute of Elocution and Languages, June, 1886.
Through the whole of Shakespeare’s plays, we find every prominent character stamped with a separate individuality, which is preserved in every detail and characteristic, whether in the insane jealousy of Othello, the impetuosity of Harry Hotspur, the constancy of Portia, the vindictiveness of Shylock, the wickedness of Don John, or the benign, forgiving spirit of Prospero.
There is a silvery vein of wit threading his plays, gleaming and flashing like a sparkling brook in the sunshine. ”

“ It runs smoothly in the calmly-uttered and thoughtful sentences of Hamlet; it bubbles and laughs in the saucy badinage of Beatrice and Celia; seeks the shadow in the melancholy of Jacques; enters the realm of the pun in the wordy self-assertion of Polonius, and descends to the comic and sometimes the vulgar in Falstaff and Dogberry.
In the character of Hamlet we find a keen sense of humor, overcast by the ever-present suspicion of his father’s foul end, and a vague distrust of those around him. A certain sarcasm lurks in the depths, and imparts an incisiveness to every well-turned sentence. ”

“ Dorothy loves you well.
Mrs. Felton (Aside) .—Dorothy! (Aloud) She does, I am sure. Ahem!
Squire (Falls on his knee) .—And so does her father.
[Enter Mercy L.; she pauses unobserved.]
Mrs. Felton (Takes his hand) .—This is indeed an honor.
Squire.—A true woman is an honor beyond price. I am the honored one (Look bashfully at each other) .
Mercy (Aside) .—Well, if this isn’t the spooniest collection of humans I ever was thrown among, then my name’s not Mercy. (Aloud) Excuse me.
Squire.— (Start) Eh!
Mrs. Felton.— (Start) Oh, my!
Mercy.—I’ve lost my mistress and I want to find her. ”