12. FOR THE SOUL FOR AYE REMEMBERS.

And when rich Peter Barber died,

Followed still the gloomy shadow —

Forever with him to abide,

For the soul for aye remembers.

Deep and dark the gloomy shadow

Followed through the seasons,

Ever followed Peter Barber,

Ever rested on his household

Till his gloomy years were ended.

And it followed Peter Barber

On his sad and fearful journey

To the land of the Hereafter,

For the soul for aye remembers

All the good and all the evil

By its early master fashioned

From the cradle to the graveyard.

Thus it is that we are building

Day by day, a Heav'n or Hades

For our soul's eternal homeland.

Thus the souls of all man-kind,

When released from earthly bondage,

Seek the place their master fashioned.

On this sad and fearful journey,

Peter Barber, looking backward,

From the gloomy realms of Limbo,

Saw again his daughter kneeling,

Humbly seeking for his blessing

On the union she had chosen;

Heard his angry voice replying,

“Never shall you wed this beggar.”

Deeper, darker grew the shadow,

Resting there and never lifted,

Even in the long Hereafter,

For the soul for aye remembers,

Looking earthward through the ages,

Viewing all events and noting

Whether more of good, or evil,

By its earthly master fashioned,

Struggles onward through the eons,

Grieving when the wrong is winning,

Happy when the evil falters,

Joyous when the good arises.

Thus the soul's eternal welfare

Rests upon its earthly master.