Somewhere she waits to make you win, your soul in her firm, white hands—­ Somewhere the gods have made for you, the Woman Who Understands!

  As the tide went out she found him
    Lashed to a spar of Despair,
  The wreck of his Ship around him—­
    The wreck of his Dreams in the air;
  Found him and loved him and gathered
    The soul of him close to her heart—­
  The soul that had sailed an uncharted sea,
  The soul that had sought to win and be free—­
    The soul of which she was part! 
      And there in the dusk she cried to the man,
      “Win your battle—­you can, you can!”

  Broken by Fate, unrelenting,
    Scarred by the lashings of Chance;
  Bitter his heart—­unrepenting—­
    Hardened by Circumstance;
  Shadowed by Failure ever,
    Cursing, he would have died,
  But the touch of her hand, her strong warm hand,
  And her love of his soul, took full command,
    Just at the turn of the tide! 
      Standing beside him, filled with trust,
      “Win!” she whispered, “you must, you must!”

  Helping and loving and guiding,
    Urging when that were best,
  Holding her fears in hiding
    Deep in her quiet breast;
  This is the woman who kept him
    True to his standards lost,
  When, tossed in the storm and stress of strife,
  He thought himself through with the game of life
    And ready to pay the cost. 
      Watching and guarding, whispering still,
      “Win you can—­and you will, you will!”

  This is the story of ages,
    This is the Woman’s way;
  Wiser than seers or sages,
    Lifting us day by day;
  Facing all things with a courage
    Nothing can daunt or dim,
  Treading Life’s path, wherever it leads—­
  Lined with flowers or choked with weeds,
    But ever with him—­with him! 
      Guidon—­comrade—­golden spur—­
      The men who win are helped by her!

Somewhere she waits, strong in belief, your soul in her firm, white hands:  Thank well the gods, when she comes to you—­the Woman Who Understands!

Everard Jack Appleton.

From “The Quiet Courage.”

WANTED—­A MAN

Business and the world are exacting in their demands upon us.  They make no concessions to half-heartedness, incompetence, or plodding mediocrity.  But for the man who has proved his worth and can do the exceptional things with originality and sound judgment, they are eagerly watchful and have rich rewards.

    You say big corporations scheme
  To keep a fellow down;
  They drive him, shame him, starve him too
  If he so much as frown. 
  God knows I hold no brief for them;
  Still, come with me to-day
  And watch those fat directors meet,
  For this is what they say: 

        “In all our force not one to take
      The new work that we plan! 
      In all the thousand men we’ve hired
      Where shall we find a man?”