Henry Van Dyke, THE UNKNOWN QUANTITY . . .

Have you ever opened an old book only to find writing inside the front cover . . . and then further to discover that the writing seemed to be that of the author's?  Not so sure?  Check  http://www.tomfolio.com/autographs/
or when all else fails, give ebay a try!  But even then, it's difficult to detect an author's true signature, especially when the author grew up in the 19th Century where everybody was taught, under penalty of pain, to write perfectly!

Was this inscription written by the author or by the previous owner,
Harry Brown of Marshfield, Massachusetts?

A Home Song

I read within a poet's book
A word that starred the page:
"Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage!"

Yes, that is true; and something more
You'll find, where'er you roam,
That marble floors and gilded walls
Can never make a home.

But every house where Love abides,
And Friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home-sweet-home:
For there the heart can rest.
                   Henry Van Dyke

Further research proved Marash Girl's book to have the writing of someone other than Henry Van Dyke.  See a true copy of Van Dyke's handwriting and signature below.

Above a sample of "the real thing" with thanks to book appraiser Clare Murphy.

"Henry Jackson van Dyke (November 10, 1852 – April 10, 1933, aged 80) was an American author, educator, and clergyman." [from Wikipedia]