Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1850-08-30
SUNDAY READING.
From Dickens Neo Paper, Household World
A cHILD5 DREAM OF A STAR.

IA SG&AA09 OAN41-& vi a.
There was once a child, and he strolled4
about a good deal, and thought Of a num-
Der of things. He had a sister who was
a child too, and his constant companion.-I
These two used to wander all day long.
They wandered at the beauty of the fow-
'ers they wondered at the height and
blueness of the sky they wondered at
the depth Of the bright water they won
dered at the goodness and the power of
God who made the lovely world.
They used to say TO one another, some
times, Surprising all the children upon
the earth were 10 die, would the flowers,
and the water, and the sky, be sorry p
They believed they would be sorry. For
said they, the buds are the children Of the
flowers, and the little playful streams that
gambol down the hill-sides are the chill
dren of the water ; and the smallest bright
specks playing at hide and seek in the
sky all night, must surely be the children
of the stars and they would all be
grieved to see their playmates, the chill
dren of men, no more.
There was one clear shining star that
used to come out in the sky before the
rest, near the church spire, above the
graves. 1t was larger and more beauti-
fol, thought than all the others, and
eyerynight they watched for it, standing
hand in hand at a window. Whoever
saw it first, cried out. 81 see the star p
And often they cried out both together,
knowing SO well when it would rise, and
where. So they grew TO be such friends
with it, that, before laying down in their
beds, they always looked out once again,
to bid it good night. and when thew were
turning round 10 sleep, they used to say,
I" God bless the start"
But while she was still very young, oh,
very, very young, the sister dropped, and
came TO be so weak that she could no
longer stand in the window at night and
then the child looked sadly out by him
sell, and when he saw the star, turned
round and said to the patient pale face on
the bed, 81 see the star !" and then a
smile would come from the face, and a
little weak voice used to say, "God bless
my brother and the star !"
And so the time came, too soon when
the child looked out alone, and when there
was no face on the bed and when there
was little grave among the graves not
there before and when the star made
long rays down towards him, as he saw
1t through his tears.
Now these rays were so bright. and
they seemed to make such a shining way
from earth to Heaven, that when the
T child went to his solitary bed, he dreamed
+ about the star and dreamed that, lying
where he was, he saw a train Of people
taken up that sparkling road by angels
And the star, opening, showed him a
great world of light, where many more
such angels waited to receive them.
t All these angels, who were waiting
t turned their beaming eyes upon the peo-
pie who were carried up into the star and
some came out from the long row ir
which they stood, and fell upon the PEG.
pies necks, and kissed them tenderly,
and went away with them down avenues
of light, and were so happy in their com
j pany, that, lying in his bed, he wePt fol
] joy.
But there were many angels who dic
j not go with them, and among them h,
i knew. The patient face that once hat
n lain upon the bed was glorifed and radi
t ant, but his heart found out his sister a
e mong all the host.
His sisters angel fingered near the en-
trance of the star, and said TO the leade
o amongthose who broughtthe people thith
o err:
L