Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-07-30

BY THOMAS BAILEY ALDRicH.
Have you not beard the pOet tell
How came the dainty Babie Bell
Into this world Of Ours!
The Gates Of Heaven were LEFT ATARI
With folded haBdS and dreamy eyes,
Wandering cut OF Paradise,
She saw this planet, like q star,
Flungln the purple depths Of even
It's bridges, running to and fFOr
Der which the white winged Angels go,
Bearing the holy dead to Heaven
She tOaehed bridge Of flowers-those feet,
30 light they did not bend the bells
OF t6e celestial aspbodels!
They fell like dew upon the flowers,
And all the air grew strangely sweet
And thus came dainty Babe Bell
Into this world Of ours
She came and brought delicious May!
The swallows built beneath the caves;
Like sunlight, in and out the leaves,
The robins went, the livc-lOng day;
The lily sWupG its n0iseless bell,
And DER the porch the trembling vlnc
Nesmed bursting with its veins Of wine!
o, earth was full 81 pleasant smell,
when came the dainty Babe Bell
Late this world Of 0ursl
o Babe, dainty Babe BclIi
How fair she grew nom day n day!
What woman nature HIIed her eyes
What poetry within them lay!
Those deep and tender twilight eyes,
So full Of meaning, pure and bright,
As IL she yet stood In the light
Or those oped gates Of Paradise
And We loved Babe more and more;
o, never in Our hearts before
Such holy love was born;
We felt we had q link between
This real world and that unseen
The land beyond the morn.
And for the love Of those dear eyes,
For lore Of her whom God led forth
The mothers being ceased on earth
When Babie came from Paradise!
For love Of Him who smOte our lives,
And woke the chords Of joy and pain.
We said "Sweet Christ our heads bent down
Like violets after rain!
And now the orchards which were once
All white and rOsy in their bloom
Filling the crystal heart Of cir
With gentle pulses Of perfume
Were rich in Autumn's mellow prime
The plums were globes Of hOnied vino
The hived sweets Of summer time;
The ivory chestnut burst its SHE'LL
The sOIt-cheeked peaches blnshed and fell;
The grapes were pnrplng in the grange;
And time wrought inst as rich change
In little Babie Bell!
Her tiny form more perfect grew.
And in her features ne could trace
In softer curves her mothers face;
Her angel nature ripened. too.
We thought her lOvely when she came,
But she was holy, SANITY now,
Around her pale and lofty brow
We saw slender ring Of flame!
Outlines she said n few strange words.
Whose meanings lay beyond our reach;
Gods hand had taken away the seal
Which held the portals Of her speech,
She never was child TO us;
We could not teach her holy things:
She was Christ's self in purity.
II came upon us BY degrees;
We saw its shadow ere il fell,
The knowledge that our God had sent
His messenger for Babe Bell;
We shuddcred with unlanguaged pain,
And all our thoughts ran into tears,
Aud all our hopes were changed to fears
The sunshine into dismal rain
Aloud we cried in our belief:
40, smitc us gently, gently. God!
Teach us TO bend and kiss the rod,
And perfect grow through grief"
Al, how we loved her, God can tell
Her little heart was cased in oGfR-
They're broken caskels-Babie Bell!
At last he came, the messenger,
The messenger from unseen lands;
And what did dainty Babe Bell?
She only crossed her little hands!
She only looked more meek and fair!
We parted back her silken hair;
We laid some buds npOn her brow
Deaths bride Arraycd in flowers!
And thus went dainty Babic Bell
Out Of this world Of ours!