Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1868-12-03


booty, like an @ral privateer, the poor
father sank down helpless and speechless:
but the mother, frantic with grief. still
stretched her yearning arms toward the in-
exorable heavens and called wildly up in
to the answering void.
The Hr0naut strove to console the
wretched parents with assurance that the
balloon would descend within thirty miles
of the town, and that all might be well
with the children provided it di! not come
down in water, or in deep woods.-In the
event of its decending in favorable spot,
there was but one danger to be apprehend-
cd; he thought that the elder child might
step out, leaving the younger in the bal
loon. Then it might again rise and CON
time its voyage.
'Ah, no. replied the mother, Jennie
would never stir from the car. without
JOHNNIE in her arms !!
i The balloon passed directly over the
market town, and the ehildlen, seeing
many people in the streets. stretched out
their hands and cried loudly for help
Bat the villagers, though they saw the
bright little heads, heard no call.
Amazed at the strange apparition, they
might almost have thought the translated
some voyage of discovery. some little
cherublc venture of their own, as, heading
towerd the rosy cloud-lands, and purple
islands of sunset splendor, thew sailed
deeper and deeper into the west, and fad
ed away.
Some company they had, poor little sky
waits Something comforted them. and
allayed their wild terrors-something
iy.bi / tbov,a hat hol, al, ,:-la
clouds was home; that above was God !;
living or dead they would still be in His
domain and under His care-that though
borne away among the stars. they could
not be lost. for his love would follow
them.
: When the sunlight all went away, and
TIE great Genet came blazing out little
Johnny was apprehcnsive that the comet
might come too near the arv craft, and
set it on fire with whisk of its dreadful
tail. Bat when his sister assured him
that the frey dragon was 'as much as
twenty miles away, and that God would
MT let him hurt them, he wa tranouilized
but soon afterWard. said L wish he would
: come little nearer, so l could warm nv
f sclf-I'm so cold =
;
ped it about the child, saying tenderly:L
This is all sister has to make you warm.
darling, but she'll hug you close in her arms,
/ and we shall say onr prayers and you shall
90 to sleep
why, how can say my prayers. before
| have my supper?' asked little Johnnie.
SO the two baby wanderers, alone in the
, wide heavens, unawed by darkness, immen.
sty, and silence, by the presence of the
great comet and the millions of unpitying
stars, lifted their little casped hands. and
sobbcd out their sorrowful, Our Father,
and then that quaint little supplementary
f prayer.
Now lay me down to sleep,
pray the Lord my soul to keep,
II should die before | wake,
| pray the Lord my soul to take
There God heard that, easy; for We are
close to him, up here said innocent little
Johnnie.
Doubtless Divine Love stopped to the
little ones, folding them up in perfect peace
= Tor soon the younger, sitting on the bot
tom OF the car with his head leaning
against his sisters knee, slept as soundly
= as though he We're lying i'll his own little
+ bed, at home; while the elder watched
, quietly through the long, long hours, and
the car foated gently on in the still night
air, till it began to sway and rock on the
fresh morning wind.
| Who can divine that simple little child 5
thoughts, speculations, and wild imagn-
i. ings; while watching through those hours?
She may have feared coming in collision
; with meteor-ior many were abroad that
: night, scouts and herads of the great
] comet-or perhaps, being cast away on
some desolate star island, or more dreary
still, floating and floating on, night and
day, till they should both die of cold and
Y hunger. Poor babes in the clouds.
At length, happy chance, or Prov-
dence-we will say Providence-guided the
little girls wandering hand to a cord con-
nooted with the valve; something told her
3 to pull it. AT once the balloon began to
sink, slowly and gently, as though let down
by tender hands, or as though some celes-
tial pilot guided it through the wild cur
rants OF air, not letting it drop into lake. or
riyer; leaiy wood, or impenetrable swamp,
where the strange unchild like experance
might have been closed by death ofhorror:
but causing it to descend as softly as a bird
alights, on spot where human care and
ply await him.
: The sun had not yet risen, but the morn
ing twilight had come, when the little girl
: looking over the edge of the ear, saw the
1 dear old earth coming nearer-"rising to-
/ wards them, she said. But when the car
| stopped, to her great disappointment, it
was not on the ground, but caught fast in
t the topmost branches of pear tree. Yet
} she saw they We're near house whence
help might come, so she awakened her
: brother and together they watched for de-
] liyerauce, hugging each other for joy and
| warmth; for they were very cold.
! Farmer Buxton, who lived in q lonely
, house, IN the edge of his own private
prairie, was q famous sleeper in general,
J tu. on this particular morning ho awoke
before the dawn, and though he turned
and turned again no could sleep no more.
So, at last he said to his wife, whom he
mad kindly awakened to inform her ofhis
) unaccountable nsomnolencc. It'sno use;
) LII just get up and dress aud have look
at the comet.
The next that worthy woman heard from
her wakeful spouse was frightened sum.
mons to the door. 1t seems that no SOON
: er did he step forth from his house, than
} his eye fell on strange portentious shape
hanging in large pear tree, about twenty
yards distant He could see in it no like
) ness to anything earthly, and he half fam
cled itmght be the comet, who having put
cut his light, had come down there to perch.
In his fri,hf onI ho : H.