Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-05-26
The BABES IN THE CLOUDS.

One pleasant Sunday afternoon during
! the comets appearance, ten years ago,
an RrOnaut, after a prosperous voyage,
| descended upon farm in the neighbOr-
/ hood ola large market town in one of
/ the Western States. He was soon sur
/ rounded by curious group of the farm
! eT's family and labOrers, all asking ca
/ ger questions about the voyage and the
management of the balloon. That, Sc
/ cured by an anchor and a rope in the
| hand Ofthe 9erOnaut, its car but foot or
two above the ground, was swaying laz-
| lily backward and forward in the eve
ming air. 1t was a good deal out of wind,
! and was a sleepy and innocent monster
/ in the eyes of the farmer, who, with the
owners, led it up to the house, where, as
he said, he could "hitch it' to the fence.
But before he thus secured it, his three
children, aged respectively ten, eight
and three, begged him to lift them "intO
that big basket" that they might sit on
''thOse pretty red cushions While the
attention of the 8rOnaUt was diverted
by more curious questiOners from 4
neighbOring farm, this rash father lifted
his darlings, one by one into the car.
Chubby little Johnny proved the "OUnce
too much" for the ferial camel, and
brought him to the ground; and then,
unluckily, not the baby, but the eldest
hope of the family, was lifted out. The
relief was to great for the monster. The
vOlitile creatures spirits rose at once, he
jerked the halter out of the farmers
hand, and with 4 bound mounted into
the air! Vain was the aarOnaUt's anchor
It caught for moment in a fence, but
it tore away, and was off, dangling use
lessly after the runaway balloon, which
so swiftly and steadily rose that, in a few
minutes, those two little white faces
peering over the edge of the car, grew
indistinct, and those piteOus cries of
| ''papa" mammal" grew fainter and
fainter up in the air
When distance and twilight mists had
swallowed up voices and faces, and moth
ing could be seen but that dark, cruel
shape, sailing triUmphantly away with
its precious booty, like an Rrial privateer
the poor father sank down helpless and
speechless; but the mother frantic with
grief, still stretched her yearning arms
toward the inexOrabIe heavens, and call
ed wildly up into the unanswering void.
The 8erOnaut strOve to console the
wretched parents with the assurance
that the balloon would descend within
thirty miles Of the town, and that all
might be well with the children, prOvi-
ded it did not come down in water, or in
deep woods. In the event of its descend
ing in a favorable spot, there was but
one danger to be apprehended; he
thought that the elder child might step
out, leaving the younger in the balloon.
Then 1t might again rise and continue
its voyage.
''Ah, no." replied the mother, "Jen-
nie would never stir from the car with
out Johnny in her arms!'
The balloon passed directly over the
market town, and the children, seeing
many people in the streets, stretched out
their hands and cried loudly for help.
But the villagers, though they saw the
bright little heads, heard no call.
Amazed at the strange apparitiOn, they
might almost have thought the transla-
ted little creatures small angel naviga-
tors on some voyage of discovery, some
little cherubic adventure of their own,
as, heading toward the rosy elOud-IandS
and purple islands of sunset splendOr,
they sailed deeper and deeper into the
West, and faded away.
Some company they had, poor little
sky-waifs! Something cOmfOrted them,
and allayed their wild terrOrs-some-
thing whispered to them that below the
night and clouds, was home; that above
was God; that wherever they might drift
or clash, living or dead, thew would still
be in His domain, and under His care.
that though borne away amoHg,the stars
they could not be lost, for his love would
follow them.
When the sunlight all went away, and
the great comet came blazing out, little
Johnny was apprehensive that the COM
ct might come too near the airy craft, |
and set it on fire with q whisk of its
dreadful tail. But when his sister as
sured him that the fiery dragon was "as |
much as twenty miles away" and that |
God wouldn't let him hurt them, he was |
tranquilized, but soon afterwards said, |
II wish he would come a little nearer,
so could warm myself-Tm so cOIdp. |
Then Jennie. took off her apron, and |
wrapped 1t about the child, saying ten
derly-
'"This is all sister has to make Won
warm, darling, but she'll hug you close |
Ill her arms, and we will say our PRAYERS
and shall go to Sleep"
'Why, how can I say nv PRAYERS ba-
fore l have my supper?' asked little
Johnny.
"Sister hasn't any supper for YOU or
herself, but wemust pray all the harder" !
solemnly responded Jennie.
80 the two baby wanderers, alone i'm |
the wide heavens, unawed by darkness,
and silence, by the presence
of the great comet and the millions of
stars, lifted their clasped hands |
and sobbed out their sOrrowfuI "Our Fa-
ther," and then that quaint little supple
mentary prayer:
Now lay me down TO sleep
pray the Lord my soul to keep;
II should die before I wake
Ipray the Lord my sOnl to take
There! God heard that easy; for we
are close to him up here, ," said the innO-
cent little Johnny.