The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-01-01

father sank down helpless and speecbless.
hut the mother, frantic with grief, still
stretched her yearning arms toward the
ine1orable heavens, and called wildly up
into the unanswering void.
The pronaut strove to console the
wretohed parents with assurances that the
| balloon would descend within thirty miles of
town, and that all might be we'll with the
children, provided it did not come
down In water, or in deep woods. In
the event of its descending in favorable
spot, there was but one danger to be appre-
hended; he thought that the elder child
might step ont, leaving the younger in the
balloon. Then, it might again RISE and
continue its voyage.
"Ah. no" replied the mother. Jennie
would never stir from the car. witbont
johnnie in her arms!'
The balloon passed directly over the 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 translated
little creatures small angel navigators on
some voyage OF discovery, some little che
ruolc venture Of their own, as, heading
toward the rosy cloud-lands and purple
islands of sunset splendor, they sailed deeper
and deeper into the West and faded away.
Some company they had, poor little sky
walfs Something comforted them, and
aliayed their wild terrors-something whis-
pered them that below the night and clouds
was home; that above was God; that where
ever they might drift or clash, 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 the
great comet came blazing out, little Johnnie
was apprehensive that the comet might
come too near their airy craft and set
1t on lire with q whisk of its dreadful
tall But when his sister assured 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
afterward said, "I wish lie would come n
Little nearer, SO could warm myself-Im
so cold"
Then Jennie took off her apron, and
wrapped it about the child, saying tenderly.
This is oil sister has to make you warm.
darling, but she'll hug you close in her
arms, and we will say our prayers, and YOU
shall go to sleep"
"Why, how can say my prayers before
have my supper?" asked little Johnnie.
Sister hasn't any supper for you, or for
solemnly responded Jennie
So the two baby wanderers alone in the
wide heavens, unawed by darkness, immen-
s'ty and silence, by the presence of the great
comet and the millions of Implying stars
lifted their little casped hands, and solbed
out their sorrowful "Our Father" and then
that quaint little supplementary prayer:
Now lay mo down to sleep.
Il pray the Lord my soul to keep
If 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 stooped to the
little ones, and folded them in perfect peace
for 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 were lying in his own little bed at home:
while the elder watched quietly through tho
long, long hours, and the car hoated 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's
thoughts, speculations and wild imaginings,
while watching through those hours? She
may have feared coming in collision with
meteor-tor many were abroad that night,
scouts and heralds of the great comet0or.
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 hunger. Poor
babes in the clouds!
At length, happy chance, or Providence
We will say Providence-guided the little
girls wandering hand to cord connected
with the valve, something told her to pull
1T. AT once the balloon began to sink,
slowl ly and gently. as though let down by
tender lands; or as though some celestial
pilot guided it through the wild currents of
mir, not lettingit it drop into lake or river, lofty
wood, or impenetrable swamp, where this
strange unchile-like experience might have
been closed by death of unspeakabe hor-
ror; but causing it to descend aa softly as @