The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1872-12-21
A child's Dream.
by cuARIEs DICKENS

siYuff
There was once child, aud he
strolled about a good deal, aud dSthought
of number of things. He had "a sister,
who was child, too, aud his constant
companion. These two used I'd wonder
all day long. They wondered at the
beauty of flowers they wondered at the
goodness aud power of God, Who made
the lovely world.
They used to say to one another some.
times: "Surposing all the children ON
the earth were to die, would tlie flowers,
and the water, aud the sky be sorry 2"
They believed they would be sorry.
"For, said they, "the buds are the
children of the flowers, and tie playful
little streams that gambol down the hill
sides are the children of waters and the
smallest bright specks playing at hide
aud seek in the sky all night must surely
be the children of the stars; and they
would be grieved to sec their fhyma,es,
the children of men, no more. =
here w!s a star that used to come
on tho sky before the rest, near the
church spire, above the graves. 1t was
larger and more beautiful they thought
than all the others, aud every night
they watched for it, standing hand in
hand by the window whoever saw it
first cried out:
81 see the start" @ Fsa
Aud often they tcried out together,
knowing so well when it would rise and
where. So they grew 10 Be sacis iiifi0ndsg
with it tha. before lying down in their
beds they looked out once asain to bid
it good night; and when they were
turning around to sleep, they said
"God bless that star !"
But while sle was still very youns,
oh, very young, the sister dropped, aui
came to be gu weak that she could no
longer stand in tie window at night.
and then the child looked sadly by him.
self, and when he saw, til, star, turned
round to che patient, pale lace on the
bed, and said 81 See the star !" and then
smile would como upon her face, and
the weak little voice used to say.
Good bless my dear brother and the
star. !"
Aud so the time came all too SION.
when there was no faco on the bed; anti
there WIS little grave among the
graves not there before, and when the
star mnde long rays towards him who
sa@ it through his tears,
Now, these rays were so bright, and
they seemed to make such beautiful
way from earth to heaven. that when
the child went to his solitary bed, he
dreamed of the star and dreamed that
lying where he was, he saw train Of
people taken up the shining road by
angels. And the star opening, showed
him great world of light, where many
more such angels waited to receive them.
All the angels who were waiting
turned their beaming eyes upon the
people who were carried up into the
star; ahd' soon came out from the long
rows in which they stood, and fell upon
the p, ollc's necks and kissed them
tenderly, and went away with them
down avenues of light, aud were so hap.
py in their company, that lying in bed
he wept for JOY.
His dear sisters angel fingered near
the entrance of the star, and said to the
leader among those who had brought
the people thither:
HAS my dear brother come ?"
She was turning hopefully away,
when the child stretched out his arms,
and ,aid--"o, my dear sister, am
here! take met aud then she turned
her sweet beaning eyes upon him, and
thenst was night, and the star was
shining into his room, making rays
down toward him as he saw them
through his tears.
From that moment the child looked
out upon the star as one of the homes
he was to SO TO, when the time should
come aud he thought he did not belong
to earth alone, but to the star, too, be-
cause of his sisters angel gone before.
There was baby born to be
brother Of the child and while he was
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