River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-08-19
The Comet.


The Comet.
Aud the comet came, with luminous
head, and threatening his fiery tail.
1t was gazed at from palace to cot. by
the crowd upon the street and the
lonely wanderer over the painless
heath and each Ct all the gazers had
his own thoughts about it. "Come
and see the sign in the sky ~ were
words on the lips of all, and all hast.
ened to see.
But in tine house a little boy was
sitting quietly with his mother; the
tallow candle was burning, and the
mother thought she perceived "shav-
ing" in the light. The tallow had
raised in a point, and formed curl,
which, as she thought, signified that
her little boy would soon die, for the
shaving turned toward him. 1t was an
old superstition, and she believed it.
But the little boy was to live many
years upon the earth-live and see the
comet when, after more than sixty
years, it should re appear.
The little boy did not see the omen
in the light, nor did he think of the
comet which now, for the first time in
his life, was shining from heaven. He
was sitting with mended bowl con-
tanning soap-suds, into which he was
dipping the head of clay pipe, then
putting the stem to his mouth and
blowing off bubbles, little and big,
they waived and scared in most beauti
full colors, changing from yellow to red,
lilac and blue, and then becoming
green, like the forest leaf, transparent
in the sunlight.
"God grant you years upon earth as
numerous as the soap-bubbles you
blow ~ said his mother.
$50 many so manyl" said the lit
tie boy. "The spds can never be blown
up!" and the little one blew bubble
after bubble. "There goes a year
See how they fly" said he as each
bubble Aoated away. A couple of them
went directly into his eyes, giving them
pain and bringing tears. In each bub-
BILE he had a vision of the future, shin
ing, glittering.
1--WE can see the comet !" called the
neighbors. ooh, come out; don't sit
in there !n
And the mother took the little one
by the hand; he he'd to Lag away the
pipe, the soap-bubble toy the comet
was there, and the little one saw the
shining ball with the fiery tail. Some
said it seemed To be three yards long !;
others that u was millions of yards /;
people see differently.
"Children aud children's children
may be dead before it comes again, :"
said the people; and the most of those
who said it we're dead and gone when
il came again. But the little boy; for
whom the shaving stood in the candle,
and concerning whom the mother
thought, "he will soon die I" yet, was
old and white.haired. The old adage
saws that 't.white hair is tho blossoms
Of old age !" and with him the bios.
som was profuse; he was now an old
school master. His pupils spoke OF
him as wise, knowing so much of his
tory, geography and astronomy.
"All things return he said; "only
set your mark upon characters and
transactions, and you will always find
the same again, in some other dress.
some other country"
And the school-master told them of
William Tell, who was compelled 90
shoot an apple from the head Of his
son but. before shooting, had con
cealed upon his breast another arrow
with which 10 pierce the breast OF the
wicked Gesler In Switzerland this
occurred, but many years before the
same transpired in Denmark with Pal
natoke. He, too, was compelled TO
shoot an apple from the head of his
son. and, like Tell, concealed an arrow
with which 10 take revenge; and, furth-
or back, more than a thousand years,
the same event is recorded as having
transpired in Egypt; the same events
re.appear as do the comets they dis
appear, remain while away, and then
come back again.
And he told Of the comet, now ex.
pected, the comet which he had seen
when he was little boy. The school
master knew much about the heavenly
bodies, meditated upon them, and vel
did not forget history and geography
He had laid out his garden in th,
shape 81 the map Of Denmark. Her,
herbs and flowers we're arranged &C
cording 10 the adaptation Of soil In diff
ferent parts Of the country. "Brin
me peas ~ he said, and these wer
brought from the bed that representa-
Holland. Bring me buckwheat !
and this was brought from Langslana