The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-06-24
What q Child SasC.

The Detroit Free Press says: Yester-
day morning, some people living on Ma
comb street entered house to find
father and mother beastly drunk on the
floor, and their child, four years old,
dead in his cradle. The parents looked
| like beasts-thc child wore the sweetest,
tenderest smile on It's white face that
any of them ever saw. 1t had been all
ing tor days, and its brief life had been
full OF bitter woe, but yet the woman
cried as she bent over the old cradle
and kissed Its cold cheeks and felt of its
icy hands.
Father and mother lay down at dark
the evening before, and people passing
by heard the child crying and wailing.
1t was too weak to crawl out of the cra-
die, and its voice was not strong enough
to break the chains of drunken stupor.
When the sun went down and the even
ing shadows danced across the floor, aud
seemed to grasp at him, the boy grew
afraid and cried out. The shadows came
faster, and as they raced around the
room and scowled darkly at the lone
child, he nestled down aud drew the
ragged blanket over his head to keep the
revengeful shadows tlom seizing him.
He must have thought his parents dead,
and how still the house seemed to him.
n
neighbors heard him wall; but no one
went in to comfort him and TO drive the
shadows away. The night grew Older
the feet OF pedestrians ceased to echo,
and the heavy breathing Of the drunk
ards made the child tremble and draw
the cover still closer. His little bare feet
were curled up, and he shut his eyes
tightly to keep from seeing the black
darkness.
BY and-by the ragged blanket was
gently pulled away, and the child opened
his eyes and saw great light in the
room.
@This is morning?' he whispered, but
the drunkards on the foor slept on.
Sweet, tender music came to the
child,s ears, and the light had driven
every shadow away. He was no longer
afraid. The aches and pains he had suf.
tered for days past went away all at once,
Smother, motherl hear the music" he
cried, and from out Of the soft, white
light came an angel.
81 am thy mother" she softly said.
He was not afraid. He had never seen
her before, but she looked SO good and
beautiful that he held up his wasted
hands and said:
II will 20 with you."
The. music grew yet softer, and the
m6lOuy Was 6O baQ anu t6uueI, anu ye|
so full of love and rejoicing, that the
drunkarks on the floor moved little and
muttered broken words.
Other angels came, and the light fell
upon pae boys face in blazing shower,
turnk Z his curls to threads of gold. He
held up his arms and laughed for joy.
"Heaven wants you," the angel whisp
lered. Earth has no more sorrow-ns
further misery. Comet"
And he floated away with them, leav
ing the sleepers lying as II dead. The
golden light faded out, the music died
away, and the old house was again filleG
with the grim, threatening shadows
which sat around the sleepers ant
touched their bloated faces with theil
gaunt skeleton fingers, and laughed hor
ribly when the drunkards groaned II
uneasy slumber.
When people came in the shadows
went out. The sleepers still slept theil
sodden sleep, and no one minded them
Men and women bent low over the deat
child, smoothed back his curls and whis
pered:
"Poor, dead boy"
They knew not that he had seen tn
angels, and that they had borne him t.
heavens gate. '