Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-04-17
THE BABES IN THE CLOUDS.

Sixteen years ago, there suddenly
burst upon the western world a mag
nificent stranger from foreign parts,
with all his travelling glories on" 1t
was the great comet of 1853, on the
grand tour of the universe.
1t seemed strange that petty human
life could go on as usual with its eat
ing and drinking, toiling, trafficking
and pleasuring. while that flaming
minister" on his billion leagued cir
cult, was preaching the wonders of in
finite immensely and power, and the
nothingness of earth. The comet no
longer runs his kindling race, like
Vich Alpine's henchman, with his fiery
cross, announcing war and disaster.
Herald of battle, fate and fear.
He is on his own business, not ours.
Under the tail of this particular
comet doubtless many a tale OF love
was told-in the light of his swift
splendors many tender look exehang-
ed. The astronomer coolly swept the
starry field with his glass, unawed by
the regular night-guard patrolling the
heavens, and the robber and murderer
disdained the awful witness. He left
US as he found us-joined to our NOR
tai idols, wise in our own conceit,
weak, and worldly, and wicked, but no
castaways of the universe after all
We remember that comet summer,
not so much for its great astronomical
event as for two singular incidents
that more nearly touched our human
sympathies, which will grovel in poor
earthly affairs, even within sight of
the most august celestial phenomena.
One pleasant Saturday afternoon du-
ring the comets appearance, an aero
naut, after a prosperous voyage, des-
cended upon a farm in the neighbor-
hood of large market town In one of
the Western states. He was soon sur
rounded by a curious group of the
farmers family and laborers, all
asking eager questions about the voy-
age and the management of the bal
loon. That, secured by an anchor and
rope in the hand of the aeronaut, its car
being foot or two above the ground,
was swaying lazily backward and for
ward in the evening air. twas good
deal out of wind, and was sleepy and
innocent monster in the eyes of the
farmer, who, with the owners permits
sion, led it up to his house, where, as
he said, he could hitch it to his fence.
But before he had 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 cush-
ions"
While the attention of the aeronaut
was diverted by more curious question
ers from a neighboring farm, this rash
father lifted his darlings one by one
into the car Chubby little Johnny
proved the ounce too much for the
aerial camel, and brought him to the
ground; and then, unluckily, not the
baby, but the eldest hope of the fami-
ly, was lifted out. The relief was too
great for the monster. The volatile
creatures spirit rose at once, he jerked
his halter out of the fathers hand,
and, with a wild bound, mounted into
the air! Vain was the areonaut's- an
Choir. 1t caught for a moment in a
fence, but it tore away. and was of,
dangling uselessly after the runaway
balloon, which so swiftly, and steadily
rose that in few minutes those two
little white faces peering over the edge
of the car, grew indistinct, and those
piteous cries of Papa p and Nam
ma !" grew faint and fainter in the air.
When distance and twilight mists
had swallowed up voices and faces,
and nothing could be seen but the
dark, cruel shape, sailing triumphantly
away, with its precious booty, like an
aerial privateer, the poor father sank
down helpless and speechless; but the
mother, frantic with grief, still stretched
her yearning arms towards the inexor-
able heavens, and called wildly into
the unanswerlng void.
The aeronaut strOve to console the
wretched parents with assurances that
the balloon would descend within
thirty miles of the town, and that all
might be well with the children, pro-
yided that it did not come down in wa
ter or in deep woods. In the event of
Its descending in favorable spot, they
thought that the elder child might step
out leaving the younger in the balloon.
Then 1t might again raise and continue
Its voyage.
"Ah, no." replied the mother, "Jen-
ME would never stir from the car
without 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 called loudly for
help. But the villagers, though they
saw the bright little heads, heard no
call.
Amazed at the strange apparition,
they might have thought the transla-
ted little creatures small angel naviga-
tors on some voyage of discovery, some
little cherubic venture of their own,
as, heading towards the rosy cloud
lands and purple islands Of sunset
splendOr, they sailed deeper and deep
or into the west, and faded away.
Some company they had, poor little
sky-waifs? Something comforted
them and allayed their wild ter
rors-something whispered that below
the night and clouds was home that
above was God, that wherever they
might drift or clash, living or dead,
they will 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 j ohnny was apprehensive that the
comet might come too near their airy
craft, and set it on fire with a wisk of
its dreadful tail. But when his sister
assured him that the fry dragon was
as much as twenty miles away" and
that Cod Mnnlhn't Let him hnrt them