Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-08-29
The Angels.

Whenever a good child dies an angel from
heaven comes down to earth, and takes the
dead child in his arms, spreads out his great
white wings and flies away over all the
places the child had loved, and picks quite a
handful of flowers, which he carries up to
the Almighty, that they may bloom more
brightly than on earth and the Father
presses all the flowers to his heart but he
kisses the flower that pleases him best, and
the flowers are then endowed with a voice,
and can join in the great chorus of praise.
See this is what an angel said as he
carried dead child up TO heaven; and the
child heard, as if in dream and they went
over the regions of home where the little
child had played, and came through gardens
with beautiful flowers. Which Of these
shall we take with us to plant in heaven ?"
asked the angel.
Now there stood near them slender,
beautiful rose-bush but a wicked hand had
broken off the stem, so that all the branches,
covered with half-broken buds, were hang
ing around quite withered.
"The poor rose-bush !" said the child
take it, that it may bloom up yonder."
And the angel took it, and kissed the
child, and the dear little one half opened
his eyes. They plucked some of the rich
flowers, but also took with them the wild
pansy and despised buttercup.
"Now we have flowers" said the child
And the angel nodded, but he did not fly
upward 10 heaven. II was night and quite
silent. They remained in the great city
They floated about there in a small street
where lay whole heaps of straw, ashes and
sweepings, for it had been removal day
There lay fragments of plates, bits of plas
| tor and old hate and oil thiu did pn
look well; and the angel pointed amid al
this confusion to a few fragments of flower
pot, and to a lump Of earth which had fallen
out, which was held together by the roots
of a great dried flower, which was of no use
We will take that with MS" said the
angel. " | will tell you why as we fly onward.
" Down yonder in the narrow lane lived 9
poor sick boy; from his childhood he had
been bedridden. When he was at his best
he could go up and down the room few
times, leaning on crutches; that was the ut
most he could do. For few days in sum.
mer the sunbeams would penetrate for &
few hours to the floor Of his room, and wher
the poor boy sat there, and the sun shont
upon him, he looked at the red blood in his
thin fingers, and he would say, Yes to-day
he has been out = He knew the forest witt
its beautiful vernal green only from the fac
1t Al
tna1 Ihe helshDors HUE son Drought MN
.he nrs1 green orahch OF Deech-tree; aho
ne helu th't up over MS mead ana dreamed
ne was III the oeech"oou' where the SUI
s,iohe allu .he p,rus sang IN spring aa,
sne ne'gnpor poy oIough. MN aiso ilel'
nowels' anu among .nehi MAS oy chahoe
one 70 wiiirh .ne roo. was sun hanging; al'
so ~ was planted III mower pot ana Place'
oy the pea, close 10 the wlhaow' ana tl'
mower hau oeeh planted oy aiortuhate manu-
anu IL grew, .nrew ou' new SHOOTS, auu Dor
i,owers every year, ~ became sPienui'
nower, sa[uen 10 elle Sickly poy-niS nun
! treasure mere on earth' lie watered IL aii'
.ehue e IL, ana .ook goou care tlias IL got .h'
oeleh. oi every ray o. sunl'gh.' GOWN 10 ''l'
,a;eSI .naV S.ruieu i,i through .he narrow
"ihuoW grew io' MN anu Si'aueheu III
eyes anu spread us fragrance ABOUT MN
ana .o"a,u ~ ne 'u'ngu ~ uea'il' wneii .,i'