Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-03-07
The Angels.
BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.

Whenever II good child dies, au 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 IL handful of flowers, which he
carries up to the Almighty that they may
bloom more brightly than on earth, and
the Father presses i'll the flowers to His
heart; but he kisses the flower that
pleases him best, and the flowers are then
endowed with voice, and can Join in
the great chorus of praise.
"See this is what IN angel said rs he
carried dead child up to Heaven, and
the child heard, as if in dream; and
they went on 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 wicked hand
had broken off the stem, so that all the
branches, covered with half broken buds,
were hanging around quite wtherod.
1.-The poor rose bushh said the child.
"Take it, that it may bloom up yonder. ="
And the angel took it, and kissed the
child, and the little one half opened his
eyes. They plucked some Of the rich
flowers, but also took with them the wild
pansy and the despised buttercup.
"Now we have flowers" said the child.
And the angel nodded, but he hill not fly
upward to Heaven. 1t was night and
quite silent They remained in the great
city they iloated about there in small
street, where lay whole heaps of straw,
ashes, and swccpings, for it had been re-
moval day. There lay fragments of
plates, bits of plaster, rags, and old hats,
and all this did not look well. And the
angel pointed amid all this confusion to II
few fragments of Aower-pot, and to Il
lump of earth which had fallen out, which
was kept together by the roots of Il great
dried flower, which was Of no use, and had
therefore been thrown out into the street.
We will take that with u.s." said the
angel.
Il will tell you why rs we fly onward"
"Down yonder in the narrow lane,
lived II poor sick boy; from his childhood
he had been bedridden. When he was at
his best he could go up aud down the
room Il few times, leaning on cratches;
that was the utmost he could do. For
few days in summer the sunbeams would
penetrate for II few hours to the floor of his
room, and when the poor boy sat there and
the sun shone upon him, and he looked ut
the red blood in his thin fingers, and he
would say, Yes, to day he has been out!H
He knew the forest with its beautiful yer.
nal green only from the fact that the
neighbor's little son brought him the first
green branch of a beech tree, and he held
that up over his head and dreamed he
was in the beech wood, where the sun
shonc and the birds sang. On spring day
the neighbours boy brought him also field
flowers, and among them was, by chance,
one to which the root was still hanging;
and so it was planted in flower pot, and
placed by the bed, close to the window.
And the flower had been planted by Il
fortunate hand and it grew, threw out new
shoots and bore flowers every year. Ia
became splendid flower garden to the
sickly-boy-his little treasure here on
earth. lie watered it and tended it, and
took good care that it had the benefit of
every ray of sunlight, dowu to the latest
that struggled in through the narrow WIN
dow; it grew for him and gladdened his
eyes, and spread its fragrance about him
and towards it he turned in DEATH when
the Father called him. lie has now been
with the Almighty for year; for II year
The flower has stood forgotten in the win
dow, and is withered and thus, at the re
moYal, it has been thrown ont INFO the
lust of the street. And this is the poor
Hover which we have taken into our nose
gay; for this flower has given more Joy
han the richest in Queens garden"
" But how do you know all this?' asked !
he child.
Il know it," said the angel, "for my
self was that boy who walked on crutches
know my flower well"
And the child opened his eyes and look
I'd into the glorious happy la,e of the
nigel and at the same moment they enter
I'd the region where there is peace and Joy
And the Father pressed the dead child to
Ills bosom, and then it received wings like
he angel, and flew hand in hand with
linn. And the Almighty kissed the dry
field flower, and it received
voice and sang with all the angels hover.
ng around-some near ana some in wild
II circles, and some in infinite distance,
1ut all equally happy. And they all sang
little and great, the good and happy
'hild, and the poor field flower that had
ain there wthcred thrown among the
: Al. - Il