The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1877-01-08

bridges, and the water Tapped the piers
little more quickly, for the tile was
coming in. Red md green lights were
twinljing III the rigging Of the vessels,
and the crowd i'll the streets wNs thin.
ming, and still John Briggs and the child
sat talking together.
Once and again the child's thoughts
would turn to his dead mother, and he
would ask earnest, puzzling questions,
and always gently, always skillfully,
would the other lead him away from the
subject. .
"Tlerc amt no use tellin' the child
his mother was tIrowndetl," " he had saill
to Ben long before. "1f she fell in IT,
purpose-whicl amt no why's unlikely,
them London bridges helm IL dreadful
temptation to folks NJ is Worried i'll their
mintls-he mustn't never know it; an il
she fell III by accident, which mny be.
too, why he'd nlwlyS he thinkin' il
tllere'd been somebody there they might
I'M got her ont, so We iist won't tell him
ut all. "
They lad sat silcntfor some time, when
suddenly tho child spoke.
"Now, tlatl, III tell You Il story, such
nice, nice one, said Poppets, who had
been g,,zing for n long time ut the neon
shining 50 quietly down OIL them.
GAY, lad, tliat'll he prime Why,
come to think, POppets, you've never
told yer old lHl story yet.
"Wcll, Tin going to now" answered
the child, notliling his heal gravcly:
"Once upon time-that's the way 0Il
the stories begin in the fairy book yurI
bought me, Ind"
"All right, dcAry now then, go on.
'Once HpOn time y
"Once upon time, there was u good,
good man, who wns very very lonely,
cause of llnvin buried his little girl and
her mother"
"That's me-" said the listener, under
his l,renth, "Only don't know shout
the good. '"
"Husll, dad; yOu mustn't stop me,
warned Poppets, shaking his head at
him. "WGll, this good man WAS sailin,
on the river one night, and lewas feelin'
very low and very unhappy, and he was
sayiM' to himself: There amt nobody
left, and wish I wasn't left either
"Why, Poppets !" said john Briggs,
with gasp, "h0wil you know y
"Never mind; I know. Well, he was
thinkin' this, nnll the moon looked down
ut him, and she knew all about it, and
she'd sparkle mp tlle water, and she'd
smile nj him, and still he didn't notice
notIin'. So she kept tllinkin', tliinkin'
what she could do for this good, good
MIN. And by-aml.byc IL beautiful angel
came along, holding Il little girl and
the little girl Ind long yellow ctlrls and
blue eyes, md she called the pretty angel
mother. 7"
The child paused little, for the lis
tener lad shaded his face with his
hand, aud Poppets little tender fingers
went up to stroke it gently.
"Wcll, then, the moon and the mgel
talked about the MNn and hy-and-byo the
moon made u. LITTLE Don't out Of the moon
light, aid she put IL baby in Il, ant fs Y
she set it sniliil', sailin' down II streak Gf
light till il cilme to the water Hnd there
it WIS ruckin' up and down, and the
moon wntchiM' it. And then another
angel comes along, md abe says to the
moon: Where have y0Ii sent my baby?'
And the moon says: I've sent it to
tllat good, goM man, to he II comfort to
him. ;"
An soy0u nre, my blessed POppetS!'
mllIluurel tlp other fuNtllH.
Hush, dad; I'm not done. So the
moon and the two angels and the little
girl all stood watching the man. And
when he came to the bridge, the moon
sLOne out very bright and showed him
the little baby; and they saw him take
it up md hold it in his arms, and then
the two angels alid the little girl went
AWAY together. Well, the baby was' ii
very bad bnby for while, and almost
wore ont the good, good man; but he
took care Of it ull tile time And by
and.bye it grew 10 bC little boy, nnd
then the nun used to send it to school
i'll the winter, 80 it could learn to reNd
for him nights. And after while he let
this little boy go errntls for lim-Nnl
oil; how glad the little boy was to do it !!
for lie used to lie awake nights, wonder
in what lie conld ilo for this good man.
Well, the little hoy grew nnd grew till
lie got to be big, strong man, md lie
worked lnrl aud EIved up his money:
anl one iay he and the goWl man, who
had got to be al old man then, left the
bnnt with Ben, who was Il very good
mnn, too. And they went off together,
anl they got little home lly some
trees, and Il pretty field npar, with but
tercups in it, and bruok with crcsscS.
Dad, think o, tlmt And the little house
llad garlen, and the Young, strong man
used to work in it; and then he nSrd To
bring all kinds of nice things to the old
mRn, who sNt i'll IT big clair hy the door.
And they hNd II goNt-llO, II cow! Da,l,
wasn't that good? Wait, dad, tile Story'S
most done. And they lived there to-
gethera long, long time, mnd the little
boy that had grown to lie Il big, strong
man was so very, very happy, 'Carse nov
he could take care Of him. And the old
mnn lie wis hdppy too, and there wAs
nobody in all the world he loved 80 well
rs tue little baby the moon lMd sent him.
Aud often and often, Ind, the two angels
and the little girl used to come there
too, though the young man ind
the old mnn couldn't SEQ them; aud they
were all So happy, cause the good, gooil
man was huppy too. And that's all.
Dad, 10 you like it? Why, dal, you
are erwin !"
"Dless my little Poppets !''-anl
dad stopped to kiss the flushed cheeks
again and again.
And still the moon slioue softly,
steadily down. Ben Ind long ago tum-