The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-01-04

coming i'll. Red and green lights were
twinkling in the rigging of the vessels,
and the crowd in the streets was thin
ming, and still John Briggs and the child
sat talking together.
Once and again the child's thoughts
weuld 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.
"There amt no use tellin' the child
his mother was drownded," he had said
to Ben long before. elf she fell in a.
purpose-which amt no ways unlikely,
them London bridges bein' dreadful
temptation to folks as is Worried in their
minds-he mustn't never know it; an if
she fell in by accident, which may be,
too, why he'd always be thinlin' if
there'd been somebody there they might
ha' got her out, so we iist won't tell him
at all.
They had snt silent for some time, when
suddenly the child spoke
"Now, dad, I'll tell you story, such
a nice, nice one, said Poppets, who had
been gazing for n long time at the moon
shining so quietly down on them.
CAY, lad, that'll he prime Why,
come to think, Poppets, you've never
told yer old dad a story yet"
"Well, Tn going to now," answered
the child, nodding his head gravely.
"Once upon time-that's the way all
the stories begin in the fairy book you
bought me, dad"
. "All right, deary now then, go on.
Once upon time =
n
good man, who was very very lonely,
cause of havin' buried his little girl and
her mother"
"That's me-" said the listener, under
his breath, only don't know about
the good"
Hush, dad you mustn't stop me, -
warned Poppets, shaking his head at
him. "Well, this good man was sailin'
on the river one night, and he was feelin'
very low and very unhappy, and he was
sayin' to himself: There amt nobody
left, and / wish wasn't left either.
sWhy, Poppets !" said John Briggs,
with gasp, "how'd you know ?"
Never mind; know. Well, he was
thinkin' this, and the moon looked down
at him, and she knew all about it, and
she'd sparkle up the water, and she'd
smile at him, and still he didn't notice
nOthin'. So she kept thinkin'. thinllin'
what she could do for this good, good
man. And by-and-bye beautiful angel
came along, holding a little girl and
the little girl had long yellow curls and
blue eyes, and she called the pretty angel
mother.
The child paused Il little, for the lis
tener had shaded his face with his
hand, and Poppets' little tender fingers
went up to stroke il gently.
' Well. then, the moon and the angel
talked about the man: 3: and by-and- bye the
moon made little boat out of the moon
light. and she put Il baby in it, and then
she set il sailin', sailin' down Il streak of
light till it came to the water and there
it was ruckin' up and down, and the
moon watchin' it. And then another
angel comes along. and she says to the
moon: Where have you sent my baby 2
And The moon says I've sent it to
tllat good, good man, TO be comfort to
him. ;"
"An' soyou are, my blessed Poppets :"
murmured the other, fondly.
" Hush, dad; I'm not done. So the
moon and the two angels and the little
girl al stood watching the man. And
when he came to the bridge, the moon
shone out very bright and showed him
the little baby; and they saw him take
it up and hold it i'll his arms, and then
the two angels and the little girl went
away together. Well, the baby was II
very bad baby for. IL while. and almost
wore out the good, good man; but he
took care Of it all the time And by
and-bye it grew to be n little boy. and
then the man used to send it to school
i'll the winter, SO it could learn to read
for him nights. And after Il while he LET
this little boy go errands for him-and
oh, how glad the little boy was to do it
for he used to lie awake nights, wonder
in what he could do for this good man.
Well, the little boy grew and grew till
he got to be big, strong man, and he
worked hard and saved up his money;
and one day he and the good man, who
had got to be an old man then, left the
boat with Ben, who was very good
man, too. And they went off together,
and they got little home by some
trees, and pretty field near, with but
tercups in it, and brook with crosses.
Dad, think o that And the little house
had garden; and the young, strong man
used to work in it; and then he used to
bring all kinds of nice things to the old
man, who sat III a big chair by the door.
And they had goat-no, COW Dad,
wasn't that good =? Wait, dad, the storys
most done. And they lived there to-
gether long, long time, and the little
boy that had grown to be Il big, strong
man was so very very happy, cause now
he pOull fake pora nf him And tho oil
man he was happy too, and there was
nobody in all the world he loved so well
as the little baby the moon had sent him.
And often and often, dad, the two angels
and the little girl used to come there
too, though the young man and
the old man couldn't see them; and they
We're all SO happy, cause the good good
man was happy too. And that's all.
Dad, do you like it? Why, dad, you
are cryin' -
"Bless my little Poppets !'t-and
" ,!al " stopped to kiss the flushed cheeks
again md again.
Ana still the moon shoue softly,
steadily down. Ben had long ago tum-
bled into his bunk, and the two were left
alone together. Poppets had laid his
head on his protectors breast, and was
half asleep, the sparkle of the
light upon the water.
Soon the bells rang ont over the city,
the hour of twelve. Poppets
was asleep. The other only drew him
a little closer he had often slept the
night through so before. In his dreams.
the child was seeing the little cottage of
his hopes, and far into the night John
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