Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-12-24


mop at Joe Pogglesby like flag of truce,
| for Joe Pogglesby il not that child's faith.
er to Grab, Familiarity, or Joe anybody
else. if she ia not there.
| When Little Dipper kisses Joe Pog-
glesby's black face, Sally Pogglesby
says: "Lor, Joe, why can't you stop
till you've cleaned the nasty smudge of
the mill off"
And Joe says: "Lor, Sally, what's
the odds? Can't the child kiss me lust
as well with the smudge on?'
And Little Dipper does kiss Joe over
and over again, which is very naughty
in nice little girl in clean apron to
do; but then she is only the blind child
of a poor puddler, and what else can be
expected of her? They ali laugh, and
Sally Pogglesby, unable to stand out any
longer against such gladness, on q
Christmas eve, especially, kisses her
sold Joe," too, with hearty, wifely
smack, and says, good humoredly, "You
| ought to be ashamed, both of YOU ~
which, as matter of course, they are.
terribly so.
When Joe has cleaned the mill-smudge
off in the back room they sit down to
supper. After this, Joe lights his pice
and takes Little Dipper on his knee, and
there is as pretty a picture, with the
warm light thrown on from winter
fire, as you would wish to see in any
poor puddler's Castle of Humble Con-
tent.
Little Dipper asks if there have been
"any stars to- day." and Joe says "Lots
of EN- ?'
Between the puffs of his pipe he tells
her how there was great blast that day
at the mill. How he and his fellow
puddlers worked away at an Ogre fur
mace with its open jaws, until it was like
huge monster wanting to eat them all
up that they stirred him up, making
him more fiery and angry at every stir !;
big lump of fiery metal which he had
| been feeding on, and then swung it un-
| der another giant.
II know" ,"the child cries, "Giant Trip
| Hammer"
Yes said Joe, "that's him, and
when that big bully came down on the
lump of metal with his mighty fist. then
she should have heard it shrek and seen
the stars fly"
MANY of them, and bright?"
MANY? Millions upon millions of
| 'en. Flying up and dancing about like
mad, and sparkling thousand times
brighter than the red and yellow dia-
monds in Aladdin's wonderful cave
| Then they died out, and gave way to
millions more just as bright and dane.
ing every time the big coward let his
hand fall, until the fiery lump changed
into bar, and was swung off to give
room to other fiery Jumps out of the
blazing jaws of the great furnace. Stars,
indeed! Worlds full of 'em"
AS Joe Pogglesby told his blind child
this about the Ogre Fiery-furnace and
Giant Trip-hammer, she sat looking up
into his face; and when he had finished
she laid her bead on bis breast and said !:
'Oh, Father Joe, what grand stars 4; and
now show me the Dipper"
Joe Poggleshy moved his chair to the
window, and pointing at the constella-
ton as ifshe can see it-and she looks
upwards from long custom as if she can
/ says.
ever"
mot one gomez"
mot one; there they are, seven of
'eIn, blazing away for Christmas
sake"
Matthew, Mark, Luke aud John, Joe
and Sally and Little Dipper- ali thers?"
the child asks.
| Every one Of 'em.'
| us my little star at the end of the
hanile-is that as bright az the others ?"
Brighter tonight, I think" says
Joe; 'ever so much brighter than Luke
and Matthew, aud as for Joe and Sally,
they're only talIow dips to Little Dipper
in the handle"
Her event OF the day is over; her les
son of happiness is learned.
THANK you, Father Joe. The stars
are keeping Christmas in Heaven, and
Little Dipper's star is with them. And,
Father joe, lay me where can see the
stars to night"
Her head sinks quietly to rest on the
heart of the puddler, and as they place
her in the little crib by the window,
Sally Pogglesby says:
"Oh, Joe, Joe! Does God see all his
creatures, and forget our blind child ?"
AS Little Dipper lay with her face
turned to the stars dancing in the dark
clear blue sky, what do you think hap
sky. what do you think it was? Why,
Little Dipper's star opened, and the light
| from within was SO grand and so beauti-
full that she had never thought of any
thing 80 grand or SO beautiful before.
But that was nothing to what follow
ed. A funny looking, little old woman
stood right in the entrance of the STAR
She was dressed in scarlet cloak and q
black velvet sugarloaf hat, in quilted
petticoat, with big silver buckles on her
high. heeled shoes, leaning on a cross.
handled cane, and there was q big black
cat on her shoulder, with tail as big
as big as q poiiceman's club. Looking
down at Joe Pogglesby's window, the
queer old lady beckoned to Little Dip
per to come up. Actually waved heI
cane to the child to come up into the
star.
While Little Dipper was thinking
how she should go up to the star, even
if she wanted to GO ever so bad, she sud-
denly felt wings growing out Of hel
shoulder. Sure enough wings, as love
/ ly aud feathery as any angel ever wore
and they opened, and the first thing she
knew, she was flying upward to the
stars. There was Grab with wings, sail.
ing along, too. Little nipper laughed
so heartily at this that Crab didn't like
it at all. His dignity was wounded.
When they feaehed the star the old
lady said Come in Little Dipper, and
come in old Crab" and directly they
were inside, Tia, star closed with loud
snap, and there they were, shut up in
the star.
Don't be afraid" said the old wo
man.
"I'm not afraid, ma'am." But sh'
was, though, just a little bit.
Crab gave sharp growl at the cat, a
much as to say: "You needn't think
am afraid, because 4,h nol.n
) The little old woman said, "Neve
+ mind, you're all safe, Grab i and thel
: the black cat sprang into the;air and wa
instantly changed into beautiful bir'
: and it flew away singing, as IL to Civ
! notice to all the inhabitants ofthe star
8 Little Dipper's come" And then 9th
f er birds flew out from trees bearing grea
ripe, rich fruit, and they all caught u
the same song, until Crab and his mis-
!! tress couldn't hear anything but tn
sweet carol of the birds.
: Little Dipper was just going to say
r "What do you think Of that, Crab !?
t when she missed the old woman in tn
sugar-loa hat, and there standing in he
: place, was the mot beautiful lady tina
4 could be seen out of fairy srene in
r pJav All in GRAND n,IlsIir and sDAnple