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

was welcome, daughter of Joe, the
puddler; welcome to the new fairy
realms Of light"
Little Dipper cried with pleasure
She wished that her father and mother
were there to hear the beautiful birds
singing their songs of welcome, and old
Grab jumped up and kissed her eyes,
and then he ran about barking as if he
were trying to sing like the BIRDS
There never was such mad old Crab.
Then the fairy Iris took little Dipper
with her in fairy car, and showed her
the wonderful beauties of land and wa
ter and flowers, and everything which
the great God has given to gladden. the
eyes and hearts of his children.
The fairy pulled the check string, and
the coachman reined in the fairy mules
before magnificent temple. They
were like the white mules belonging to
the rolling-mill-onIy the fairy mules
had wings Of course, or where was the
use of being fairy mules at all.
There never was such fairy temple
as that. Columns and arches covered
with glittering gold, and grand mirrors
and fragrant flowers everywhere; and
pictures on the walls of good fairies and
bad ogres; and birds singing in silver
cages and more fairies in short tunics
and silk stockings, as beautiful as the
good fairy Iris, who. came more and
more every minute to be like Sally Pog-
glesby, only Sally never appeared in
public in a short tunic and strawberry
cream tights.
There never was such a Christmas
tree out of fairy temple It had long,
sweeping branches full Of toys and can
dies, and the loveliest things imagina-
BILE, and the fairies did nothing but
take the gifts from the big Christ
mas tree and hang them On small
Christmas trees, just as Santa Claus had
directed them, and of which-her own
among them-there were more than you
could count on long summers day if
the day were as long as year.
And now," said the fairy, ''let me
introduce you to some other little friends
of mine" And she led little Dipper to
where there were some children about
her own age, and when little Dipper
looked at them, she saw they were all
blind. Not blind like herself exactly,
for they couldn't see her, and yet she
could see them. The child was drawn
to one little blind girl more than to any
other, and little Dipper the more she
looked, the more she came to see in the
poor blind face, although it looked sad .
der than her own, an exact likeness of
herself. And Little Dipper went up to
the likeness and kissed her closed eve
lids, and said:
"Tell me your name, dear little sister,"
Dipper, but from this night shall never
hD vnis ind tt,r>o hat
was"
Joe Pcgglesby's Little Dipper couldn't
understand it.
"Now, my DEAR" said the fairy,
''come and let us find old Crab"
The fairy took her to little bed room
which was not grand like the temple,
but seemed to be more like Joe Poggles
by's back room at home, and the fairy
laid her down quietly and kissed her,
and said lovingly:
"Lie down, darling. May God on
this birthday OF his blessed son look
down and have pity on this child"
And then she thought fairy with a
sore throat said, "Amen" ''amen! !"
and the fairy had voice very much
like Joe Pogglesby. There were whis-
perings from fairies coming in from the
temple to hang beautiful things on Lit
tie Dipper's Christmas tree, and the last
thing that Little Dipper remembers,
was the good fairy Iris telling old Grab
not to growl like an old goose that he
was; and if ever there was fairy that
favored Sally oggiesby-leaving the
tunic and pink tights out of the ques-
ton, of course-that fairy lived in the
star up above in the grand world Of the
deep blue sky.
= T..
Little Dipper is awake long before Joe
thinks OF is the good fairy and the tenn
pie, and then, by degrees, she begins to
know that she is no longer up in the
star. There is Crab by her side, and
there Father Joe and Sally Pogglesby
fast asleep, and there never was such a
resemblance between fairy and mere
mortal as there is between the fairy Iris
and her mother. Little Dipper thinks
of all this with wonderful daZe of be-
wilderment on her face, and the door
leading to Joe's drawing room being
open, the child goes there feeling her
way SIS if in dream.
As sure as her name is Little Dipper
Sarah Pogglesby, there is her Christmas
tree, lust as she saw it in the Temple
last night, and if there isn't the same
doll in short tunic with strawberry
cream legs, dressed just like the good
fairy Iris, and dolls clothes, and dress
the color of the deep blue sky, and q
cat-skin tippet, and I could't begin to
tell you ali that the fairies had brought
in from the fairy Temple of Good Heart
to hang on Little Dipper's Christmas
| tree.
She takes the wonderful doll from the
scrubby little tree, but which looks like
giant oak to her, and sits there in the
cold OF bitter winters morning in a
fairy revel Of happiness. Everything
around Little Dipper looks to her like
old friends with new faces.
she does not heed Joe Eogglesby and her
mother looking in from the doorway
| On the faces of both of these there is a
| terrible glare of doubt mixed up with
the wild light Of an unptterable Joy
At last q slight movement attracts Little
Dipper, and she turns, and Joe and Sally
| Pogglesby see that the blessed light is
streaming in through the filtering of her
lasheS.
Little Dipper.'
| tits Father Ioe.h
"Our child sees! Our child sees !"
| There never was such wild little
woman as Sally, and as she catches up
Little Dipper in her arms with a great
rush Of love; it is hard to say which
cries the most, Sally or Little Dipper.-
AS for Joe-there he kneels with his
face to the wall, and every word thai
goes up to the Throne of Grace is well
washed with his tears before he sets out
on its journey.
Grand people would not act in this
vulgar manner, Of course but these are
only Euddler and his wife and child
land the sInudge Of tue rolling mill il
necessarily over all they do
It is curiously sad to watch Little Dip
per as she locke from one face to th,
ether; and she clings to Sally, as will
a sense of fear that what has so latel,
come to her may leave again. Then sh'
says. "Take me, Father Joe," and sh,
nestles lovingly in his strong, gentl
arms, feeling his wet eyes fondly.
"Father Joe, why don't YOU Wipe tn
mill smudge off2'.
II Then light breaks in, and the sunni
mess of hearty, ringing laugh dries Vi
all the tears. Crab has left his wjnps i,