The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-08


the eyes OF the farmer, who, with the owners /
permission, led Ii up to his house where, as /
be said, he could hitch II to his fence But |
before he thus secured IL his three children, |
aged respectively ten, eight and three, |
begged him TO lift them into that big basket |
that they might sit on those pretty req |
cushions While the attention of the aero |
nsut was diverted by more curious uestion- |
ers from q neighboring farm, this rash |
father lifted his darlings one by one into
the car Chubby little johnny proved the
'ouncs too much for the aerial camel. and
brought him to the ground: and then un-
luckily not the baoy, but the eldest hope of
the family was lifted out. The relief was
too great for the monster. The volatils crea-
lures spirits rose at once, he jerked his
halter out of the farmer hand, and tn q
wild bound mounted into the air Vain
was the seronsut's anchor. 1t caught for o
moment in the fence, but 1t tore away, and
was of, dangling uselessly after the balloon
which so swiftly and steadily rose. that in
few minutes those two little white faces
peering over the edge of the Car grew
indistinct, and those piseous cries of
papa mamma" grew faint and fainter
up In the air.
When distance and twilight mists had
swallowed up voices and faces and nothing
could be seen but that dark cruel shape,
sailing triumDhantly away with its precious
booty, like an aeriei privateer the Door
| father sank down helpless and speeches.:
but the mother, frantic with grief. still
| stretched her yearning arms towards the in
exorsble heavens and called wildly M into
the unanswering void.
| The aeronaut strove to console the
wretched parents with the assurances that
| the balloon would descend within thirtv
miles OF town. and that all might be we'll
with the children provided it did not come
down in water, or in deep woods In the
4 nf re in
there was but one danger to be apprehended;
he thought that the elder child might step
out, leaving the younger In the balloon
| Then 1t might again rise and continue its
| voyage.
"Ah no." replied the mother. Jennie
would never stir from the Car, without John
ME in her arms"
The balloon passed directly over the mark.
| ct town. and the children, seeing many peo-
| pie in the streets, stretched out their hands
and cried loudly for help But the villagers,
| though they saw the bright little heads, heard
no Gail
Amazed at the strange appsrition, they
might almost have thought the translated
little creatures small angel navigators on
| some voyage of discovery, some little che
rubic venture OF their own, as heading to-
ward the rosy cloud lands aud purple islands
| of sunset splendor, they sailed deeper and
deeper into the west, and faded out with the
day.
Some company they had, POOR little sky.
wsfes! Something comforted them. and al.
| lay ed their wild terrors-something whis
| pered to them that below the night and
clouds was home; that above was God: that
wherever they might drift or dash, living or
dead, they would still be in his dominion,
aud under his care-taat though born away
| among the stare, they could n be lost. ror
his love would follow them
When the sunlight all went awav and III
great comet came blazing out, little Johnnie
was appIehensive that it might come too near
their airy craft and set it on fire with whisk
| of its dreadful tail. Bat when his sister as
sured him that that fiery dragon was as
much as twenty miles away and that God
wouldn't let him hurt them, he was tran.
| quilted, but soon afterwards said: ST wish
| he would come q little nearer, 90 could
warm myself. I'm so cold"
Then Jennie took off her apron and
wrapped 1t about the child, saying tenderly:
This is all sister has to make You warm,
| darling. but she'll hug you close in her arms
and we will say our prayers and you shall 90
| to Sleep.
why, how can say my prayers before
| have my supperT asked little Johnnie,
Sister hasn't any supper for you or for
herself, but we must pray all the harder"
solemnly responded Jennie.
30 the two baby wanderers, alone in the
mensity and silence, by the presence of the
great comet and the millions of Implying
stars, lifted their little clasps d hands and
sobbed out their sorrowful "Our Father"
and then that quaint little supplementary
prayer:
Now lay me down to Sleep
pray the Lord my soul to keep,
II should die before wake
pray the Lord my soul to take.
"rherel God heard that easy; for we ara
close to him up here" said innocent little
Johnnie.
Doubtless Divine Love stopped to the lit
tie ones. and folded them IN perfect peace
for soon the younger, sitting on the bottom
OF the car, with his head leaning against his
sister 8 knee, slept as soundly as though he
were lying in his own little bed at home
while the elder watched quietly through the
long, long hours, and the car hoated gently
on in the still night air, till it began to sway
and rock on the fresh morning wind.
Who can divine that simple little child's
thoughts, sDeculations, and wild imagln-
lnRs, while watching through those hours?
she may have feared coming in collision
with meteor-for many were abroad that
night, scouts and herslds of the great comet
or perhaps being cast away on some desc
late star-lsland, or more dreary still, floating
and floating on, night and day, till they
should both die of cold and hunger, or be
lost in the clouds.
At length a happy chance, or Providence
we will say Providence-guided the little
girls wandering hand to q cord connected
with the valve; something told her to pull
il. At once the balloon began to sink |
slowly and gently, as though let down by
tender hands or as though some celestial
pilot guided 1t through wild currents of air. |
not letting it drop into lake or river, lofty
wood or impenetrable swamp where this |
strange unchild-like experience might have |
been closed by q death OF unspeakaple
horror; but causing it to descend as softly as
bird alights, on a spot where human care |
and pity awaited it.
The sun had n OF yet risen, but the morn |
ing twilight had come, when the little girl. |
looking over the edge OF the car. saw the |
dear Old earth coming nearer "rising toward |
them, she said. But when the car stopped. |
to her great disappointment, il was not on |
the ground, but caught fast In the topmoet /
branches of tree. Yet she saw they were |
near house whence help might soon come, |
so she awakened her brother and told him |
the good news, and together they watched |
and waited for deliverance, hueeing each |
other for Joy and for warmth, for they were
very cold.
Farmer Burton, who lived In q lonely |
house on the edge of bis own private prairie,
was famous sleepe in general but on this /
particular morning he awoke before the /
dawn, and though he turned and turned /
again, he could sleep no more So at last be
said to his good wife. whom he had kindly |
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