The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-01-30
THE BABES IN THE CLOUDS.

travelling glories on" 1t was the great
comet of 1858, on the great tour of the uni
verse.
One pleasant Saturday afternoon during
the comets appearance, an aeronaut, after
a prosperous voyage, descended upon a
farm, in the neighborhood of a large mar
ket town, in one of our western states. He
was soon surrounded by a curious group
of the farmers family and laborers, all
asking eager questions about the voyage
and the management of the balloon. That,
secured by an anchor and a rope in the hand
of the aeronaut, its car but a foot or two
above the ground, was swaying lazily back
ward and forward in the evening air. 1t
was a good deal ont of wind, and was a
sleepy and innocent monster in the eyes of
the farmer, who, with the owners permits
sion, led it up to his house, where, as he
said, he could Glitch it to his fence. But
before he thus secured it, his three children
aged respectively ten, eight, and three,
begged him to lift them Unto that big bas-
ket," that they might sit OF ''those pretty
red cushions While the attention of the
~aeronaut was diverted by more curious
questioners from a ~neighboring farm, this
rash father lifted his darlings one by one
into the car. Chubby little Johnny proved
the "oulIce too much for the aerial camel,
and brought him to the ground; and then
unluckily not the baby, but the eldest hope
of the family was lifted out. The relief
was too great for the monster. The vola-
tile creatures spirits rose at once, he
jerked his halter out of the farmers hand,
and with a wild bound mounted into the
air, Vain was the %aeronaut's anchor. 1t
caught a moment in the fence, but it tore
away, and was off, dangling uselessly after
the runaway balloon, which so swiftly and
steadily rose, that in a few minutes those
two little white faces peering over the edge
of the car grew indistinct, and those pit
eous cries of ''papa.' mamma grew
faint and fainter up III the air.
When distance and twilight mists had
swallowed up voices and faces, and Meth
ing could be seen but that dark cruel
shape, sailing triumphantly away with its
precious booty, like an aerial priyateer.
the poor father sank down helpless and
speechless; but the mother, frantic with
grief, still stretched her yearning arms to-
wards the inexorable heavens, and called
wildly up into the unanswering void.
The aeronaut strove to console the
wretched parents with the assurances that
the balloon would descend within thirty
miles of the town, and that all might be
well with the children provided it did not
come down in water, or in deep woods.
In the event of its descending in a favora-
BILE spot, there was but one danger to be
apprehended; he thought that the elder
child might step out, leaving the younger
in the balloon. Then it might again rise
and continue its voyage.
"Ah no." replied the mother, Jennie
would never stir from the car, without
Johnnie in her arms"
The balloon passed directly over the
town, and the children, seeing many
people in the streets, stretched out their
hands and cried loudly for help. But the
villagers, though they saw the bright little
heads, heard nc call.
Amazed at the strange apparation, they
might almost have thought the translated
little creatures small angel navigators on
some voyage of discovery, some little
aIo,..I.. .,orA,,o - +lo;, ourn &c lnal;nr
the rosy cloud-lands and 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
waits, Something comforted them, and
allayed their wild terrors - something
whispered them that below the night and
was home; that above was God;
that wherever they might drift or dash,
living or dead. they would still be in his
domain, and under his care-that though
borne away among the stars, they could
not be lost, for his love would follow
them.
When the sunlight all went away, and
great comet came blazing out, little
Johnnie was apprehensive that it might
come too near their airy craft, and set it
fire with a wisk of it's dreadful tail.
But when his sister assured him that that
dragon was ''as much as twenty
away and that God wouldn't let
him hurt them, he was tranquilized, but
soon afterwards said, II wish he would
a little nearer. so | could warm my
self, I'm so cold!'
Then Jennie took off her apron and
wrapped it about the child, saying tenderly,
''This is all sister has to make you warm,
darling, but she'll hug you close in her
and we will say our prayers and you
shall go to sleep
'.WEy, how can | say my prayers before
| have my supper - asked little Johnnie.
'Sister hasn't any supper for You, or for
but we must pray all the harder"
solemnly responded Jennie.
So the two baby-wanderers, alone in the
wide heavens, unawed by darkness, inn
mensity, and silence, by the presence OF
the great comet and the millions of plying
lifted their little clasped hands, and
out their sorrowful, '0ur Father
and then that quaint little supplementary
Now / Law me down to sieep.