The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1889-05-16
SELECTED.
THE CHlLD'S STORY.
By Charles Dickens. !

upon journey. 1t was magic journey,
and WAS to seem very long when he began
it, and very short when he got half way
through.
He travelled along a dark path for
some time without meeting anything I'M
Til at last he came to a beautiful child.
What do you do here2" And the child
said, Il am always at play. Come and
play with me-.
So he played with that child the whole
day long, and they were very merry The
sky was SO blue, the sun was SO bright,
the water was SO sparkling, the leaves
were SO green, the flowers were so lovely,
and they heard such singing birds and
saw so many butterflies, that everything
was beautiful. This was in fine weather.
When it rained they loved to watch the
falling drops and to smell the fresh
scents. When it blew it was delightful
to listen TO the wind and fancy what it
said, as it came rushing from his home
where was that they wondered-whist-
ling and bowling, driving the clouds be-
fore it, bending the trees, rumbling in
the chimneys, shaking the house and
making the sea roar in fury. But when
! it showed that WAS the best of all; for
they liked nothing so we'll as to look up
at the white flakes falling fast and
| thick like down from the breast of
millions of white birds and to see how
| smooth and deep the drift was and to
listen to the hush upon the paths and
roads.
They had'plenny of the finest toys in
the world and the most astonishing pict-
ure-books; all about scimitars and slip
pers and turbans and dwarfs and giants
and genii and FAIRIES, and Bluebeards and
bean-stalks and riches and cayerns and
forest and Valentines and Orsons; and
all new and true
But one day. of sudden the traveller
lost the child. He called to him over and
over again, but got no answer. So he
went upon his road, and went on for "A
little while without meeting anything,
until at last ne caiile 10 d handsome Icy
What do you do here?' II am alwal $
learning. Come and learn with me"
So he learned with that boy about Ju-
piter and Juno and Greeks and Romans,
and don't know what, and learned more
than | could tell-or he either, for he
soon forgot deal of it. But they were
always learning; they had the merriest
games that ever were played. They
rowed upon the river in summer and skat-
ed on the ice in winter; they were active
dlOOI anu dCblNc ol uOISt-bhChi NJ Cllth-
ct and all games at ball; at prisoners
base, hare and hounds, follow the leader,
and more sports than can think of no.
body could beat them. They had holi
days, too, and twelfth cakes, and parties
yllasrgff y they danced till midnight and real
gold and silver rise out of the real talfh.
and saw all the wonders of the world at
once As to friends, they had such dear
friends and SO many of them, that want
time to reckon them up. They were all
Young, like the handsome young boy, and
were never strange to one another their
lives through.
Still, one day, in the midst of all these
pleasures, the traveller lost the boy as he
had lost the child After calling to him
in vain, he went out upon his journey.
So he went on for little without seeing
ANYTHING until at last he came to a young
man.
So he said to the young man, what do
you do here?"
And the young man said
81 am always in love. Come and love
with me?'
So, he went away with that young man,
and presently they came to one OF the
prettest girls that ever was seen-1ust
| like Fanny in the corner there-and so
she had eyes like Fanny and hair like Fan
ny, and dimples like Fannys, and she
laughed and colored just as Fanny does
while | am talking about her. SO the
Young man fell in love directly-just as,
Somebody won't mention, the first time
he came here, did with Fanny. Well he
was teased sometimes-just as Somebody
used to be by Fanny; and they quarrclled
sometimes-just as Somebody and Fanny
used to quarrel; and they made 1t up, and
sat in the dark and wrote letters every day,
aud never were happy asunder, and were
always looking out for one another and
pretending not to, and were engaged at
Christmas time, and sat close to one an
other at the fire, and were going to be
married very soon-all exactly like Some
body | won't mention and Fanny!
But the traveller lost them one day, as
he had lost the rest of his friends, and
after calling to them to come back, which
they never did, went on upon his journey
So lie went on for little while without
seeing anything, until at last he came to
the middle-aged gentleman. So he said
to the gentleman, "What are you dong
here?" And the answer was, II am al
ways busy. Come and be busy with me-"
So. he began to be very busy with
that gentleman, and they went through
the wood together. The whole journey
was through wood, only it had been
open and green at first like a wood in
spring, and now began to be tlick and
dark, like wood in summer; some of the
little trees that had come earliest, were
even turning brown. The gentleman was
not alone, but had lady of about the
same age with him, who was his wife;
and they had children, who were with
them, too. SO, they all went on through
the wood, cutting down the trees, and
making path through the branches and
the fallen leaves, and carrying burdens
and working hard.
| Sometimes they came to long green
avenue that opened into deeper woods.
Then they would hear little distant
voice crying, Father father, l am
another child Stop for me- And pres
emily they would see very little figure
growing larger as 1t came along, running
to join them. When it came up, they all
crowded around it aud kissed and well
coined it and then they all went on to-
gether.
Sometimes they came to several avenues
at once, and then they all stood, and one
OF the children said, Father, am going
to sea" aud another, FEATHER, am going
to India" and another, Father, l am
going to seek my fortune where l can,
and another, Father, | am going to
Heaveu!" SO, with many tears at parting,
they went, solitary, down those avenues,
each child upon its way; and the child
who went to Heaven rose into the golden
air and vanished.
Whenever these partiugs happened, the
traveller looked at the gentleman, and
saw his glance up at the sky above the
trees, where the day was beginning to de-
cline, and the sunset to come on. He
saw, too, that his hair was turning gray.
But, they could't rest long, for they had
their Journey to perform, and 1t was nee
essary for them to be always busy.
At last there had been SO many part
ings that there were no children left, and
only the traveller, the gentleman and lady
went upon their way 10 company. And
now the wood was yellow, and now
brown; and the leaves, even Of the forest
trees, began to fall.
SO, they came to an avenue that wa.
darker than the rest, and were pressing
forward on their journey without looking
down 1t, when the lady stopped.
! my husband" said the lady, II an
called"
, They listened and they heard q voice
long way down the avenue, say, "Mother
mother!"
1t was the voice Of the FIRST child VIII
had said
II am going to Heaven"