Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-06-19
SELECTED STORIES.
DEVILS In HEAVEN.


It Is usually thought that when good
children die they 20 to heaven and become
angels. But II any one imagines that they
live there with nothing to do but fly around
and play hide and seek in the clouds he IL
very much mistaken.
The angel children have 10 20 to school
every day like the boys and girls on earth,
three hours in the forenoon and two hours
Ia the afternoon.
states, and instead Of the A B books
colored pictures.
They do not study geography, for a
knowledge of the earth would be Of no use
In heaven. Neither do they learn the long
and terrible multiplication table, because
they live in eternity.
The schoolteacher is DIR. Faust. He was
a magistrate on earth, but on account OF
certain affairs that caused him great deal
OF trouble and were very much talked
about he was requested to teach school for
5000 years before he can have a vacation
One Wednesday afternoon It was very
warm in heaven, and st. Peter fell asleep
tired out with watching.
The children noticed this and took ad-
vantage of 1t to steal by the old man and
spread themselves over the meadow. The
most enterprising ventured out TO explore
the extent Of their playground and discov-
cred that it was abruptly ended by high
board fence.
This they examined carefully for cracks
to look through, but finding none few to
thetop Of the fencs and commenced shout
ing across the space beyond
Now, hell was on the other side Of the
fence, and multitude of little devils had
Just been driven out Of the door. They
were coal black, with horns on their heads
and long tails behind
Soon these looked up and saw the angels
above them futtering around the top Of
the fence, and at once they began to beg
that they might be allowed to come up into
heaven, promising faithfully to behave II
only the angels would let them In for 'just
little while"
Moved with pity, the innocent angels do
clded to get the Jacobs ladder out Of the
garret and let the little imps come up.
Fortunately St. Peter was still asleep, and
they managed to drag the ladder out with
out disturbing him. After u good many
efforts they succeeded In raising 1t up
against the fence and then lowering 1t into
hell.
II scarcely touched the ground before the
long tailed little varlets were swarming up
the rounds like monkeys
When they got near the top, the angels
took them by the hand and helped them
over the fence.
This is how the devils got into heaven
At first they behaved very well, tiptoeing
here and there. and carrying their tails un-
der their arms like lady's trail, as they
had often seen the big devil grandmothers
do.
But this didn't last long, and In few
minutes they began to let themselves out
and give full vent to their feelings. They
turned handsprings and somersaults and
growled and yelled like veritable imps
They mocked the good and happy people
who were dreamily looking out % the win
dows of heaven, They stuck out their
tongues and made faces at them
Finally they began to tear up the flowers
and throw them down on the earth.
In the meantime the little angels had be
come very much frightened and bitterly re-
pented their rashness in letting such un-
mannerly guests into heaven. In vain they
pleaded with the rascals to be quiet and go
back to hell, but the devils only laughed at
them.
At last In despair they awakened st.
Peter and tearfully told him what they had
done.
He clasped his hands over his head, as he
always did when angry, and thundered,
Come in."
And the little angels went sneaking
through the gates, very crestfallen, with
wings dropping and trailing on the floor.
Then st. Peter called for the sleeping
angel policeman, and when all the devils
were caught they were handcuffed and
taken back where they belonged.
But this was not the end OF the matter
For two consecutive Sundays the angels
were not allowed to leave heaven, and when
they were permitted to play they had to
take off their wings and halo. This was the
severest Of all punishments, for 1t is con-
sidered great shame for an angel to be
seen without his wings or his nimbus.
It il an Ill wind that blows no good.
The~howers that the devil threw out of
heaven took root In the earth and grew
from year to year.
To be sure. these star flowers have lost
much Of their heavenly brightness, but
they are still lovely to look at with their
great hearts Of gold and silver glory.
And because Of this heavenly birth they
do indeed possess a hidden power of their
own.
When maiden with doubt in her soul
plucks off the white petals of the flower
one by one, singing at the same time GER
tain song, she knows by the token of the
last little petal the answer to the question
of her heart.-Exchange.