Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-05-22
THE CHILD ANGEL.


There was in heaven child angel who
was the happies. Of all the eangels, So great
and wondep al was the Joy that continual
ly filled his heart and showed itself in his
lace that his companions called him the
Angel of Happiness He was one OF those
angels who always behold the face Of the
Father Almighty, and possibly II was the
reflection Of the eternal love that he con
.inually beheld that made his face SO ra-
iiant.
This angel had the wonderful beauty OF
Earthly children with the added mystical
.oveliness that is divine and that no earthly
tyes have ever seen. They have dreamed
Df it sometimes, and the mere dream car
ries them To the gates Of heaven. His face
was fair with n rose flush In his cheeks, his
Eyes were deep and tranquil with the ran
guillity that could only have come from an
eternity Of peace aud innocence, and his
hair was like the gold rays Of the sun at
sunset. But the most trusting OF children
upon earth never had so serene look Of
trust IA this little angel, for be had seen
iod always
Ore day he played with his companions
angels like himself only not so fair-in
| one Of the broad fields OF heaven where the
| lowers never fade or die lie wandered
away from them, singing as he went, for
| lightness OF heart. To be alone was as
| great "A joy rs to be with those he loved, for
| the thought Of God was so joyous and per
| feet to him that he never felt lonely. As
| he strayed he saw beautiful flower, star
| shaped and shining with pure white light,
| a short distance before him. He wanted TO
gather il and ran forward few steps but
he was stopped by chasm in the meadow
just wide enough TO prevent his leaping
| across To gather the starry flower.
He smiled, for he knew that there were
other star blossoms as beautiful, and that
some other angel would find this one and
love 1t as well as he did. Then he lay down
on the grass and looked into the chasm.
The sight of angels il far more wonderful
than anything we know, and through the
rent in the meadow the angel beheld our
| world and ali that was happening he.
He lay there looking for long time. It
may have been only an hour In heaven,
| but it was many years of time as we count
hours and days. Then lac got mp and put
both his hands over his face and walked
along slowly, his head dropping. When he
| took his hands away from his face, all the
happiness in il was gone. SO unutterably
sad did he look that when he reached the
other little angels who were still playing in
the meadow they stopped and ran to each
other and whispered: "See, see our Angel
OF Happinessl How strangely he looksl
Why doesn't he smile and singp
They spoke to him, but he did not answer
them. He walked on through the mead
ows, through the pearl gates Of the Holy
City to the throne of God himself When
he stood there he knelt before il, and look.
ing up into the loving face Of the Father.
whence all his JOY had come. he said;
80 Father. ! have seen all the sin and
sorrow, all the suffering and cruelty, that is
happening in that beautiful world where
You sent your own Son. have seen into
the hearts of all the people on earth. |
have seen their thoughts and all that they
have done, As well "a all that they are doing
| now. have seen those who suffer because
they have done wrong, and | have seen
those who suffer innocently. lam very lit
tie and young, but have always been 80
happy. Let me, pray 90 to the earth and
at least make happy all those heartbroken
ones who suffer innocently and who cannot
help themselves"
But the Father did not answer. And the
child angel knew that he might not 60
He held out both lis hands, and his face
was as full OF supplication as it had been
before Of happiness,
20 Father" he said, "you are 80 loving
and kind, will you not help those poor peo-
pie nowS For so many years the world has
gone on suffering in this sad and terrible
way. VIII sou not lift the burden from
those who do not deserve it," Aud again
God was silent, and again the little angel
knew that the suffering must 20 on.
Then a sorrow almost as great as that
upon earth overwhelmed him, but he looked
once more into the face Of the Father, and
when he saw its love and its power he cried
aloud and said:
20 Father who art 80 loving and strong
and wise, and who can do all things, why
do you let such misery last through all the
agesY And as the child angel stopped
speaking he looked, and gray cloud fioated
between him and the throne Of God, and
the face of God was hidden from him.
Then he turned and ran far, far away out
OF the gates OF the city and into the mead.
ows again until he came to the place where
the chasm in the meadow was, and he flung
himself down by the chasm and buried his
face in the grass. There he lay until the
| other angels came and asked him why he
staid there And he looked at them, and
a woe a. deep ~ any that has ever been seen
upon earth was imprinted on his face. and
he said:
Even In heaven / cannot be happy until
God has healed all the sorrow and suffering
of the people for whom have prayed. ("
But the other angels had not seen through
the chasm. 50 they could not understand
what he meant. They stood and wondered
at him, and when they found he would not
come with them they went slowly away
and left him alone.
But since that hour the child angel OF
Happiness has never smiled.
He is waiting
And now the other angels call him the
Angel OF Gricf.-Margaret Crosby in Bos
ton Transcript