Year: 1870

| 4 CHILD'S DREAM OF A STAR. g
| By CHARLES DICKENS.


There was once child, and he


strolled about a good deal, and thought


of number of things. He had sis


ter, who was child too, and his. con


slant companion. These two used to


wonder all day long. They won-
dered at the beauty of flowers; they


wondered at the height and blueness
of the sky they wondered at the
depth of the bright water; they won.
dered at the goodness and power of
God, who made the lovely world.
| They used to say to one another
sometimes, "supposing all the children
on earth were to die, would the flowers
and the water and the sky be sorry >"
They believed they would be sorry.
For, said they, the buds are the chill
dren of the flowers, and the little play
full streams that gambol down the hill
sides are the children of waters; and
the smallest bright specks playing at
hide and seek in the sky all night must
surely be the children Of the stars and
they would all be grieved to see their
playmateS, the children of men, 10
more.


There was star that used to come
out on the sky before the rest, near the
church spire about the graves. 1t wirs
larger and more beautiful, they thought,
than all the others; and every night
they watched for it, standing hand i'm
hand at the window; whoever saw it,
first cried out, 81 see the star ~ And
often they both cried out together,
knowing SO well when it would rise
and where. So they grew to be such
friends with it, that before lying down
in their beds, they looked out once
again, to bid it good night; and when
they were turning round to sleep they
said, "God bless the star ~


But while she was still very young,
oh, very, very young, the sister droop-
ell, and came to be so weak that she
could no longer stand in the window at
night, and then the child looked sadly
out by himself, and when he saw the
star, turned round to the patient pale
face on the bed :-"I see the star ~
and then smile would come upon her
face, and the little weak voice used to
say, " God bless my brother and the
star "


And so the time came all too soon,
when the child looked out alone, and
when there was no face ON the bed;
and when there was q little grave
among the graves, not there before;
and when the star made long rays
down toward him as he saw it through
his tears.


Now, these rays were so bright, and
they seemed to make such beautiful
way from earth to heaven, that when
the child went to his solitary bed, he
dreamed of the star; and dreamed that
lying where he was, he saw train of
people taken up the shining road by
angels. And the star, opening, showed
him great world of light, where ma
ny more suoa angels awaited to receive
them.


All the angels who were waiting
turned their beaming eyes upon the
people who were carried up into the
star; and some came out from the long
rows i'll which they stood, and fell up
ON the peoples necks and kissed them
tenderly, and went away with them y
down avenues of light, and were so
happy in their company that lying i'm
the bed, he wept for joy. '''


But there were many angels who did
not go with them, and among them =
one he knew, that patient face that
had lain upon the bed was glorified and
radiant, but his heart found out his sis
ter among all the host. -f 81. a


His sisters angel fingered near the
entrance of the star, and said to the
leader among those who had brought
the people thither: ..-r- >.,-r


&C Ia my hpatlnr


And he said No"


She was turning hopefully away,
when the child stretched out his arms,
and said, 30, sister, am here. take
meW and then she turned her BEAM
ing eyes upon him, and then il was
night; and the star was shining into
his room, making long rays down to-
ward him as he saw them through his
tears.


From that moment the child looked
out upon the star as one of the homes
he was to go to, when the time should
come, and he thought he did not be-
long to earth alone, but to the star too,
because of his sisters angel gone be-
fore.


There was a baby born to lie BROTH
er of the child; and while he was vet
so little that he had never spoken
word, he stretched his tiny form out
upon the bed, and died.


Again the child dreamed of the open
star, and the company of angels, and
tile train of peoples faces.


Said his sister angel to the leader:


Has my brother Gomez -...


And he said, "Not that one, but an
other" 1


As the child beheld his brothers an
gel in her arms, he cried, 90, sister, L
am here! take meW And she turned
and smiled upon him, and the star was



He grew to be young man, and ,
was busy with his books, when an old 4,
servant came to him and said:


"Thy mother is no more. / bring
her blessing on her darling son." F'r


Again at night he saw the star and
that former company. Said his sisters
angel to the leader:


as my brother comeT' .r


And he answered, "Thy mCtherv


A mighty cry of joy went forth
through all the stars, because the moth
er was reunited with her two children.
And he stretched out his arms and cried,
" D, mother, sister, and brother, / am
here! take mer And they answered,
' Not yet" and the star was shining.


He grew to be man whose hair was
turning gray, and was sitting by the
ire side heavy with grief, and with his
lace bedewed with tears, when the star
opened once again 90


Said his sisters angel to the leader,
q Is my brother come ?" .'i .irif


And he said, "Nay, bat his maiden
il brig .fl- H ~.
Ard the man who had been n child
aw lis daughter newly lost to him n
CELESTIAL creature among those three.
nd said, "My daughters head is up,
III my mothers bosom, and her
rm is around her, neck. and her feet
the baby of old time, and I can bear
he parting from her, God be praised.,''
md the star was shining. l-ft "'I 70
And the child came to be an old
nan, and his once smooth face was
and his steps We're slow and
eeble, and his back was bent And
ne night as he lay upon his bed, his
hildren standing around him, he cried
$ he had cried so long ago:


| see the star ="


And they whispered to one another,
He is dying"


And he said, al am. My age Is fall
lg from me like a garment, and /
love toward tie star as child. And
J, my Father, now thank Thee that
has so often opened to receive the
ear ones who await me-"


And the star was shining; and it