Year: 1870

4 Il


thought Of number Of things. HI
had a sister, who was a child too
and his constant companion. Thesl
two used to wonder all day long


They wondered at the beauty o
flowers; they wondered at the high


and b,aeness Of the sky; they won


dered at the depth Of the bright


water; they wondered at the good


ness and power Of God, who made


the lovely world.


They used to say to one another
sometimes, ''supposing all the chit
dren on the earth were to die, would
the flowers, and the water, and the
sky be sorryP They believed they
would be sorry. For, said they, the
buds are the children OF the flowers,
and the little playful streams that
gambol down the hillsides 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,
no more.


There was star that used to come.
out on the sky before the rest near
the church spire about the graves.
1t was larger and more beautiful,
they thought, than all the others,
and every night they watched for it,
standing hand in hand by the win
dow; whoever saw it first cried out
81 see the -starw 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 that stars


But while she was still very young,
oh, very, very young, the sister
dropped and came to be so weak
that she could no longer stand in
the window at night, and then the
child looked sadly by himself, and
wren he saw the star, turned round
to the patient, pale face on the bed
Il see the starr and then a smile
would come upon her face, and the
little weak voice used to say, @God
bless my brother and the star!r


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 a little grave
among the graves, not there before:
and when the star made long rays
down toward him he saw it through
his tears.


Now, these rays were 50 bright,
and they seemed to make such a
beautiful way from earth to heaven.
that when the child went to his soli-
tary bed, he dreamed of the star; and
dreamed that lying where be was, he
saw train of people taken up the
shining road by angels. And the
star, opening, showed him a great
world of light, where many more
such angels waited to receive them.


AL the angels who where waiting
turned their beamirg eyes upon the
people who were carried up into the
star; and some came out from the
long rows in which they stood, and
fell upon the peoples necks and
kissed them tenderly, and went away
with them down avenues Of Light,
and were so happy in their company
that, lying in bed, be wept for joy.


But there were many angels who
did not 60 with them, and among
them one he knew, that patient
face that had lain upon the bed was
glorifed and radiant, but his heart
found out his sister among all the
host.


His sisters angel fingered near
the entrance Of the star, and said TO
the leader among those who had
brought the people thither:


SIS my brother Gomez"


And he said "No,"


She was turning hopefully away,
when the child stretched out his
arms, and said: 20, sister, 1 am
here! take meP and then she turned
her beaming eyes upon him, and then
it was night; and the star was shin
ming into his room, making long rays
down toward him as he saw them
through his tears.


From that moment the child look
ed out upon the star as one of the
homes he was to go to, when he
time should come, and he thought
he did not belong to earth alone, but
to the star, too, because ofhis sisters
angel gone before.


There was a baby born to be q
brother of the child; and while he
was yet so little that he had never
spoken word, he stretched his tiny
form upon the bed, and died.


Again the child dreamed of the
open star, and the company Of an
gels, and the train of peoples faces.


Said the sisters angel to the lead
er;


Has my brother eome2n


And he said, Not that one but
another"


As the child beheld his brothers
angel in her arms, he cried, 20, sis
ter, am here take mep' And she
turned and smiled upon him, and the
star was shining.


He grew 20 be a young man, and
was busy with his books, when an
old servant came to him and said.


THY mother is no more. 1 bring
her blessing on her darling son"


Again at night he saw the star and
that former company. Said his sis
ter's angel to the leader:


SIS my brother Gomez


And he answered, Thy mother"


A mighty cry of joy went forth
through all the stars, because the
mother was united with her two
children. And he stretched out his
arms and cried, 20, mother, sister,
and brother, l am here! take mer'
And they answered, Not yeti" and
the star was shining.


He grew to be a man whose hair
was turning gray, and was sitting
by the freside heavy with grief, and
with his face bedewed with tears,
when the star opened once again.


Said his sisters angel to the lead
er, is my brother comeY