The Child's Dream.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1621, 24 April 1875, Page 5 (Supplement)

The Child's Dream.

BY T. B. HANNAFORD

The sun was setting behind a range of hills in the far west, tipping their peaks with a golden halo ; the lowing kine were sedately wending their way to the byre ; the rosy dairy-maids tripping aloag with their paiis to draw the lacteal streams from the bovine font ; the husbandmen plodding wearily homeward from their labours in the fields, now and then however exchanging a pleasant word or jibe with, the rustics they met by the way; the birds warbled their vesper lays in the thorn brake, and atop the trees, where the breeze anthems were playing ' midst their foliage ; all surrounding nature was serenely smiling, preparing to put on the ebon mantle of night.

The last rays of day's glorious orb shot athwart the lake beside a cottage, on whose walls had climbed the honeysuckle and the woodbine, making it's placid waters skimmer and sparkle as if they were the abode of a million stars. One ray piercing the cottage casement, lit upon the head of a lovely child and, mingling with her hair, caused it to appear a very crown of elory.

She had been ' put into her little bed'— for why, the hectic flush on her sunken cheeks too clearly indicated.

The maiden might have numbered ten bright summers, certainly not more than twelve ; her sister noiselessly flitted about the chamber performing various little offices which woman, and woman alone, can do with a grace and charm; anon smoothing the snow white coverlet, then damping with essences the feverish hands and brow, now replacing a vase of rare japonicas, the present of a lady visitor, with three moss roses culled from tke child's own garden. Having so done, she launched a look of unutterable love towards the apparently sleeping sufferer, and then from sheer exhaustion sank into a chair. ' Katie !' • Yes, dearest Nellie !' ' Come to me darling, I have something to say to you.' ' Well, what is it my pet?' said Katie I bending over her. 1 Where's Edith and Bernard ?' 1 Bernard has gone to town after some medicine and Edith is lying down awhile. But my dear the doctor says you must not exert yourself with talking.' ' Katie !' ' Yes, love.' 1 Did not you and Edith sit up with me all last night ?' • Yes, dear.' ' And the night before ?'

< Well—yes. But really dearest you must not talk so much, the doctor would scold me if he only knew.'

' When did you have a night's rest ?' said the sufferer, nothing daunted by her sister's admonition.

«O, we managed very well! have you slept Nellie darling ?' ' Oh ! said the child piteously, you are wearing yourselves out for me, it will break my heart; promise me Katie you will all go to bed this night, and let Mrs. Wells sit up with me till morning.' 'But, dear Nellie, Mrs. Wells never keeps awake, and snores abominably.' 1 Do as I ask you Katie, it will grieve me if you don't. Well then, I promise you we will, said her sister.

' I am so glad,' said Nellie 'I shall feel happy knowing you are not making yourselves ill for me.'

Her sister after making a soothing draught for the sufferer's night potion, and giving a few more slight touches here and there to the room's contents, went down stairs for her tea.

Mrs. Wells (the nurse) duly arrived, and settled herself in the easy chair, denuding her head of its ' chignon' and sundry ' rolls,' she gathered up her own poor bit of hair and placed on her head an enormous night-cap, fished out from the depths of a capacious pocket; and after all the household had sought their beds, to get that rest they so sorely needed, she produced a ' night-cap' of another description, encased in a black bottle.

One by one the stars shone out, until the vault of Heaven was one mass of fixed and twinkling gems. The nurse was deep in audible slumber. The child herself was calmly sleeping, an angelic smile playing on a countenance, the chastened light of the moon shewed to be of more than earthly beauty.

Voices and murmurs were there, but not corporeal—forms were gliding round that couch, yet not of earth ; but oh ! how plainly they appeared to the sleeper ; the forms and voices were those of angels, and the murmurs the rustle of their wings. What words in our poor language could even feebly portrajltheir celestial diction ?

What conception could we poor mortals have of the divine harmony that steeped the maiden in a " bath of bliss" as in entrancing cadences they comingled their voices in the New Song ? Presently the seraphs formed a cordon around her bed ; and lo ! an angel of a nobler presence appeared, fanning her brows with outstretched pinions.

' Child of earth!' said the archangel' sorrow and suffering are sent by the All Wise to remind you that this is not your fixed abode, and yet the world has pure ioys and pleasures to compensate in some degree for the evils brought on the human race by Adam's sin. See how beautiful are the flowers!'

• Spirit!' said the maiden ' truly they are lovely, yet pain oft closely follows pleasures they impart. It was but yesterday, that I did cull a rose, and placed it

within my bosom, and lo! its thorns pierced deeply in my breast. " Oh! take me where bloom fadeless flowers, and thorns are utter strangers.' ■

' Note,' said the angel, * the rich fruis of earth ;' see their variety, botla in form and flavor; designed by Wisdom so as not to pall, on two of nature's senses — sight and taste.'

'I grant their lusciousness angelic friend; yet I remember that, whilst plucking one, my finger came in contact with a bee, who stung me to the quick. Oh! take me where the fruits do ne'er decay, and virus of the bee unknown,'

* Eeflect my child on what you ask Jehovah. Were your prayer granted, no more would you return to smiling earth, its flowers, its fruits, its balmy airs, and cheering sunshine; those shady nooks and pleasant groves where oft you've wandered in the noontide hour, „. the babbling brooklets banks no more revisit to lave your feet and watch the gleaming fish as they dart here and there, 'neatkits transparent waters. Above all(said the archangel) can you leave your youthful brothers and those loving sisters ?'

The child's lips trembled.

• Eemember' you would never more in this world press their lips or feel yourself encircled in their arms. 1

' Will not they all rejoin me. in that land where sorrow enters not and tears ne'er well tip to their eyes or mine ?' The seraph and his angel Cordon smiled. • Then' said the child triumphant * let me go ; the space that intervenes 'tween time and vast eternity is, in compare, far, less than a single drop of water to the wide ocean. I may perhaps be made their guardian angel, to sooth them in their struggle through the world, and smooth their pillows in the hour of pain ' 'Oh ! blessed child, beloved of the Lord ! lam permitted to grantyou your request, c'en as you wish it, so it ordered is—ascend with us ! Thus the Archangel. A cry did issue from the maiden's lips, spasms of pain distorted every feature, the wasted hand did beat the air in agony. Tis past! the dream turned to reality! Back on the pillow fell the earthly part of Sainted Nellie, a radiant beaming smile fixed on her countenance ; the soul had issued forth, and, caught in angel's arms,

was borne aloft with more than lightning speed. Upwards! higher still! towards the goal—the everlasting song joined in by her, the newborn member of that celestial choir, the golden gates flew open to receive her, so wide tbat —those she loved and left behind might almost look within and see the glory. * * * * * Three youthful mourners stood around sweet Nellie's coffin, their silent tears fell fast on tbat white yet smiling face. They had conjointly bound together with white ribbon the three moss roses, and placed them in their sisters breast, typical of the Trinity. They were taking their last long look on one they loved so well. ' The Lord gave,' sobbed Bernard ' The Lord hath ; taken away,' convulsively murmured Edith. No sound did issue from the lips of Kate, but had you watched her as she cast her streaming eyes upward towards Heaven, those lips' would have been seen to move, and form— ' Blessed he the name of the Lord !'