Fairy Tales

Chapter 2

"Whenever a terrific toddler dies, an angel of God comes down from heaven, takes the useless baby in his hands, spreads out his first rate white wings, and flies with him over all the places which the child had loved all through his lifestyles. Then he gathers a huge handful of flowers, which he consists of up to the Almighty, that they'll bloom extra brightly in heaven than they do on earth. And the Almighty presses the plant life to His coronary heart, however He kisses the flower that pleases Him great, and it gets a voice, and is able to join the track of the chorus of bliss."

These words had been spoken by means of an angel of God, as he carried a dead baby up to heaven, and the child listened as though in a dream. Then they handed over famous spots, wherein the little one had regularly performed, and thru lovely gardens complete of cute plant life.

"Which of these we could take with us to heaven to be transplanted there?" requested the angel.Close by means of grew a slender, stunning, rose-bush, but some depraved hand had damaged the stem, and the half-opened rosebuds hung faded and withered at the trailing branches.

"Poor rose-bush!" said the kid, "allow us to take it with us to heaven, that it may bloom above in God's garden."

The angel took up the rose-bush; then he kissed the child, and the little one half of opened his eyes. The angel collected additionally a few stunning vegetation, in addition to some humble buttercups and heart's-ease.

"Now we've flora enough," stated the kid; but the angel best nodded, he did not fly upward to heaven.

It became night time, and quite nevertheless inside the extraordinary city. Here they remained, and the angel hovered over a small, slender road, in which lay a massive heap of straw, ashes, and sweepings from the homes of people who had removed. There lay fragments of plates, pieces of plaster, rags, vintage hats, and different rubbish now not quality to peer. Amidst all this confusion, the angel pointed to the portions of a damaged flower-pot, and to a lump of earth which had fallen out of it. The earth have been kept from falling to portions by the roots of a withered subject-flower, which have been thrown amongst the rubbish.

"We will take this with us," stated the angel, "I will let you know why as we fly along."And as they flew the angel related the records.

"Down in that slim lane, in a low cellar, lived a bad sick boy; he have been bothered from his early life, or even in his great days he ought to just manipulate to stroll up and down the room on crutches once or twice, but no extra. During some days in summer time, the sunbeams could lie on the ground of the cellar for about 1/2 an hour. In this spot the negative sick boy could take a seat warming himself in the sunshine, and watching the red blood thru his delicate palms as he held them earlier than his face. Then he would say he had been out, yet he knew nothing of the green wooded area in its spring verdure, until a neighbor's son added him a inexperienced bough from a beech-tree. This he would place over his head, and fancy that he became within the beech-wooden even as the solar shone, and the birds carolled gayly. One spring day the neighbor's boy delivered him some field-plants, and among them become one to which the root still adhered. This he cautiously planted in a flower-pot, and located in a window-seat close to his bed. And the flower had been planted via a lucky hand, for it grew, placed forth fresh shoots, and blossomed each yr. It have become a exceptional flower-lawn to the unwell boy, and his little treasure upon earth. He watered it, and loved it, and took care it need to have the advantage of each sunbeam that discovered its manner into the cellar, from the earliest morning ray to the evening sundown. The flower entwined itself even in his desires—for him it bloomed, for him unfold its perfume. And it gladdened his eyes, and to the flower he turned, even in loss of life, whilst the Lordcalled him. He has been 12 months with God. During that time the flower has stood within the window, withered and forgotten, till at length solid out a few of the sweepings into the road, on the day of the lodgers' removal. And this bad flower, withered and diminished as it's miles, we've got added to our nosegay, because it gave greater real pleasure than the most beautiful flower in the garden of a queen."

"But how do you recognize all this?" asked the child whom the angel became wearing to heaven.

"I understand it," said the angel, "due to the fact I myself was the terrible unwell boy who walked upon crutches, and I recognise my very own flower well."

Then the child opened his eyes and appeared into the superb glad face of the angel, and on the identical moment they discovered themselves in that heavenly home in which all is happiness and joy. And God pressed the useless toddler to His heart, and wings have been given him so that he should fly with the angel, hand in hand. Then the Almighty pressed all the vegetation to His coronary heart; however He kissed the withered field-flower, and it received a voice. Then it joined in the music of the angels, who surrounded the throne, some near, and others in a far off circle, but all similarly happy. They all joined inside the refrain of praise, each extremely good and small,—the best, satisfied toddler, and the terrible area-flower, that when lay withered and forged away on a heap of rubbish in a slim, dark street.