there wa once a child, and he trolled about a good deal, and thought of a number of thing. he had a iter, who wa a child too, and hi contant companion. thee two ued to wonder all day long. they wondered at the beauty of the flower; they wondered at the height and bluene of the ky; they wondered at the depth of the bright water; they wondered at the goodne and the power of god who made the lovely world.
they ued to ay to one another, ometime, uppoing all the children upon earth were to die, would the flower, and the water, and the ky be orry? they believed they would be orry. for, aid they, the bud are the children of the flower, and the little playful tream that gambol down the hill-ide are the children of the water; and the mallet bright peck playing at hide and eek in the ky all night, mut urely be the children of the tar; and they would all be grieved to ee their playmate, the children of men, no more.
there wa one clear hining tar that ued to come out in the ky before the ret, near the church pire, above the grave. it wa larger and more beautiful, they thought, than all the other, and every night they watched for it, tanding hand in hand at a window. whoever aw it firt cried out, "i ee the tar!" and often they cried out both together, knowing o well when it would rie, and where. o they grew to be uch friend with it, that, before lying down in their bed, they alway looked out once again, to bid it good-night; and when they were turning round to leep, they ued to ay, "god ble the tar!"[由wWw.HaozuoWen.com整理]
but while he wa till very young, oh very, very young, the iter drooped, and came to be o weak that he could no longer tand in the window at night; and then the child looked adly out by himelf, and when he aw the tar, turned round and aid to the patient pale face on the bed, "i ee the tar!" and then a mile would come upon the face, and a little weak voice ued to ay, "god ble my brother and the tar!"
and o the time came all too oon! when the child looked out alone, and when there wa no face on the bed; and when there wa a little grave among the grave, not there before; and when the tar made long ray down toward him, a he aw it through hi tear.
now, thee ray were o bright, and they eemed to make uch a hining way from earth to heaven, that when the child went to hi olitary bed, he dreamed about the tar; and dreamed that, lying where he wa, he aw a train of people taken up that parkling road by angel. and the tar, opening, howed him a great world of light, where many more uch angel waited to receive them.
all thee angel, who were waiting, turned their beaming eye upon the people who were carried up into the tar; and ome came out from the long row in which they tood, and fell upon the people neck, and kied them tenderly, and went away with them down avenue of light, and were o happy in their company, that lying in hi bed he wept for joy.
but, there were many angel who did not go with them, and among them one he knew. the patient face that once had lain upon the bed wa glorified and radiant, but hi heart found out hi iter among all the hot.
hi iter angel lingered near the entrance of the tar, and aid to the leader among thoe who had brought the people thither:
"i my brother come?"
and he aid "no."
he wa turning hopefully away, when the child tretched out hi arm, and cried, "o, iter, i am here! take me!" and then he turned her beaming eye upon him, and it wa night; and the tar wa hining into the room, making long ray down toward him a he aw it through hi tear.
from that hour forth, the child looked out upon the tar a on the home he wa to go to, when hi time hould come; and he thought that he did not belong to the earth alone, but to the tar too, becaue of hi iter angel gone before.
there wa a baby born to be a brother to the child; and while he wa o little that he never yet had poken word he tretched hi tiny form out on hi bed, and died.
again the child dreamed of the open tar, and of the company of angel, and the train of people, and the row of angel with their beaming eye all turned upon thoe people face.
aid hi iter angel to the leader:
"i my brother come?"
and he aid "not that one, but another."
a the child beheld hi brother angel in her arm, he cried, "o, iter, i am here! take me!" and he turned and miled upon him, and the tar wa hining.
he grew to be a young man, and wa buy at hi book when an old ervant came to him and aid:
"thy mother i no more. i bring her bleing on her darling on!"
again at night he aw the tar, and all that former company. aid hi iter angel to the leader:
"i my brother come?"
and he aid, "thy mother!"
a mighty cry of joy went forth through all the tar, becaue the mother wa reunited to her two children. and he tretched out hi arm and cried, "o, mother, iter, and brother, i am here! take me!" and they anwered him, "not yet," and the tar wa hining.
he grew to be a man, whoe hair wa turning gray, and he wa itting in hi chair by the fireide, heavy with grief, and with hi face bedewed with tear, when the tar opened once again.
aid hi iter angel to the leader: "i my brother come?"
and he aid, "nay, but hi maiden daughter."
and the man who had been the child aw hi daughter, newly lot to him, a celetial creature among thoe three, and he aid, "my daughter head i on my iter boom, and her arm i around my mother neck, and at her feet there i the baby of old time, and i can bear the parting from her, god be praied!"
and the tar wa hining.
thu the child came to be an old man, and hi once mooth face wa wrinkled, and hi tep were low and feeble, and hi back wa bent. and one night a he lay upon hi bed, hi children tanding round, he cried, a he had cried o long ago:
"i ee the tar!"
they whipered one to another, "he i dying."
and he aid, "i am. my age i falling from me like a garment, and i move toward the tar a a child. and o, my father, now i thank thee that it ha o often opened, to receive thoe dear one who await me!"
and the tar wa hining, and it hine upon hi grave.