Thus the radiant angel answered,
And with tender meaning smiled:
“Ere your childlike, loving spirit,
Sin and the hard world defiled,
God has given me leave to seek you,—
I was once that little child!”
* * * *
*
In the churchyard of that city
Rose a tomb of marble rare,
Decked, as soon as Spring awakened,
With her buds and blossoms fair,—
And a humble grave beside it,—
No one knew who rested there.
Adelaide A. Procter.
[Illustration: Kaulbach.]
* * * *
*
Enlarge the following brief summary of the Angel’s
Story into a composition the length of which to be
determined by your teacher. Use many of the words
and forms of expression you find in the poem.
A poor little boy, to whom a child of wealth had in
pity given a bunch of “reddest roses,”
died with the fading flowers. Afterwards he came
as a “radiant angel” to visit his dying
friend, and in a spirit of gratitude bore him to heaven.
* * * *
*
80
al’ ti tude as tound’ ing ve loc’
i ty vag’ a bond mus tach’ es hes i
ta’ ting ly par’ a lyzed tre men’
dous ex tra or’ di na ry
It was drawing toward winter, and very cold weather,
when one day Gluck’s two older brothers had
gone out, with their usual warning to little Gluck,
who was left to mind the roast, that he was to let
nobody in and give nothing out. Gluck sat down
quite close to the fire, for it was raining very hard.
He turned and turned, and the roast got nice and brown.
“What a pity,” thought Gluck, “that
my brothers never ask anybody to dinner. I’m
sure, when they have such a nice piece of mutton as
this, it would do their hearts good to have somebody
to eat it with them.” Just as he spoke
there came a double knock at the house door, yet heavy
and dull, as though the knocker had been tied up.
“It must be the wind,” said Gluck; “nobody
else would venture to knock double knocks at our door.”
No; it wasn’t the wind. There it came again
very hard, and what was particularly astounding the
knocker seemed to be in a hurry, and not to be in
the least afraid of the consequences. Gluck put
his head out the window to see who it was.
It was the most extraordinary looking little gentleman
he had ever seen in his life. He had a very large
nose, slightly brass-colored; his cheeks were very
round and very red; his eyes twinkled merrily through
long, silky eyelashes; his mustaches curled twice round
like a corkscrew on each side of his mouth, and his
hair, of a curious mixed pepper-and-salt color, descended
far over his shoulders. He was about four feet
six in height, and wore a conical pointed cap of nearly
the same altitude, decorated with a black feather
some three feet long. He wore an enormous black,
glossy-looking cloak, which must have been very much
too long in calm weather, as the wind carried it clear
out from the wearer’s shoulders to about four
times his own length.
