Romance of California Life: Illustrated by Pacific Slope Stories, Thrilling, Pathetic and HumorousHabberton, John
General
Romance of California Life: Illustrated by Pacific Slope Stories, Thrilling, Pathetic and Humorous
Habberton, John
California -- Fiction
"Does He knows how it feels to be a little boy?" asked Toddie, "an' be
sent to bed when He don't want to go?"
"And He determined to comfort the world, as He always does when the
world finds out it can't comfort itself," continued Mrs. Burton,
entirely ignoring her nephew's questions.
"But wasn't there lotzh of little boyzh then?" asked Toddie, "an' didn't
they used to be comforted as well as big folks?"
"I suppose so," said Mrs. Burton. "But He knew if He comforted grown
people, they would make the children happy."
"I wiss He'd comfort you an' Uncle Harry every mornin', then," said
Toddie. "G'won."
"So He sent His own Son--his only Son--down to the world to be a dear
little baby."
"_I_ should think He'd have made Him a _sister_ baby," said Budge, "if
He'd wanted to make everybody happy."
"He knew best," said Mrs. Burton. "And while smart people everywhere
were wondering what would or could happen to quiet the restless heart of
people--"
"Izh restless hearts like restless tummuks?" interrupted Toddie. "Kind
o' limpy an' wabbley?"
"I suppose so," said Mrs. Burton.
"_Poor_ folks," said Toddie clasping, his hands over his waistband:
"Izhe sorry for 'em."
"While smart folks were trying to think out what should be done,"
continued Mrs. Burton, "some simple shepherds, who used to sit around at
night under the moon and stars, and wonder about things which they could
not understand, saw a wonderfully bright star up in the sky."
"Was it one of the twinkle-twinkle kind, or one of the stand-still
kind?" asked Toddie.
"I don't know," said Mrs. Burton, after a moment's reflection. "Why do
you ask?"
"'Cauzh," said Toddie, "I know what 'twazh there for, an' it ought to
have twinkled, 'cauzh twinkley star bobs open and shut that way 'cauzh
they're laughin' and can't keep still, an' I know I'd have laughed if
I'd been a star an' was goin' to make a lot of folks so awful happy.
G'won."
"Then," said Mrs. Burton, looking alternately and frequently at the two
accounts of the Advent, "they suddenly saw an angel, and the shepherds
were afraid."
"Should fink they _would_ be," said Toddie. "Everybody gets afraid when
they see good people around. I 'spec' they thought the angel would say
'don't!' in about a minute."
"But the angel told them not to be afraid," said Mrs. Burton, "for he
had come to bring good news. There was to be a dear little baby born at
Bethlehem, and He would make everybody happy."
"_Wouldn't_ it be nice if that angel would come an' do it all over
again?" said Budge. "Only he ought to pick out little boys instead of
sheep fellows. _I_ wouldn't be afraid of an angel."
"Neiver would I," said Toddie, "but I dzust go round behind him an' see
how his wings was fastened on."
"Then a great many other angels came," said Mrs. Burton, "and they all
sang and sang together. The poor shepherds didn't know what to make of
it, but after the singing was over, they all started for Bethlehem, to
see that wonderful baby."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account