Amazed at the strange apparition, they might
almost have thought the translated little creatures
small angel navigators on some voyage of discovery,
some little cherubic venture of their own,
as, heading toward the rosy cloud-lands and
purple islands of sunset splendour, they sailed
deeper and deeper into the west, and faded away.

Some company they had, poor little sky-
waifs! Something comforted them, and allayed
their wild terrors—something whispered them
that below the night and clouds, was home; that
above was God; that wherever they might drift
or clash, living or dead, they would still be in
His domain, and under His care—that though
borne away among the stars, they could not be
lost, for His love would follow them.

When the sunlight all went away, and the
great comet came blazing out, little Johnnie
was apprehensive that the comet might come
too near their airy craft, and set it on fire with a
whisk of its dreadful tail. But when his sister
assured him that that fiery dragon was "as
much as twenty miles away," and that God
wouldn't let him hurt them, he was tranquillized,
but soon afterward, said, "I wish he would
come a little nearer, so I could warm myself
—I'm so cold!"

Then Jennie took off her apron, and wrapped
it about the child, saying tenderly: " This is all
sister has to make you warm, darling, but she'll
hug you close in her arms, and we will say
our prayers and you shall go to sleep."

"Why, how can I say my prayers, before I
have my supper?" asked little Johnnie.

"Sister hasn't any supper for you, or for
herself, but we must pray all the harder," solemnly
responded Jennie.

So the two baby-wanderers, alone in the wide
heavens, unawed by darkness, immensity, and
silence, by the presence of the great comet and
the millions of unpitying stars, lifted their little
clasped hands, and sobbed out their sorrowful,
"Our.Father," and then that quaint little
supplementary prayer:

    Now I lay me down to sleep,
      I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
    If I should die before I wake,
      I pray the Lord my soul to take.

"There! God heard that, easy; for we are
close to Him, up here," said innocent little
Johnnie.

Doubtless Divine Love stooped to the little
ones, and folded them in perfect peace for
soon the younger, sitting on the bottom of the
car, with his head leaning against his sister's
knee, slept as soundly as though he were lying
in his own little bed, at home; while the elder
watched quietly through the long, long hours,
and the car floated gently on in the still night
air, till it began to sway and rock on the fresh
morning wind.

Who can divine that simple little child's
thoughts, speculations, and wild imaginings,
while watching through those hours? She
may have feared coming in collision with a
meteor—for many were abroad that night,
scouts and heralds of the great comet—or
perhaps being cast away on some desolate star-
island, or more dreary still, floating and floating
on, night and day, till they should both die of
cold and hunger. Poor babes in the clouds!

At length, a happy chance, or Providence—
we will say Providence—guided the little girl's
wandering hand to a cord connected with the
valve; something told her to pull it. At once
the balloon began to sink, slowly and gently,
as though let down by tender hands; or as
though some celestial pilot guided it through
the wild currents of air, not letting it drop into
lake, or river, lofty wood, or impenetrable
swamp, where this strange unchild-like
experience might have been closed by a death of
unspeakable horror; but causing it to descend
as softly as a bird alights, on a spot where
human care and pity awaited it.

The sun had not yet risen, but the morning
twilight had come, when the little girl looking
over the edge of the car, saw the dear old earth
coming nearer—"rising towards them," she
said. But when the car stopped, to her great
disappointment, it was not on the ground, but
caught fast in the topmost branches of a tree.
Yet she saw they were near a house whence
help might soon come, so she awakened her
brother and told him the good news, and
together they watched and waited for deliverance,
hugging each other for joy and for
warmth; for they were very cold.

Farmer Burton, who lived in a lonely house,
on the edge of his own private prairie, was a
famous sleeper in general, but on this particular
morning he awoke before the dawn, and, though
he turned and turned again, he could sleep no
more. So, at last, he said to his good wife,
whom he had kindly awakened to inform her of
his unaccountable insomnolence, "It's no use;
I'll just get up and dress, and have a look at
the comet."

The next that worthy woman heard from her
wakeful spouse, was a frightened summons to
the outer door. It seems, that no sooner did
he step forth from his house, than his eyes fell
on a strange portentous shape hanging in a large
pear-tree, about twenty yards distant. He
could see in it no likeness to anything earthly,
and he half fancied it might be the comet, who
having put out his light, had come down there
to perch. In his fright and perplexity, he did
what every wise man would do in a like
extremity; he called on his valiant wife.
Reinforced by her, he drew near the tree, cautiously
reconnoitring. Surely never pear-tree bore such
fruit!

Suddenly there descended from the thing, a
plaintive trembling little voice. " Please take
us down. We are very cold!"

Then a second little voice. " And hungry,
too. Please take us down!"

"Why, who are you? And where are you?"

The first little voice said: " We are Mr.
Harwood's little boy and girl, and we are lost
in a balloon."

The second little voice said: " It's us, and we