A little dear child lay in its crib and sobbed, because it was afraid of the dark. And its father, in the room below, heard the sobs, and came up, and said,
“What ails you, my dearie, and why do you cry?”
And the child said, “Oh, father, I am afraid of the dark. Nurse says I am too big to have a taper; but all the corners are full of dreadful blackness, and I think there are Things in them with eyes, that would look at me if I looked at them; and if they looked at me I should die. Oh, father, why is it dark? why is there such a terrible thing as darkness? why cannot it be always day?”
The father took the child in his arms and carried it downstairs and out into the summer night.
“Look up, dearie!” he said, in his strong, kind voice. “Look up, and see God’s little lights!”
The little one looked up, and saw the stars, spangling the blue veil of the sky; bright as candles they burned, and yellow as gold.
“Oh, father,” cried the child; “what are those lovely things?”
“Those are stars,” said the father. “Those are God’s little lights.”