BY RAJA.
There was a commotion in the moon. Father Time had the rheumatism in both legs, and could not move from his seat by the fire-place. This was a horrible state of affairs. For thousands upon thousands of years—nobody knows how many—he had never failed to make his visit to the earth, and now he was helpless; and what would be the result of a day's neglect of duty? Perhaps the world would come to an end; for with the end of Time, what else could be expected? At all events, his reputation would be ruined, and the bare idea made him writhe and groan.
"My dear, pray be more careful," said his wife, anxiously. "If you toss your arms about in that reckless fashion, you will certainly do some mischief. I have picked up your scythe seven times, and your hour-glass was just on the point of tumbling from the table."
"Let it tumble," growled Father Time, crossly. "If my reputation goes, what do I care for the hour-glass? Aïe! aïe! where do you suppose I took this rheumatism? Never dreamed that I could have it at my age, after all the draughts that I've been exposed to. It must have been that dreadful eclipse that made the air so chilly."
At this there went up such a howl from the Moon that all the inhabitants of Venus, which happened to be in the neighborhood, thought there was a thunder-storm. Father Time's billions and trillions of children had just come quietly into his room to ask how he felt, and when they heard their usually gentle parent express himself in such impatient tones they thought he must certainly be delirious, and wept aloud in anguish. He was rather ashamed of his burst of passion when he saw how they took it to heart, and hung his head for a while, upon which his wife tried to comfort him.
"It's almost time for Sol to go to earth, and how can he if I'm not with him? I shall go crazy if this state of things continues."
"Papa," cried two billion of his children, "why could not we take your place for to-day?"
"Oh yes," echoed all the rest; "we do so long to be useful!"
A gleam of hope lighted their father's gloomy face, but he looked a bit doubtful. "Are you sure that you know what to do and where to go? You have not my power of ubiquity; that is to say, you can not be everywhere at once as I am."
"But there are more than enough of us to go around," answered the children. "Each one of us will spend the day by the side of some mortal, and we are sure you will not be missed. As for old Sol, it will be easy enough to explain your absence to him. It is all his fault for letting himself be eclipsed."