ten and jostled others, received
here in the crowd his own first jostling. At the gate stood a beautiful,
tall angel, who sprinkled each one with water out of a golden vessel.
The touch of this water obliterated at once all remembrance of the past.

St. Peter, who considered the noise and bustle too much of a good thing,
was of the opinion that mankind had none of the bother of dying, all
the work falling on him; and he was accordingly grumbling to himself.
Suddenly he saw a little fellow, clad only in a shirt, standing before
him, shivering all over, and regarding him with innocent, childish eyes,
as if asking whether he might enter. St. Peter, unwilling that such
little folks should cause delay in business, said, roughly, "In with
you!" The little frightened fellow rushed, thereupon, so quickly through
the gate that the angel did not have time to sprinkle him with the
waters of oblivion.

Now, as children of two years have but short memories and very harmless
pasts, the angel smilingly let him slip by. Once inside, little Hans was
seized by a host of flying angels and whirled away to Paradise, which
was more beautiful than the fairest garden on earth. Rare plants with
big, magnificently colored blossoms filled the air with spicy odor. Here
dwelt the tiny children who had left earth before they knew anything of
it. Here they could dream on forever; and their breath swept softly over
every bud. Large butterflies with silken wings were bathing in the clear
ether, and floating entranced from bud to bud. The heavens glittered and
lightened as though composed of millions of diamonds; yet the sun did
not blind the eye, nor the warmth rise to summer heat. Eternal spring
had banished from these regions battle and death, tempest and decay, and
far away below in misty distance lay all the sorrows of tormented
creation. Amongst the flowers wandered blissful forms, absorbed in the
beauty of surrounding harmony.

The boy curiously observed all this splendor, peered into the dewy buds
of the flowers, examined the wings of his heavenly playmates, and was
not a little rejoiced on observing that two wings had also grown on him,
with which he could fly like a bird. "If neighbor Liesel could only see
me!" thought Hans, and he felt quite proud at the thought. For,
notwithstanding all the splendor about him, the picture of his parents'
home presented itself constantly to his little mind. He had an excellent
memory of the much despised ea