»S STORIES FROM 
 LANDSy SUNSHINE 
 
Cornell XDiniversit^ 
 
 library 
 
 IRew Wotk State (College of agriculture 
 
 J.f.ZllG. VSi/l/tA, 
 
Cornell University Library 
 
 PZ 10.R449S 
 
 Stories from lands o» sunfhine. 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924014519304 
 
STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
STORIES FROM 
 
 LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 BY 
 
 ELEANOR EIGGS 
 
 "UNIVERSITY PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 NEW YORK •:■ BOSTON .;■ NEW ORLEANS 
 
 z, 
 
Copyright, 1904, by 
 University Publishing Company 
 
 2740 »*„ 
 
In apipreciation of hindly encouragement and 
 
 wise counsel, this little volume is 
 
 respectfully dedicated to 
 
 Honorable Warren Easton 
 
 Superintendent of Public Education, New Orleans 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I 
 
 The Magnolia 
 
 . 11 
 
 II 
 
 The Cypress Tree 
 
 33 
 
 III 
 
 Narcissus .... 
 
 42 
 
 IV 
 
 
 55 
 
 V 
 
 The Persimmon Tree 
 
 . 65 
 
 VI 
 
 Flower de Luce 
 
 . 79 
 
 VII 
 
 
 . 97 
 
 7III 
 
 
 . 108 
 
 IX 
 
 Sugar Cane 
 
 . 124 
 
 X 
 
 
 . 140 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 
 
 JUST beyond New Orleans is a beautiful swamp of 
 tall cypress trees and low palmettoes. It has 
 dark little bayous with strange Indian names, 
 and is the home of hundreds of birds. It is a narrow 
 swamp, and winds like a tattered gray scarf about 
 the shoulders of the old gray lake called Pont'char- 
 train. In recent years neat cottages have been built 
 along the edge of the swamp. But this Avas not so in 
 the old days when Bay'ou Tchoupl-tou' las ran out 
 and helped the great river by carrying off a part of its 
 burden of water. Then the swamp was broad, and 
 lay close beside the river ; so close, indeed, that when 
 the narrow street first came in between, people said : 
 "We live on the river side of Tchoupitoulas street," or 
 "We live on the wood side of Tchoupitoulas street." 
 Many years before any city had been built along 
 the Mississippi, a strange tribe of Indians made the 
 
12 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 first settlement in the swamp. They were the A'que- 
 lou-pis'sas, which means the "nation that sees and 
 hears." No book tells who they were, or whence they 
 came, but there is an old story that they were Choc'taw 
 Indians who had quarreled with their tribe and left it. 
 
 OLD GUNS OF SPANISH FORT. 
 
 They found a great deal of game in the swamp, so they 
 settled on a ridge not far from what is now known 
 as Spanish Fort. 
 
 The swamp was too rich a hunting ground not to 
 attract attention, and when its fame reached the old 
 tribe across the lake, another band left the home of 
 their fathers, and came over and built a new settlement 
 along Bayou Tchoupitoulas. 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 13 
 
 The newcomers were led by a son of the chief of 
 the Choctaws, and, because of the old trouble, were 
 not welcome to the new hunting ground. They came 
 in the early fall, and long before winter ended there 
 had been many quarrels over the right to hunt in the 
 swamp between the settlements. 
 
 It was a perfect hunting ground. The lagoons and 
 bayous ran in a network over the swamp, and were 
 full of ducks from early fall until spring. The tall wild 
 rice, which attracted the ducks, afforded fine shelter 
 for the hunters, and the shallow water was well suited 
 to the light pi-rogues', or canoes, of the Indians. Nu- 
 merous deer fed in the palmetto thickets, and wild 
 turkey and other game were plentiful. 
 
 After a great deal of quarreling, an agreement was 
 made between the settlements that the right to hunt 
 in the swamp should be allowed to each band in turn. 
 This was satisfactory for a short time, and then some 
 of the Indians of the first settlement began to complain. 
 They claimed that they had first found the place, and 
 therefore it was theirs, and they would hunt in it when- 
 ever they pleased. Others took up the complaint, and 
 the more it was discussed, the greater seemed the injus- 
 
14 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 tice of giving up their rights. At last they declared 
 that they would drive out the usurpers. 
 
 Ah ! but how ? There were not enough of the first 
 settlers to risk a fight. It was because of this very 
 
 "THE SHALLOW WATER WAS WELL SUITED TO THE LIGHT PIKOGUES." 
 
 fact that they had let the second band come in. 
 Suddenly a man spoke without fear : 
 
 "Let us burn the canebrake and as much of the 
 swamp as we can. Let us make it useless. Surely in 
 the far bend of the lake," — the speaker pointed toward 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 15 
 
 the east, — " we can find another hunting ground, for it 
 is there that the creatures of wood and brake will seek 
 a new home." 
 
 The matter was decided then and there. Late that 
 evening a broad ribbon of flame wound in and out 
 among the little bayous, and crackled through the tall 
 dry rice and the thick sedges of the canebrake. In 
 and out it went, kindling the cypress trees and sassa- 
 fras bushes ; in and out it crept, singeing the palmetto 
 fans, and lighting the long garlands of gray moss. 
 Then arose a great whirring sound, as hundreds of 
 birds swept from the smoke, and circled out over the 
 water of the broad gray lake. Down they dipped for 
 a moment, then away they flew, in great V's, toward 
 the south bend of the lake. Louder and louder grew 
 the crackling of the flames among the canes on the 
 lake shore, while toward the great river rushed deer 
 and wild cat, panther and bear. All things that could, 
 ran from the stifling smoke and fury of the fire. But 
 here and there huge balls of sleeping moccasin snakes 
 were burned to a crisp. A strong east wind fanned the 
 flames, and until early morning the heavens were red. 
 At dawn a soft wind blew a fine mist over the river, 
 
16 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 and in the light of a southland's winter day, the wild 
 and beautiful swamp stretched out like a dead land in 
 a black shroud. 
 
 Fortunately, the wind carried the fire away from 
 the second settlement, which thus escaped destruction. 
 All night the young chief of the settlement watched 
 the burning of the swamp, and while he watched, his 
 warriors fitted poisoned tips into reed-cane arrows. Be- 
 fore daylight every pirogue in the settlement went slip- 
 ping silently down Bayou Tchoupitoulas and out into the 
 lake, and every pirogue carried a well-armed warrior. 
 
 At sunset the women and children who had been 
 left alone at the settlement heard with joy the loud 
 shouts of victory as the pirogues were paddled back 
 up-stream. They knew that O-wan'to, their young 
 chief, had won his first battle. 
 
 Just before the boats came in sight, an old squaw 
 came from the chief's tepee and gave a strange signal. 
 In a moment all the women began a joyous song, 
 which told that a child had been born to the chief. 
 
 Faster and faster came the pirogues, with Owanto's 
 in the lead. Before the bow grazed the sedgy bank, 
 the chief leaped ashore and ran with great haste to 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 17 
 
 his tepee. He raised the deer skin before the entrance 
 and knelt beside his wife. "It is a son?" he tried. 
 "It is my son, a chief? " 
 
 HMe 
 
 
 
 
 gEal 
 
 ^jr ■ rfnFwfifjPi 
 
 "FASTER AND FASTER CAME THE PIROGUES." 
 
 The little mother smoothed back her dark hair, and 
 smiled at him with troubled eyes. 
 
 " Nay, nay. It is my little daughter," she said. 
 
 The disappointed chief gave one look, then strode 
 out of the tepee into the night air. 
 
 All along the bayou bright fires were blazing, and 
 tempting meat hung roasting over the flames. A great 
 feast was being made ready. Behind the settlement 
 grew a thicket of cypress trees. Here in the lonely 
 
18 STOBIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 darkness, away from all joy of victory, Owanto crouched 
 at the foot of a cypress tree, and mourned because 
 his beautiful wife had given him a daughter instead 
 of the son he wanted. 
 
 II 
 
 A few years passed and the forest began to grow 
 again. Many birds and wild ducks flew back to the 
 old feeding ground. New herds of deer came wander- 
 ing through, to browse on the tender herbs that were 
 again so plentiful in the swamp. No more fighting 
 was to be done now, for the Indians at the east end 
 well remembered the terrible battle in which they had 
 lost so many of their warriors. Owanto and his men 
 might hunt whenever they chose. They shared the 
 swamp with no one. 
 
 Owanto's child was now five years old, and a strange 
 little Indian girl she was. Her face was as fair as the 
 clouds that play about the silver moon on April nights. 
 She was as tall as her father's bow, and as straight 
 and slender as the reeds that swayed in the strong lake 
 breeze. Little children looked at her with awe, for 
 she would not play with them, but, from the time that 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 19 
 
 she could walk, would stare at them solemnly, and 
 then toddle off and stand close beside her father. She 
 loved to be near him, though he cared little for her. 
 Often he would frown at her fiercely, but she would 
 look up at him with pleading eyes and clasp his hand 
 in hers, and at last his dark path of hate was lit by 
 the love of his little daughter. 
 
 In the days when the chief went off on a long hunt, 
 the little Indian girl would sit for hours and watch the 
 direction whither he had gone. When the first sound of 
 his steady paddle was heard, she would hasten down the 
 bayou to meet the boat, and run beside it until it halted 
 at the settlement. Then, if her father handed her his 
 big bow, she would hold it tightly against her breast, and 
 smile at him so knowingly that he would stroke her hair. 
 
 During the summer that she was five years old, her 
 father gave her a little bow and a handful of tiny 
 arrows. Over the bayou toward the lake flew a white 
 heron. Quick as a flash the little Indian girl pulled the 
 cord of her bow, and her arrow flew straight to the 
 breast of the bird. Down dropped the beautiful thing 
 into the bayou. Then her father took her baby hands 
 in his and said: 
 
20 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 " Light-of-the-Moon ! these are little hands, but 
 they are strong and true." 
 
 Many times after this, when she had grown a little 
 older, Owanto would take her hunting, and the Indians 
 wondered at her cunning with the bow. Old Indian 
 women shook their heads and said: 
 
 "Oh she is not like other children! In all our 
 tribe, aye, among all our people, there is not one with 
 moon-light on her face. How great was the trouble 
 in our land the night she was born. She was born 
 under the full light of the midwinter moon, and great 
 things will come unto her." 
 
 Ill 
 
 So ten years went by, and Light-of-the-Moon grew 
 tall and strong, but during her fifteen years she. had 
 known nothing save the quiet life of the little bayou. 
 She had been told of the great tribe over the lake, and 
 of the burning of the swamp, and of the battle the 
 day she was born. But she had never heard a battle- 
 cry, and had never seen a strange Indian. 
 
 One evening she was sitting beside her father, near 
 the entrance of the tepee. All about them a wonderful 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 
 
 21 
 
 dance of shadows went on, for the summer moon was 
 full, and palmetto palms and feathery cypress sprays 
 quivered in the warm night breeze. In and out the 
 tall grass mosquitoes were swarming noisily. Over 
 the thicket whip-poor-wills whistled, and other night 
 
 LIGHT-OF-THE-MOON. 
 
 birds answered. Presently another noise was heard. 
 It sounded like the wind tossing the lake in long 
 waves upon the beach. Nearer and nearer it came, 
 and then suddenly there rang out a war-whoop. 
 
 The Indians from the east end had come back, and 
 were trampling down the dry reeds. They had been 
 
22 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 joined by a new band, and their purpose was to avenge 
 the fight of long ago. 
 
 In a second Owanto was up, and he answered the 
 enemy's cry with a terrible shout that brought all his 
 men together, ready for battle. In all of the tepees bun- 
 dles of arrows that had hung for a long time were taken 
 down, and the skin coverings were torn from their 
 poisoned barbs. 
 
 All the women in the settlement crept stealthily to 
 a dense canebrake beyond. Some bore quaint water- 
 tight baskets filled with tips of sharpened shell that 
 had been dipped in moccasin poison ; others carried 
 bundles of reed-cane arrows ready to be tipped. Here, 
 out of danger, their deft fingers fitted the tips, and 
 bound them securely to the arrow shafts with strands 
 of tough palmetto. 
 
 Down on the bayou, hidden in the quiet shadows, 
 Owanto and his men waited. Soon the arrows from 
 the opposite bank of the bayou began to come fast 
 and thick. Louder and fiercer rang the war-whoops, 
 as the men faced each other. Owanto shouted as he 
 had never shouted before, and his men echoed and re- 
 echoed his cry of death. 
 
TEE MAGNOLIA 23 
 
 Beside her father stood Light-of-the-Moon. Quickly 
 fitting arrow after arrow to her bow, she aimed steadily 
 and surely at the dark figures in the brake across the 
 bayou. On went the fight, like the fury of the fire on 
 the long ago night. Here and there were wounded 
 Indians, crouching on the ground, shooting arrows as 
 they writhed in pain. Many lay dead. 
 
 Light-of-the-Moon glanced up at her father, and, 
 seeing the look on his face, knew that they were losing. 
 Still his voice rang out fiercely as he rallied his men. 
 In the thicket small boys slipped to and fro, supplying 
 the men with arrows. As one handed Light-of-the- 
 Moon some arrows, she stooped and whispered some- 
 thing to him. Immediately he ran down to the bayou, 
 jumped into a pirogue and paddled up-stream. 
 
 Overhead the moon was sailing to the west, and 
 the night was growing old, but still the battle went on. 
 Suddenly, a great cry went up from the enemy. 
 Owanto had fallen. Over his tribe flashed a terrible 
 silence. Then the battle-cry was taken up by a voice 
 of wonderful strength. Everywhere the men rallied and 
 began the fight with new power. Light-of-the-Moon 
 was leading. 
 
24 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 High over her head she swung her bow. Eagerly 
 and loudly she urged the men. The moon shone fair 
 on her white face. The Indians across the bayou looked 
 at her slender form and pale face in wonder. Could it 
 be she who held her tribe in safety ? They had often 
 heard strange stories of her man's skill in hunting. 
 There she stood upon a little knoll, with palmetto palms 
 about her. She swayed to and fro like a pale night 
 flower among the broad green leaves. 
 
 From the distance there came at last a rushing noise, 
 like that of sudden rain. Overhead hundreds of birds 
 swept toward the lake. A huge volume of smoke fol- 
 lowed in their wake, and a brilliant tongue of fire lit the 
 dry sedges. A mighty wind from the southwest fanned 
 the fury of the fire as it rushed across the swamp. In 
 dismay the invaders turned toward the lake where their 
 pirogues were resting in the water. Loud cries of joy 
 went up from Owanto's men as they watched the foe 
 disappear in the tall canebrake. But one of the enemy 
 lingered a moment, took deliberate aim and shot the 
 last arrow of the battle. Among the still palmettoes 
 Light-of-the-Moon sank to rest. 
 
 Great was the mourning in the sad swamp land. 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 
 
 Early the next morning the few that were left began 
 the burial of the dead. Two miles up the bayou, 
 where it widened out into a lagoon, and thence branched 
 into a small stream, was a bit of high ground. Here, 
 
 THE SETTLEMENT ON THE BAYOU. 
 
 after the manner of their fathers, were the dead 
 buried where water could not reach them. 
 
 First, cypress trees were placed side by side for a 
 raft. Upon these the dead were laid, Light-of-the-Moon 
 beside her father in the center of the group. Tender 
 boughs of trees were placed upon the bodies, then an- 
 other covering of trees, as many as the first. Lastly, 
 from the Jake shore, for many days, countless shells were 
 
26 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 brought in pirogues and heaped upon the logs. Thus 
 was made a shell mound more than thirty feet high. 
 This mound may be seen even to this day. 
 
 IY 
 
 Years went by, and the settlement on the bayou was 
 forgotten, but though few of the tribe remained, there 
 were one or two, old in years, who knew the strange 
 history of the tribe's life, and they told many stories 
 about the maiden whose face was as the shining moon. 
 
 One evening two hunters of the tribe were returning 
 from a day's hunt, deep in the swamp. At sunset they 
 passed under the shadow of the old Indian burial place. 
 It was now over-grown with bushes and briers, and 
 palmettoes were thick about its base. The hunter who 
 rowed with his face toward the mound suddenly lifted 
 his paddle and whispered to his companion. Both 
 glanced curiously at the top of the mound. Out of the 
 dark, shadowy bushes shone a pale, white face. Could 
 it be Light-of-the-Moon ? Surely it was she. They 
 paused a moment. Should they hurry home and tell 
 what they had seen, asked one of the hunters. 
 
 "No," returned the other, "let us go nearer and 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 
 
 27 
 
 see more plainly before it 
 is dark. If it is Light-of- 
 the-Moon, she will not harm 
 us, for we are the last of 
 the old tribe to come this 
 way." 
 
 So they rowed to the 
 shore, and climbed cau- 
 tiously up to the top of 
 the mound, but could see 
 nothing save thick bushes, 
 and briers, and a solitary 
 tree of young and slender 
 growth. 
 
 As one of them reached 
 up and plucked a broad, 
 shining leaf from the lowest branch of this tree, a 
 woodsy odor floated above him, like nothing he had 
 smelled before. Then he peered carefully among the 
 glossy leaves, and there, hidden in the midst, gleamed 
 a creamy white blossom that gave forth a rare and 
 delicate odor. 
 
 " ; Tis the spirit of the fair maid," said the hunters, 
 
 A SOLITARY TREE. 
 
28 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 and gazing reverently at it, they stole away and rowed 
 swiftly down the quiet stream. 
 
 To this day the magnolia tree is loved above all 
 other trees by the Choctaw Indians, and many of them, 
 who live now in the piney woods of St.* Tam'ma-ny, will 
 tell, with quaint accent, of the healing salve that can be 
 made from its petals, and of a sure cure for wounds that 
 can be made from its scarlet, sweet-scented seeds that 
 ripen under the rays of the moon in the month of 
 August. 
 
 Interesting Facts About Magnolias. 
 
 There are several varieties of magnolias, among which may 
 be mentioned the Magnolia Grandiflora, Bay Magnolia, Mag- 
 nolia Fuscati,* and Chinese Magnolia. 
 
 The Magnolia Grandiflora is the most common. It is an 
 evergreen, sixty to seventy feet high, and two or three feet in 
 diameter. Its leaves are from six to twelve inches long, and 
 are oval in shape. The upper surface is smooth and shining 
 and a dark rich green in color. The under surface is covered 
 with brown down and looks like undressed kid. 
 
 The bark is semi-rough, dark gray in color, and frequently 
 covered with green mould. 
 
 * Note. — This variety is often referred to in botanical works as " Magnolia 
 Frascati." This is incorrect. " Magnolia Fuscati " is the proper term. 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 29 
 
 The flowers are large and beautiful. The corolla meas- 
 ures six to ten inches in diameter, with from nine to twelve 
 large petals. The tree blooms all summer, from early May 
 until late October. 
 
 The seeds are brilliant scarlet. They are fleshy and are 
 contained in a cone about four inches in length. There are 
 a great many of them and birds enjoy them as food. The 
 Indians used them for medicine. Beneath the red pulpy cover- 
 ing a firm white shell protects the kernel. 
 
 Magnolias are planted either by seed or by layers. The 
 latter is the most common mode of planting. 
 
 The wood is soft, white, fine-grained and suitable for 
 cabinet work and interior finishing. It does not last when 
 exposed to the weather. 
 
 Magnolia trees are very common in New Orleans as shade 
 trees, and attract much attention because of their beautiful 
 foliage and symmetrical form. The only objection to them is 
 that they shed their leaves continually. 
 
 The Chinese magnolia has been cultivated in China for 
 twelve hundred years, and is much admired for its beautiful 
 and fragrant flowers. 
 
 One variety of magnolia grows on the Him-a'la-ya Moun- 
 tains, at an elevation of 8,000 feet, and when the trees 
 are in blossom, the mountains look as if they had been 
 sprinkled with snow. Still another variety, which also grows 
 
30 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 % 
 
 on the Himalayas, produces very large, rose-colored flowers. 
 The bark and fruit of all varieties of magnolia are bitter, and 
 
 A HAGKOLIA BLOSSOM. 
 
 have some value as tonic medicines. This tonic value is 
 recognized in marshy districts of the United States, where 
 magnolia bark is used for rheumatism and fever. 
 
THE MAGNOLIA 
 
 State Flower op Louisiana 
 
 New York entwines her roses red 
 For freedom's brow divine ; 
 Rhode Island brings the violet, 
 And Maine the bough of pine; 
 But rarest of the blossoms bright 
 That deck our native bowers 
 Is Louisiana's ofEering 
 Of sweet magnolia flowers. 
 
 Behold her where the sugar-cane 
 
 With golden nectar swells ; 
 
 And live-oaks stand in mossy cloaks, 
 
 Like aged sentinels. 
 
 Above her bend the branches, starred 
 
 With buds of fragrant snow, 
 
 And on her breast, and in her hair 
 
 The white magnolias blow. 
 
32 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 Through drowsy days of burning gold, 
 And nights of silver flame, 
 She nourishes the regal flower, 
 And crowns her with its name ; 
 And garlands her, and girdles her, 
 And robes her in its bloom, 
 And pours like incense at her feet 
 Its treasures of perfume. 
 
 While Georgia tends her melon fields, 
 And Kansas shows her corn, 
 And Delaware her peaches turns, 
 To meet the sunny morn, 
 And Minnesota on her wheat 
 Is growing rich and great, 
 'Tis Louisiana's pride to be 
 The fair Magnolia State. 
 
 Minna Irving in Leslie's Weekly. 
 
THE CYPRESS TREE 
 
 " And the beach had sparry caverns, 
 And a floor of golden sands; 
 And wherever soared the Cypress, 
 Sprang a sward of scented bands." 
 
 MANY years 
 ago the sun- 
 god, Phce'- 
 bus A-pollo, made his 
 home in Delos, an 
 island that rose from 
 the Med'i-ter-ra'ne-an 
 Sea. When the sun- 
 light shone upon Delos, and the 
 waves kissed- its wooded shores, it 
 glowed like an emerald on a royal 
 velvet cushion. 
 It was pleasant to live in Delos. Beyond the sea- 
 coast there were tall hills covered with trees, green 
 slopes of velvety grass, fields of gorgeous flowers, and 
 
 APOLLO AND HIS TWIN 
 SISTER, DIANA. 
 
34 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 little streams that gurgled merrily, as they stumbled 
 over pebbles and spilled cool water here and there. 
 
 Apollo was proud of his island home, and taught 
 his subjects to make the land fruitful and beauti- 
 ful. He helped them gather abundant harvests, by 
 sending floods of sunlight to warm the earth, and he 
 drove away fever and pestilence with great golden 
 arrows, shot from his magic bow. 
 
 He loved his winged creatures — the yellow butter- 
 flies that fluttered behind his golden chariot, the sweet- 
 voiced nightingales that trilled at twilight in the dark- 
 ened woods, and the graceful swans that came in au- 
 tumn to bear him away to their home among the 
 Hy'per-bo-re'ans. Among the four-footed beasts he 
 loved best a herd of deer that roamed upon the wooded 
 hills and grassy slopes through the day, and at eve- 
 ning were sheltered in the Grove of Delphi near his 
 temple. 
 
 Cyp'a-ris'sus, a handsome youth with dark, shining 
 curls, was a great favorite with Apollo, and the herd 
 of sacred deer was placed in his care. Apollo gave 
 him a golden bow and a quiver of arrows, not unlike 
 his own, as a safeguard against enemies of the flock. 
 
THE CYPRESS TREE 35 
 
 Cyparissus was tall and fleet of foot, and he tried 
 faithfully to keep all harm from his charge. As he 
 wandered through the woodland, watching the herd, 
 he whiled away the hours by making a curious lyre 
 with many strings, from which came weird music. At 
 eventide, in the hour when Apollo sought his rest, the 
 lad would rise and hold his lyre high above his head ; 
 then, as the deer came near, he would turn toward the 
 sea in the glowing sunset, leap down the grassy slope, 
 and walk through the forest path; and the soft west 
 wind would pass over the magic strings with a mourn- 
 ful melody, which soothed the heart, and made the eye- 
 lids heavy. On he would speed, while the hoofs of the 
 deer struck sharply the pebbled path, as they followed 
 the mystic music to their shelter in the Delphian Grove. 
 One evening, when the summer time was done, those 
 who listened did not hear the harp of Cyparissus. Only 
 the sighing of the west wind among the pines came down 
 the valley. Deeper burned the sunset into an ashen 
 hue, and the herd came straggling in, but Cyparissus 
 was not with them. Then Apollo called his twin-sister, 
 Di-an'a, to search for the youth. She was the night- 
 queen, and the fairest huntress in all the world. Strong 
 
36 8 TOBIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 and beautiful, and without fear, she rose in the dark- 
 ness, and followed the south wind. 
 
 All night she traveled, and steadily sent a shining 
 light from her quiver of silver arrows. Into all the 
 dark places she peered, while her fairy fingers silvered 
 every path, and the south wind led her on — but still 
 she did not find Cyparissus. 
 
 In the gray dawn Apollo rose and shot his arrows 
 from the east, and by their dazzling light searched 
 the earth. Slowly he passed from east to west, from 
 the gateway, of the dawn to the entrance of the eve- 
 ning, but all in vain. Then, weary, he drew a burnished 
 arrow, tipped with crimson, and cast it down into a tiny 
 dell close by the margin of a reedy pool. In the crim- 
 son glow he could see Cyparissus, with his head bent 
 over the dead body of the favorite of the herd, a 
 beautiful snow-white doe. 
 
 As Apollo touched his damp curls, Cyparissus raised 
 his tear-dimmed eyes, and said, "My master, I have 
 been faithless. Yonder pale-green snake by the marshy 
 fen tried to charm thy petted doe. Quickly I drew 
 my bow and aimed an arrow at the snake — but, alas, 
 my aim was false, and my arrow killed thy favorite." 
 
THE CTPRES8 TREE 
 
 37 
 
 The head of Cyparissus 
 sank lower and lower until 
 it touched the snow-white 
 deer, and Apollo stood and 
 mourned for two of his 
 well-beloved. Already the 
 beautiful swans had drawn 
 his water car near, and its 
 keel now grated on the 
 sandy shore. Then Apollo 
 made a strange sign over ; 
 the youth and the doe, 
 stepped into the boat, and 
 was drawn away to the 
 far-off land of the Hyper- 
 boreans, to remain until 
 
 "A TALL TREE WITH FERN-LIKE LEAVES, 
 
 the coming of spring. 
 
 And winter's sleep then fell softly upon Delos. 
 
 On the seventh day of the month of May Phoebus 
 Apollo returned to awaken his island. As he stepped 
 from his boat, a tall tree with fern-like leaves waved 
 its branches toward him in greeting. He reached up 
 and kissed the leaves, and whispered ; " Cyparissus." 
 
38 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 The sea in the distance caught the sound and murmured 
 back the echo, "Cyparissus, Cyparissus." As Apollo 
 moved beneath the shadow of the tree, a soft sweet 
 odor rose from the earth. He stooped and plucked a 
 
 IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 slender leaf, in shape like the delicate tongue of a deer, 
 and he remembered his wounded doe, and murmured : 
 "Ah! sweet-scented herb, give forth thy sweetness 
 richly, that men may pluck thee and be healed." Apollo 
 had given eternal life to his two favorites, by changing 
 the youth into a tree and the doe into an herb. 
 
 In the swamps of Louisiana Cyparissus, its name 
 
THE CTPBEB3 TREE 39 
 
 shortened to cypress, may be seen lifting its leaves 
 toward the sun, and in the market-places of New 
 Orleans old Choctaw Indian squaws to-day sell sweet- 
 scented "Deer-tongue," an herb of healing from the 
 Louisiana woodlands. 
 
 Interesting Facts About The Cypress. 
 
 The cypress is one of the oldest trees known. The gopher 
 wood mentioned in the Bible is supposed to have been the 
 cypress. The Ark is said to have been built of this timber. 
 
 The E-gyp'tians made their mummy cases of cypress. They 
 chose this wood because they knew it lasted well, but they 
 hardly dreamed that to-day we should look upon their queer 
 caskets in our museums, and find no trace of decay. 
 
 The early Greeks dedicated the cypress to Ha'des, whom 
 we call Plu'to, god of the realms of death, and thus the 
 branches became the emblem of mourning and grief. 
 
 They, too, discovered its value as a lasting wood, and used 
 it for many important purposes. It is said that Pla'to, the 
 celebrated Greek philosopher, ordered that his system of laws 
 should be engraved on cypress, because it was " more durable 
 than brass." 
 
 The doors of St. Peter's Church, in Rome, made of cypress, 
 were like new when they were more than eleven hundred 
 years old. 
 
4-0 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 For centuries the Chinese have thought that the cypress 
 has sacred virtues. In the north of China nearly every pagoda, 
 or temple, queerly outlined against the sky, is in the protecting 
 shade of a near-by cypress. 
 
 The oldest cypress in Europe is that at Som'ma, in Lom'- 
 bar-dy, Italy. It is supposed to have been planted before the 
 time of Christ, and is said to have attracted the attention of 
 Ju'li-us Cae'sar. When Francis I., of France, was defeated in 
 Italy, he struck his sword into the Lombardy cypress in de- 
 spair. More than two hundred years later, Napoleon changed 
 the road over the Sim'plon Pass in order not to disturb the tree. 
 It is to-day one hundred and twenty feet high and twenty- 
 three feet in circumference. 
 
 The American cypress is commonly called the " bald cy- 
 press." This name has been given it because of the scraggy 
 growth of leaves on the trees that grow close together in dense 
 forests. It is found chiefly in the South. Large tracts of 
 swamp lands in Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana, yield enor- 
 mous amounts of cypress lumber. 
 
 The trunk alone is used for timber. It is straight, and 
 tall, and tapers gracefully. About the roots are conical 
 knobs, known as cypress " knees." A year before a tree 
 is felled it is deadened. This is done by cutting the trunk 
 about the spur. The sap is drawn off, and the next year, 
 when the tree is cut down, the trunk is light enough to float 
 
THE CYPBESa TREE 
 
 41 
 
 easily in the bayous and overflow water. It is then rafted to 
 sawmills. 
 
 The wood of the cypress is soft, light, close-grained, and 
 easily worked. The beautiful grain has brought it into favor 
 
 ■~m 
 
 
 jj; j 
 
 BPP*JW 
 
 ,-: V* 
 
 -. -a 
 
 '.i '■<■ 4> 
 
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 - 
 
 ■ 
 
 fc, '_ ,.-/«|™| '--ji 
 
 1 
 
 
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 -- 1 si si i* I'w ■ 
 
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 r'-iSSaSST - i%£££~rt 
 
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 r.:0 -'M 8k .m^h 
 
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 ' : , /'" !r? -. 
 
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 RAFTING CYPRESS LOGS TO SAWMILLS. 
 
 as an attractive wood for interior finishino- In the South it 
 is used extensively for houses and cisterns. 
 
 The leaves of the cypress are linear in shape, and are ar- 
 ranged alternate, on numerous short, slender branches. 
 
 The flowers grow in a rounded catkin, formed of scales. 
 This develops into a round, woody cone of many cells, each 
 cell holding a tiny triangular seed. 
 
NARCISSUS 
 
 ALONG time ago there lived in China an old 
 man who was very rich. One afternoon, late 
 in the summer, just when the rice fields were 
 golden ripe, the old man fell sick. He saw that he 
 was going to die, so he called Wu Ito, his eldest son, 
 and gave him charge of the farm, and bade him divide 
 it into three parts, so that he and his two brothers 
 might receive equal shares. 
 
 At sunrise the old man died, and after the days of 
 mourning were past, the eldest son divided the farm. 
 This farm was the most beautiful in all the province. 
 The house was surrounded by cherry trees and a gor- 
 geous flower-garden, and was situated on the crest of a 
 high hill. 
 
 Down the hill slopes stretched the tea gardens, their 
 dark leaves as rich in color as a damask curtain. 
 Where the land was low, the rice fields shone in the 
 sun like golden fringes. Lower still, lay a bit of 
 swamp land soaking itself in a shallow lake. 
 
NARCISSUS 
 
 43 
 
 Wu Ito was not a good man, and he made a most 
 unfair division of the farm. Chang, the second son, was 
 also dishonest, and when Wu Ito called him to give 
 
 DOWN THE HILL SLOPES STRETCHED THE TEA GARDENS." 
 
 counsel, he, too, was quite willing to cheat his young 
 brother, Goey. 
 
 Wu Ito took the house and the tea gardens as his 
 share, for he said that he was forty years old and had 
 worked on the farm for thirty-five years. He could 
 well remember gathering the tea leaves when he was 
 but five years old. Chang took the rice fields, for he 
 
44 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 also had worked many years on the farm, and he said 
 that he deserved at least the few acres of rice. 
 
 Young Goey Hong was only fourteen years old, and 
 was at school in Pe-king'. He had been there for several 
 years, and had worked very little on the farm, for his 
 father had cherished hopes that some day he would 
 become a scholar and enter the service of the emperor. 
 
 It was almost midwinter when Goey came home, 
 and then it was he learned that his part of the farm 
 was the dreary bit of swamp land and the shallow lake. 
 Moreover, his brothers, who had sons of their own, told 
 him they were not willing to keep him at school, and 
 that he must now work for his living. 
 
 When Goey fully understood this, he walked all the 
 way back to Peking, heartsick and lonely. As he 
 entered the gate of the city, he remembered an old 
 friend of his, a man who owned jin-rik'i-shas, — little 
 two-wheeled carriages, drawn by men, — who had often 
 said that Goey's legs could run ten miles a day easily. 
 
 The next day Goey stood between the shafts of a 
 jinrickisha and waited patiently before a large store for 
 a passenger. Many of his schoolmates passed by and 
 saw him, but they did not speak to him, for he was no 
 
JVABCISSUS 
 
 longer a student. He was only a " coolie/' and students 
 never speak to a " coolie," except to give a command. 
 
 But Goey was brave, he had his living to earn, and 
 must now think of school as a pleasant dream. All 
 through the winter season he ran with his little jin- 
 
 ■Vy^Jg* 
 
 •5V. 
 
 
 ■' M 
 
 4 **? 
 
 "CHERRY BLOSSOMS MORE GORGEOUS THAN ROSES." 
 
 rikisha, until his feet became hard, and his legs thin, 
 and his shoulders rounded. 
 
 By and by the spring came, and all the people in 
 town took a holiday. Some went on journeys to 
 temples to offer up prayers and burn incense to strange 
 gods ; others went to parks where cherry blossoms, 
 more gorgeous than roses, breathed a soft odor into 
 the air ; others went into the country to work in the 
 
46 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 fields and dig in the mellow earth, to make ready for 
 planting. 
 
 It was at this time that Goey grew homesick. Some- 
 thing told him that he must go back and see the tea 
 gardens ; that he must see the tender rice fields ; that 
 he must bathe his tired feet in the little lake. 
 
 Early one morning, before the night had fully passed, 
 he set out for home. He started early, because he 
 hoped to get through the farm without being seen. On 
 he ran in the dewy morning, with the stars blinking 
 above him. When he reached the top of the hill it was 
 so dark that he could scarcely see the tea bushes. It 
 was only when he passed his hand over the shoots that 
 he caught the pleasant odor from them. He went 
 down the slope in the gray dawn, and when his feet 
 pressed the fresh leaves of the rice he knew that he had 
 reached the lowland. He stopped for a moment, re- 
 membering the old days when he, as a little boy, had 
 helped to set out the young rice plants. By and by, he 
 went on his way again, stepping carefully over the bog 
 till he came to a bit of solid earth. At last he sat down 
 by the side of the lake, the only thing that he could call 
 his own. Here he rested and watched the pink glow 
 
NARCISSUS 47 
 
 of the sunrise come up, slowly and beautifully, over 
 the house where he was born. 
 
 As he watched, a strange mist began to rise from 
 the lake. Closer and closer it came, first like a cloud, 
 and then like a soft gray veil. Goey thought it a won- 
 derful sight, as it moved gently across the lake toward 
 him. Suddenly, the face of a beautiful lady smiled 
 down upon him. 
 
 As she hovered lightly over the lonely lake, she 
 asked in a sweet voice : 
 
 " Why are you here ? " 
 
 A feeling of great joy burned in Goey's heart, and, 
 in a moment, he told the story of his life. The lovely 
 fairy listened with kindness, and then, as the boy 
 finished speaking, she put her hand within the folds of 
 her robe and drew forth a dried root, which she gave 
 to him with these words : 
 
 " Plant this close by the side of the lake. Go back 
 to the city and work with a cheerful heart, but come 
 again on the emperor's birthday." 
 
 As Goey stooped to place the brown bulb in the 
 water, a tiny cloud passed over his head and melted in 
 the morning mist. 
 
48 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 • He at once went back to the city, and worked until 
 the time came when all Peking was astir with prepara- 
 tions for the emperor's birthday. 
 
 Everywhere in the empire beautiful gifts were being 
 made. Some were art treasures for the grand palace, 
 others were decorations for the emperor's temple, 
 others were silken robes embroidered in golden thread, 
 others still were delicious sweetmeats. Everything that 
 the emperor needed, and hundreds of things that he did 
 not need, were made ready for the occasion of joy. 
 
 Everyone seemed to have something to place before 
 the great ruler when he should pass by in the festival 
 parade. All but poor Goey, who had no time to make 
 a gift, nor money with which to buy one. 
 
 He was wretched as he stood between the shafts of 
 his little jinrikisha and heard the boasts of the passers- 
 by. At last he determined to leave Peking before the 
 festival began. Late in the evening he stole along the 
 wide road, passing hundreds of gay folk who were 
 making their way toward the emperor's city. He felt 
 sadder than ever as he heard their chatter. 
 
 Suddenly there flashed across his mind the remem- 
 brance that this was the time to return to his little lake. 
 
JVAKCISSUS 49 
 
 With a bound he started forward again, his footsteps 
 growing lighter every moment. Over his head the 
 full moon swung like a silver lantern, before him 
 stretched the smooth road leading toward the hills, 
 aglow with light. At last, far in the distance he 
 saw his lake, gleaming like a mirror in the moon- 
 light. In a little while he was down in his brother's 
 rice fields. All about him tall rice trembled in the 
 night wind; now and again its leaves stroked his 
 face and hands softly. Over the fields the south wind 
 bore a strange sweet perfume, which became stronger 
 and stronger as he neared the lake. Nothing that 
 Goey had ever known was so rare and delicate as this 
 fragrance. 
 
 The rice grew thin. Beyond it lay the shining lake, 
 and around its bank spread a band of the most dainty 
 flowers Goey had ever seen. They were like tiny silver 
 stars, gemmed with hearts of gold. It was from them 
 that the incense floated across the fields. Goey stooped 
 down to look more closely at the blossoms, when a 
 great light shone above him, and there, in a cloud of 
 glory, was his fairy friend. Her soft white garments 
 were embroidered with the flowers of the lake ; about 
 
50 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 her waist gleamed a 
 golden girdle and in 
 her hair shone the ex- 
 quisite blossoms. She 
 called thus to Goey : 
 "Take the flowers 
 to the great emperor 
 as thy gift." 
 
 Then she floated 
 away towards the 
 moon, and was lost 
 in the shining light. 
 
 Goey plucked the 
 blossoms from the 
 banks of the lake till his hands could hold no more, 
 and hurried back to the city. The forenoon was 
 well spent when he reached the high road. Everyone 
 was within the city gates, for it was nearly time for 
 the emperor to pass. In the distance Goey could hear 
 weird music. He ran on faster than ever. When he 
 reached the main street of the city, he found himself 
 in the midst of a swarming multitude. 
 
 Goey held his flowers high, lest any one should touch 
 
 'SILVER STAKS WITH HEARTS OF SOLD. 
 
NAS0ISSU8 51 
 
 them, and hurried on. The emperor was coming, and 
 the crowd bowed low, for none dared look on his face. 
 As the people sank humbly, the emperor passed, and, 
 glancing quickly to right and left, saw the boy with the 
 huge bunch of flowers. Goey hastily cast his gift over 
 the heads of the prostrate figures, into the golden sand of 
 the emperor's path, and knelt down and buried his head 
 in his hands. He did not know that, at a royal signal, 
 a guard picked up the cluster of lilies, tied with rush 
 leaves, and gave them into the hand of the emperor. 
 
 The next day an edict went forth from the palace to 
 find the boy who had given certain strange lilies to 
 the emperor. 
 
 He was found standing within the shafts of his jin- 
 rikisha, and he was sorely afraid when he received the 
 message to appear at the palace. All the way, as he 
 followed the messenger, he wondered if he had offended 
 the emperor. He dared not ask the guide any ques- 
 tions, for it was against the law to address a messenger, 
 save to answer his questions. At last they reached the 
 wonderful gardens which surrounded the emperor's 
 palace. Soon they came to the palace itself, rising 
 gracefully in the midst of the gardens. Here Goey was 
 
52 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 taken in charge by two high officials, who led him 
 before the emperor. 
 
 At the emperor's side stood a rare vase containing 
 
 "WITHIN THE SHAFTS OF HIS JINRIKISHA 
 
 the sweet-scented flowers. Pointing to these, the em- 
 peror asked Goey from whence they came. 
 
 Then, with eyes downcast, for he dared not look at 
 the great man, Goey told his story simply. 
 
 " Ah ! " said the emperor, " thou art indeed favored. 
 
NARCISSUS 53 
 
 It is not often that the face of man beholds the vision 
 thou hast seen. I pray thee, get me seed or root of 
 this plant that I may have it among my flowers, for it 
 is sweet, indeed, and fair to look upon." 
 
 So it came to pass that Goey brought to the em- 
 peror's garden the lily plant, and the emperor became 
 his friend, and kept him as the protector of the flower, 
 which was ever after considered sacred. 
 
 However, many bulbs were left in the shining lake, 
 and the flowers multiplied throughout the "Flowery 
 Kingdom." Wherever the land was almost worthless 
 the lily grew cheerfully, and brought joy to the heart 
 of all who chanced to look upon it. 
 
 When the great steamers leave China for this 
 country in these days, every Chinaman aboard tucks 
 away among his belongings a few dried lily bulbs, 
 for " good luck." 
 
 Interesting Facts About The Narcissus. 
 
 The narcissus is a small flower-bearing plant with slender 
 green leaves, five or six inches long, growing directly from 
 the bulb. 
 
 The flowers are produced in clusters, averaging three to ten 
 
5i 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 in each cluster. The single flower has six petals, creamy 
 white in color. The corolla is yellow. The odor of the 
 
 flower is strong and heavy, 
 
 suggesting sandalwood and 
 
 musk. 
 
 There are more than thirty 
 
 varieties known. The yellow 
 
 variety is commonly called the 
 
 jonquil. 
 
 The plant grows in cool, 
 
 shady places, and requires 
 much moisture. It is easily grown in a shallow dish of clear 
 water. Dried bulbs can be obtained from any florist or 
 Chinaman. The plants bloom freely in the South in the 
 open ground, in January and February. 
 
 IN A SHALLOW DISH OF WATER. 
 
RICE 
 
 r 
 
 N the early days, before the 
 great wall of China was 
 built, a strange thing hap- 
 pened to a little Chinese girl 
 named Haru-Saki. It had been 
 a hard year all over the country. 
 A plagne of fever had swept 
 through the land like a huge 
 flame, and had burned up many lives. There were but 
 few strong men left to work, and there were days 
 when little children went hungry, because there was 
 nothing in the fields to gather. 
 
 Haru-Saki's father had died in the early fall, and 
 all winter she and her mother struggled to get food 
 enough to keep alive. Beyond the little bamboo house 
 in which they lived there stretched a dark forest of 
 bamboo that grew six times taller than a man. Here 
 Haru-Saki's father had made a living by cutting down 
 the great poles and selling them for lumber, and here 
 
56 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 Haru-Saki and her mother would set cunningly made 
 traps for the wild ducks that fed in the dark, quiet 
 places. But the ducks were hard to trap, and some- 
 times Haru-Saki would hide in the thick bamboo brake, 
 to wait and watch for the tall herons that came there to 
 feed. Hungry as she often was, she felt sad when her 
 long pole swung down and snapped the graceful neck of 
 a heron. But this meant food for several days for 
 Haru-Saki, and life until a better season. 
 
 At last the winter passed, and spring floated down 
 in a fine mist on all the dreary landscape. Then the 
 rainy season began, and the wild birds that had spent 
 the winter among the bamboo reeds rose up into the 
 lead-colored sky, spread their wings, strained their 
 necks, and flew toward the north. Poor little Haru- 
 Saki watched them sail away. Nothing was left but 
 the tall, lonely bamboo, with brittle reeds and dried 
 leaves. 
 
 Rain ! Rain ! Rain ! It rained long and steadily that 
 spring. And there was little food, save the tender 
 bamboo shoots that were just beginning to peep out 
 from the water, and the fresh cresses that spread over 
 the pond. One morning, as Haru-Saki pulled in her net, 
 
RICE 
 
 57 
 
 full of the young water 
 plants, she found a large 
 green frog caught in the 
 meshes of the net. This 
 was luck indeed. 
 
 She hurried home to 
 her mother, who immedi- 
 ately cooked the frog; 
 and his fine white meat 
 helped out the dinner 
 wonderfully. That after- 
 noon Haru-Saki and her 
 mother spent some hours 
 in making a stronger net, 
 with which to catch other frogs from the little pond. 
 
 Every morning Haru-Saki went out to fish with her 
 new net, and she caught many frogs among the tender 
 bamboo shoots. One day she left home early. It was 
 a glorious spring morning. The rain clouds had floated 
 far away, and as the sun rolled out on the blue sky, he 
 sent bright sparks and long streaks of light over the 
 land. Away toward the south stretched the tall 
 bamboo, yellow and gleaming; all over the pond the 
 
 AMONG THE BAMBOOS. 
 
58 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 cresses glistened like chains of sparkling emeralds on a 
 silver dish. An old plum tree shook in the quiet air 
 and threw a shower of dainty pink petals about little 
 Haru-Saki, as she danced down the well-worn path, 
 singing gaily and swinging her net. By and by, she 
 reached the pond and began to dip her net, first here, 
 then there, but not a frog could she catch. Then she 
 left the pond and made her way up and down among 
 the bamboos, but still she brought her net up empty. 
 She grew very tired. The sun had already dried the 
 grass and was warming the ground. 
 
 "Oh! dear," she thought, " must I go home without 
 food ? What will become of us if there should be no 
 more frogs." 
 
 She leaned wearily against a tall pole that swayed 
 gently, and as she did so something leaped over her head, 
 and plunged into the shallow water. In a moment 
 Haru-Saki threw out her net, and drew in the largest 
 frog that she had ever seen. 
 
 "Ah! this is fine," she cried as she looked into the 
 net. But, to her surprise, the frog opened his wide, flat 
 mouth, and answered. "Nay, nay, pretty Haru-Saki, 
 it is not right to take me. Let me go, I pray thee. I 
 
RICE 59 
 
 am king of the frogs, and if thou wilt but let me go I 
 will grant thee any wish." 
 
 Haru-Saki was frightened, but she did not let him 
 go, for he was a fine large frog, and there was noth- 
 ing at home for dinner. 
 
 "But I am very hungry, Great Frog," she said 
 slowly, " and we are poor, and have nothing to eat. I 
 cannot let thee go." 
 
 "Is it food that you wish?" croaked the frog 
 hoarsely, as he scrambled about in the net. 
 
 " It is indeed," answered little Haru-Saki. 
 
 " Then place me in the damp grass, and go to the 
 far end of the pond where the sun shines on the water. 
 There hold high the net, so that the sun's rays will fall 
 through, and I will sing among the cresses." 
 
 Haru-Saki turned him out gently into the grass, and 
 he hopped into the water, and swam out where the 
 cresses grew thick. She watched him disappear, and, 
 picking up her net, went down to the edge of the pond 
 where the sun shone brightly on the water. Soon she 
 heard the frog croaking in the cresses ; then she held 
 her net out till the golden rays of the sun fell in tiny 
 spots all over the water. Louder and louder sang the 
 
60 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 frog, and out over the water floated little golden grains, 
 like tiny boats. Faster and faster sang the frog, and 
 soon the water was covered with the grains, for every 
 time a ray of sunlight fell through the net it swam out 
 as a golden grain, and made way for others. 
 
 " Gather the grains, Haru-Saki, and take them 
 home. Beat off the shell, and boil the kernel in the big 
 iron pot, and you shall never be hungry again." The 
 old frog was so hoarse that he could hardly tell his 
 message. But Haru-Saki understood, and ran home 
 with her net lined with leaves and filled to the brim 
 with the wonderful sun food. Her mother at once 
 made ready the dinner, and that day the first bowl of 
 rice was eaten in China with bamboo chopsticks. 
 
 Every day during the spring and summer Haru-Saki 
 went down to the pond, and her kind friend, the old 
 green frog, sang his strange song, while the yellow 
 grains fell through the little girl's net. Then, when 
 autumn came, and the sun's rays grew thin and pale, 
 Haru-Saki and her mother filled all the baskets in their 
 house with rice for the winter's store. So, through the 
 long dark winter, they had good food, and the dried 
 hulls burned with a warm light on their little hearth. 
 
EIOE 
 
 61 
 
 Early the next spring there came up over the 
 marshy land ; and around the edge of the pond, thou- 
 sands of tiny blades of green. Through the long hot 
 summer they grew into slender stalks, till the sun at 
 last changed the green into gold, and ripened the 
 bunches of grain that hung down among the leaves. 
 
 RICE PLANTING IN JAPAN. 
 
 Thus it was that in the wonderful land of China 
 fields of rice began to make glad the hearts of the 
 people, for where rice grows, hunger does not come. 
 
 Interesting Facts About Kice. 
 
 Just as wheat is used daily by every American family, so, 
 among the Chinese, rice is the chief food of all classes. It 
 is the only food of the very poor, and the wealthy use it 
 
62 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 often. It is not an uncommon sight 
 to see little Chinese and Japanese 
 children hurrying along to school with 
 a jar of boiled rice for luncheon. 
 Sometimes it is well sprinkled with 
 sugar, while again it is mixed with 
 boiled fish. 
 
 China has given rice to all the 
 world. More than two thousand years 
 before Christ, the Chinese began rais- 
 ing this grain. Every year there is a 
 grand ceremony at the opening of the 
 lice season, and, as 
 
 in Japan, the emperor opens the ground 
 
 and plants the first seed ; then, on the day 
 
 following, miles and miles of land are 
 
 dotted with men, women and children, 
 
 preparing the crop that is to feed multi- 
 tudes. Their process of planting the grain 
 
 is very tedious. Each tiny plant, when 
 
 well sprouted from the seed, is set out 
 
 separately. To do this in a heavy, mucky 
 
 field is hard, back-breaking work. 
 
 For centuries, tithes of rice have been 
 
 given in the temples of China. Sometimes bamboo vase with rice. 
 
 A QUAINT DESIGN. 
 
RICE 
 
 63 
 
 a farmer will select the finest specimen in his crop and dye 
 the ends a deep orange and red, and then weave these so as to 
 form a quaint and beautiful design, the heavy grains hanging 
 like a fringe of golden beads. 
 
 Rice Planting in Louisiana. — Rice is planted in this 
 state from March to June. The land is well broken with 
 
 BICE WAGONS, ON THE ROAD TO CROWLEY, LA. 
 
 riding plows and pulverized with large harrows. The rice is 
 seeded with broadcast seeders, or drills, one, two or three 
 bushels of seed being used to an acre. The fields are flooded, 
 when the rice has grown three or four inches high, until the 
 water reaches nearly to the top of the plant. They are kept 
 flooded until just before harvesting, when they are drained, in 
 order to let the stalk gain strength, and dry the ground for 
 reaping. When the rice is cut the grain is threshed by steam 
 out in the open field ; then the " paddy, " (rough rice) is sacked 
 
64: 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 and taken to the mills. Here a wonderful process of rubbing off 
 the husk and polishing the kernel takes place. The hulls are 
 excellent for fertilizing the ground for the next crop, and the 
 pearly, white kernels are sold for food. A Creole would find 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 ^tt ± 
 
 ira i « 
 
 
 
 -i., - . |. : 
 
 &it 
 
 
 wT\ 
 
 ^i^to^S^^* M tf'n 
 
 S^T^ 
 
 |£ja^h^a 
 
 \JjsL*<£^-*fe- ~^H 
 
 iT ' ' 
 
 ■ V >. .J;. J . & ,fj 
 
 T fcj 
 
 
 , 
 
 . 
 
 
 
 |^ 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 
 ■ •-•vl-l- • ■ ' 
 
 
 ^tisfik 
 
 llfeS :. 
 
 li<&l^w~Mm*- 
 
 THRESHING EICE IN LOUISIANA. 
 
 dinner incomplete indeed without rice, while many American 
 families are quite of the same mind. 
 
 Rice when young looks like soft and tender spring grass, 
 but when full grown resembles marsh grass, both in size and 
 harshness of foliage. Its leaves are long and pointed. The 
 grain is borne in clusters. The seeds are covered with a 
 rough husk, deep yellow in appearance. 
 
THE PERSIMMON TREE 
 
 THIS is the story of Coy'o-cop Tchoup'ic, the witch 
 of the Tchoupitoulas. Coyocop Tchoupic means 
 Cloudy Spirit, and when this story is done you 
 will understand 
 why this strange 
 old woman was 
 called by this pe- 
 culiar name. 
 
 Away up the 
 shallow bayou in 
 a dense thicket 
 there was a 
 clearing where 
 she had her 
 home, a lonely, 
 fearsome house. The little gray hut of cypress logs was 
 daubed with mud and matted moss, and the roof was 
 thatched with palmetto leaves. The only neighborly 
 
 •A LONELY, FEARSOME HOUSE. 
 
66 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 thing near was a friendly tree, whose tattered curtains of 
 gray moss swept against the roof. When a wild storm 
 broke over the swamp land, the branches of the tree 
 reached down like strong arms, and protected the tiny 
 house; and in the long, hot days of September, when 
 the banks of the bayou were baked like bricks, the 
 tree flattened its leaves into a broad roof, and the moss 
 waved to and fro like feathered fans in the summer air. 
 
 Little children would not pass this house alone, for 
 fear of Coyocop Tchoupic and her blue heron. Coyo- 
 cop Tchoupic was tall and straight, with long black hair, 
 which she kept shaved, except for the tuft on the top of 
 her head. In the tuft she wore turkey feathers, after 
 the manner of the chiefs of her tribe. No one in all 
 the tribe could tell how old she was. She had lived for 
 generations, and she knew the earliest history of her 
 people, and could tell strange stories of the swamp. 
 
 She had not always been a witch. Once she had 
 lived in the village, and had made palmetto baskets and 
 clay pots, like other women. In those days three of her 
 sons had been chiefs of the tribe, but when the last son 
 was killed in a fierce battle, and the new chief came in, 
 Coyocop Tchoupic left the village to live in the quiet 
 
THE PERSIMMON TREE 
 
 67 
 
 swamp. Here she studied the grasses and bushes, flowers 
 and trees, and learned to make healing potions and 
 deadly poisons. In the shape of the clouds, the twinkling 
 of the stars, and the setting 
 of the sun she read strange 
 signs. Many days she sat 
 alone, and listened while the 
 whole earth spoke to her. 
 Even the birds of the swamp 
 knew her low voice, and, with 
 a strange look in her eyes 
 and a motion of her hands, 
 she could charm them to her. 
 Every now and then she 
 paid a visit to the village, 
 where a crowd always gath- 
 ered around her, to hear her 
 
 THE BLUE HEKON. 
 
 strange stories of the past, or the wonderful things that 
 would happen in the future. Old men and young men 
 would tell their dreams to her, and Coyocop Tchoupic 
 would make queer marks upon the ground and tell the 
 meaning of the dreams. She told them what to do to 
 make good luck come, and how to send evil far away. 
 
68 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 Wherever she went, the blue heron followed at hei 
 side. There were many in the village who looked 
 curiously at the tall bird, but none dared ask Coyocop 
 Tchoupic whence it had come and why it followed 
 her so closely. Some said that the spirit of her youngest 
 son was in the bird ; others said that the bird held the 
 spirit of the evil one, who taught the witch at night, 
 when the moon was dark, the secrets of the swamp. 
 But one old man, whom Coyocop Tchoupic had healed 
 many years before, shook a trembling finger at the 
 gossips and said that the bird was only a sick heron 
 she had nursed back to health, and that it loved her for 
 her kindness. Whatever may have been the truth, Coyo- 
 cop Tchoupic never told. Wherever she walked, with 
 the dark, lovely bird at her side, she never looked at 
 it or spoke to it. 
 
 One afternoon, as she passed through the village, an 
 idle boy struck the bird with a reed cane. It gave a 
 wild, frightened cry and hobbled up close to Coyocop 
 Tchoupic. She took no notice of what had happened. 
 Instead, she turned toward the west where a thin, red 
 cloud swept across the setting sun. " See," she cried, 
 "blood shall fall. Death is among you this summer." 
 
THE PERSIMMON TREE 69 
 
 Then she went away and did not return for many 
 days. That night the heron died, and when the morn- 
 ing dawned and Coyocop Tchoupic saw that her bird 
 was gone, she sat on the bank of the bayou and wept 
 bitterly. Then she gathered a great heap of brush 
 about the bird, and set the heap on fire. While the 
 crisp twigs snapped in the bright blaze, she went into 
 her hut and took down a large basket with a curious 
 pattern worked into it. She filled this basket with 
 corn, placed it upon her shoulder, looked at the dark 
 cloud of smoke rising from the heap and said : 
 
 " Go up, blue bird, go up, good friend, and join the 
 storm clouds in the east." 
 
 Then she started on a long journey. 
 
 She walked toward the south till she came to the 
 great river Mes'cha-ce'be. The stream was low and the 
 bank was dry and firm, so she followed its course 
 toward the north. For many days she traveled, halt- 
 ing only as she needed rest. For food she parched the 
 corn in her basket and gathered ripened berries. After 
 a while she left the lowlands and came to a country of 
 beautiful hills. At last one noonday, foot-sore and 
 weary, she climbed a bluff and saw a little way off the 
 
TO 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 splendid village of the Natch'ez. Here was a city of 
 well made huts, surrounded by well tilled gardens and 
 ripening orchards. Beyond stretched rolling prairies, 
 where great herds of cattle grazed. Coyocop Tchoupic 
 sat under an oak and gazed at the beautiful scene. 
 
 
 
 
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 [■•W ^L 
 
 jffi- 9 " 
 
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 r *?V 
 
 HBHK^^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 "ROLLING PRAIRIES WHERE GREAT HERDS OF CATTLE GRAZED. 
 
 "I have journeyed a long way to see a goodly 
 land/' she exclaimed, "and it is far better than I 
 ever dreamed." 
 
 For many moons Coyocop Tchoupic remained with 
 the tribe of Natchez, as an honored guest. When at 
 last she felt a longing to go back to her own peo- 
 ple, her basket was laden with good things needful 
 
THE PERSIMMON TREE 71 
 
 for the journey, and she was escorted to the high road 
 for a mile beyond the village. 
 
 So it happened, in the first cool days of the early 
 fall, when the wild ducks were flying toward the south, 
 Coyocop Tchoupic journeyed with them to the land 
 of her own people. It was in the hazy afterglow of 
 the sunset that she came to her little gray hut among 
 the dark, moss-hung trees. 
 
 Before the door the signs of the burning of the heron 
 had been washed away by the summer rains, and only 
 a handful of slender bleached bones lay on the dark 
 ground. Coyocop Tchoupic went in and slept on her 
 bed of moss until the daylight broke. Then she arose, 
 went down to the bayou, and cast in her net to draw 
 out fish for her morning meal. The fish did not come 
 up quickly and she wondered why it was. Suddenly 
 she saw that the water was disturbed by the paddle of 
 a pirogue, in which sat two men. 
 
 As soon as they saw her, they shouted loudly : 
 
 " Ah, Coyocop Tchoupic ! Ah, Coyocop Tchoupic ! 
 where have you been ? Many have died in our village 
 since the Fifth Moon, and you were not here to give 
 them medicine." 
 
72 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 "Who are they, that I should give medicine to 
 them ? When were they fond of me or did me any 
 service that I should remain to give to them ? " asked 
 the witch scornfully, remembering the unkindness to 
 her bird. 
 
 " Art thou not one of us, thou witch ! " answered 
 one of the men angrily. " Get us the medicine for our 
 people or we will burn thee alive." 
 
 But Coyocop Tchoupic looked across the bayou- 
 "Go," she hissed at last, "go back to thy people 
 and send some one who can talk to the mother of thy 
 miserable tribe. I will not listen to thy threats or 
 thy prayers." 
 
 Then the men sorrowfully returned to the village. 
 There the feeble ones of the tribe listened sadly to their 
 words, and moaned : 
 
 " Whom shall we send to make her heed the cry of 
 her people ? " No one dared answer, until a lad among 
 them arose and spoke up boldly: 
 
 " Let me go and plead with Coyocop Tchoupic. It 
 was I who wounded her heron. Perhaps, if I speak to 
 her, she will listen and remove the curse, for I am guilty 
 among you." 
 
THE PERSIMMON TREE 73 
 
 Then a woman spoke : " Let the lad go. She may- 
 listen to his plea." 
 
 The men looked at him carelessly, and said : " Let 
 him go if he will, but there is no hope." 
 
 In a moment the little fellow was in a pirogue, and 
 paddling toward the home of Coyocop Tchoupic. 
 
 She was sitting at her door, smoking a long-stemmed 
 pipe. The boy leaped out and pulled his boat up among 
 the sedges, then ran and fell down before the witch. 
 
 "Oh! mother of many chiefs, I am not worthy to 
 come near thee but for one purpose, and that is to beg 
 forgiveness of thee for wounding thy bird. It was I, 
 Coyocop Tchoupic, who struck thy heron, and for this I 
 know that my people have been punished. I pray thee 
 take my life and let my people live. I am unworthy to 
 stay among them." The lad spoke earnestly, and as 
 Coyocop Tchoupic heard his words her heart softened 
 and she scorned him not. 
 
 " Thou art brave to come here," she answered, 
 " for thy sin is upon thee and thy people. Yet for thy 
 willingness to die will I listen. Tell me what ails the 
 tribe." 
 
 Then he told her the nature of the disease and how 
 
74 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 long the suffering had been among them, and how, day 
 after day through the hot summer, they had come to 
 her home, hoping to find her, but had come in vain. 
 When he had ended, Coyocop Tchoupic entered her hut 
 and brought forth a handful of crushed leaves. 
 
 "Take these and have the women make tea and 
 give it to the sick. Go quickly, and come on the mor- 
 row and tell me if thy people are better." 
 
 The lad hurried away and soon his pirogue was out 
 of sight on the bayou. The next day he returned. 
 
 "Coyocop Tchoupic," he said sadly, "my people 
 have used thy medicine, but it has not stopped the 
 disease." 
 
 Then she went into her little hut and searched among 
 her simples, but naught could she find that was worth 
 sending. She returned to the bayou and looked across 
 where the reeds grew thick and tall. Presently a pure 
 white heron stalked out slowly from among the slender 
 poles. Coyocop Tchoupic held out her hand and it 
 crossed the bayou and stood before her. 
 
 " 0, bird of moonlit feathers," sang Coyocop Tchoupic, 
 " go search the wild swamp land for a healing root for 
 my people. Go search for the root I need." 
 
THE PERSIMMON TREE 
 
 75 
 
 The snow-white bird curved its neck and looked 
 into the eyes of the old woman ; then, swelling out its 
 bosom, it gave a cry and flew off toward the east. 
 Coyocop Tchoupic knelt upon the ground and murmured 
 strange words into the 
 still air. After a while a 
 slim shadow fell upon 
 the ground and Coyocop 
 Tchoupic arose and saw 
 the bird before her. In 
 its bill hung the slimy 
 root of the wild lily. 
 
 "Thou hast done well, 
 quiet one of the feathered 
 tribe, and it shall be well 
 with thee." So saying, 
 Coyocop Tchoupic took 
 the root and prepared it, and sent it back to the village. 
 
 " All will be well now," she said to the lad, as she 
 watched him hurry off on his mission. 
 
 It was past noon when he returned on the morrow, 
 and sat before Coyocop Tchoupic rocking his body with 
 grief. " Two more have died," he cried, " and but ten 
 
 THE PURE WHITE HEKON". 
 
76 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 men are left among us. 
 Many women are sick. Ere 
 to-morrow's sun shall come 
 we shall all have perished." 
 He wept as one who has no 
 hope, and Coyocop Tchoupic 
 wept with him until the sun- 
 set hour. Through the trees 
 the sky shone in spots of 
 red and gold, but Coyocop 
 Tchoupic's eyes were so dim 
 with weeping, that she did 
 not notice the beauty of the 
 hour. At last she went to 
 "a tall slender bird." the door of the hut, and lo! 
 
 before her stood the most beautiful bird she had ever 
 seen, a tall slender bird with a color like the sunset 
 clouds, a crimson bird with a spoon-like bill. Coyocop 
 Tchoupic stood trembling before it. 
 
 "Art thou a bird," she cried, "or has the sunset sent 
 a vision to tempt me ? Speak, that I may know what 
 manner of sign I see before me." 
 
 The beautiful creature came up shyly and rubbed its 
 
THE PERSIMMON TREE 77 
 
 head upon her trembling arm. Then Coyocop Tchoupic 
 stroked its delicate feathers and said : 
 
 " I know that thou art sent to heal my people. Go 
 quickly, I pray thee, and fetch that which thou knowest 
 they need." 
 
 Away toward the west, where the light was waning, 
 the pink wings flew, and Coyocop Tchoupic knew that 
 a new friend had been sent to man. 
 
 All night she sat at her door and watched for the 
 bird, and at her feet slept her faithful little messenger, 
 while afar the twinkling stars kept watch with her. 
 At dawn a wonderful silence filled all the woods, and 
 then suddenly there broke upon the stillness a wild 
 medley of music. Day had returned, and the birds were 
 singing. Coyocop Tchoupic arose and strained her eyes 
 toward the west. The crimson bird was coming. In his 
 broad flat bill he held a branch, which he dropped at 
 the feet of the anxious watcher. Coyocop Tchoupic held 
 the soft brown fruit of the branch in her hands and 
 looked at it curiously. Then she took out the flat seeds 
 and mashed the pulp into a little cake, and journeyed 
 toward the village of her people. There were many too 
 ill to know her, but to all she gave some of the pulp and 
 
78 STORIES FSOM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 waited among them during the day. At night-fall the 
 fever had left them, and they sat up and cried for 
 food. So she tarried on for several days and minis- 
 tered to those who needed help. Thus was the remnant 
 of her people saved. 
 
 In due season Coyocop Tchoupic planted the seed of 
 the fruit, so that trees grew up and bore abundantly 
 for the healing of many people. Thus there came into 
 the land of the Tchoupitoulas the medicine, or persim- 
 mon, tree. Within the kernel of its seed a tiny spoon 
 may be found. 
 
 Interesting Facts About The Persimmon Tree. 
 
 The persimmon tree is also known as the American date 
 plum tree. It grows in various parts of the United States, and 
 attains a height of from twenty to sixty feet. Its leaves are 
 oblong, and it has pale yellow flowers. 
 
 Its fruit is like a plum in appearance, and extremely bitter 
 to the taste, when green. After frost it turns yellow and 
 becomes sweet. 
 
 Concerning the fruit of the persimmon tree John Smith 
 says, in his history of Virginia, " if it be not ripe, it will draw 
 a man's mouth awry with much torment, but when it is ripe it 
 is as delicious as an apricot." 
 
Bureau Nature Study, 
 
 >.pnf:i University. Ithaca, A 
 
 FLOWER-DE-LUCE 
 
 O 
 
 NE morning in April, nearly two hundred years 
 ago, a tall young girl stood in a field in Brit- 
 tany. The field was 
 
 unkept. Patches of tender 
 grass clung to the sides of 
 the furrows and a narrow 
 border of blue iris outlined 
 the old turnrow. Beyond 
 the field a clump of trees 
 with black branches looked 
 like an iron fret-work in 
 front of the morning sun. 
 
 "Noel, Noel/' shouted a 
 voice across the field, and a 
 little boy of twelve ran to the 
 girl, calling, "Come quickly! 
 Captain Perez is there," — he 
 pointed toward a little house 
 set among full-blossomed 
 apple trees, — "and he wants 
 
 IN THE FIELD. 
 
 Laronse. 
 
80 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 you, right now. He has been talking to Uncle Ab-a-die' 
 about Louis, and Louisiana, and New Orleans, and 
 Aunt is making breakfast for him." 
 
 " About Louis? " The girl's face brightened. 
 
 " Yes, yes, about Louis ! " cried the boy, and ran 
 ahead toward the house. 
 
 " Maybe he has a letter from Louis," the girl said to 
 herself. She stooped and plucked a tall-stemmed iris, 
 as she walked back to the house. 
 
 It was a very little house, with two doors opening 
 out into a noisy farmyard. On one side of the house 
 there was a large living-room, into which Noel entered. 
 
 There, at a table, sat a stout man, with hair and 
 beard so thick that- scarcely any of his face showed, 
 save a large, red nose, two black shining eyes and a 
 narrow band of forehead. All the family were listening 
 eagerly, while he talked loud and fast of the wonders 
 of the new French province, Louisiana. Noel's uncle 
 leaned against the table with his chin in his hands, and 
 her aunt held the spoon motionless in a bowl of batter. 
 Noel had hardly entered the room, however, when the 
 speaker turned to her. 
 
 " Hail ! Lily of France, I have come to plant you in 
 
FLOWER-DE-LUCE 81 
 
 a new garden. Ah ! you need not blush. Louis says, 
 the last thing, to me, 'Bring Noel, when you come back. 
 Be sure and bring Noel when you come back.' This he 
 says once, twice, a dozen times — -You got a kiss for me, 
 Cherie?" With that he tipped back her head and 
 kissed her fondly. Then he drew from his belt a long 
 narrow bag and laid it across his knee, as he continued, 
 " Didn't you tell my Louis that one day you would be 
 his wife ? Now is the time. Come, I am going to take 
 a ship-load of girls over to Louisiana. One of the ITrsu- 
 line Sisters goes with me. You come, too. Louis is 
 doing well, he is getting as rich as a king. He sent 
 you this money to buy your wedding clothes. Get 
 your cassette ready at once, Cherie. We shall start 
 back on Saturday." 
 
 He spoke hurriedly, and as he finished he turned 
 out a heap of glittering coins on the table. 
 
 "Yes, Noel," began her aunt, "this is a fine offer. 
 You love Louis. That is enough. I will help you get 
 ready." 
 
 " May I take Henri with me ? " asked Noel, putting 
 her arm around the little boy who had called her from 
 the field. 
 
82 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 " No, no," began her aunt and uncle at once, " leave 
 him here with us. Louisiana is no place for him." 
 
 Noel looked distressed. Henri was her only brother 
 and they were orphans. The old captain saw her 
 distress and said coaxingly : 
 
 " I tell you, Noel, he can't go this trip of the boat, 
 for we are too crowded, and there is no room except 
 for a girl or two. Leave him here a while, then in a 
 few months I will come back and get him. Now, if he 
 were only Elise," he added, pointing to a little girl of 
 thirteen, whose eyes were round with wonder, "we 
 coxild take him, for it will be but a year or two before 
 Elise could marry well in the new colony." 
 
 " Oh, let me go now, with Noel. Please, mother, 
 let me go," cried the little girl. 
 
 " Yes, Aunt, let her go with me," exclaimed Noel. 
 
 " Hush this nonsense," cried her aunt, " and get the 
 table ready." 
 
 Noel arose and began moving about the room. She 
 was very tall, with thick plaits of black hair that hung 
 over her shoulders to her waist. Her eyes were as 
 blue as the iris that she had left on her chair, and her 
 face was pure and sweet. 
 
FLOWER-DE-LUCE 83 
 
 But now she was troubled. She loved Louis. She 
 could be happy in New Orleans, if only her little 
 brother might go with her. She did not want to go 
 without Henri. She would ask Captain Perez to wait 
 until the next day for her answer. No, she would not 
 do that. She would go. No, she would not go. All 
 these things she said to herself a dozen times. 
 
 At last breakfast was over and the captain went on 
 his way, and Noel and her aunt returned to the dining- 
 room. All that day Noel's approaching trip was the 
 only thing talked about. 
 
 When Henri went out to drive the cows to pasture, 
 Elise followed him. 
 
 " Henri," began Elise, as they entered the field, " do 
 you know that I am going to Louisiana with Noel?" 
 
 " I don't know what you are going to do," Henri 
 answered, "but I know that I am going." 
 
 " Pooh ! that's the way you talk. You can't go. 
 The Sister will not let you go with the girls." 
 
 "Oh! there is a way for me to go," said Henri 
 wisely. 
 
 " Tell me, Henri, tell me how," coaxed Elise. 
 
 Henry looked at her carefully before he asked : 
 
84 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 " Will you promise to do everything I tell you, and will 
 you make the sign of the cross you won't tell?" 
 
 Elise nodded and crossed herself. 
 
 "Then take one of these lilies and wear it for luck/' 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 '-' Jfeij* , 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 NSbk. 
 
 m 
 
 
 c3 
 
 Hi j. 
 
 
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 W^B^kkL''^^' 
 
 
 ■ • arws 
 
 
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 f?^^w?s -'?«.- 
 
 
 iSBf-ll^ 
 
 i - ' £? : J 
 
 Braith. 
 
 DRIVING THE COWS TO PASTURE. 
 
 he ordered. He plucked a lily- himself and stuck it into 
 his blouse. 
 
 " What is your plan, Henri? Tell me quick ! " Elise 
 was very eager. 
 
 " Well, you know the boat leaves Saturday morning 
 at ten o'clock. Now the thing for me to do is to get 
 on board, when no one is looking, and hide. You see 
 you can't hide, Elise. What is the use of your trying to 
 go ? You don't know anything about boats. You can't 
 
FLOWER-DE-LUCE 85 
 
 hide in the right way. I can. I shall hide until they 
 are well out at sea, and then, if they find me, they will 
 be afraid to turn back. It is bad luck." 
 
 " But you will starve to death if you miss dinner and 
 breakfast. It takes until Sunday noon to get far out 
 to sea. Captain Perez told us that this morning," 
 exclaimed Elise. 
 
 Henri paid little attention to the last remark. He 
 was thinking of other things. Suddenly he said : 
 "Stand up by that tree, Elise, and let me measure you." 
 
 She stood up quickly, and he tore a lily blade and 
 mashed out a bit of green juice on the tree, just above 
 her head. " Now measure me," he said, taking position. 
 
 Elise did so. " You are just to the mark," she cried 
 gaily. 
 
 " Then I will tell you what I am going to do," cried 
 Henri, who was making plans rapidly. He told Elise 
 the plans in a whisper. 
 
 II 
 
 All the rest of that week Henri and Elise were 
 wonderfully good and obliging. Every day they went 
 to church, both morning and evening, and the priest 
 
86 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 looked at them lovingly as they knelt at the altar and 
 laid clusters of fresh lilies at the feet of the Virgin. 
 
 "Ah!" the old priest said to himself one day, "it is 
 a pleasure to see that Abadie's girl is not so wild, and 
 that Henri is also good." 
 
 
 / 
 
 M 
 
 4 
 
 |K fir / 
 
 
 H N 
 
 i 
 
 1 M% 
 
 %* i4 i (Id 
 
 f V 
 
 I' 
 
 
 
 4k ;<'' 
 
 
 )< 
 
 ■w m \ 
 
 v\ *L \ -m*r II 
 
 FRESH LILIES. 
 
 Saturday morning came, and the house was astir 
 early. A fine breakfast, as for a wedding, had been 
 prepared, and many guests were assembled. The whole 
 company seemed to laugh and talk at once. One could 
 scarcely hear for the babble. Elise and Henri finished 
 hurriedly, and slipped away from the table unnoticed. 
 
FLOWEB-DE-LUOE 87 
 
 Down in the harbor the great dark boat of Captain 
 Perez lay at anchor in the green water. The gang- 
 plank rested firmly on the pier, and no one was about. 
 The sailors had all gone to the neighboring wine-shop 
 for breakfast. 
 
 Elise came swiftly down the narrow street to the 
 pier, and ran lightly across the plank, over the deck 
 and into the cabin. No one saw her. She slipped into 
 the nearest state room, raised the coverlet that hung 
 over the narrow berth, crept under and lay very still. 
 
 Presently another Elise came running down the 
 street to the pier. Some of the sailors had strolled 
 down to the vessel, and were lounging about smoking. 
 A stiff breeze was blowing. In her right hand the lit- 
 tle girl held a bundle tied up in a handkerchief. As 
 she started across the plank, one of the sailors called 
 out : — " Hello, Elise, going aboard to see Noel off? " 
 She nodded her head, and called out yes. The wind 
 seemed to carry her voice away. Out of breath with 
 fright and effort, she slipped into the empty cabin, and 
 waited a moment. Suddenly she heard a me-ow like a 
 cat's, then into the nearest stateroom she darted and 
 snuggled down under the berth in the darkness. 
 
88 S TOBIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 It was none too soon. In a few moments the whole 
 company of passengers, led by Captain Perez, made 
 their way to the vessel. All seemed happy, and chat- 
 tered and laughed gaily. All except Noel, who looked 
 as if she would cry at any moment. 
 
 At last it was time to weigh anchor, and with many 
 kisses and handshakes the friends withdrew to the pier 
 and waved farewell. Noel, anxious and restless, was 
 straining her eyes for a glimpse of a little black head 
 with matted curls. " Where can Henri be ? " she asked 
 herself a thousand times. " He must have hidden be- 
 cause he could not bear to see me go. And where is 
 Elise ? She has not come with the crowd either." 
 
 The plank was drawn up, and the vessel began drift- 
 ing away from the pier. Noel could stand it no longer. 
 So she turned away and fled to her stateroom. When 
 she came on deck late in the afternoon, she saw the 
 great sea all about them. They had had a favorable 
 wind, and beautiful France was gone. 
 
 At sunset they had supper, and as soon as it was 
 dark the girls prepared for bed. There were two girls 
 in the room with Noel. One climbed up to the little 
 bunk overhead, while the other occupied the lower 
 
FLOWER-DE-LUCE 89 
 
 berth with Noel. The boat rocked from side to side like 
 a huge cradle. By and by Noel's companions fell asleep. 
 Noel lay wide awake, thinking of home, and wondering 
 if all were well, if Henri had been found, if he were safe 
 in bed. Suddenly she felt a cold, hand touch hers, and 
 a faint voice whispered, " Noel, Noel, are you asleep ? " 
 
 She was so startled that she nearly fell out of bed. 
 " Who is it ? " she asked, reaching out into the darkness. 
 
 " It is I, — Henri," came the answer. 
 
 "Henri!" cried Noel, sitting up in bed, "How did 
 you get here ? " 
 
 " Hush, Noel, don't wake up the others. I have 
 been here a long time. I can't go to sleep, and I am 
 cold." Noel put her arms around the boy's trembling 
 body and drew him close. "Poor little one," she said. 
 " How did you get here ? " 
 
 Then Henri whispered his story, half crying all the 
 while, and wound up with, " Elise is there asleep. She 
 came, too." 
 
 Noel got up quickly and put Elise in her place. 
 Then, wrapping herself in a great blanket shawl, she 
 crouched down upon her cassette, with Henri in her 
 arms, and waited for the daylight. 
 
90 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 What was she to do with the children ? She was 
 utterly helpless. 
 
 As soon as it was daylight, she found Captain Perez, 
 and told him the whole story. He laughed merrily 
 when he heard it. 
 
 "By my life! The little Avild-cats!" he exclaimed. 
 " Wait till I get through with them, and they will wish 
 they had never set foot on this good French vessel." 
 
 When Noel went into breakfast, a timid little girl 
 walked on each side of her. They were scarcely seated 
 when Captain Perez came bustling in, and cried loudly : 
 
 " Observe these nice little girls who are my sweet- 
 hearts. They have run away to be with me, and to 
 save my life I can't tell which I shall marry when my 
 good wife dies. This is Elise," he put his hand on 
 Henri's head, — " and here is Henriette," — he continued, 
 placing his hand on Elise's curls. 
 
 It was not long before the children made friends 
 with all the passengers, and began to feel very much at 
 home on the boat. But what a long journey ! It seemed 
 as if the whole world, save France, must be nothing but 
 sky and water. 
 
 At twelve o'clock on a May day the boat arrived at 
 
FL WER-DE-L UGE 
 
 91 
 
 "nothing but sky and water." 
 
 James. 
 
 last at New Orleans. It was very hot. The little town 
 looked small and desolate from the great river. The 
 heavy swamp seemed very near, and the pale, gray-blue 
 sky shone like polished pewter. 
 
 Everybody was on deck when the vessel made her 
 final landing at the heavy wharf of cypress logs. The 
 whole village had assembled to give welcome. Fore- 
 most stood Louis, waving a queer-looking hat of 
 palmetto. As soon as the plank was lowered, he ran 
 aboard, and, shouting a greeting to his father, made his 
 way through the crowd to Noel. "So you came," he 
 exclaimed, kissing her boldly. " I knew you would not 
 
92 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 disappoint me. I have a nice house ready. You will 
 like this new country when you get used to things." 
 
 "Do you know that I brought Henri with me?" 
 asked Noel. 
 
 " Good ! " cried Louis. " He will have a big time 
 fishing and hunting. That's what we do for fun — and 
 for food, too." 
 
 " Don't say anything to him yet/' Noel answered, 
 "he is with Elise by the Sister and is dressed like a 
 girl. See, he wears the white cap like Elise. You can- 
 not tell one from the other," she nodded toward two 
 little figures, one on each side of the kind-faced nun. 
 
 At last they were standing on firm ground. How 
 unreal it seemed, and how loud the voices sounded in 
 the bright air. Noel felt almost dizzy as she looked 
 about at the barrenness of the whole place. She missed 
 the tall churches and quaint buildings of their French 
 home. The flatness of the scene made her uncomfort- 
 able. 
 
 When they reached the large building that was used 
 by the Ursuline Sisters, Noel and Louis parted. It was 
 here that she was to remain until her wedding on the 
 following Wednesday. 
 
EL WER-DE-L UOE 
 
 93 
 
 III 
 
 "Wednesday came, a beautiful day ! At four o'clock, 
 when Noel arose, mocking birds were trilling note after 
 note of liquid music. 
 
 BAYOU ST. JOHN. 
 
 The nuptial mass was said at seven in the little 
 chapel, and there twelve young girls were married, and 
 twelve new homes were opened in the little French 
 town beside the great dark river. 
 
 Noel's house was built on the banks of Bayou St. 
 John, where many boats were to be seen, and where the 
 
94 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSBINE 
 
 lishing was good and the soil was fertile. When they 
 reached it, Henri ran ahead with a small bundle, tied 
 up in a handkerchief. This he hastily untied, and, draw- 
 ing out a dried root, rubbed it over the doorstep, then 
 hurried out into the front yard and planted the . root in 
 the ground. No one noticed what he had done, for all 
 were too busy thinking of the bride and the new home. 
 
 The next trip of the boat Elise started back to 
 France after her adventure in the new world. She was 
 more than glad to go. She was overjoyed. 
 
 " Some day I shall come again, but not for a few 
 years. There is much for me to learn before I make 
 my home in the new world." This she said thoughtfully 
 to the Sister who had befriended her on the long 
 journey. 
 
 The next spring, when Easter dawned in the little 
 village, Noel came in with a beautiful cluster of Cherokee 
 roses for the altar. "Ah," she said, "if we were in 
 France I should have lilies for Easter. These are beauti- 
 ful blossoms, but they have thorns." 
 
 Just then Henri entered with a cluster of tall- 
 stemmed lilies as blue as the Virgin's robe, and so fresh 
 and beautiful that Noel shouted with delight : 
 
FL WEM-fiE-L TTCE 95 
 
 " Oh ! where did you get our flowers — our own 
 lilies of Prance ? " Then Henri explained that down in 
 the garden, where the ground was low, the lilies had 
 grown as they did in the old field in Brittany. 
 
 So these simple-hearted folk had lilies for the beau- 
 tiful feast day, and to this day fields of blue flowers-de- 
 luce burst out like gay butterflies about New Orleans, in 
 the neighborhood of Bayou St. John and the near-by 
 swamps, at every Easter-tide. 
 
 Interesting Facts About Flower-De-Luce. 
 
 The name Flower-de-Luce is a corruption of the French 
 fleur-de-lis. The term fleur-de-lis is properly applied to the 
 design used in the French coat of arms, but not to the flower 
 itself. 
 
 The common flag-lily is well known in America, but in 
 England the yellow variety is called " yellow skaggs," while 
 another kind is called "stinking gladden." The Iris Ger-man'i-ca 
 is commonly known throughout Europe. It has very large, 
 scentless flowers. 
 
 The Iris Flor-en-ti'na is. the plant from which orris root is 
 obtained. It is largely produced in Italy. It is usually planted 
 on impoverished land, where it seems to flourish, especially on 
 the hillsides of Tus'ca-ny. The roots reach maturity in three 
 
96 STORIES FBOM LANDS OF SUNSEINM 
 
 years, and then are taken from the ground in spring. Sets are 
 replanted for the next crop, and the remainder of the root is 
 stripped of the outer bark and carefully dried for two years, 
 when the odor that makes it so valuable becomes noticeable. 
 
 There is oue kind of iris whose seeds are parched and 
 ground, and used by certain English peasantry for coffee. 
 
 One of the Japanese varieties of iris is the most beautiful 
 variety known, and has served as a pattern for exquisite 
 decorations in Japanese art. 
 
 . On the steppes of Russia, and the hot plains of Al-ge'ri-a and 
 Palestine, the iris springs up after the rain in great numbers. 
 
 Iris flourishes in most countries of the temperate zone. It 
 delights in moist earth, and is usually found in low places. 
 
 In the neighborhood of Bayou St. John, on the shores of 
 Lake Pontchartraiu, and in the neighboring swamps of New 
 Orleans, these flowers bloom in great profusion at Easter-tide. 
 
THE CHINA TREE 
 
 IN the long ago days, when strange things happened in 
 China, Wan Lung was priest of a lonely little temple. 
 It was built in honor of the Fire Dragon, and stood 
 by the seaside. Wan Lung was young when the order 
 was given him to build his temple, and his heart was filled 
 with beautiful thoughts. He sought a place away from 
 the crowded city, where the air was noisy with words that 
 were not prayerful, and asked permission to take a bit 
 of ground behind which stretched a wide, unbroken 
 prairie, and before which spread the broad green sea. 
 The old priest, who went with him to look at the place, 
 shook his head. There were no trees about, and the 
 sacred fire could not be fed without wood. But Wan 
 Lung said that the sea had already cast up enough drift- 
 wood to build his temple. When the old priest saw the 
 great pile of drift-wood that Wan Lung had been 
 gathering for many days, he blessed him and conse- 
 crated the ground. He then went off a little way and 
 planted a field of rice for Wan Lung, for he knew that 
 
98 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 one must have food to gain strength to perform the 
 duty of keeping up the sacred fire of the temple. Wan 
 Lung built his temple of drift-wood. It took him many 
 days to finish it, for he worked with beautiful care, 
 carving on the soft wood curious and quaint symbols 
 that stood for the Great Teen, or Fire Dragon. 
 
 At last it was finished, and Wan Lung journeyed 
 back to the old temple to receive a brazen censer of 
 sacred fire and a special rope of plaited plum bark. On 
 his return he was accompanied by many priests, who 
 helped him start the sacred fire in the new temple. 
 After three days all returned to their own temples, and 
 each, going a different road, told everyone he met the 
 way to the temple of Wan Lung by the seaside. 
 
 By and by many pilgrims journeyed towards the new 
 temple, and left there rich offerings for the Great Teen. 
 Among the pilgrims were poor fisher-folk, who toiled hard 
 for their living, and whose gifts were the labor of tired 
 hands. But they were precious gifts in the eyes of Wan 
 Lung. He placed them reverently before the sacred fire, 
 and offered earnest prayers for those afflicted and tor- 
 mented with diseases. It was thought that by placing a 
 gift upon the altar the prayers would be heard the sooner. 
 
THE CHINA TREE 
 
 99 
 
 Wan Lung was nappy in the service of his little 
 temple by the seaside, but one thing troubled him. In 
 the summer, when the sun rose early over the wide, 
 flat prairie and shone steadily all day, so that the land 
 and beach seemed like a great scorching waste, Wan 
 Lung's heart became 
 heavy and sad. He 
 saw, far off in the 
 distance, faithful ones 
 coming, and he knew 
 how feverish and faint 
 they would be when 
 they arrived at the 
 temple door. 
 
 "Ah!" he thought, 
 "how good it is to 
 have a temple up in the hills, where the breeze blows 
 through the pines." 
 
 One evening, at the quiet hour, when the sun seemed 
 to slip into the cool, green sea, Wan Lung went out to 
 gather wood for the night. As he walked alone on the 
 dreary beach, catching here a bit and there a bit, he 
 saw a short, tough-looking piece of wood drifting not 
 
 A CHINESE TEMPLE. 
 
100 STORIES FROM LAUDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 far from the shore. He waded out to get it, and, as he 
 dragged it in, he noticed that it bore some brown ber- 
 ries, as round as tiny balls. He took the wood to the 
 temple, stripped the berries from the branch, and placed 
 them on the altar before the sacred fire. He had 
 planted many seeds before, aye, and twigs, and tiny 
 trees, but the unfriendly soil was not kind to the 
 strangers, and they parched in the sandy waste, or with- 
 ered and died in a night; yet Wan Lung was ever ready 
 to try again. Early the next morning he arose, and, 
 taking with him an urn of sacred ashes and the new- 
 found seeds, went out a little way from the temple and 
 planted the brown berries. 
 
 Many days passed, and at last a little tuft of curly 
 leaves, like a bit of fern, opened up to look at the green 
 sea and the sunny land. Every day Wan Lung went to 
 look at the tuft, and water it, and sprinkle a bit of sacred 
 ashes about its roots. Up came the leaves at the end 
 of a slender stalk that held them very straight. At last 
 they flattened themselves out and stared at the blue sky, 
 while the sea breeze played with them. They grew all 
 summer, and when, in the autumn, the sea and sky be- 
 came darker in color, the little leaves ran off with the east 
 
THE china tree 101 
 
 wind on a grand frolic down the beach, while the 
 stalk stood like a faithful soldier and waited for the 
 winter. 
 
 The next spring new leaves came out, and with them 
 came clusters of tiny purple flowers, that smelled like 
 cinnamon and sandalwood. When those fell off, tiny 
 green balls hung close to the leaves and grew all 
 summer long. In the autumn, when again the little 
 leaves ran off with the east wind, the balls hung close to 
 the tall brown stalk, and grew yellow in the late sun- 
 shine. Then Wan Lung plucked them and saved them 
 carefully until the early spring, and planted them down 
 the road where many travelers came. 
 
 The seasons went by very fast, and through the 
 years Wan Lung watched his trees; and the pilgrims who 
 came rejoiced with him at the goodly sight of a long 
 row of beautiful trees, the branches of each spreading 
 above its dark brown trunk like a tiny pagoda. 
 
 Now it happened at last that the Emperor, Suy-jin 
 She, ordered a great feast to be made, and from each 
 temple a gift to be sent that would mean great good to 
 the people. 
 
 It was midwinter when Wan Lung received the 
 
102 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 message, and immediately he began to think of what he 
 would make to take to the great temple. First, he 
 thought to weave sandals from the smooth leaves of 
 the rice that grew behind the temple. Rice grew 
 
 A ROW OP BEAUTIFUL TREES. 
 
 everywhere, and it would be a real comfort to many 
 people to learn to make sandals from the dried leaves. 
 Then his eyes rested on the long line of trees whose 
 brown bodies, with the wide-spreading tufts of twigs, 
 were sharply outlined against the gray winter sky. 
 
THE CHINA TREE 103 
 
 " Ah ! little umbrella trees/' cried Wan Lung, " in the 
 midsummer, when the days are long and hot, what 
 friendly shade you cast with your green roofs that hide 
 the sun. Truly, you give greater service to a tired 
 people than ever priest can give/' 
 
 Suddenly he dropped the rice straw at his feet, ran 
 down to the oldest tree of all and bent down a bough 
 that bore seven twigs from the same joint. This bough 
 he snapped from the tree. Then he returned to the pile 
 of rice straw and began weaving a canopy that would 
 fit the top of the twigs. He worked steadily for a 
 long while, and at last it was finished. Then he tested it 
 by holding it over his head as he walked up and down 
 the beach under the winter sun, which was shining 
 brightly. He found that the shadow was as a tree 
 moving above his head. 
 
 When the day arrived for the gathering of the 
 priests with their gifts from all the temples of fire, Wan 
 Lung started on the long journey, bearing his gift. 
 Each priest had to pass before the emperor and stop to 
 show and explain his gift. When Wan Lung's turn came, 
 the sun had reached the highest point and was sending 
 sharp rays to the earth. He stopped for a moment 
 
104 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 A TRUE PROTECTION FROM THE SUN." 
 
 before the emperor, while the 
 eyes of the crowd were fixed 
 on the curious thing which he 
 held in his hand. Then he told 
 the story of the long weary 
 way to his temple, and the 
 planting of the trees that had 
 given so much comfort to the 
 weary ones who journeyed 
 toward the seaside shrine. He 
 told also how he had thought 
 
 that perhaps this thing which 
 he had made with his hand, 
 after the likeness of a tree, 
 might be made by many people 
 and be a true protection from 
 the sun. 
 
 When the emperor heard 
 the humble story, he was much 
 pleased with the thing that 
 Wan Lung had done, and he 
 ordered that the priests who 
 
 AN UMBRELLA F1.0MAN UMBRELLA TREE. 
 
TEE CHINA TREE 105 
 
 were present should learn how the gift was made, so that 
 they might teach their people. 
 
 It came to pass, therefore, that the Chinese people 
 learned to make the useful article which we call an 
 umbrella. Some made them from the pine tree, using 
 the slender needles to weave into a canopy, and others 
 used the straight stalk of the bamboo, with its long 
 leaves for the cover. To-day we find the gift of the 
 Chinese priest of long ago very beautiful in gaily-colored 
 paper and gorgeous silk. 
 
 Interesting Facts About The China Tree. 
 
 This hardy tree has been cultivated in the United States 
 for so many years that it has been called one of the native trees 
 of the southern portion of the country. To-day it grows wild in 
 Texas, but many years ago it was imported into that state by 
 the mission priests, who brought the seed from California. 
 Some authorities think that the original seed were obtained from 
 China. 
 
 The trees grow luxuriantly in most of the southern states. 
 They nourish in a light, sandy soil, but need much moisture. 
 It has been said that they will grow in fields too worn out to 
 produce anything else. 
 
 Umbrella China trees are especially valuable as shade trees. 
 
106 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 Their foliage is dark, rich green in color, and very dense. Few 
 insects are found on it, the only one that feeds upon it being 
 the yellow under-wing copper moth. 
 
 Indeed, instead of providing food for insects, it is said to be 
 poisonous to them. The housewives of the South believe in 
 the value of placing Pride of China leaves between woolen 
 clothes and carpets, to prevent the ravages of moths in the 
 " packing away " summer season. 
 
 The wood of the China tree is durable and strong. It is 
 used in interior finishing, and has been found excellent for the 
 purpose of making pulleys. 
 
 The trees grow from seed, and reach a height of twelve or 
 fifteen feet in four or five years. They possess the unusual 
 property of changing sap wood into perfect wood in the early 
 stages of growth. In a stock six inches in diameter there is 
 to be found scarcely one inch of sap. 
 
 The largest tree in Europe is in the garden of the Count 
 of Mellino, near Mi'lan, Italy. It attained a height of forty feet 
 in twenty-six years. 
 
 In 1656 seed were introduced in England, and culti- 
 vated in hot-houses. The tree was then called the "Indian 
 Lilac." 
 
 The leaves are large, and are composed of smooth, pointed, 
 tooth-like leaflets. Late in October and early in November 
 these leaflets turn bright yellow, and drop off the trees in a 
 
THE CHINA TREE 
 
 107 
 
 CHINA TREE LEAVES AND BERRIES. 
 
 perfect shower. The stems fall 
 later, and look like thick straws 
 as they lie scattered on the ground. 
 
 The flowers, which appear in 
 March, April, or May, form beau- 
 tiful clusters. The petals are a 
 delicate lavender, and the stamens 
 are a deep violet. Little girls 
 sometimes string the stamens on 
 thread, and make a pretty neck- 
 lace that looks as if formed of 
 slender beads. 
 
 The fruit is round, of a yellowish color when ripe, and 
 about the size of a small cherry. These little "China balls," 
 when green, are the most excellent bullets in the world for 
 popguns. The kernel is covered with a sweetish pulp. The 
 Persians know how to make a wonderful healing ointment from 
 this pulp. 
 
 The fruit is greatly enjoyed by many birds, especially robins, 
 who will sometimes eat so greedily that they fall down intox- 
 icated. The berries contain a peculiar opium quality that 
 causes this intoxication. 
 
 The most common name for the tree in the South, especially 
 among the little folks, is the " China-ball tree." 
 
GRAY MOSS 
 
 ONCE, many years ago, a great storm swept 
 over Lake Pont'char-train'. The like had never 
 been known before. For three days and nights 
 the wind blew from the north, and, although it was 
 August, the air was as icy as in February. Strange to 
 say, not a drop of rain fell, and the full moon shone 
 nightly like a steel mirror, while the wind whirled the 
 clouds and drove them on like frightened sheep. 
 
 When the 
 storm began, all 
 the animals near 
 the lake shore 
 sniffed the air 
 suspiciously and 
 took their way 
 quickly through 
 the dark, wet 
 swamp to the 
 highlands. Peli- 
 
 LAKE PONTCHAKTRA1N. 
 
GRAY MOSS 109 
 
 cans and herons, sea gulls and snipe rolled their wild 
 eyes toward the north, then, spreading their wings, 
 stretched their necks toward the south, and were 
 gone. Nowhere was any living thing to be seen, for 
 even the huge alligators, basking in the sun on the 
 banks of the bayous, had raised their stupid heads and 
 flopped their tails, then rolled over into the bayou and 
 snuggled down into the warm slime. 
 
 Down on the lake shore, where the little white mussel 
 shells lay thick, an Indian woman was broiling a fish. 
 She looked across the gray water carefully, shaded her 
 eyes with her hand, and peered out toward the north, 
 as if she were looking for something beyond the wind. 
 Then she stooped low, and bent her ear close to the 
 ground. Away in the distance she heard the echo of the 
 tramp of the hoofs and paws of the auimals, as they 
 plodded on toward the distant highland. To the lake 
 shore came the strange, wild music of the wind through 
 the canebrake. Still she listened, and the waves began 
 to roar as they broke against the shelly beach. All 
 these sounds she heard, but not once did she hear the 
 sound of a hunter's call. Behind her sat two little 
 children, very still. 
 
110 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 " Come," she said, " eat the fish and let us go back." 
 
 So they quickly ate the sweet meat, gathered up the. 
 long reeds with sharpened ends that lay about them, 
 and followed their mother as she led them back in the 
 swamp to a clearing. Here stood a little hut thatched 
 with palmetto leaves. 
 
 When the Indian squaw reached the hut, she entered 
 and picked up a huge basket, shaped something like a fun- 
 nel and made of split reed canes. She shook out the bits 
 of twigs and trash that had collected in the bottom, then 
 filled the bottom with soft grass and set the basket on 
 the ground. In a second the little, chubby baby girl 
 turned it over and crawled in backwards. She knew 
 what the basket meant. It meant a long ride on the 
 mother's back. It meant that they were going on a 
 journey. Then the mother handed a round-shaped 
 basket to the little boy. He looked in it wisely, and 
 saw that it contained but a handful of parched corn. 
 He thought from this that they were not going far. 
 But the mother knew better ; she knew it was all the 
 food they had left. 
 
 She raised the big basket to her back, drew the 
 heavy raw-hide straps across her shoulders, and started 
 
GRAY MOSS 111 
 
 on her way, followed by the little boy. Suddenly she 
 stopped, went back to the narrow, clean-trodden spot 
 before the door, and, with an arrow, made a long 
 scratch in the hard earth, pointing toward the south- 
 west. Then, thinking that perhaps this would not be 
 enough to show which way they had gone, she stuck 
 the arrow in the roof with the barb toward the sunset. 
 And again they set out on their journey. 
 
 It was in the early summer that they had left the 
 village of the Quin'i-pis'sas and made a little home for 
 themselves on the shores of this cool and pleasant lake, 
 where fish were always plentiful and where the wide- 
 spreading swamp gave a good home to many fat deer. 
 Life had been very nice and easy for these little Indian 
 children, whose strong father knew how to shoot well, 
 and whose kind mother cooked them good food each 
 day. But this sudden leaving of the new home spot did 
 not worry the little ones. They had moved from place 
 to place all their lives. True, heretofore the strong father 
 had always led the way, but then, the little boy thought, 
 it was all right to go alone, for perhaps he was in the 
 woods and they would meet him. As for the baby girl, 
 she looked out on the green trees with drowsy eyes and 
 
112 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 fell asleep. So the mother and boy trudged on through 
 the woods and spoke not a word, for this was the 
 custom among Indians. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon when they sat down 
 against a great oak to rest, and all fell asleep. In the 
 
 distance the 
 lake tossed 
 and moaned, 
 as it surged 
 against the 
 shore ; over- 
 head the wind 
 roared loudly. 
 Now and then 
 it snapped 
 
 off the topmost leaves, but it was too high to break 
 the boughs. Down by the roots of the old oak, all was 
 still, and for hours the little company slept quite undis- 
 turbed. At last the sun set behind some murky clouds, 
 and blackness settled over the swamp. 
 
 By and by the little boy awoke, and found his legs 
 cold and cramped. He drew them up close to him and 
 rubbed them. It was so dark that he could not see 
 
 a- %'-i "p?™-> : 1 
 
 F I 
 
 Mi 
 
 . -'!■ Sfe- 
 1 
 
 
 mil Mr-M ill 
 
 mm m mil 
 
 * 
 
 11 1 
 
 1 . J .: 
 
 Hi : § 
 
 
 v- . ■ • m 
 
 4 ■ ■»• 
 
 SgSw:*" 1 '—•»'' ,:■■> 
 
 
 W 
 
 1^^ 
 
 (to >;-: -< 
 
 "through the woods." 
 
GHAT MOSS 113 
 
 a yard before him. Putting his hands down on the 
 ground, he found the earth wet. Still, it was not rain- 
 ing. "Maybe," he thought, "it has rained while we 
 were asleep." Reaching out, he touched his mother, 
 and awoke her. "Water where we are," he said 
 quietly. 
 
 " Get up quickly," she called, tugging at his little 
 bare shoulder. So they pulled themselves up, and stood 
 close beside the old oak. " Don't move, stay close by 
 me," said the mother in a whisper. Strange sounds 
 of wind and water echoed and reechoed through the 
 lonely swamp, while these two stood close together, 
 and held each other's hands tightly and waited till the 
 dark should pass. They were brave, but this was a 
 night of terror, and "the shadow of death" seemed 
 to be coming near. 
 
 The cold water came up slowly and covered their 
 feet. The night was black. The water at last rose 
 above their ankles, and the little boy shivered and held 
 his mother's hand with a tighter grip. Suddenly they 
 saw something gleaming through the trees and bushes 
 far in the distance. It was red, of the color of fire. 
 Neither took their eyes off it, but not a word was 
 
114 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 uttered. Slowly tlie thing mounted through the 
 tangled vines, and then seemed to stop, as though it 
 were looking for something. 
 
 The Indian mother began to sing a weird chant, and 
 rocked herself to and fro. Up and up the thing went, 
 growing yellow as the sun. Higher and higher, till it 
 reached the tallest cypress, then it looked back and 
 threw a flood of silver light all over the swamp. It 
 was the moon, and when she recognized it, the Indian 
 mother smiled into the face of her little boy. Just over 
 his head a long branch spread out like a kindly arm, 
 and upon this she placed the sturdy little fellow, and 
 then swung herself up with the grace of a wild-cat. 
 The water still rose in the swamp, but the tree was a 
 pleasant place to rest, and they were safe from harm. 
 The mother leaned against the trunk and drew the 
 little boy close to her, and again they fell asleep as 
 quietly as wild birds. The next morning, when they 
 awoke, the swamp was like a vast lake set out with 
 tall trees. Every inch of ground was covered, and 
 not a grass blade peeped out. Taking out the parched 
 corn, the mother gave a scant handful to the little boy, 
 who munched it, grain by grain, as daintily as a squirrel. 
 
GRAY MOSS 
 
 115 
 
 'SAFE FROM HABM. 
 
116 STOMAS FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 The mother chewed up little bits and fed the baby girl 
 as though she were a mocking bird. There was very 
 little corn, but when the day grew lighter they found 
 every twig and branch of the live oak thick with dark 
 brown acorns. The little boy climbed happily from 
 limb to limb, filled the little basket many times, and 
 stored the nuts down in the baby's basket. 
 
 In the afternoon the wind rose again, and the top- 
 most boughs began to sway. The water was now half- 
 way up the trunk of the tree. The mother took off the 
 deerskin that she wore, and tore it with her teeth and 
 hands into strips; these she plaited into two strong ropes, 
 with which she tied the baby's basket fast to a limb and 
 bound the little boy to another. At sunset the wind 
 raged higher and higher, and the water rose to the 
 lowest branch. How cold the wind was ! It seemed to 
 sweep from a land of ice. 
 
 The mother crouched down close by the little boy, 
 and tried to shield him from the wind's fury. Then 
 darkness fell, and all around she could hear the snap- 
 ping and tossing of branches. 
 
 "Ah," thought the brave mother, "if only the 
 moon would shine, something might be done. Last 
 
GRAY MOSS 117 
 
 night she shone and showed us the branch. To-night, 
 if she would only shine, something might be done." 
 But they waited a long time and no light fell upon 
 them. 
 
 "Sing," said the little boy faintly, "sing to the 
 moon, maybe she will hear." 
 
 So the mother chanted the words of an old song she 
 had learned in the land of the Quinipissas, but still the 
 darkness deepened. Fainter and fainter grew the notes, 
 till they sounded like a far-away lullaby. Then the 
 mother put her head in her hands, and the little boy 
 straightened up and began to sing, in a clear, shrill 
 voice, the same words. On he sang, while the wind 
 howled and the branches creaked. Then suddenly he 
 changed the words to these : 
 
 o 
 
 " Come, Moon, O beautiful Moon, 
 O Moon of the lake and sky ! 
 Come, Moon, and shine on us, 
 Or, beautiful Moon, we die." 
 
 Still the darkness lingered, and while his mother's hand 
 patted his tired shoulders and his stiff little legs, he fell 
 asleep. The next morning the wind had ceased and the 
 
US 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 sun rose clear and bright. All over the tree-tops hung, 
 a soft, silvery covering. And in the old oak the little 
 
 A MOSS-HUNG TREE. 
 
 ones and their mother awoke warm and comfortable, 
 for the silvery covering spread over them like a blanket. 
 " See, mother/' cried the little boy, "the moon heard 
 us. See, she tore up the storm clouds and threw them 
 down upon us, for there are none left in the sky." 
 
gray moss 119 
 
 Interesting Facts About Gray Moss. 
 
 In 1720, when the French were trying to make a settlement 
 in lower Louisiana, where New Orleans was begun, a wise 
 and good man, named Le Page du Pratz, came over from 
 France, to find a home in the new country. 
 
 He lived in this wild land for many years, and be- 
 came a kind and faithful friend to the Indians, especially 
 the Natchez tribe. From the Indians he learned many 
 valuable things about the country. They taught him what 
 game was the best for food, what plants bore good fruit, 
 what herbs made valuable medicines, and where the finest 
 fish were to be found. 
 
 Le Page du Pratz watched the Indians closely, and also 
 . learned from them how to build houses of cypress, and cover 
 them with palmetto leaves ; how to make bricks out of the 
 river sand, and baskets from the reed canes; ho# to tan 
 skins for clothing, and how to make soft beds of moss. In 
 a word, he learned all that the Indians knew ; how they 
 lived, what they thought, and what they worshiped. All 
 that he learned he wrote down carefully, and had it printed, 
 so that, to-day, we call him the first historian of Louisiana, 
 and even now we are glad to read the beautiful simple lan- 
 guage in which he tells so many true stories of the long 
 ago days. 
 
120 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 Le Page du Pratz says that as far back as the Indians could 
 remember long garlands of gray moss hung on the tops of the 
 swamp trees. Strange to say, they had never given it a name, 
 till one day some Spaniards, led by De Soto, passed through the 
 land, and, as many were old soldiers with long beards streaked 
 with gray, the Indians thought these beards looked like the 
 gray moss on the trees, and for years afterward they called the 
 moss "Spanish Beard." 
 
 Probably, Le Page du Pratz was the first white man to make 
 a mattress of moss. This he says he learned from the Indians, 
 who taught him to soak the moss in water until the outer fibre 
 rotted off, and then to dry the strong inner threads in the sun 
 until they were clean and light. 
 
 Some of the negroes in the swamps of Louisiana still pre- 
 pare moss in this old-fashioned way. In the early spring they 
 go out and get great masses of it, much of which has been blown 
 down in the winter. This they pack in the shallow lagoons and 
 smaller bayous, and allow it to rot for several weeks. Then it 
 is taken out and hung on small bushes and shrubs, or on rude 
 frames, to dry. Lastly it is picked over and packed into bales, 
 and carried into the towns for sale. It is not uncommon to see 
 on the streets of New Orleans to-day a negro moss- vender, carry- 
 ing a funny black bundle on his head, and shouting the old 
 familiar cry: — 
 
 " Mo-os for sa-el, La-dee ! " 
 
GRAY MOSS 
 
 121 
 
 However, the spirit of progress has entered even into this 
 little industry, and now there are flourishing moss factories, 
 where quantities of this swamp product are bought and cleaned 
 by machinery, and put out into the commercial world by modern 
 
 business methods- 
 
 II 
 
 The common 
 name of gray 
 moss is "Spanish 
 Moss." Le Page 
 du Pratz called it 
 "an excrescence," 
 
 A WAGON-LOAD OF MOSS. 
 
 found on the forest 
 trees of Louisiana. Its favorite trees are the cypress and 
 live-oak, but it grows on others. 
 
 It has very slender branching stems, and hangs from the 
 trees in great tufts. It is not apparently affected by cold. Still 
 it is not found in northern climates. 
 
 In color it is a dull gray green, a soft down on it giving it 
 a silvery appearance. The outer covering is tender and easily 
 broken. It has a slightly sour taste. 
 
 The inner filaments are black or dark brown in color when 
 thoroughly dry, and are exceedingly tough. They decay only 
 under extreme exposure, and are usually remarkably strong 
 
122 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 and durable. These inner filaments are not unlike coarse hair. 
 They always retain the crinkled shape that the tendrils as- 
 sume when growing. 
 
 Moss is used principally for mattresses and furniture cush- 
 ions. The early French and Spanish settlers used it also to 
 
 " ■" :mm^ 
 
 \ W'C/'^H 
 
 * V-'y " -V, 
 
 fnffi 
 
 
 
 4$3f' M 
 
 *£3 '# if V 
 
 
 
 ^^ll^^^^r".^'--^ :.. "-'"'" 
 
 HUT* W1 
 
 MOSS-COVEIIED TREES. 
 
 mix with the soft mud, which they applied in adobe fashion 
 on the outsides of their houses. Out in the "bruises" and 
 " Cajun " settlements in Louisiana it is not uncommon to see 
 strong, well-built outer chimneys made of mud and held firm 
 by a mixture of moss. 
 
 It is one of the most charming natural decorations of the 
 
GRAY MOSS 123 
 
 South. Nature uses it with exquisite taste and grace in the 
 quiet swamp lands, where it waves and swings from wide- 
 spreading oaks and gaunt cypress trees, like delicate gossamers 
 tangled in the breeze. 
 
 In the swamps near New Orleans, in Audubon, and in 
 the city parks it is a common sight. 
 
SUGAR-CANE 
 
 WHEN the world was young and all the an- 
 imals talked together, two black bears lived 
 in a pleasant part of China. 
 
 They were very big, and strong, and wise, and when 
 they talked the other animals listened. In the land 
 where they lived grew many trees of all kinds, — tall 
 pines that were always green, little pines that bore 
 cones full of nuts, oak trees laden with fat acorns, locust 
 trees whose blossoms gave the bees nectar from which 
 they made the rich honey that bears love, and strange 
 nut trees whose names only the Chinese emperor knows. 
 All these trees were friends of the bears, and were kind 
 enough to give them much food. 
 
 The bears had a den, — a dark hole in the side of 
 a hill. It was large and roomy and warm. Once a 
 little stream had run through it and washed it thor- 
 oughly, but that was long ago, and now the pebbles 
 lay thick and bright and dry, and the walls were beau- 
 tiful, especially when the sun shone in, for the earth 
 
SUGAR-CANE 
 
 125 
 
 was piled up in pretty colors. First a streak of dull, 
 bluish purple, then a streak of rich red, and last a 
 streak of tawny yellow, where a whole army of little 
 roots had pushed themselves in, trying to get to the 
 bottom. Above all, on the roof, grew a full family of 
 little old pine trees that bore rich nuts. 
 
 Much as the bears liked their comfortable den, they 
 loved the forest better and were great travelers. One 
 day they started out on a long journey. As they went 
 along they had a very pleasant time, talking, first, to a 
 lion, second, to a panther, third, to two wild-cats, and 
 foui'th, to some monkeys. Finally, when they came to 
 
 the broad road where on- 
 ly a few trees grew and the 
 sun shone brightly, they 
 saw a little friend whom 
 they liked best of all, be- 
 cause he knew funny tricks 
 and could make even an 
 owl laugh. He was a so- 
 ber-looking little rabbit. 
 Now in those days all the rabbits had long tails 
 and this one had the longest tail of any. He was very 
 
 " IN THOSE DAYS. 
 
126 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 proud of it, for he could do a great many remarkable 
 tricks with it. 
 
 This morning he danced in the sunny road, throw- 
 ing his tail first to one side, and then to the other, till 
 his shadow looked like two big rabbits. He laughed 
 and laughed at himself. He was having great fun. 
 
 When the bears saw him they sat down and laughed 
 so loudly that the road trembled, and the rabbit stopped 
 suddenly and turned. As soon as he saw them, he came 
 forward and made a grand bow, throwing his tail over 
 his eyes till he swept the ground in front of him. This 
 pleased the bears, so they gave him a friendly lick 
 of their tongues on the top of his little head and in- 
 vited him to go with them. 
 
 It was a merry journey. They tramped for miles 
 through the forest, and through meadow lands, and over 
 a dry bog, till they came to the sea with the yellow 
 sand. They were so thirsty that the bears rushed down 
 to the beach and began lapping the water greedily. 
 
 Then splish, splash, spit, sputter, sp' ss' ss ! They 
 rolled back on the shore. The water was salt and 
 bitter. They sat down on their haunches and became 
 angry, and Little Rabbit sat beside them and sympathized 
 
SUGAR-CANE 
 
 127 
 
 with them. The longer they looked at the sea the 
 angrier they became. And the great sea, quiet and 
 blue, spread out and laughed at them. At last the 
 larger bear said : " Let's push the yellow sand in and 
 muddy the water." 
 
 
 
 
 •» Jl"" ; "■GtjJSLal 
 
 
 > .: 
 
 39 
 
 ■ . ■ * 
 
 H ■ % 
 '*, <-•>■"■ '.■■ 
 
 
 
 8fe»5a-,TT-^ 
 
 
 - : ,■ 
 
 
 
 ?«s5s 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 •^''Sll 
 
 "BEGAN LAPPING THE WATER." 
 
 So, in a flash, they began, and pawed the sand down 
 and tramped it in the water, till the waves foamed up 
 yellow and muddy. 
 
 Then they stepped back on the beach and the two 
 bears growled at the sea until their throats were sore, 
 and Little Rabbit made a squeaking noise, which he 
 pretended was a growl. 
 
128 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 Then they went on their way and dried themselves 
 in the burning sun. But they were so thirsty they 
 thought that they would surely die. By and by Lit- 
 tle Rabbit saw some tall canes over toward the west. 
 
 "Let's go chew them, there's always water in the 
 stems/' he cried. So they trotted on, and came to a 
 great stretch of bamboo, dry and yellow. 
 
 " Chew ! Chaw ! " they crunched away, but the 
 canes were brittle. The bears sat down in disgust, 
 while Little Rabbit ran into the thicket and hid himself, 
 he was so ashamed. 
 
 But he was a brave little fellow and did not give 
 up easily, so as he moved in and out the brake he tried 
 first one cane and then another. Suddenly he stuck his 
 two front teeth into one, and — " Sqush ! " — there was 
 a sputter of the sweetest juice. It was milder than 
 honey and nicer than water. He shouted to his friends, 
 and the bears raised themselves up and humped through 
 the canebrake to him. How they feasted ! They 
 chewed until their jaws ached ; then, as the sun went 
 down, the three curled up in a round ball and went to 
 sleep. Next morning it was broad day when they 
 awoke, so they stretched out first the hind paws, then 
 
SVGAR-OANE 129 
 
 the fore paws, and shook themselves. Then they began 
 their breakfast. 
 
 "Humph/' grunted the big bear, as he crunched 
 down on a juicy cane. He looked all around him, at 
 the reed canes on one side, and the sweet canes on the 
 other. 
 
 " Strange, they all look alike. Something ought to 
 be done to mark them." 
 
 " Yes, yes," said the other bear, " if they were only 
 near home, we could get colors to mark them." 
 
 "You are right, that we could," nodded the big 
 bear. He cut his eye around at Little Rabbit, and 
 added in a nattering voice: 
 
 " Little Rabbit, you have a beautiful tail, the finest 
 in the world, and you have such nimble little feet. 
 How swiftly they can run ! I wish that I had feet and 
 tail like yours, for then I might be of some use in 
 the world. I might do a great deal of good to every 
 beast that walks." 
 
 " How's that ? How's that ? " inquired Little Rabbit, 
 sitting up very straight, and feeling quite full of himself. 
 
 " Why," said the bear slowly, " I should go home 
 and dip my tail in the little brook, and load it with the 
 
130 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 beautiful earth that lines my den, then I should return 
 
 and paint these canes." 
 
 " Why ! " exclaimed Little Rabbit cheerily, " I can 
 
 do that, I can go right now," and without more question, 
 
 he skipped out of 
 that canebrake, 
 and urged his 
 willing feet down 
 the yellow sand. 
 And very swiftly 
 he went, for his 
 heart was light. 
 Then the lazy 
 old black bears 
 stretched them- 
 selves out and 
 
 rested their joints, which were sore with the walking 
 
 and the pawing of the day before. 
 
 As Little Rabbit hopped along the road, the thought 
 
 came to him that he could not carry enough earth on 
 
 his tail to mark all the canes. So what should he do ? 
 
 " Oh ! yes, I know," he said to himself, and he laughed 
 
 merrily at his thought. 
 
 "URGED HIS WILLING FEET DOWN THE YELLOW SAND." 
 
SUOAR-OANE 131 
 
 When he reached the big woods, he gave a strange 
 call, and all the rabbits came forth to meet him. 
 
 " Follow me, follow me," he shouted, and they fell in 
 line behind him. When all were ready, he faced around 
 and told them to listen well, for he had great news. 
 
 " Hear all of you ! This is a miserable land where 
 a rabbit works hard for a living. Over in the west 
 is a grand country. A land where the richest food is 
 free for all. I have found this land, and have come 
 back to ask my kinsfolk to share it with me. All you 
 have to do is to go and claim it. Will you go ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes. Let's go ! Let's go ! " shouted all the 
 rabbits at once. 
 
 " All right," answered Little Rabbit, " but before we 
 go, let us think up a plan to claim the land once for 
 all for ourselves and our children." 
 
 To this they agreed ; then they called on him to tell 
 them a plan. 
 
 " Listen," he cried again. " You know where the 
 black bears live? You know the colors in the walls 
 of their den? Let's dip our tails in the brook, then 
 rub the color off the walls, and go back and paint the 
 plants of the new country. That is the way to claim it." 
 
132 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 "Good, good/' they all shouted, "that is easy to 
 do. Let us be off." 
 
 So, led by Little Rabbit, they hurried down to the 
 brook and dipped their tails till they dripped ; then 
 
 they went to the bears' 
 den and rubbed off the 
 red, purple and yellow 
 earth, and trooped af- 
 ter their leader to the 
 new land. 
 
 It was not a very 
 
 comfortable trip, for 
 
 their tails felt stiff and 
 
 heavy as they dried in 
 
 the sun and wind. But 
 
 what does a rabbit care 
 
 for comfort when he is 
 
 going to claim a land ! 
 
 By and by they came to the great sea, which still 
 
 looked dirty and yellow and angry. Here Little Rabbit 
 
 stopped and called to his band : 
 
 "Dip your tails in and wet them a little, so that 
 we can paint the plants of our new country quickly." 
 
 AN INTERESTING FAMILY. 
 
SUGAR-CANE 133 
 
 So they wet their tails again, and then he led the way 
 in and showed them the sweet canes, which they began 
 to paint; some dark red, some purple, and some striped. 
 While the rabbits toiled away, the old bears stood off 
 and clapped their paws to see the good work go on, 
 and the great sea behind the reed canes laughed. 
 When at last the rabbits had finished, the canes looked 
 beautiful indeed. But the rabbits' tails were gone. 
 
 Is it any wonder that a rabbit will not hide in a 
 canebrake eyen to this day? 
 
 Interesting- Facts About Sugar-cane. 
 
 More than two thousand years before America was found, 
 wide fields of sugar-cane were growing in China and India. 
 Some wise men say that it grew in China first, and others say 
 that it grew in India first, but this is a very little matter to 
 quibble about, for it is more likely that in the days when the 
 rabbits painted the stalks, some of the " honey-bearing reeds," 
 as they were called, grew like wild grass in China and India at 
 the same time. 
 
 There is an old story that the Chinese emperor once made 
 the people of India pay him tribute with sugar, and another 
 story tells us that the Chinese people learned from the people 
 
134 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 of Egypt how to clear sugar by using the lye from wood ashes. 
 Other writers say that centuries ago the physicians of Arabia, 
 who were famed for their skill in medicine, used sugar fre- 
 quently in mixing their drugs. 
 
 Sugar-cane did not become a valuable plant in any of these 
 countries until a much later day. 
 
 In 1420, a year after the Portuguese had discovered Ma- 
 deira, the Spaniards made a settlement there and planted some 
 sugar-cane that had been brought from Asia. It flourished very 
 well in the warm, moist climate. In 1494, when the Spanish 
 soldiers went over to take possession of the islands that Colum- 
 bus had discovered, quite a number settled in San Do-min'go. 
 Sugar-cane from the Madeira Islands was found to grow well 
 there, and the juice produced was unusually sweet. 
 
 Soon San Domingo became a center from which sugar and 
 sugar-cane were sent to other countries in large quantities. In 
 a few years there were cane fields in all the islands of the West 
 Indies, and in many parts of South America. 
 
 It was from taxes laid on the sugar trade that the emperor 
 Charles V., of Spain, was able to build his magnificent palaces 
 at Mad'rid and To-le'do. This helps us to understand how 
 profitable sugar-making was in these early days of Spanish 
 colonization. 
 
 In 1751, when New Orleans was a very small city, and 
 Canal street was in the suburbs, some Jesuit priests owned a 
 
SUGAR-CANE 135 
 
 plantation which faced this street, and ran from the river back 
 toward the swamp. Here the first sugar-cane was cultivated in 
 North America. It was sent here by a Jesuit priest in San 
 Domingo, who also sent several skilled Negroes to teach the 
 French colonists how to plant and raise it. Some time before 
 this, it is true, some canes had been brought from San Domingo, 
 and planted in the deserted corn fields of the Quinipissas 
 Indians, " but the seed, being already yellow and sour, came to 
 naught." 
 
 The early cane cultivated by the Jesuits, was called "Cre'ole 
 cane." It was not used for the purpose of sugar-making, but 
 simply as a fruit. 
 
 In 1759, a wealthy planter, whose plantation extended down 
 the present site of upper Esplanade avenue, secured a large 
 quantity of cane from the Jesuits, built a sugar house and at- 
 tempted to make sugar. He tried for a long time, but was un- 
 successful. Other planters, seeing his efforts, also tried, but 
 they succeeded only in boiling the juice into a " thick marma- 
 lade like guava jelly." It was impossible either to make use 
 of this in the French colony, or ship it conveniently to France. 
 Once, when an attempt was made to ship a cargo to France, it 
 leaked out of the barrels, and almost all of it was lost. 
 
 It was not until 1795, when another effort was made by 
 Judge Gray'-ar-re's grandfather, E-ti-enne' De Bo-re, that the juice 
 was made to granulate, or " sugar." When the news was an- 
 
136 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 nounced from the Bore plantation above the city, on the very 
 spot where Audubon Park now stands, the cry — " It granulates ! 
 It granulates ! " was sounded from one end of the colony to the 
 other. De Bore was called the "Savior of Louisiana." From 
 that day sugar became one of the leading products of Louisiana. 
 To-day it is called the Louisiana staple. 
 
 After De Bore's success, experiments still went on. Machin- 
 ery was invented that made better sugar, more quickly, and 
 more economically than before, and the immense open kettles, 
 that looked like huge wash-basins, were put aside. To-day a 
 sugar house is a wonderful workshop. There, giant rollers 
 go round and round, day and night, crushing the cane. There, 
 the ba-gasse', or flattened stalks from which the juice has been 
 pressed, is saturated with oil and burned in deep-throated 
 furnaces. There, the juice is cleansed and evaporated into a 
 mixture of molasses and sugar. This mixture is placed in huge 
 centrifugals, and, by rapid revolutions, the molasses is thrown 
 out and the sugar retained. 
 
 II 
 
 Sugar-cane belongs to the reed genus of the grass family. 
 It is related to the bamboo, rattan, and palm families. 
 
 The stalks attain a height of from eight to fifteen feet, and 
 a diameter of one and a half to two inches. They are 
 divided into joints, or " internodes." The long, sheathing, alter- 
 
SUGAR-CANE 
 
 137 
 
 nate leaves spring from each joint. The length of the inter- 
 nodes is from three and a half to ten inches. 
 
 The principal varieties of cane under cultivation are the 
 ribbon, the purple, and the white. 
 
 IN THE CANE FIELDS. 
 
 The white cane is considered the best eating cane, be- 
 cause it is softer and its juice is usually very sweet. The red, 
 or purple, and the striped cane are planted extensively, as they 
 are more hardy, and the average yield is more certain. 
 
 The leaves of the sugar-cane are long and slender, meas- 
 uring from a yard to a yard and a half in length. Their color 
 is a very beautiful bluish green. When the stalks of cane are 
 
138 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 fully ripe, a soft bloom covers them, not unlike that seen on 
 dark fall grapes. 
 
 Although you may never have seen sugar-cane, you have 
 probably seen corn, and, as you will notice in the picture, 
 sugar-cane leaves are like blades of corn in appearance. Sugar- 
 cane stalk also resembles corn stalk. 
 
 For the cultivation of cane a moist, mild 
 climate is required. The stalks are planted in 
 layers, the plant developing from the eye that 
 is located at each joint. The crops of the second 
 and thiid years are frequently grown from the 
 roots of the old stalks. These crops are called 
 first and second year stubbles, or rattoons. A 
 stubble crop is not so large as the first year crop, 
 and in a few years ceases to be profitable. 
 
 Cane is planted in January and February 
 and is ready for cutting in about nine or 
 ten months. The grinding season usually begins in October and 
 concludes about Christmas. A freeze hurts the crop very 
 much, and planters always hope to clear their fields before the 
 heavy freezes, which usually take place in January and Feb- 
 ruary. 
 
 In New Orleans work in the sugar refineries goes on from 
 one month to another, for as soon as they finish making sugar 
 from raw material from the sugar houses in Louisiana, they are 
 
 LEAVES OF THE 
 SUGAR-CANE. 
 
SUGAR-CANE 139 
 
 ready to handle the Cuban sugar. This is shipped into New 
 Orleans at a later season. 
 
 Louisiana produces nearly all the cane sugar raised in the 
 United States. 
 
 The output of the crop for 1904 will be about 265,000 
 long tons, while that of 1903 was 300,000 long tons. 
 
 The United States and Great Britain together consume 
 about one-half of the total sugar output of the world. 
 
COCOANUT PALMS 
 
 ONCE upon a time some wild men lived on an 
 island in the Indian Ocean. The island was 
 long and narrow, with a wide beach of white 
 sand about it and a dense forest in the center of it. 
 It was a warm, pleasant spot, but not hot. It might 
 be called a spring-time land, for both sunshine and 
 shadow played upon it, and cool breezes were always 
 flitting across it. 
 
 Sometimes the wind blew from the mainland where, 
 far beyond the dark forest, purple mountains rose, and 
 sometimes it came from over the shining sea where the 
 blue sky met the water. The wild men lived contentedly, 
 with nothing to do but hunt and fish. They were 
 tall, strong men, with dark skins and child-like faces. 
 They were brave, too. They were not afraid of the sea 
 in the storm, or of a night in the wild woods. They 
 could swim swiftly and they could climb high. There 
 was not a bit of sea for miles that they had not swum 
 in, and not a tree too tall for them to scale. Sometimes 
 
COCOANUT PALMS 141 
 
 when the tide was low they would plunge into the sea 
 and swim over to the mainland to hunt and fish. 
 
 In the early spring a large company of sea turtles 
 always came to the quiet beach on the mainland to lay 
 their eggs in the warm sand. They had done this for 
 years and no one had troubled them. But one day, 
 when fish were scarce, one of the wild men stuck a 
 sharp stick through a turtle's neck, and dragged him 
 upon the shore. There his shell was cracked and 
 portions of his meat were torn out and broiled upon a 
 bed of coals. The wild men ate the broiled meat 
 greedily, for they found it very good. From that day 
 the turtles were hunted, caught and eaten as soon as 
 they came out of the sea. 
 
 Now the turtles had a friend on land whom they 
 thought very wise. This was a huge monkey who spent 
 much time Walking up and down the beach catching 
 fiddlers, small crabs and other shell-fish of which he 
 was fond. The turtles in their trouble determined to 
 ask the monkey's advice. 
 
 So one day, while the monkey was walking slowly 
 down the sand, the oldest turtle poked her head out of 
 the water, swam quickly to the shore and spoke to him 
 
142 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 politely. She begged him to listen while she told her 
 story. As she began, a hundred turtles or more crawled 
 up on the shore, and squatted around in a great cres- 
 cent. The old monkey sat down and drew his legs up, 
 
 THE MONKEY AND THE TURTLES. 
 
 and rested his head on his knees. Then he rolled his 
 eyes around at the turtles in a very wise way, and 
 listened to every word of the story. When the turtle 
 had finished speaking, he half shut his eyes and looked 
 shrewd. " Yes, I know a way to help you, but what 
 will you give me ? " he asked, glancing around the 
 group to see if he might strike a bargain. 
 
 "Give you?" they cried; "what do you want?" 
 
COCOANUT PALMS 143 
 
 " Very little, very little/' he answered. " Just a few 
 of those clams that lie at the bottom of the sea." Now 
 this really meant a great deal to him, for he disliked 
 to wet his paws, and these little clams were hard for 
 him to get, although he loved them dearly. 
 
 "That is very little," responded the old turtle, "surely 
 we can get them for you." 
 
 "Yes, yes," chimed in all the others. 
 
 "Now," said the monkey, "this is how I will help 
 you. Do you see yonder tall tree?" he pointed to a 
 slender tree that grew down in the sand close to the 
 water. 
 
 " Well, when I hear the wild men coming, I will fill 
 my jaws with hard nuts and climb to the top of that 
 tree and throw the nuts, Splash ! Splash ! ! Splash ! ! ! 
 into the water, and that will be a signal for you to 
 swim away. You see," he added, "the tree is very 
 tall, and I can see a long way, and besides, I am a 
 trained watcher." 
 
 "Good! " shouted all the turtles, "that will be fine." 
 
 So they swam to the bottom of the sea and brought 
 him a great pile of clams. 
 
 He ate greedily as they put the clams all around 
 
144 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSBINB 
 
 him. By and by, when he could eat no more, he 
 filled his jaws with hard nuts, and slowly climbed the 
 tall tree. Here he snuggled down in a comfortable 
 fork and gazed around, first at the forest, and then 
 at the sea. The waves played pleasant music as they 
 broke on the beach. It was very soothing and soft, 
 and soon the old monkey slept soundly. 
 
 By and by the wild men came out of the woods, 
 crept quietly down to the sand, surprised the turtles, 
 and captured four of the largest. Among them was 
 the old leader. 
 
 When the other turtles had washed off their fright 
 with the deep sea water, they crept up close together 
 and talked over what had happened. They talked a 
 long, long time, and when they finished they had de- 
 cided on a plan which they kept very quiet. 
 
 Late in the afternoon, when the sea lay beautiful 
 in the sunset glow, the turtles rose slowly in the calm 
 water and peered toward the shore. Everything was 
 still, and the beach was quite deserted. Cautiously 
 and solemnly they swam to the shore and crept out on 
 the white sand. Here they piled a fine lot of clams, 
 and sat down to wait. 
 
COOOANTJT PALMS 145 
 
 By and by the old monkey awoke. "Well, well," 
 he said, as he stretched out his long, lean arras, and 
 looked down at the turtles resting in the sand, "well, 
 well, I have had a good nap, and they are all safe. 
 Now I will go down and get my supper." 
 
 Before he started down, he gazed out over the sea, 
 then peered carefully through the woods. All was 
 quiet. Not a human being was in sight. So he climbed 
 down quickly and strode up to the turtles with an easy, 
 happy manner. 
 
 "Good-evening," he said, cheerily, "what a fine day 
 it has been." The turtles made no answer but moved a 
 little nearer. Then his eyes lit upon the splendid feast 
 of clams and he began to gorge himself. The turtles 
 moved a little nearer. He was now completely sur- 
 rounded. Then suddenly two of the strongest turtles 
 ran up and seized his hind paws, two others seized his 
 fore paws, a fifth caught his tail, and all the rest began 
 to push. Struggle as he might, he was borne out to 
 sea. When they came to a place where the water 
 seemed calmest, for it was very deep, they sank to the 
 bottom with him and drowned him. 
 
 That night, when the moon shone brightly, they car- 
 
146 8T0RIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 ried him up and dug a deep hole ou the shore. Here in 
 the sand they buried him. All through the summer and 
 all through the winter he lay in the sand; then, in the 
 spring, when the turtles came back to visit, they found 
 in the spot where he was buried a slender tree, as tall 
 as a pine, with great nuts close up among the leaves. 
 Soon they heard a noise in the woods, and they slipped 
 back into the sea and swam out a good distance to 
 watch. Then they saw a man climb the tree and pull 
 off the nuts and throw them down to his companions, 
 and these sat down and ate the nuts. When the meal 
 was finished the men went off, and the turtles came back. 
 Creeping up, they turned the shells over, and laughed 
 and laughed. They were the image of the old monkey 
 when he was drowned. Surely they were "monkey nuts." 
 
 They were the same kind of nuts as those which we 
 now call cocoanuts. 
 
 By and by the mainland and the island grew thick 
 with the tall trees, and the wild men found the nuts 
 easier to get and sweeter to eat than the meat of the 
 sea-turtles. The delicious meat of these nuts is to-day 
 a popular article of food in the lands of sunshine where 
 the cocoa palm grows. 
 
0000 ANUT PALMS 
 Interesting Facts About Cocoanut Palms. 
 
 147 
 
 In many of our large schools the cocoanut is the "hail 
 fellow, well met" of every pupil. When you start into the 
 school-room on a wet morning and dig and rub your toes and 
 
 COCOANUT PALMS. 
 
 heels into the thick, brown mat at the door, you never stop to 
 think that once those very threads, so coarse and strong, 
 formed the cradle of the cocoanut as it swung in the warm sea- 
 breeze nearly a hundred feet from the ground. 
 
 Cocoanuts, as they ripen on the tree, are far too bulky for 
 shipment, so the outer husk, measuring twelve to sixteen inches 
 in length and an inch to an inch and a half thick, is split and 
 peeled from the nut in lengthwise sections. These husks of 
 
148 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 strong, brown fibers, called coir, are shredded and woven into 
 mats so strong and honest in cleaning that we know of nothing 
 better for the front door of school or home. The firm, heavy 
 matting, well known as cocoa-matting, which has become so 
 popular for halls, vestibules, etc., is made from coir fibre. 
 
 If one chanced by the school on a Saturday, he might see 
 the janitor busily scrubbing the inside wood-work with a brush 
 of stubby, coarse fibers that have an excellent way of standing 
 pressure without flattening. The janitor's brush was made 
 from odd bits of coir left over from matting and rugs. 
 
 The first home of the cocoa palm is not known. It has 
 been found for many centuries in warm countries of the globe. 
 The first trees that greeted Columbus in the new world were 
 these tall, swaying palms, and it is likely that their nuts helped 
 to form the impression that he had reached the East Indies, as 
 it was known that similar nuts grew there. 
 
 Cocoa palms grow best near the sea-shore, and are found in 
 great numbers on the Mal'a-bar and Cor'o-man'del coasts of India. 
 It is said that there are twenty million of these trees in culti- 
 vation in Ceylon, and that the wealth of a native is counted by 
 his property in cocoanut trees. Most of the cocoanuts shipped 
 via New Orleans are from Colon and other Central American 
 ports, as well as the West Indies, where they grow in great 
 abundance. 
 
 The tides and currents of the Pacific Ocean have borne these 
 
COOOANUT PALMS 
 
 149 
 
 easily floating nuts to the most distant coral islets, where 
 scarcely any other vegetation is seen, and here they grow into 
 great lonely giants which wave a welcome to the ironclad 
 steamers from San Francisco bound for Hong Kong and 
 Yo-ko-ha'ma. 
 
 NEAK THE SEA SHORE. 
 
 At La-hai'na, in the Hawaiian Islands, a single palm in the 
 small yard of an humble cottage rears its trunk seven times 
 taller than an average man, and has more than fifty nuts nestling 
 at the stem of its long leaves. 
 
 Like our own pecan trees, the palm must be seven years old 
 before it will bear fruit. From eighty to two hundred nuts are 
 produced annually from this age, and for a century the yield is 
 the same, the nuts being gathered several times a year. On the 
 
150 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 same tree may be seen continually flowers and fruits of all sizes. 
 Besides yielding great quantities of delicious, nutritious nuts 
 which the natives use as food, the cocoa palm has proven its 
 usefxilness in other ways. A tough, curiously grained timber, 
 known as porcupine wood is obtained from its trunk, and used 
 by the natives for building purposes, furniture and fire-wood. 
 
 PALMS IN HAWAII. 
 
 A log of it burns with the steady even heat of peat. The small 
 boats known as lighters, used by the Sing'a-lese fishermen, are 
 made from this wood; while the prettily plaited caps worn 
 with picturesque effect on their shiny black heads are woven 
 from strips of the leaves. Odd cajan fans and beautifully de- 
 signed baskets are also made from the foliage, and the low 
 
GOCOANUT PALMS 151 
 
 hanging roofs of quaint little huts are deftly and securely 
 thatched with the same slender leaflets. Ropes, cordage, mats, 
 brushes, and brooms are made from the coir fiber. 
 
 The hard shells of the nut are used conveniently as water 
 vessels and vases, and are often exquisitely carved by hand. 
 Ornaments, having grotesque faces, are f requently made from 
 the whole nut. Strange dolls with heads of baby cocoanuts are 
 well-beloved by little East and West Indian girls ; while their 
 little brothers, wearing tall, pointed caps of coir fiber, look lite 
 Brownies. 
 
 When the cocoanut shell is burned, a fine black powder, 
 of remarkable depth of color, is obtained. This is used by the 
 East Indians and Filipinos as dye-stuff. 
 
 An alcoholic liquor is made from the blossoms of the cocoa 
 palm, and is obtained in an interesting manner. Paul de la 
 Gironiere, in his book, " Twenty Years in the Philippines," 
 says : " Large groves of cocoanut trees are laid out, from which 
 merely the sap or juice is expected, but nothing in the shape of 
 fruit. These trees have long bamboos laid on their tops from 
 one to another, on which Indians pass over every morning, 
 bearing large vessels, in which they collect the liquid. It is a 
 laborious and dangerous employment, a real promenade in the 
 air, at the height of from sixty to eighty feet from the ground. 
 It is from the bud which ought to produce the flower that the 
 liquid is drawn of which the spirit is afterwards made. As soon 
 
152 
 
 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 as the bud is about to burst, the Indian employed in collecting 
 the liquid ties it very tightly a few inches from its point 
 
 beyond the tying. From the pores, 
 which are left uncovered, a saccharine 
 liquid flows, which is sweetish and 
 agreeable to the palate before it has 
 fermented. After it has passed fermen- 
 tation, it is submitted to distillation 
 and then becomes a stupefying drink, 
 known as cocoa wine and used freely 
 by the Indians at their festivities." 
 
 Cocoanut oil, next to coir fiber, is 
 the principal product of the tree used 
 for commerce. It is obtained from the 
 kernel of the nut by pressure and has 
 a mild taste, but a disagreeable odor, 
 produced by the volatile fatty acids 
 which it contains. It separates easily 
 into a liquid and a solid portion ; the 
 latter, cocoa-stearin, is largely used in 
 the manufacture of candles. An ap- 
 parently insignificant, but really valu- 
 able, use of the oil is in making a marine soap which forms a 
 lather with sea-water. 
 
 From the cocoa palm's great usefulness to the inhabitants of 
 
OOQOANUT PALMS 153 
 
 the tropical countries, one of our New England poets learned a 
 beautiful lesson, and has given us the following rhythmic 
 picture : 
 
 The Palm Tbee 
 
 Is it the palm, the cocoa palm, 
 
 On the Indian Sea, by the isles of balm ? 
 
 Or is it a ship in the breezeless calm ? 
 
 A ship whose keel is of palm beneath, 
 Whose ribs of palm have a palm-bark sheath, 
 And a rudder of palm it steereth with. 
 
 Branches of palm are its spars and rails, 
 
 Fibers of palm are its woven sails, 
 
 And the rope is of palm that idly trails. 
 
 What does the good ship bear so well? 
 The cocoamit with its stony shell, 
 And the milky sap of its inner cell. 
 
 What are its jars, so smooth and fine, 
 
 But hollowed nuts, filled with oil and wine, 
 
 And the cabbage that ripens under the Line ? 
 
154 STORIES FROM LANDS OF SUNSHINE 
 
 Who smokes his nargileh, cool and calm ? 
 
 The master whose cunning and skill could charm 
 
 Cargo and ship from the bounteous palm. 
 
 In the cabin he sits on a palm mat soft; 
 From a beaker of palm his drink is cpiaffed, 
 And a palm thatch shields from the sun aloft. 
 
 His dress is woven of palmy strands, 
 
 And he holds a palm-leaf scroll in his hands, 
 
 Traced with the Prophet's wise commands. 
 
 The turban folded about his head 
 
 "Was daintily wrought of the palm-leaf braid, 
 
 And the fan that cools him of palm was made. 
 
 Of threads of palm was the carpet spun, 
 Whereon he kneels when the day is done, 
 And the foreheads of Islam are bowed as one. 
 
 To him the palm is a gift divine, 
 Wherein all uses of man combine, — • 
 House, and raiment, and food, and wine. 
 
COCOANUT PALMS 155 
 
 And, in the hour of his great release, 
 His need of the palm shall only cease 
 With the shroud wherein he lieth in peace. 
 
 " Allah il Allah ! " he sings his psalm, 
 On the Indian Sea, by the isles of balm; 
 "Thanks to Allah who gives the Palm." 
 
 John Greenleaf Whittier. 
 
 The trunk of the cocoanut palm is cylindrical, without 
 branches ; it is very tall, its height varying from eighty to one 
 hundred feet. 
 
 It has at its summit a crown of from sixteen to twenty 
 leaves, which curve gracefully downward, and are from ten to 
 fifteen feet long. Its flowers are small and white. 
 
 The fruit matures in bunches of from ten to twenty ; its 
 shape is oblong and triangular in cross section, measuring 
 twelve to sixteen inches in length and six to eight inches in 
 diameter. It has a thick external husk or rind of a fibrous 
 structure, within which is the ordinary cocoanut of commerce. 
 The nut itself has a hard, woody shell, enclosing the nucleus 
 or kernel. Within this shell is a milky liquid called cocoanut 
 milk. 
 
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