The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-09-21


Farewell butterflies and clover,
Death Is fate the wide world over.
Golden Rule.
AKING's ROBE OF GOLDEN FEATHERS
Il want to tell you about one of the
most remarkable garments ever worn by
royalty. 1t is feather robe worth one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
Rather costly, is it not? but let me
tell you why it is valued so highly and
was nine reigns making.
Many years ago the natives of the
Hawaiian Islands (far out on the
Pacific, you know were very expert
bird catchers-not bird killers-the OBJ
iect of their pursuit being small, black
bird called the 90. This pretty title
creature had, under each wing, a sil gle
golden feather about an inch long and
these feathers the natives made into leis
(wreaths), caps and robes for the alu or
chiefs.
To catch the 90 without inficting any
injury was necessary, or the birds would
soon be exterminated: hence, to entrap
them successfully was considered great
accomplishment.
With the gum of the bread-fruit tree,
which is very sticky, the bird. catcher
smeared the twig of a tree near some
tempting fruit; across this twig he laid a
| light string slip-nOose, and holding the
| line, cOnceald himself in the thick foil
age. Now came the unsuspecting 90 for
his mango or guava dessert, and alighted
on the smeared twig. Finding it an un-
pleasant standing place he futtered and
struggled to extricate his feet, but in
stantly the slip-noose closed tightly
around both little legs and he was
prisoner; his two beautiful golden
feathers were pulled out, which, l am
sure, made him very unhappy, and then
he was given his freedom.
/ think wise birds did not get caught
second time, though many of them no
doubt were foolish, and lost the new
feathers as soon as they were grown.
In this way thousands and thousands
of birds were caught to furnish kings
with coronation robe. 1t is said three
hundred birds were caught for feathers
to make lei half yard long! This
manao (war-cloak) of Kamehameha the
Great is as sacred relic rs the famous
Scottish stone in Westminster Abbey,
upon which English kings have been
crowned for more that i've hundred
years.
The Hawaiian "thrOne" is nothing
but chair covered with the n,amo.
Until within few years, there was ~
similar feather-robe, which belonged to
King Lunalilo; but, as he was the last
of his family, it was wrapped around
his dead body and buried with him.
Very few of the old bird-catchers are
living, and, as the young generation does
not follow the pursuits of the old, the
present n,amo is considered the last speci-
men of a lost art. In the Hawaiian de-
partment of the Centennial are some fine
90 leis and capes, loaned by Queen
Emma, which are we'll worth examining
They are very beautiful, and show great
skill of workmanship.-Sarah Coan IN
, Christian Union.
The MONKEYS AND THE BABY.-Tht
. following is a story which the writer
represents herself as relating to her chill
dren, and is taken from volume called
Childhood in India" 1t will probably
amuse our readers:
, "When / was on my way to India We
put in for few days at the Cape o
Good Hope, and there heard of the Oc
| currence am going to tell you Of In &
, village some short distance from Cape
Town lived a poor man and his wife
: They had neat little cottage and gar
, den, in which they planted all sorts O
vegetables to sell in the town. Near the
cottage was forest, in which number
of birds and animals of all kinds lived
, and especially numbers of monkeys The
) woman's name was Else, and she had 6
baby, a nice fat little thing, a few
months old, of which she was very fond
and she washed and dressed this baby
. every day, and carried it about in he
: arms in the garden in the cool of tn,
evening. One morning when baby haC
gone to sleep she laid him down in hi
! little bed, and took basket on her heaC
, and started of to the town to buy som,
things at the shops.
CO. shall be back, she thought to her
self, by the time he wakes, and then W.
can go into the garden and sit under thu
trees
$50 off she went and bought the tea
, and sugar, and rice that she needed
packed them in her basket, and returned
, to her cottage. She put the basket
down and went up to the baby's bed
, No child was there She thought ht
must have rolled off the bed and looked
, under it; but no child was there. She
rushed about the house calling Baby
, Babyp No little voice answered her
) She ran into the garden crying and call
ing out for her baby; but all was silent
and at last the poor woman in despair
sat down on the ground, rocking herself
backward and forward, and weeping vi
olently. After some time her husband
Klaas, came in, and was much surprised
to see his wife in such trouble.
"What is the matterT he said
where's the childT
Z" He's gone my baby's gone! Oh
, dearl What shall do2 Oh, my
baby Oh, my darlingp sobbed out
poor Else.
"'Gone = said Klaas; he can't be
gonel What do you meanf
$50 poor Else told him how she left
the baby asleep in his bed, and went up
to the town, and how when she came
back the child was nowhere to be seen.
Then he began to look about and call
baby all over the house and garden, but
could find nothing of him. And then
the two parents both cried for their dear
little baby; the house seemed 30 dull and
sad to them. The merning came, but no
news or sign of the child, and poor Else
said to Klaas:
al shall put away all baby's things
the towel l dried him with, the little
tub and sponge for his bath, his frock
and cap, are no use now
"And 80 she went TO find and put
these things away. She came back di-
rectly to her husband.
"Kaas,' she said, they are gone,
too. The tub and sponge, the towel and
frock-all are gone! Who can have
taken them2 First the baby, and then
the things who can 1t beT
"They could not imagine. At last
poor Klaas took up his Ak and started OIL
to the forest to cut wood. Ashe entered