The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-06-25
The Birthplace Of Salnen.

on the bOundafy.llno between the dark
fir-forests aud the sunny plais, there
stands q mountain, great white conc
two miles and . hah in perpendicular
height. On its lower mile, the dense
fir.woods cover it with never.changing
green; on its next half.mile, 3 lighter
green of grass and bushes give place in
winter to white; and, on its uppermot
mile, the SHOWS Of the great Ice ags
still linger in unspotted purity. The
people of Washington Territory cay
that this mountain is the great " King.
pin of the Universe" which shows that,
even in its own country, Mount Rainier
is not without honor.
Flowing down from the southwest
slope of Mount kainisrsis , cold, clear
river fed BY the melting SHOWS oiiths
mountain. Madly it hastens down over
white cascades and beds Of shining
sands, through birch-woods and beaed
dark frs to mingle its waters thE
with those of the great Columbia.
This river is the Cowlitz, md On ib
bottom, not many years ago, than ~
half-buried in the sand number Of u
Ito orange-colored globules, each sboat
as large as q pea. These were not
much. in themselves, huA, like the phhs'
opher's monads, each one had ia ittae
promise and potency Of an active ifs.
In the water above them, little suckers
and clubs and priokly seulpins weee
straining their mouths to draw taese
globules from tho sand. and yicioa.'
looking craw6shes picked them up WIN
their laundering hands and examined
them with their telescope eys. y4bu..
one, at least, of the globules eacaped
their scientific curiosity, else this story
would not be worth telling.
The sun shone down on 1t through
the clear water, and the ripples OF tho
Cowlitz said over it their incantations'
and in it at last swoke . living be'ng.
It was q fish, q curious little fellow, only
half an inch long, with great, staring
eyes which made almost half bis leng9:
and q body so transparent that he coold
not cast shadow. He was little M
mon, q, very little salmon, but the wa1s,
was good, and there were fles, soo
worms, and little Lying eFeefalss 10
abundance for him to Nat, Aadne soon
became q larger salmon. And tnele
were many more little salmon with nlm,
some larger and some smaller, and Wy 10y
all had ! merry time. Those Who haa
been born soonest and had grown lstg;,
est used to chase the others around ana
bite off their tails, or, still BETTER tske
them by the heads and swallow them
whole, for, said they, /" Esen young ~
mon are good eating" Z" Hesds a, VIM
tails you lose," was their motto; mus S.'
what was once two small salmon -.
came united into. one Larger one any 'lo
process of Tradition, division ana 81
lence," still went on. ,....q.,... .....
By-and.by, when all the Salmon ~ .ao
too small to swallow the others and TOO 90
large, to he swallowed, they began W
grow restless and 10 sigh for q eaenG. I.
They saw. that the water rusn!uS ~. ~
seemed to be in a great hurry 70 e. 81
somewhere, and one Of them suggess;:ea
that its hurry was caused by something
good to eat at the other end Of its course
Then they all started down the ssIea w.
salmon-fashion, which fashion IS " ga a
into the current, head upstream, Oil. .
| so to drift backward as the river sweeps
along. 81,
Down the Cowlitz River they went 10! I:
a day and . night, finding much to IN
tcrc;t them which we need not Know
At last, they began to grow hungry, sno'
coming c.S neart the shore, they saw an angle
worm Of rare size and beauty floating ~
an eddy of the stream. Valcs h :,
thought one Of the boys opened Ms .s
mouth. which was we'll filed with teeta =
of different sizes. and put it around c.' sns !.
anele.worm. Quicker still ne le.s = =
sharp pain in his gills. followed oy q
smothering sensation, and in an ;ns. "a y"
his comrades saw him rise straight in.o
the mir. This was nothing new " tnem ~
for they often leaped out Of the ws'c an ~
their games OF hide-and-seek, out 1n Z
to ta't come down again with loud splash ns
not fur from where they went 0u'. .hor.
this one never came back, and the oi n"af
went on their course wondering y.
Dnrai s. Jorlan, in Popular 0e''"''
Monthly.