Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-10-19
A WONDERFUL TREE.

"Mamma,n said little Robbie Wood,
otse day, at the dinner-table, chow does
outer grow?
..Oh, ho" cried out his brother Har-
", before mamma could answer; ''what
4 goose you are, Rob butter don't
grow"
Mamma looked across the table and
saw IL little lip quivering, for Robbie
hated to be laughed at. Harry saw it,
too, and was sorry.
" No matter. Rob-" said he; ~ had
90 business to laugh at YOU; but it was
such a funny idea and Harry had
hard work to keep back another shout.
very funny" said mamma, putting
SOME milk into her cup of tea, If
[ told you that there Is a country
where the people get milk from trees"
The great tears in Robbie's eyes for
got to rou out. and Harry stared at his
mother to see if she was joking.
at is true" said she.
"Now, mamma" said Harry, in n
very coaxing tone, ''yOu are going to
tell us about it, aren't your 1t will
make such n splendid story
Il haven't time now" mamma said
but come to me after supper and YOU
shall hear it.
The boys went out to play that after
noon, and perhaps you think they forgot
all about the story; but they didn't do
any such thing, and just as soon rs sup
per was over, and mamma had taken
her sewing and sat down to the table,
the boys brought their chairs and sat
down in front of her.
Now, mamma, for the story"
WE'LL" began mamma. Some way
or other all mammals stories began
with well" The boys had learned To
like it very much. 1t was like smelling
hot gingerbread when they went into
the kitchen; they always knew then that
mamma would give them piece So
when hiami1fa began u story with
"wcll," they knew something nice was
coming.
"Wcll," said mamma, far away
from here-so far away that people 20
in ships, tossing up and down OH the
waves -"
"That must be great fun. I'd ike to
90" said Harry.
Don't talk, Harry" said Robbie,
with his eyes on mammals face.
t. So far away" continued man.
ma; ''that very few travellers 90 there,
there Is n country very different from
ours. There is never any cold weather,
never any snow or ice. There are won
derful things there. The fishes are of
lovely colors, blue and yellow and or
ahge and red; You can see them shining
far down in the clear water. There are
sharks, and alligators, and crocOdiles,
too. and they are not lovely at all"
Don't they eat people sometimes?"
asked Harry.
Sometimes" said mamma.
Rob looked frightened, and mamma
hurried on.
But the birds are even more beauti-
fill than the fishes; some Of them gre rs
white us snow, and sonic of them are
as pink rs baby's cheeks, and some of
them have bright red wings; some Of
them are green and gold, with lovely
dropping tail-feathers yard long. One
of them has cry that sounds just like
Il child III trouble--it would make YOU
sad to hear it; and there is one that has
spur as sharp rs steel Under his wing,
SO he can fight his enemies. Thefe are
a great many gay little humming- birds
that fly IN and out among the trees, and
everywhere green and purple dragon
flies dart about in the bushes.
"Btit the plants and trees are the
most wonderful of dll There is flow
er called the fever flower, BECAUSE al
certain times in the day il gives out
heat; and there is plant called the
pitcher plant, because its leaves are
folded up into little green pitchers that
hold water. Ore of the plants has a
very big flower that just before il bios
SONS looks like swan held by its bill,
but when it is all open it turns into a
liberty-cap, with violet lining. The
vines climb way up to the tops of the
tall trees and blossom there; and ferns,
that gfow close to the ground here,
grow there till they are rs high rs trees.
You would like to go TO walk there and
see the strange trees: coffee-trees, with
shining evergreen leaves, and little
white flowers, very sweet to smell; CO
eoa-trees. very tall and straight, with a
cluster of leaves at the top-grcat
leaves twenty feet long; and orange
trees, with leaves and blossoms and
green and ripe oranges all on the tree
ut once. But | think YOU would like
best of ali to see the cow-tree-only
you would have TO climb up very high,
for it likes to live on high Places
al wouldn't mind that" said Rob.
bic; Il can climb"
Guess you would get tired" said
Harry.
"No, wouldn't, either" said Rob
bic. Would |, mamma?'
eff you lived down in the valley, il
would be long walk" said mamma;
for these trees grow way up on the
sides of the mountains. Sometimes il
doesn't rain in that part of the country
for weeks, and weeks. and months, and
the leaves droop, and the poor cow-trees
look as if they were dead; but if you
were to cut little place in the trunk of
one of them, what do you think would
come out? Nice, sweet milk"'
is it just like cows milk?' asked
Harry.
Not Just exactly like it," said mann
ma, "but almost like it,. and Just as
good to drink. You would think so if
You could see the little boys and girls
there drink it The milk runs fastest
at sunrise. and so when the sun rises
over the mountains the people come,
men, and women. and children, with
their bowls in their hands, to get the
milk. They only have to hold the bowl
close to the tree, and the little white
stream soon fills it. If they like, they
can set it away when they get home,
and in little while it will turn thick
like cream"
"Mhat a wonderful treer' said
Robbie. docs il look like any COM
mon tree?"
Yes" said mamma: 50 only il is
very tall--a great deal taller than any
Of the trees here. II has beautiful dark
green leaves, pointed at the end, and
longer than my hand; and tiny little
flowers. and small. round fruit with a
little leaf on the top like cap"
but, mamma" said Harry, '.you
haven't told US where the country is
where all these strange things are"
ATS among the Cordilleras, on the