Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-09-01
rrs WATER ANGEL
A beautiful Flower Of China and the ~
~sn., Connected with Its Discovery

A HQaufifuf w tss'- $500 49,
xeni Connected with Its Discovery
Another superstition which Is almost
universal among my countryn,en 10 the
belief that the hooll sin fab will bring
GOOD mck to them The hooll sin fab Is
: slender lily ike plant which grows
from bulb closely resembling an onion
and in the early spring some OF them
NAV be seen in almost every laundry
mans window, where the bulbs are inn
bedded about one-third in clean pebbles
,laced in n bowl No soil whatever Is
reo,,ired for the growing Of the plant,
but dozens of tiny roots force themselves
down between the pebbles and into the
water. with which the Chinaman has
about half covered the pebbles.
The hooll sin fab takes about thirty
DAYS to come to its maturity, and during
this time the water on the pebbles must
he changed every day When full grown
the plant consists of half dozen or more
bright green stalks, with blossoms which
somewhat resemble the narcissus in
shape, but they are of pure waxy white
ness. with small golden crown In the
center. The plant, the name OF which
signifies water angel, is thought by the
Chinese to have had miraculous origin
from the fact that it is found growing in
the clear water of running brooks where
it apparently lives without sustenance.
Many years ago rich Chinese farmer
married a wife. whose cramped little
feet and long, tapering finger nails inca
FACILITATED her for work, and soon after
according to the custom of the country
he took to himself another wife. The
second wife was of low degree, strong
country girl who could do the work on
the farm and wait upon him and his
lady" wife.
Now it happened that the lady" wife
grew violently jealous OF the other, and
when, in due course Of time, each had
son born to her the hatred only in
creased When the boys had reached
the age of about years the farmer died.
and the lady wife, by virtue of her
high station in life, confscated nearly
all of the property, leaving to the other
only barren little plot of swampy
RIOuHt bttNCCi WV upOi
which was little tumbled down matched
cottage.
The poor mother and her son went
there, and, though they had a hard time
to scrape out an existence, they We're
happy in each others company. Then
came great rain storm, which con.
tinued for week. and their little swamp
plot was transformed into pond, the
water coming up almost to the door of
their hut
They nearly starved to death, but one
day it was found that the sun was shin
ing once more and that the waters had
gone down The little boy went out into
the sunshine and he found that the
ground was covered with bulbs about
the size of onions, He eagerly ate one
OF them and then picking up as many as
he could carry in his arms hurried back
to his mother. who prepared them for
dinner.
The bulbs sprouted and grew, and then
when the flowers appeared the story of
the miracle OF the water god spread
through the country
As no one had ever seen the plant be-
fore, hundreds of people came to see the
widows beautiful flower garden. Each
OF the visitors bought some of the bulbs
for good luck and in short time the
widow had more money than her perse-
cutor and virtue got its final reward
The flowers of the water angel are
very fragrant, and are almost reverenced
by the Chinese, for towering hooll
sin fab is esteemed the choicest gift
that one Chinaman can give to another
-Moy Lee in Boston Globe.