The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-11-08

BY JEANETTE BECKER

Little Bessie was out in the coun-
try one week in October. Among
the other pleasant events that hap
pened to her was visit with "a little
Corn Lady who lived in a large set
Element Of corn, near the barn.
Bessie had long admired the grace
full, waving arms that the c'rn
stretched out to her, and one day
she decided o pay "a visit to t he field.
The gentle rustling of the leaves and
stalks welcomed her with "a peculiar
soothing melody. One old grand
father spied her first and waved his
arms IN friendly greeting. The
shaking of his loose jointed head re-
solved itself into words and Bessie
declares that ne said;
"Welcome, little girl, glad to seo
you. Come aud let me introduce
you to my family"
50 Bessie bowed too, when one af
ter another of the tall heads about
her Bonded low and each murmured
something she could not understand,
but she thought 1T had very pleas
ant sound.
She sat down and watched the
curious motions that this strange
family seemed to be making for her
benefit. Ii was..so soothing and de-
iightflI to be there among them that
she took off ner hat and lay down
upon some soft leaves. Gradually
their voices seemed to grow into a
song, and Bessie was sung into slum-
berland by beautiful lullaby in
corn language.
1t was then that she talked with
the little Corn Lady. She never
could tell just how they became so
we'll acquainted or how the conVer-
sation began. Bessie says the little
lady spoke a pretty language and
thinks it strange that she could IN
derstand her so well, She told Bes-
sic all about her own childhood, and
if you will not mind | will tell you
Just what she said:
''OnCe upon a time there was nc
corn upon the earth and men had Go
knowledge of our family. We lived
then on a distant planet, but hear
inc wonderful stories of this one, We
decided to move here. At that time
all this country was peopled with
the red men. They welcomed us IL
their savage fla: hion, but SO cordial y
that we never felt sorry we came.
"The story is told in our family
about certain brave Indian wht
thought a great deal about helping
his people and desired very much tt
present them with new kind o.
food. He was so earnest in this de
sire that ne prayed daily for man.
DAYS and went without food until hC
was rewarded by the appearance o
one of our great great grandfatherS
"This is the way he came and Il
} this way have we all come since: 4
little feathery leaf appears above th
ground. Then it pushes its way up
ward until it gets big enough to Civ
party, when it invites some of it
little friends to visit it. They com
up at this invitation and soon Their
; are several leaves, and such merr
time as they have. They roll gu
I from che first one and before long
, stalk is supporting them. 70
: might think we are nd of tigh in!
+ because our leaves are SO much Ink
! swords, but fight or quarrel wa
| never heard Of in our family.
e ''Soon upon the stalk Is seen tt
: tiny beginning of the ear. Our cal
e are not like yours, you see, for the
grow into food for you and do nc
5 help us one bit to hear. These cal
!, grow daily until the little grains {
> corn can be seen, like prim rows Q
bugs sitting on log. All the viii
the ear is wrapped in its coat, Gale
!. the husk, and on the end is its silk
hair.
"Upon the top of the stalk are tt
Z blossoms and when the proper tin
). comes they shake down a kind
powder called pollen which the sill
:, helps the ear to catch, and then tt
/ ear soon becomes full grown and pc
$ feet.
If eve dry up in the fall, changif
n our beautiful green clothes for son
I'd dusty yellow ones. Then we wa
~ N our dry arms about and rattle GOO
is deal until the farmer understand
81 that it is time to gather the ears.
W "You ask if We never get hungr
~ Oh, yes. But we get our food fro
" the earth, by means of little roo
They gather moisture and the 81
draws it up through the stalk, al
thus you see we are fed
ad Just then a big gust of wind swe
n, across the field and ratified the stal
as so that Bessie was awakened fro
nd her sleep. She found that this 10
"a story that the Corn Lady had tt
| her was ~ dream, but the stran
81 thing about it is that the dream
n6 all true,
Where Marriage is success.