The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-05-03

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The Two Giants.
There lived in the north of Africa,
many years ago, a strange race of peo-
pie, called Pygmies. You know that
they We're small, but have you ever
thought how very small they were? Per
haps the largest of them, a giant among
his race, was only eight or ten inches in
height They thought, however, that
they were the greatest people. in the
The Pygmies lived in cities, just as we
do. but the size of the houses and streets
was as like to ours as a little girls toy
house, or the village that she LAYS out
with blocks. Their streets were only
about two feet in width, and were Dor
dsred with weeds, which We're kept well
formed arches of natural green. ~a...
Then they had parks laid out, with
many avenues of toadstools, under the
shade of which the children ran about
and played. And the grass made good
hiding place when they played at games,
for you must remember that the fathers
tall; think then what the little boys and
girls looked like. They could easily play
at hide and seek" among the low grasses
or behind a bed of flowers.
Their houses, too, We're very queer.
They. were built of grasses and dry sticks,
like birds nests, you will think; but the
little people found them very cosy and
comfortable.
The kings palace was wonderful
work, which stood about two feet in
height. But their grandest work was
their temple, so big that our little baby
sister could perhaps just crawl into it!
that no other nation could produce. And
| guess they were right.
You must not think that these little
people did not work. In the spring they
planted for the harvest. and in the fail
they reaped what they had sowed But
the wheat-stalk was like a great tree to
them, and if, in cutting it down with their
one of the little people, it was sad at
fair and caused serious trouble.
All this would make you think it very
nice to be a Pygmy. But they had their
trouble, too. and it came in the shape of
formidable birds. Every year, when the
"neH' was Soiueu vi ltS SCalk, the little
people, in the midst of their happiness,
were suddenly disturbed by an army of
storks, which swept down upon them from
the riverside.
The bravest Pygmies flourished their
swords and boldly advanced against the
invaders till perhaps dozen or more had
been swallowed by the big birds, when
me me fygmles would retire, leaving the
held to the cOnquerors.
But the hatt1o did NOT a1worS on1 a.,
The little people had friend, as great
and tall and powerful as they were small
He was a giant called hhntaeus and his
head was lost in the clouds So big was
-he that it was recorded in the history of
the Pygmies that one day Artaeus, sit
ting down without looking where he was,
crushed to death a whole cityful of Pyg-
mes: This, Of course, was terrible
calamity, but Artaeus, who was as good
natured as he was big, expressed so much
sorrow at the mishap that the friendship
was not broken.
And so, when ne saw the army of
storks sweeping down upon his friends
nc would utter such roar that the
ground would shake and the clouds would
gather over the sun, and then the terri
ned storks would hasten off to the river
bank again and some would hide their
heads under their wings.
Ihe1 would the pygmles rejoice, but
instead of thanking Antaeus for his help
they would think their success all due to
the. wonderful sagacity and strategy of
their leaders. And then whoever han
pened to be the general was raised in a
dlVan and carried around the city in
great honor on the shoulders of the peo-
pie.
Sometimes Antaeus would lie down on
the great plain, and so long was his body
that it reached from one kingdom into
the next. Then the sport of the Pygmies
would begin: They would Chamber all
over him and pull his hair and dig their
swords into him to see how tough his
skin was. The little boys would run
races on his broad forehead and the girls
would play hide-and-seek in the folds of
his garments.
Sometimes the more venturesome ones
would try to look into the great cavern
Of his mouth, but the whirlwind of air
that came rushing from his nostrils every
time he breathed would send them flying
through the air like funny little geese.
And in all this the great, lazy Antacus
would keep his temper Once he burst
into a roar of laughter at their antics,
but he came so near deafening the whole
nation that thereafter he contented him
self with merely smiling.
But l must tell you, how il: was that
this great giant and these little pygmies
BECAME great friends. They were all the
children of mother earth, and so much
did she love them that she made the
great and the small befriend each other.
For if You will think moment you will
see that Antaeus needed the Pygmies just
as much as they needed him. Being so
great giant, he had no companions and
would have felt lonely indeed but for the
little folks. So they had dwelt in pea &c
for ages, and the oldest pygmies could
not remember time when Antaeus was
not with them.
Now, there lived in a country not far
away from the Pygmies very brave and
valiant hero named Hercules, who was
famous for the wonders he had per-
formed. 1t happened that at the time
holiday on account of their victory over
the storks, Hercules had set out on a
journey of adventure, and lie finally
reached the country of the Pygmies But
they saw him before he saw them, and
they called in great alarm for their friend
Antacus.
The giant, however, was taking his rest
and would not be disturbed. His little
friends did all in their power to rouse
him, but it seemed Of no use. And on
came Hercules, too, who, though smaller
than Antaeus, was still very large; and
his shoulders were very broad. Though
Antaeus carried great pine tree for a
etdh' 'he cluD VI hciculeS seeileu even
stronger.
"Antaeus, Antaeus, here comes a giant
greater than your cried the little people
at last, and that SO reused the anger OF
Antaeus that he started up. Then he
rubbed his eyes, for he could not believe
that there was anyone SO strong as he.
He rushed forward in great wrath, flour
hills re-echoed for miles around.
I told you that Antaeus was born of
Mother Earth; it was from her that he
got his strength. Every time he touched
the ground with his feet, his hands or his
body, his strength was increased tenfold.
So each step he took towards Hercules
| made him ten times stronger than he
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