Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-10-08

and myself were in its marvellous top
lcal vegetation, have nowhere seen its
equal. Huge spreading trees are
gorgeous, with bloom. The Ponciana
Refga all at1ame with great sparks of
crimson; the Bourgainvillea thick with
purple and majenta blooms; the
Monkey Pods with golden showers"
OF blossom or flowers resembling as. ers.
Long hedges Of Scarlet HIBISCUS, or
the cactus so often study for the
artist brush, thousands of them, a
beauty and color that entrance the
senses.
One of the pretty customs is sort of
gala day performance we had the
pleasure of witnessing The "Australi-
an" is fine passenger steamer that
plies between Honolulu and San Fran
cisco. At every departure she makes
monthly the inhabitants turn out en-
masse to celebrate. Garlands of
fragrant flowers by hundreds are
brought by departing guests or friends
to be distributed as souvenirs of the
event. A bride and groom. society
favorltes, were starting on their wedding
trip this time. Both were buried under
garlands of flowers. The groom had
them on his hat, over his shoulders.
t''O 1iSChs anu IIis al LIS were
full. The bride was half hidden by
yards and yards of strung flowers; tube
roses, carnations, golden showers, honey
suckles, sweet peas; others whose
names L know not, were in lavish
protuslon and such a scene as was
presented as the boat started. The
flower crowned, flower bedecked crowd
threw their gifts right and left among
friends on shore. The water was alive
with swimming natives showing of their
swimming tricks; catching the garlands
If perchance any fell short of reaching
the wharf; diving for nlckels, dimes
or dollars that liberal passengers tossed
into the sea for the pleasure of seeing
the scramble for them. I think not one
was lost out of the dozens thrown so
sure and quick are these expert divers
The native band meantime playing
exquisite music. That mingled with
the melodlous aloha aoi, aloha and
Aloha" words meaning greeting or
adleux. God bless you' and "Love
to you" untranslatable or translatable
in many kindly greetings
After five days of sightseeing we
reluctantly babe adieu to Honolulu and
boarded the Australian steamer Men
owal'' started homewald. Leaving port
We ohii t0d VIC pain 1IluS0u SuOf6 out
OF the harbor, passed Punch Bowl, an
extinct crater, rounded Diamond Head
a high, rocky promontory, and as we
turned our gaze backward, the crimson
sun like a huge crater of fire lit up the
whole island. The rocky, scar scanned
cliffs, the giant headlands down which
once ran rivers of molten lava that have
left their unmistakable traces; the
cones rising in precise regularity one
after another; the clouds of mist,
resembling smoke, that forever hangs
over the highest points made spectacle
terrltically grand. We almost fancied
the extinct crater was again active, the
vapOr to be ascending smoke, and the
rumble and noise of machinery
the earthquake's warming. Awe strick-
en-, spell-bound, silent save for
whispered "Aloha and Aloha" we
watched the receding shores until we
We're far out on the bosom of the
Pacific and our brief, delightful visit
but memory and dream.
Ida w. QUIMBY.