The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-05
BIRTH OF THE WATER LILY.
Indian Legend of the Falling Star
Which Became a Flower.
From the Detroit Journal.

From the Detroit Journal.
From the twilight skies pale star look
ed down with wstful longing upon the
beautiful green earth. All about it its
brother and sister stars were bright and
happy and in bands sported together
upon the measureless shining plan in
which they lived or collected thickly along
the broad road which is the pathway of
ghosts (the milky way in their journey
TO the far-off country of souls, the spi-
men-kah-wi-u, the fair land above But
this one star was alone in heaven and sor-
roWtul with longing. 1t turned away from
the soft light of the moon when she walk
ed forth adown the broad heavens and
shuddered and hid it's face when the sun
the bright heart of the sky, flung wide
the gates for the beautiful wabun, the
smiling dawn-maidenS. Fairer under the
hight OF the young moons or the bright
simmer of the sun seemed the lovely
earth than all besides, and the still green
meadows the cool waving forest the blue
rivers, more. blissful than the star-lodges
set in the sky.
Every night at twilight the star saw its
pale image reflected in a tranquil lake set
round with green rushes, and mighty for
est trees with wide arms interlaced, and
it looked with envy upon the namagoosh
(trouD and the sly kenozha (pickereD
leaping in the sunlight or flashing in the
moonlight; upon the dainda frog) calling
among the reeds and rushes, and upon the
bright wa-wa-tais-sa lightning bug fit
ting through the darkness above the muir
muring water. Every night the loon call
ed to the echo hiding upon the shore and
the whippoorwil answered clear and
sweet in the purple distance. The wild
geese stretched their lazy flight across
the quiet surface, the ploVer piped from
the sedges, and the own hooted afar in
the lonely forest
All through the long months of the
moon the star looked down upon the fair
lake lying tranquil with waves splashing
in soft undertone of all happy things; saw
the sweet blossoms in the bright Moon of
Flowers (Mayl, creep down to its borders:
saw the gentle fawns in the Month of
Deer (July), come trooping down to dring
of its cool waters, until now in the gray
month of the Beaver (November), the star
had grown wan and more pale, breathing
its life away in signs of longing.
Then the great Master of Life, Taren-
ya-wa-ga Holder of the Heavens, saw
with compassion and gave the star his
wish, because of his love which keeps all
things within the circle of his arm. Slow
ly, gently, through the purple twilight.
when Gush Kewan, the Darkness, and
Weeng, the gentle spirit of sleep, hover
ward. floating, drifting, falling from the
far plains of heaven, the fair land above
Through the forest a band of hunters
quickly they traversed in unerring GER
tainty the trackless solitudes. They knew
that Just beyond, not far away, the twink
ling fires of their wigwams CLEANED redly
through the darkness flaming upon the
laughing children a play upon the smooth
turf about the lodges, flashing from the
glittering ornaments of the women as
they moved about preparing the evening
repast and shining redly upon the grave
faces of the braves and elders as they sat
smoking the calumet and listening TO the
voice of the Che-nee-g aha, the story tel
Ter as he sung of their deeds of valor.
All but one of the hunters FASTENED on
ward, seeing all this awaiting them at the
end of their wearisome march. But he,
the Dreamer, the one who saw where
there was naught, he, looking skyward,
beheld the star falling swiftly through the
darkness with all it's paleness gone, fam
ing in rudy splendor across the sky.
'See,'' he says, cit is the Wakendendas,
the meteor"
Then they turned to look in wonder and
the wonder grew, as the star famed down
ward until it rested at length upon the
bosom of the slumbering lake, when, 10!
straghtway it blossomed forth. an earth
flower. with slowly unfolding silvery pet
ais and heart of gold, lying rocked in
blessed rest and peace upon the softly
Thus was born the beautiful O-un-dun-
moge the water lily.