The Southern herald., 1898-04-08
BIRTH OF THE WATER LILY
Indian Legend of the Failing star
Which became "a Flower.

Which became Flower.
From the twilight skies a pale star
looked down with wistful longing upon
the beautiful green earth. All about
it its brother ana sister stars were
bright and happy and in bands sported
together upon the measureless shining
plain in which they lived or collected
thlckly along the broad road which is
the pathway of ghosts (the milky way)
in their journey to the far-oif country
of souls, the spmcn-knh-wi-u, the fair
land above But this one star was alone
in heaven and sorrowful with longing.
1t turned away from the soft light Of
the moon when she walked forth adown
the broad heavens and shuddered and
hid its face when the sun, the bright
heart Of the sky, flung wide gates for
the beautiful wabun, the smiling dawn
maidens. Fairer under the light Of the
young moons or the bright simmer
Of the sun seemed the lovely earth than
all besides, and the stll 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 forest trees with wide arms
interlaced, and it looked with envy upon
the namagoosh (trouO and the Sly
kenozha CpickereD leaping in the sum
/ light 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) fitting
/ through the darkness above the MUIR
muring water. Every night the loon
called to the echo hiding upon the shore
and the whippoorwill answered clear
and sweet in the purple distance. The
wild geese stretched their lazy flight
across the quiet surface, the plover
/ pipcd from the scdgcs, the owl 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
spashng in soft undcrtone Of all hap
4 py things; saw the sweet blossoms in
the bright Moon of Flowers (May)
creep down to it's borders; saw the
gentle lawns in the Month Of the Deer
/ (JuIy) come trooping down TO drink
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 sighs of long
ing
Then the great Master of Life, Tarcn-
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
Slowly, gently, through the purple twi-
light, when Gush Kewan, the darkness,
and Wceng, the gentle spirit of sleep,
lowered in the air, the star came drift
ing downward floating, drifting, fall
ing from the far plains of heaven, the
fair land above.
Through the forest band of hunters
came laden with game. Silently but
quickly they trayersed in unerring GER
tainty the truckless solitudes. They
knew that just beyond, not far away
the twinkling fires of their wigwams
cleaned redly through the darkness
flaming upon the laughing children at
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 oi
the braves and elders as they sat smok-
ing the calumet and listening to the
voice of the Che-nee-ga-ha, the story
teller, as he sung of their deeds of valor
All but one of the hunters hastcned on.
ward, seeing all this awaiting them al
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 swift.
~ through the darkness with all its
paleness gone, flaming in ruddy splen
dor across the sky. See" he says, I'll
is the Wakendendas, the meteor!"
Then they turned to look in wonder
and the wonder grew, as the star famed
downward, until it rested at length
upon the bosom of the slumbering lake
when, 10! straightway it blossomed forth
an earth flower. with slowly unfolding
silvery petals and heart of gold lying
rocked in blessed rest and peace upon
the softly whispering water.
Thus was born the beautiful O-kun.
dun-moge, the water lily.-Detroii
Journal
IL Is Happily small.
The proportion Of blind people in the