The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-05-25
Childrell's Department.
The Pearl Buttons Story.
(EDIrED BY AUNT cLAPA,)

II those lovely pearl buttons on little
Margaret's dainty white dimity could
in some way find voice and speak what
an interesting story they could tell her.
No doubt it would be very much like
this:
although we now belong to you, dear
Margaret" they would say, "our home is
really in the far-away sea, so deep down
that not even the tiniest sunbeam ever
reaches it, though you must not suppose
for that reason it is not beautiful place
to live. Indeed, it is not only a pretty
country, but far more wonderful one
than you will ever be able to visit.
"In this far-away home we did not
have this present shape, but formed
part of the lining of Large shell, which
was made up of two unequal oblong
valves, lids you would call them, most
strangely hinged together by ligament
lodged in little cavity in each valve.
This shell was not only our home, but
was also the dwelling place of peculiar
little animal known as the pearl oyster,
which is very much like the delicacy so
much esteemed by man as food-the
common oyster-th0ugh' much larger
and coarser.
that very oyster, for when our shell first
became it's home the surface of the in
side was rough, and irritated the tender
flesh of the animal so, as means of
self-protection, it set to work at once,
in some mysterious way from fluid Sc
erection Of it's own body, forming lining
which was both hard and smooth for the
parts of the shell with which it came in
irregular layers or films, showing all the
colors of the rainbow and having
wave-like appearance, which you can
readily discern if you will look at us
closely.
LAS the oyster grew the shell also
grew to accommodate it's occupant, and
the work of lining was kept UP until
every part of the inside surface was COW
cred with the nacre, or mother-of-pearl,
as the tradesmen call it.
Zone day g little stranger, grain of
sand you would have called it, drifted
into our shell home and found lOdg-
ment there Not only was it an unin-
vited guest, but it was also an unwel-
come one, for it caused our sensitive
oyster much annoyance by pricking its
tender sides; but being pOwerless to
drive the little intruder out, the animal
was forced to do the next best thing, and
that was, render it harmless and then
care for it, This was done in the same
way in which the shell was lined by
coating the grain of sand with the fluid
secretion, thus making it smooth and
firm.
CAS- this secretion was regularly pro-
duced by the oyster so long as we all
remained together, to supply the wear
and growth of the she'll, the little
stranger always came in for it's share of
the many-hued nacre, and continued to
increase in size and brilliancy, until it
could no longer have been recognized as
a grain of sand, but became what men
call a pearl.
after the adoption of the grain of
sand, everything went on quietly for
long. long time in our shell family, when
one day we were suddenly startled by
great commotion in the water where we
lived, and which seemed to be caused by
some dark object that seemed to be
lowering directly over, us.
Before we could makesOut what this
object was or what had happened, our
she'll was rudely torn from its resting
place and tossed into d SOFT of wire bas-
ket, where we found many more shells
of our colony that had sbeen likewise
treated.
almost Immediately the basket was
drawn up out Of the water and it's con-
tents emptied into the bottom of boat,
from which, we discovered, 1t and the
man who gathered the shells-and who,
doubtless, was the object we had seen
were suspended by rope, and could be
let down and drawn up at will.
MANY more baskets of shells were
emptied in on top of us until the boat
was filled; then the men in it put out
for shore, where our shell, with others,
was thrown in heap on the sand under
the burning rays of tropical sun.
"This rough treatment not only
frightened our oyster very much, but
from hunger and exposure to the heat
it gradually grew weaker, and at last
died. While we were still grieviag over
the sad fate of our mother oyster, and