The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1900-08-23
STORY OF PHAETON.
nv sELEx ~. wALrHEw.

1
NOT only TO their children, bat also 70 one
another; and very beautiful stories they
we're. too. eli about the fairies, or gods, a.
| they called them, who lived in the ssa, the
mountains, the rivers, the woods, even IN
the moon and the sun.
IL 10 OF the sun fairy or god, Apollo.
shall tell you. He was = very strong. hand
soine young man, and hif duty was to drive
the sun ehairiot-a ear Of gold and silver
and jewels-ihrough the sky. Apollo, like
an the other gods, sometimes took upon
| himself the form Of human being, and cams
among mortals Once. when be did thu
| he fell Ia love with a very beautiful wam'
an and married her. but she told no one
who her husband really was for fear thcy
would not believe her. She had thret
daughters, bat only one son. Phaeton.
When Phacion grew old enough TO so 70
school his companions began to ask him
about his father. why be MA never Ssen,
where he Kept himself, aud a lot Of such
| questions which the poor boy could not an
swcr, for he did not know his father was
Apollo. They leased him and made him
very unhappy The boy, in sorrow, went 10
his mother, telling her what his school.
mates had said She told him then that
his father was Apollo, the sun god, who,
having 10 drive the sun chariot all day,
could come to them only al night. He
could scarcely believe his ears. II seemed
too wonderful to be true And then he fell
to dreaming Of the sun palace away on 10
the csst, and wondering what Il MAS like,
until he could be stll no longer, but de
cided TO 20 there aud zee Tor himself. SO,
without saying word TO anyone. he left
his home and ran a. fast as he could to
wards the rising sun. lie was very tired
whsn he reached It, for It was long way,
but after a time he heard some one say;
WHY. my son. what brings you herer'
Phactou shaded his eyes with his hand
because the light was % bright, and saw
before him his father, in purple robe, ait.
ting on q throne Of jewels.
"Oh. father" he cried. then Il is true,
You are really the sun god!'
YES" answered Apollo, and he took on
the crown 81 sgEhrams he wore. for !, was
too bright for Phseton to look at And
now that you have como al this way 10 see
me, Phaston tell me something you would
like and promise to give Il to YOU
phaeion ran 10 him. bTesthless with
pleasure. for there was one thing he wanted
above an others. and he knew that what
his father had promised he would surely
do.
Let me drive the sun chariot through
The Ky for one day. father be begged
MY son. my SON. aid Apollo, IN fear
you must no, ask that, you ate not strong
enough You do not know the way, aSd
YOU could not hold the horses. AK me
something else
But nothing else would do for Phaetou.
and Apollo. having promised him anything
he wished, was forced to let him have bis
way. lie ordered the chariot to be
brought. and while Il was coming he put
the crown Of sunbeams on Phaeton's head,
and told him as well ar he could how TO
keep the proper path. no. to 90 too far north,
nor too far south, and to travel as slow.
IL AZ possible But the boy was too much
excited to remember much Of what he heard,
and thought only Of getting into that beau
t,ful chariot. with ts wheels Of gold
and spok,s of silver. and seat Of diamonds
and rubtcs llr took the rcins IN his hsnds,
and ava, the horses OF fire dashed like the
wind They had not gone very far before
they know Il was not the strong hand OF
Apollo that Was holding them, and they
began 10 plunge about as they pleased They
knocked the wheels against some Of the
stars, which frightened them. and they ran
away altogether and poor Phstton. sick
With fear, might a. vel not have been there
Tor al he could De with them. lie simply had
to let them 60 wherever they liked, and they
went all wrong They vent too far south,
leaving the north IN the cold, and great
mountains OF ICE and snow formed which
are there set n would have been bad
enough Il they had gone only too far south,
hut they did worse-thsy dipped too near
he earth, and then a dreadful state OF
Affairs cam about The awful heat Get
lire 10 oities and forests, il dried up streams
and rivers aud made the ses boil. The river
Nile, IN Egypt, was 50 frightened that 1t
tried to run away, and buried its heed IN.
der ground II burned and scorched the
people living IN Africa, and they are ne
gToes 10 this day, The earth cracked open,
and the gods cried out to Jove, their king.
10 save them He. the most powerful god
Of al, lived above the clouds, hnd his wsa-
pon was the thundCrbolt. When he heard
his name called he looked down and saw
that the sun would soon set FIRE to the whole
earth, hut the only way he could save II
was to strike PhAe,on with a thuhderbolt,
and, as he knew that would kali him, he
hss,tsted Again he heard his name called,
this time by gods and morials, too:
Help US, great Jove, we are dyiugi"
they cried.
lie hssitatsd no longer. but drew one Of
his thunderbolts and cast Il at Phseton,
killing him instantly, The chariot was
broken TO pieces. the horses Of FIRE dashed
back TO their stalls in the sun palace, and
poor PhAeton pitched hesdlonE down into
the river Pc, in Italy. The Eoddesses Of
the river saw his body floating on the wa
ter, aud being sorry for the poor foolish boy
who had tried 10 do what was beyond his
strength, took him on shore and buried
him, carving his name on a stone at his
head. When his mother and sisters heard
where he was buried. they came 10 visit his
grave, and mourn for him. His mother felt
that her heart would break. and his sisters
seemed TO feel even worse, Il possible, for
they stood day after day, at the grave by
the river, their tears dropping on the soil
at their feet. Their mother, fearing they
would be III. begged them to 60 home. but
they refused. and stood quite still, weeping
all day. Then she thought perhaps they
would die. and she would have to place
them IN the tomb beside her sou. That was
more than she could bear, and she implored
Jovs to spare her the sight of her dAugh.
ters being laid in grave. He heard her,
and granted her request without word
When the poor mother locked al her daush.
tiers again, their feet had sunk into the
earth, their skin had become hard, and
their hair was turning into greer leaves
= moment more and they would have been
charged to poplar trees, hut their tears
became amber, which may he found 70 this
day IN the sand near the riser.---D Detroit
Free Press.
An Appropriate TexI
A eertaiR clergyman soon after hss see.