Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-07-15
A PHILIPPINE FAIRY TALE,
translated by Hayden Carruth.

downright, 1901, Daily Story Pub. Coz
"A very long time ago when the race
of giants inhabitated the whole eartn,
there were no stars or moon or sun.
People got along very i'll indeed. When
they went out into the jungles to hunt
they often became lost, and perhaps
wandered about for many days.
When they moved around nearer at
home they were forever running into
one another, though they kept up a con-
slant ~hallooing. Ut was a very dis
agreeable time, TAKE it altogether.
but is was not wholly dark, after all.
The great mountain of Tongul Kob, the
volcano, which you may still heal rum
BILE any day, gave a great of light. The
light was not only noticed more than 1t
is not, it being all dark everywhere,
but the mountain gave really more
than now. 1t would groan and rumble
very much, and great cracks would op-
en- in its slopes through which the
light would stream, and then it would
throw up mighty balls Of fire, and the
heavens would glow red and the peo-
pie could see fairly well. But this
didn't happen every day, because old
Tongul Kob was a very lazy volcano
and used often to sleep, while the peo-
pie CROPPED about saying very unpleas-
ant things about the mountain. But
what did old Tongul Kob care about
anything they said?
One time the odd mountain slept
longer than usual. and the people be-
came very tired of the darkness, At
last RAM vowed that he would make
the lazy mountain give forth some
light. RAM, as you all know, was the
strongest and greatest of the giants In
these parts. HE was young and quick
as the panther and strong as the
bear; no other man in the whole coun-
try might try to battle with him. HE
vowed he would go down into the era
ter and fight with old Somsig, the god
of the mountain, till he should allow 1t
to give forth light for all the people.
Thought everybody knew well enough
that brave RAM was not doing 1t so
much for the people as for another rea-
son; and a very good reason it was for
RAM, too. The matter was this way:
One day when it was unusually light
RAM was going down the mountain
and stopped at a fountain which burst
from under a rock. AS he stopped to
drink he saw a girl coming toward the
spring with an earthen pot on her
head; and at the first look Rani forgot
that he was thirsty, or that there was
a fountain, or anything else. For he
thought her the most beautiful crea-
ture in the world, as, indeed, she was.
He drew back, and she filled her jar,
with scarce a glance at him, and was
about to withdraw when RAM found
his tongue after a manner and manag-
ed to address her, and ask her where
she lived. But the girl only tossed her
head and replied that she wasn't in the
habit of telling every stranger she met
about herself. This only made RAM
the more eager to know about her, so
he continued to beg that she would tell
him her name and her dwelling place.
But the girl paid not the least atten-
ton to him, only filling her pitcher and
going her way, with it perched on her
head; and she walked very straight
and graceful; and poor RAM found his
heart quite gone. He saw that she was
making. for a cottage across a little OPP
en- space and fearing that he might lose
her he determined to run forward and
| seize her and make her listen to him,
and perhaps carry her off; but as she
ran up she bounded lightly away and
| entered the cottage; and a very grim
looking old man and three young men,
each armed with a prodigious club,
came out.
RAM fingered about for some time, but
the girl did not appear again. OF some
! wood cutters going by he asked who she
might be.
"Oh" said they, that's Chelyne,
daughter of old Kolb, the arrowhead
maker. You're quite right about her
being beautiful. But after yon have
felt the weight of old Kolb's club. and
Of the clubs of the three young men, her
brothers, you won't be able to see her
so well, though you may see tn :nss as
bright as her eyes," by which they
meant stars, but there being no strs as
yet they knew nothing about them.
RAM waited a long time, but he saw
no more of Chelyne. At last he started
off, but just before he went out of sight
down the path he saw her issue forth
again with her earthen pot and go to
the fountain, SO he went back a way
and watched her, and spoke to her once
more, but got no better satisfaction
than before. And when he tried to
come up to her she ran lightly away
and entered the cottage. He waited
again, but she did not come out till he
once more started of. This happened
several times, and 1t puzzled RAM very
much why they never needed a jar of
water in old Kolb's house till Just as
he was going away. Raniswas a very
brave young man and a great hunter,
but he knew very little about girls.
After this RAM came very often to
i Wo tch ~fhn ~{rI uvh~~ -