The Tucson citizen., 1902-08-08
THE MEADOW ORCHID
WHY THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE CALL IT
1.-THE CUCKOO'S TEARS"

AhHN w b'h NONN a"u
Happiness and One Reouh of the
Fatal Feminine Tongue.
One warm Sunday afternoon the vii
lage maideus assembled to bathc in the |
river. They took off their kerchicfs and |
their curOnet ncaddresses. seated them !
selves on the bank TO cool off and be |
gan to gossip. One maiden alone SAT
silent. Frosya. an orphan, poor but
beautiful with fair skin and eyes as
blue as. the gcntian. which the Rus.
slams call "the flight Of the falcon" So
the other girls began to tease her:
Have you 10 dearly beloved friend,
Frosinya? Who is he. where Is het Is
he handsome. is he richf'
"Whcre should poor girl get rich
aud handsome young loyerI YondeF
adder is my husband"
No sooner had she said this than all
the naideus cried, with one accord
The adder and took to their heels. /
And upon her kercLicf, which Frosya /
had thrown upon the grass, behold, a /
huge black adder lay c0iled. She cried |
out IN fear. But the adder beat It's tail /
upon the ground and was transformed /
into a wonderfully handsome young |
man. There he stood before her. with |
a golden cap upon his nowing curls. his
eyes tashing tire. and honeyed words
fell fr@w his lips. And he said 10 her:
"Db1 you mean II when you declared
ihae you were ready TO marry the ad.
dT!:"
She knew not what reply 10 make.
but gazed at him and thought to her
self. whence came such wise and
handsome youthT' And he. divninG
Aer thoughts. replied 10 them. Il am nc
comuon man. but the czar Of the wa
ters. and my empire is close at hand In
a deep pool on golden sands-"
And he read In her eyes that she con
sented 10 so with him, Then he grasp
Cd her with his powerful hand. and TO
gether they sank down into the deep
realm oi the waters
Great was Frosya's happiness. She
could not believe in IL lie was 80
good. so wise: she had never seen such
people. aud ;herc Is none such any
wAere az the cHar Of the waters Bot
Trosya was foolish seFen years did
she dwell With hlsn In she deep pool in
his palace cf crystal. aud the seven
years passed as one day, and there
ns*xl not hav" been any epd 20 ber
bliss g9t' and boy had been born
10 thehl +heu all ST oi4ee. wlihout any
cause, size hsscatus sad. IoBEed for The
A. H. a
1cr friends ouce more. 50 lie let bef
rn. With The children. for three days
after having exacted 6 promise that
ut8tl1er she Bor the children, either by
wurti tY by hint. should reveal the
uauae ~ her husband or here she
Hired Ard all this she promised. With
fearful o8th& Then her husband es
ss.r;.ti her io the da tn. At tire end Of
THREE days she was 20 Corne 10 the same
s,ss aud CRY ''Sockoo" thrice, where
L1on he would swiin al once 90 meet
a.F.
She kept her oath. hu' her friends
ex.mxets Rpd questioned the children
The hoy 10 als queries replied simply.
Il tson't kuow'' Bot the girl told ev
srsthlng This was all the cuvious eus
srs wau'ei TAsy ran and told all u
their Luxba yldS aud lsrother " ho i'm
u3e,iiatcly ran 10 toe dam aud uttered
tie magic words And when the c7af
srI4ar,d they beat him 10 death But
before he died he conir3ved TO say 20
Irussas Il hn ve 10 thank i0ee. my dear
wife that am DOW come 10 my death
through thee and my daughter. Hence.
forth ny thou ever rs gray cuckoo
aui repeat thou ever my call, Iuckco,
In saduess OF heart froCl early spring
until 81 reter's day Isl. Fstcrs dar.
June ~ duly II. o. 81 and from that
day forth ulay every bird. both great
aud smnl. beat thee and pursue thee.
Aud mayest thou, my daughter. my be.
frayer. De turned into a nettie bush.
aud may that weed the hery. forever
burn thine eyes wheresoeVer thou may
est be. that thou mayest weep forever.
rerat mbering thy fathers death. But
10 my loyal son. who kept his fathers
romriand. I make this bequest: That
.e shall bc the bird beloved which
JwetIs aud sings In gardens and amid
shady groves for the JOY OF happy peo
Ole. for the consolation Of those who
weep the nightingale"
And from that day forth the Russian
people have called the meadow orchid
the cuchoo's tears" II Is also known
ns the cuckoo's slippers l-lsabel ;
uapsood in New York Post