The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-05
The MEADOW ORCHID
WAY THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE CALL II
"THe CuCkOO'S TEARS"

Legend OF the Land of the Cars
That Deals with Magic, Love and
Happiness and One Result of the
Fatal Feminine Tongue.
one warm Sunday afternoon the vii
,a.n m1idSns assembled TO bathe in the
river They took Off their kerchietS ana
taeir corouet headdreSses, seated theIn'
selves on the bank to c0ol off and be-
gan to gossip, One maiden alone sat
,Nent, Frosya, an orphan, poor. but
beautiful. with fair skin and eyes ~
blue as the gentian, which the Rus
slams call the Digit OF the falcon 81
the othcr girls began to tease her
Have you no dearly beloved friend,
rrosnyA? who is he, where Is Ae' Is
Be handsome, Is he rich:'
Where should poor girl get r.en
and handsome young lover? londeF
adder Is my husband.
No sooner had she said this than all
the maidens cried, with one accord,
The adder" and took TO their heels
And upon her kerchief. which Frosya
had thrown upon the grass, behold,
huge Black adder lay coiled. She cried
out In fear But the adder beat It's tan
upon the ground and was transformed
into wonderfully handsome young
man. There he stood before her. with
a Golden cap upon his flowing Cur!s, his
eyes dashins fire, and honeyed words
fell from his lips. And he said u her:
did you mean 1t when you declared
that YOU were ready to marry the ad-
DER"
She knew not what reply 10 make.
but gazed at him and thought to her
self whence came such wise ana
handsome YOUTH" And he, divinns
her thoughts, replied to them. II am nc
common man. but the czar OF tie 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 to GO with him. Then he grasp
Ell her with his powerful hand, and to
gether they sank down into the deep
realm nf the waters.
Great was Frosya's happiness. She
could not believe in it. He was So
good so wise: she had never seen such
people. aud there IS none such any
where rs the czar OF the waters But
Frosya was foolish. Seven years did
she dwell with him in the deep pool in
his palace OF crystal, aud the seven
years passed IS on> day, and there
need not have been any end to her
bliss. 4 girl and boy had been born
to them. Then, all at once, without any
cause size became sad. lonsed for the
earth. 10 behold her native hamIet and
her friends once uore. So he let bcf
go. with tie children. for three days
afte~ having exacted promise that
word or by hlar. should reveal the
name OF her husband or where She
lived Aul al this she promised. with
fearful uaths. Then her husband es.
corted her to the dam. At the end of
three days she was to come to the same
spot aud cry Cuckoo! thrice, where
upon he would swim at once to meet
her.
She kept Lar oath, but her friends
coaxeA AMI questioned the children.
The boy u all queries replied simply,
Il don't ln0w." i,ut the girl told ey-
erythiDg. This was all the cnyious Cos
sips wants /. I aey ran and told all 10
their husbands ani brothers. who i'm.
nediately ;lu - the dam and uttered
the magic words. And when the Czar
appeared they beat him IL death. But
before he died la contriyeJ to say to
Frosya: Il have to thank thee, my dear
wife that aQl now come to nay death
through thee and my daughter. Hence
forth 1y thou ever as gray cuckoo
aud repeat theu ever my call, Cuckoo!
until st. Peters day [St. Peters day,
! June 90 July -. y. SJl. aud from that
day forth nay every bird. both great
and small. beat thee and pursue thee.
A0d uayes' thou. my daughter. my be-
.Caye?. be turned into a nettlc bush,
ard may That weed. the fiery, forever
burn thine yes heresoeyer thou may.
est be. tba. thou mayest weep forever,
remembering thy fathers death. But
10 my loya. son, who kept his fathers
command / make this bequest; That
ae sha5 he the bird beloved which
dweIs auI sings in gardens and amid
shady groves for the joy OF happy peo
pie, for tHe consolation Of those ho
weep tAt uight.ng1le."
Au1 from that day forth the Russian
people lave called the meadow orchid
the cucaoo's tears" IT. is also known
ns the cuckoo's slippers" I-lsabeI r
uapgood In New York Post.
A Way Out.
\ small Girl told q faisel,ood Her