The sun., 1907-04-07
MICKEY LINN FINN or ,u,rs
An Easter Eve Adaptation From an
Old Book Which Doesn't Sat-
isfy His Father.

Mickey" said his father, IA he sat on
an Easter eve before the glowing fire toast
ing his chins. I'm hearin a CRATE dale
about lilies these days. l hear there is
more kinds OF lilies than amy flower and
| there is magic about thin"
We'll, / have been readn' about lilies
in an ould book" replied the lad. "and
they have some Gr-ssT stories about them.
Fairy stories. for no man can tell who in
vented the first lily. But, anyhow, there
are more than two thousand kinds Of ilies
| in the world. mostly scattered over warm
countries, and there are five different kinds
IN America. Din you ever hear about
Jove, father"
'No. Was he prizehghter?"
mo. He was the chap that hurled the
thunder and the lightnin'. Well, he mar
ried Juno, the Queen Of Heaven She
was a big, strappin' wench, forty feet
tall She was a great gur-rl intirely She
would make a man immortal wild shake
/ OF her fist.
well, when Hercules was born Jove
wanted him to live forever, because he
was the strongest baby in the world, at
| lapefrog, an catoh- as catch-can, an GrRco-
Roman wrestlin', and Jove wanted him
ladybuok that could put you to sleep. to
put the oomether on Juno, and she fell
asleep.
Then Jove put the little tad Hercules
TO her breast so he could drink the divine
milk and never die. But Hercules, helm
young and hungry, was too eager, spilled
some OF the milk on the ground, and the
milk sprouted and there grew a beautiful
white lily. When Hercules grew he was
the first to handle shillaleh-
WAS he Irish?" asked his father, anx-
iously.
'No, think he was a Greek" replied
the boy.
I'm sorry for that. replied Mr.. Finn
'for there never was a dsgo could handle
q stick"
well, that's neither here nor there,
! replied Mickey. I'm afther tryin' to tell
you about the lily.
The lily that sprouted from the milk
was named Lirium from the Greek word
IOriON, which means slender and elegant
And on account OF the dignacious way it
had Of carryin' itself the wise men said it
meant purity and benedictions.
@Shure the Jews thought 20 much Of the
lily that they put picture oft on Solomon's
! Temple and on the great candlestick on the
ar-rch OF Titus in Rome. And what's more
the cup Of the lily furnished to the Church
the model for the consecrated silver chalice
! II is called the Holy Grail
Dear, dear said Mr.. Finn. crossing
himself devoutly. "Be careful, my boy:
don't tell amy lies
There's no lies in what I'm telling you,
! fayther, replied the boy. "Tis all history.
The white lily is not 40 beautiful as NANNY
other lilies, but 'tis the loveliest and most
dear to the feelin's.
AT night, when the flowers are asleep
an droopin' their heads, ven see the lily
| shinin' like the silver moon in the clouds.
Tho sintimintal men call the lily the
Moon Of the Garden or the Flower Of the
| Night. wish't could think Of beautiful
| things like that to say about a posy."
| Nonsense said his father. "Twould
put no money in your pocket. Don't be a
gommack. shure the lly's no use but to
| look purity
That's where you're wrong. fayther, "
replied the boy. THE white lily is very
valuable II you have swallowed poison or
IL you have a brlise or an injury of any
kind. II you soak some lilies in water and
tie them over hole in your leg it will cure
the hole
well. that's all it will do, said the father
| NO. it Is not. . said the boy. THE Greeks
made perfume Of It, but they did not use
much Of 1t, for they said that the perfume
gave them headaches. But that amt the
only thing the lily Ia good for. In Kam-
schatla they arc grown for food. When
Ash are scarce all the folks have to depend
on 10 lily bulbs.
The women gather the roots in August,
then they are dried by putting them out
In the SUN. and then they are pulverised
with stones so small that they can be made
into dour. which ia added to soup and stew
and made into bread The fresh roots are
nice TO eat. but they are rather bitter and
are often boiled and eaten like potatoes"
well I'm glad 20 hear that it has some
use said Mr. Finn. because thought
twas no good but TO put on a comm lid
when a man 10 dead and 10 make a hokay
for Easter
I'm afraid that you have no po'try or
romance in your head. father" said
Mickey. Now, l suppose you wouldn'
care 70 see the most beautiful lily in the
wIIr-rld'"
well, I wouldn't mind II It cost me
| nOLnln Tepneu MT, flnn. W nat 10 IL
like7'
"Tis the most beautiful thing you ever
laid your eyes on said the boy. st is
called the Guernsey lily. II comes from the
island OF Guernsey.
-ln its bloom il looks like a piece Of gold
tissue. II you put it on a red quilt in the
sunshine II looks as IL IL was studded with
di'mOnds. But II you look at il by candle
light it looks az IL it was sprinkled with
| gold dust. When the flowers begin TO
wither they change TO a deep red.
Nearly three hundred years ago a ship
loaded with these bulbs was wrecked on
the island OF Guernsey 1t came from
Japan. Afterward il was brought TO Lon
don. That is the most beautiful lily in the
wur-rld but there amt 50 much difference
afther all bechune Ave or six kinds OF
| lilies.
"You take the biggest lily tree in the
wur-rld which grows in New South Wales
This kind grows TO be from fourteen to
| twenty feet tall. When it is in bloom il is
covered with flowers Of a deep rose color.
They tell me that have seen that kind that
nothin' a man could say would describe the
| beauty Of il.
"Father. could not tell you NJ all tha
beautiful things about the lilies II took all
night TO do it," continued Mickey There
in the 0raat water IilV Of India Tie c,Iiad