Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-19

~ HERE was a garden enclosed with
brick walls, and laid out somewhat
~ in the old fashion. Under the walls
were wide beds planted with flowers,
garden-stuff and fruit trees. Next to them
was a broad gravel walk running round the
garden; and the middle was laid out in grass
plots and beds of flowers and shrubs. with
fish-pond in the CENTRE
Near the root of one of the wall fruit trees
a numerous colony of ants was established,
which had extended its subterraneous works
over great part of the bed in its nelghbor-
hood One day, two of the inhabitants, meet
ing in a gallery under ground, fell into the
"Ha! my friend" said the first, "is it you?
am glad to see you. Where have you been
this long time? All your acquaintance have
been in pain about you, lest some accident
why" replied the other, II am, indeed,
sort of a stranger, for you must know | am
but just returning from long journey"
"a. journey! whittier, pray, and on what
account"
"a tour of mere curiosity. had long felt
dissatisfied with knowing so little about this
world of ours; so, at length, / took a resolu-
ton to explore it. And | may now boast that
have gone around its utmost extremities,
and that no considerable part of it has es-
capped my researches"
AWonderful! What traveller you have
been, and what sights you must have scent
| why, yeS-l nave seen more LHdh nOSO
ants, to be sure; but it has been at the ex-
pense of so much toll and danger, that |
know NOT whether it was worth the pains, =
Would you obligse,, me with some account
of your Adventures
| Willingly: | set out then, early one sun
shiny morning; and after crossing our terri
tory and the line of plantation by which it
| is bcrdered, | came upon a wide open plain,
where, as far as the eye could reach, not a
| single green thing was to be deserted, but the
hard soil was everywhere covered with huge
stones, which made travelling equally painful
to the eye and the feet. As was toiling on
which became louder and louder looked
back and with the utmost horror beheld
prodigious rolling mountain approaching me
so fast that it was impossible to get out Of
behind a stone, and lay expecting nothing
but present death. The mountain soon pass
ed over me, and I continued Il know not
how long, in a state of insensibility. When
recovered, l began to stretch my limbs one
by one, and to my surprise, found myself not
in the least injuredl but the stone beside me
was almost buried in the earth by the crashl"
What an escaped
"a wonderful one, indeed. | iourneyed on
over the desert, and at length came to the
end of it, and entered upon a wide green
tract consisting chiefly of tall, narrow, point
ed leaves, which grew so thick and entangcd
make my way between them! and ! should
continually have lost my road had | not
taken care to keep the sun IN view before me-
When had got near the middle of this re-
gion, l was startled with the sight of huge
four-legged monster, with a yellow spreckled
skin, which took flying leap directly over
me. Somewhat farther, before l was aware
ran upon one of those long. round. crawl
ing creatures, without head, tail or legs, which
we sometimes meet with under ground, near
our settlement. AS soon as he felt me upon
him, he drew back into his hole so swiftly,
that he was near drawing me in along with
him. However, jumped off, and proceeded
on my way.
end of this perplexed tract. and came to an
open space like that in which we live, in
the midst Of which grew trees so tail that /
could not see to their tops. Being hungry,
/ climbed the first l came to, in expectation
of finding some fruit; but after weary search
returned empty. / tried several others with
no better success. There were, indeed, leaves
and flowers in plenty, but nothing of which /
could make meal; so that might have been
famished, had l not found some sour harsh
berries upon the ground, on which | made a
poor repast While l was doing this great
er danger than any of the former befell me.
One of those two-legged feathered creatures,
which we often see to our cost, jumped down
from a bough, and picked up in his enormous
beak the very berry on which | was standing.
Luckily, he did not swallow it Immediately,
but flew up again with It to the tree; and, IN
from a vast height to the ground, but receiv-
ed no hurt
al crossed this plantation, and came to
another entangled green like the first. After
had labored through it, came on sudden
to the side Of vast glittering plain, the ma
ture Of which / could not possibly guess at.
walked along fallen leaf which lay on the
side, and coming to the farther edge of it,
imr from below to meet me. ! advanced to
give civ him fraternal embrace; but instead Of
What I expected, met a cold yielding matter,
in which / should have sunk, had ! not speed
lily turned about, and caught hold of the leaf.