The San Francisco call., 1909-12-26

At that time it happened that the earth-the
round earth who through space round the sun,
with moon at her heels-was In a very bad temper
The constantly teasing her and she had not
recovered from with the comet who
to pieces had finished telling what he had
seen on journey
Now when the. earth was looking down her
she perceived just against the equator
a knob which she had never seen before
what earth is that now?" asked the earth In an
It was none other than the island But when
the earth came to how the matter stood she
Now. upon my word. things are getting badr
she cried Not only IS made fool OF by inso-
lent comet and ones self to being laughed
at every day of the month by silly moon-not only
DO the men rummage in insI9e and turn land into
water into land and deal with me Just as
they please, Now. in addition. have to submit to
having coral young whom 1t takes masnifyins
glass messing about with my figure and build
ing an actual right in the middle of stomach
wretched mousc like that But we shall put stop
to THAR
sank where the coral island lay.
It was frghtful business, and mistake.
The island disappeared in the and the gull who
was sitting on it few in the air with loud scream
The blocks coral fell another and smashed
into thousand pieces. Fish and crawhsh and turtles
best they could and every leaf in the wrack
But when all was still again in the water the
polyps whispered to another:
Remember the islandH
And then they set to work ndefatigably to build
again. After time they were once more above
the surface the flung up huge blocks and the
island lay there again.
We'll r." said the earth
And then the bottom of the sank lower stin
Remember the isIandl" whispered the cOrals.
And some after the island lay there again.
Can you go like that?" asked the earth
That can" replied the corals.
".Ah then give in" said the earth For can not
And island lay there and stayed there The
eoraIs built on ncessantly the waves flung up more
and blocks. and the island grew ever larger
day big. round. brown thing came sailing and
humping against the side OF it.
who's there?" asked the corals down in the water.
TITS me-" said the thing
Who's me?' asked the corals again
Don't you know me?" said the thing. Il the
cocoanut am celebrated all the world I am
the one that prepares islands so that they make their
appearance the map and in the geography book.
There have been ballads made about me. One OF
them begins:
On the floats -
THAT may said the corals- But know
nothing about it, We have built an island our
selves and had time 70 sing ballads"
yes. it's incredible ignorance that
prevails in the world" the Well
you earth enough for me to take root in and grow
into a palm?9
"Ahar'I whispered the coFals to another IT'S
the paint
Then they asked him politely back later
then they would do their best to provide him with
earth to grow in
Very well" said the eocoanut Then I will float
in the for My she'll is so thick that
shan't mind"
Then he hoated
Every time that there some sea wrack or
fish starhsh anything Of that sort in the
water the begged the to fling it on the
island. The did and it lay there and rotted
and turned to The birds there carrying
cherry stone, which left took root and grew up
into a pretty little tree.
day a great. hollow tree trunk came drifting
along When it got the island and lay and rotted
whole grass seed fell from it and some time
after the quite green. There were also two
lizards in the trunk and they got children and
thought the island nice and place TO live upon
then the cocoanut came back again
up he said to the
He shot and became splendid tree His nuts
fell all around quite grove of
palms the island Birds and built their
flowers and bees and birds and
butterflies
One day sailing in a boat
His ship had wrecked and he had drifted the
many days. He both hungry and thirsty,
when he the island he quite wild with
delight, Shore cOcoanuts and oysters and
himself in which live until ship came
that would take him back to his country.
in the water the corals kept building,
for they could make the island big enough
"Ah. if great-great- -great-great- great great
great great great grandfather could only ~ they
said another.