Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-12

tops of the Wrack forest waved IN the water
True the wraCk trees among which the coral emu
had played had been pulled up and washed away long
ago but others had grown up where they sloou' me
turtles that graZed there were dead many years SINCE
ut new turtles came in their stead. The oyster was
gone; the starfish gone; the many coloreu hsh
who once swan among the trees were gone E ~,
the huge whale. who ate ali the Jeyhsh chlldreh III
mouthful. had got harpoon in his neck ana peeh
killed and boiled down to blubber
But though they were all gone, still their granu-
chidrens children were there and looked exactly ike
them and behaved exactly like them, so that II was
impossible to any change in the wood. -,
only things looked different just where the coral
child had settled down TO build his Island
An immense number of coral trees had come ana
more kept on coming. Millions OF little coral chll,
dren swan out into the world and came home ana
settled down beside their parents. Millions OF tne
poyps died In many OF the coral 'Tees . .nede IVA,
not single living polyp, but all the hard lime
branches full Of stars where they had Deeh.
And the waves had overturned the old trees and
beaten them to pieces and flung them in among inc
others and on the top OF the others: GTaGuag 'i
grew into great strong lime reef and 1t kept on
growing: for the coral children settled down on
the top of the old trees and built on diligently.
One fine day they reached close up beneath the
surface.
other rejoicing "lf only eatgreat-great great
great great-grandfather had lived to see it!'
But they had reioccd little too early.
For when they wished to set TO and grow up above
the water they could not. The small polyps could
not bear the sun shining upon them' and do what
they would, they got no further
Now we will help you" said the waves.
And then they lifted couple of big blocks of coral
from the bottom Oh the sea anu lulcW luelh oh inv
top of the other.
is true but white and pretty, and it shone in the
SUM- and round about It. far could see, was
nothing but water and water and just water. And
every day a big white gull came and sat down
upon il.
At that time it happened that the earth-the great
round earth who floats through space round the sun.
with the moon at her hees-was in very bad tenn
per The moon was constantly teasing her and she
had not yet recovered from her annoyance with the
comet who went to pieces before he had finished tell
ing what he had seen on his journey
Now when the earth looking down at her
stomach one day she perceived. just against the
Equator, knob which she had never seen betore, =
what earth is that now:' asked the earth ID
an annoyed tone.
1t was none other than the coral island But when
the earth came TO know how the matter stoou sue
Vow upon my word things getting too BAD
sbo cried "Not only is one made a fool Of by an
nsolen comet and has TO resign ones self to belhg
laughed at every day Of the month by SHY moon
not only do the men rummage In my lnsl,e n'u uit,
land into water and water into land ana zeal Win
me inst as they plcase! Now. in addition, nave :"
submit to having coral young, whom II takes mag
nifvng glass to messing about win my msuls
anG lniIdinc an actual island right In the middle OF
INV stomach! 4 wretched mousc like that! But VIZ
shall put stop 10 that ..- H. soo
And at that moment the Whole poltom VI '"o %"
san, where the coral island lay.
II was a frightful business and no MISTAKE. =, r
Tho island disappeared in the sea ana the gun "n'
ms sitting on II flew i'm the air with loud scream
The blocks of coral fell over one ahoher anu rs ti
into thousand pieces Fish ana craWnSn anu h i,
fled rs hest they could anu every lO'' - ~ ~
"g Rut when all was st again in the water the coral
polyps whispered TO one announcer
..Rpmember the island!' - I'll.
again After some time they were once NOR az th
the surface, the waves nuhS up huSe O''oN ' -
Well - p said the earth
Aud then the bottom of the sea sank lower sun
,,Pemember the lslandw whispered the coras:
And some time after the island lay there again
..Con YOU 60 on like thatF' asked the earth
.1rhof we can" replied the corals.
All then l give in" said the earth FOR cah
not" .. .., .,,,.od tboro Tho
roIs bnilt on necessarily, the waves flung up more
and more blocks, and the island grew ever larger
One day big, round brown thlns calne S'i'ine anu
cumming against the side of it.
who's there?" asked the coras down in the water
.Its me-" said the thing.
..Wbos me?" asked the corals again.
.nnnt vou know me| said the thing 81 am the
cocoanut 1 am celebrated all over the world: am
% that prepares islands that they make their
onnearance on the map and in the geography hook.
There have even been ballads made about me- one
of them beglns'- ..
On the sea floats -
.a,,,ot p,ov be-" said the corals But we know
nothing ABOUT i,or ~ had time to sim ballads"
YES it's incredible the amount OF -anorahce that
prevails in the world said the cocoanut. Wen have
Won earth enough for me to take root III and grow into
Aha" whispered the coraIs to one mother ITS
'hg rbn thew asked him politely to come back later
then they would do their best to provide him with
earth to grow in. AIM, -, a..
about in the sea for year My shell is thick that
| shant mind" , 1870 ,,..,
One day a great, hollow tree trunk came drifting
along When it got up the island and lay and
rotted n whole lot of grass seed fell from 1t aud
some time after the island quite green. There
were also two lizards in the tree trunk and they got
children and thought the island a nice and cosey
place to live upon.
And then the cocoanut came back again
Lift me up" he said to the waves.
He shot up and became splendid tree. His nuts
fell all around and there was quite grove OF
cocoa palms on the island Birds and built
their nests in the trees; flowers came and bees and
birds and butterflies.
One day man came sailing in boat.
His ship had been wrecked and he had drifted on
the sea for many days. He both hungry ana
thirsty, and when he the island he was quite
wild with delight, went on shore, ate cocoanuts ana
oysters and built himself house in which to live
until a ship that would take him back to his
country. -
But down in the water the coras kept on build
ing for they could never make the island big enough