Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-08-26

! SIG " do oO lo66ON anu pOOA luOS OIL
was glad to earn money by taking car
of the kings little son. As nurse t
the little prince, Queen Ceres was a
most comforted.
Because she was the goddess of tn
| wheat and the fruits, the crops upo
the land of King Celeus. while sh
was there, were very wonderful. i
the land near Mount Etna, wher
Proserpina had been lost, no rain fel
and no corn nor apples grew.
Juno sent Iris down to earth to be,
of Ceres to give rain to the SUFFERING
people of her own home. Ceres sal,
no rain should fall till Proserpin,
came back to her mother. One day a.
Ceres was weeping by fountain he
tears fell into the springing water
and, as they did so, she heard sill
very voice:
"Why do you grieve, Queen Ceres? ?
said the water sprite or nymph.
"Proserpina, my beautiful. daughter
is gone from me-" said Ceres. 81
have sought everywhere on the earth
for her. cannot find my daughter:
Listen to me-" said the voice from
the fountain II have seen her. She ia
not on the earth; she is in the earth.
She is in the palace Of King Pluto.
who rules below. / saw her as I ran
with a river through Pluto's king
DOM She longs to come back to you"
Queen Ceres was like q stone for a
long time after she heard the story
told by the murmuring waters of the
fountain.
Proserpina alive and longing for
her! It did not seem true, but she
would know soon. Taking back the lit
tie prince to his mother, she hid her
self in forest, called for her chariot,
and, when it came, drove straight to
the top of Mount Olympus, where Jupi-
ter sat on his shining throne.
She begged of him to command his
brother Pluto to return her daughter
TO her.
ut is granted on one condition; that
IS, that Proserpina has never tasted
God nor drink since she has been
beneath the earth"
Mercury, the wing-footed messenger
md Flora, the goddess Of Spring,
ought the center of the earth to
ring back Proserpina to Ceres.
Pluto loved his stolen prize as much
s Queen Ceres did; and, being I'M
Apply because she refused to eat, sue
eeded at last in making her taste one
f the beautiful pomegranates that |
re both food and drink.
Even while she was tasting it Mer-
lry and Flora stood at Pluto's gate
18th the command to return her to
eres.
What was to be done? Mercury |
uick-witted as well as quick-footed,
ecided that if she dwelt with Ceres
,r half the year and with Pluto the
Their half, Jupiter's commands would
Q satisfied. This proved to be as Ju-
tier wished.
So, arrayed in shining green. Pros
rpina swiftly set out with Flora and
[ercury to find Queen Ceres. Ceres
aw her the minute her bright head
ppeared above the brown earth and
new her through her disguise. You
emember when Proserpina was taken
way she wore plain brown suit.
They lived together, the mother and
aughter, through the bright spring
avs and the warm summer weather.
When autumn came Proserpina dom
ed her brown suit and Pluto claimed
Ter. There, in his underground realm,
he reigns all the cold winter months.
The is happy now because Queen Ceres
5 happy. The mother knows that when
pring breathes over the earth again
'roserpina will come back to her.
Can you guess who Proserpina is?
1ou have seen her a thousand times.
Yes, and when you see her next you
viii say how strange that the Greeks
ould tell such a story of only little