Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-03-24
A STORY ABuor THE suNrLowER.

A STORY ABUoT THE SUNFLowER.
So many nice letters have come 10
me. since I told you the story about the
robins red breast. that l am today going
TO tell you one about the sunflower.
There was a beautiful water nymph
living in a cave at the bottom of the
sea. A cave away down there must be
a beautiful place. for there are as many
flowers and MOSES and trees down there
explorers tell US as we have on land.
Some DAY. as soon as We have learned TO
fIy in the clouds there will be smart
men. or women experimenting with some
sort of diving apparatus to ride along
those beautiful avenues among the sub
marine forests. There Will be other uses
they for submarines than TO blow up
ships and destroy life But until that
dav we will continue to read about.
CIyte and neptune and all Of those myths
that the wise people have collected for
us. Clyte was the name of the water
nymph that 1 am telling you about and
the cave that she lived in was one of
the most beautiful. Its walls were COW
cred with pearls and shells and the floor
was of sand as white as snow.
The chairs were made of amber. that
beautiful yellow material that the finest
OF hair pins and combs and beads are
made Of II is too rare for much of 1t
TO be real that we see on sale. These
amber chairs had cushions of beautiful
moss and the couches were literally
beds of ease.
ON each side OF CIyte's cave were
forests of coral. and in her garden were
sea-anemonss and starfish and beautiful
things that mortals have never seen. If
YOU ever go TO New York be sure to
visit the aquarium that I once wrote
about You will then see many OF the
wonderful Things of the deep, deep sea.
Clyte did not need our sort of horses,
she had goldfish and turtles. and other
sorts that we know nothing about The
fairies were fond OF this little lady and
one day they brought her a dress OF sort
green sea lace. OF course she was proud
OF her beautiful dress and she decided
TO go TO ride and let the other ladies
admire her dress too. for all OF us like
to show our new and pretty things TO
our friends-so she combed her beautiful
hair. put on her pretty dress and got
in her seasheH carriage.
The turtles do not go very fast, and
after awhile Clyte fell fast asleep. Tur-
ties are not easily frightened so there
was no danger OF the shell carriage
turning over so on and on and on they
went. I suspect that they thought that
their mistress had decided to travel to
the end OF her kingdom. At last they
came to the shore of an island, and the
carriage grated against a rock. and that
walked Clyte. Now she had never been
on land. and had never seen people so
she decided TO explore this strange
country. Out of the carriage she stepped
and sat down on the rock TO look about
her. She saw a boy and girl say, here
It comes, here il comes" and she looked
to see what they were admiring, and in
the east she saw a wonderful king COM
ing out in golden chariot. As soon as
the king appeared the birds began to
sing, the flowers held up their heads and
even the sea. Clytes home, looked hap
pier Clyte thought what a great king
that is, l must sit here and see nim
move across mis- country So all day
long she sat there, the turtles had
travelled so far they were willing 70
rest. The king looked so kind, and made
everything so much happier. just by
smiling on them. that .clyte wished that
she could be like him. and all day she
sat there and watched him. Only when
night came did she think of her home
and then she entered her. carriage and
let the faithful turtles take her there,
But she could think of nothing but
that wonderful king and his COLDER
chariot, so early next morning she re
turned to her island. This time she
was so eager to get there that she har-
messed her swiftest gold fish, and day
after day she hurried back and forth
sitting all day where she could watch
the king come out of his eastern gate
and return home through his gate Of
crimson and opal in the west. Always
as she sat there she wished that she
could be like the great king, and one
evening. as she started to go home, she
found that she could not move her feet
She leaned over the edge of the rock
looked into the water, and what do yoJ
think that she saw? Not the beautiful
Clyte any more. Her beautiful hail
had become golden petals. Her dres:
had turned 20 green leaves, and her fee
had become one stem. rooted in the
ground.
So We have a beautiful sunf7ower in
stead OF the water nymph, and the kins
has sent this flower into all countrie:
so that people may be made happy
looking at the flower that is so like hi,
face.
And a lesson all of us may learr
from this myth is that as We think in
our hearts so we truly are. Thinl
helpful. good. pure thoughts, and oui
faces will show il. Be envious, grasp
ing. selfish in our hearts. and the lines
on our faces will be hard and cruel.
Get some sunfiower seed. plant then
near your house, and think. of Clyte4
Faithfully yours,
- - LIZZIE o. THOMAS.