FLOWER OF THE EARTH

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 23, 27 January 1934, Page 8

FLOWER OF THE EARTH

(Written by "Wandering Water," for Buinmer-in.tno'lUag.)

ALL the world loved Flovalea. To the plants of the earth hhe was life . everlasting. One touch by her sweet lips on the- wide petals of a-daisy :ina it would bloom in the dew forever. And so it was with the grat-scs aver which she passed, and the trees sho caressed in her passing. 'She wns the Spirit of Youth, liko Peter Pan, sho could never grow old. But Zillah, who was * goddess of the south, was not fond of the child. Zillrth's dislike increased to hate when one day she found that Hesperuth, the Kcejur of the. Winds, was greatly fond of the "earth-child, Floralea. "It fhall not be," she said with an-angry frown, and there1 rose a dark storm from the south. . One oven ing Flornlea had been playing so long with the winds on the earth that-sho came up late to her living place in the high south. She was stepping w ith dancing feet on the stars through the Milky Way, when Zillali captured her. "Come with me," she said, and she took the weeping Floralea, '•Flower of the, Earth," to a dark valley. Zillah made Floralea do heavy work, and then she thought out a wicked scheme. "See here," she said,'holding out a full skirt of pink and white daihy petals. "From these you must pick the white petals apart from the pink, and put them in separate piles. You shall have ,iust the hours of one day to do it jn, and if by evening you have not completed the task I shall whip you." Poor FJoralea sank down and wept bitterly, for the petals were' many, .'*ud her finger? were liy no means patient ones. Once a year there is a rainbow in the sky, right from the north to the south, and across this comes the Queen of Summer to make a garden of the mortals' world. Summer was on her Way across the rainbow when she thought she saw Floralea, and she rau towards her. "What is this game, .child?" she asked, bending to Watch Floralea at the painful task. Weeping on Summer's shoulder, Floralea told her sad story. "I have come just when I was needed most, and where," smiled -Summer, and she1 sprinkled some magic among the daisy petals. Very quickly they were as the goddess wis>bed,and Summer went on her journey. "You will soon be back on thn earth," she said. ' ' "' When tho goddess found Floralca's task so "well done, sho becamo very angry,- for she felt sure someone had helped her. With vexed hands sho mixed them all up again. "Now, count them out," she said, "and tell me tho number. A day is too long for a clever child like you; you shall be given half a day to do thjs. : " ■ Zillah gone, Ploralea did not attempt to count the petals. Instead, she wept long and bitterly. The wind, who had been searching the earth over for her, did not see her, but it caught/her cry, and drifted with it to the middle of the rainbow, where Summer was then treading. . She hastily retraced her footsteps. "Let me help y6u again," sho whigpored. "All the years on the earth you were my helper." "But tho rainbow " cried- FJoralea. "The rainbow can't stay Sn the sky forever! " Only Summer did not seem to heed her. So the petals were counted. But in hurrying to help Floralea, Summer had laid aside her box of "> perfume which she needed in the Garden of Summer. Floralea found it, and with great curiosity lifted the lid. At once all the perfume escaped. Flora lea knew then what she had done, and she was afraid. Hcspcruth,' Keeper of the Winds, followed the scent of the Perfume' of Summer, to where Floralea lay. He sent all tho breezes in'the land, to collect the wonderful perfume, and restore it to tho distressed Summer. . Then he '•■ took Floralea to his own kingdom and kept her forever. And because ehe can- never grow old, and because she means "life everlasting," the wind is such a forcver-and-ever thing. And -Summer bloomed on the earth, ai lovely as ever. ... \