Part 20

"You remember how jealous Juno was, and she was even displeased with a brave man named Hercules, because he was afraid of nothing. She told her cousin to command Hercules to bring him the skin of a fierce lion that roamed at large through the forests. Hercules was not afraid, and attacked the lion. Finding he could not kill it with his club and arrows, he strangled the animal with his hands. He returned home carrying the dead lion on his shoulders, but Juno's cousin was so frightened at the sight of it and at this proof of the great strength of the hero that he ordered him to tell the story of his brave deeds in future at a safe distance outside the town."

"What a coward Juno's cousin must have been!" said Harry disdainfully. "I suppose Hercules laughed at him."

"Of course he did," said Mary. "But he was not the only brave man Juno disliked. Orion, the mighty hunter, also aroused her anger because he boasted that nothing could harm him. She sent a scorpion out of the earth, and it stung him, causing his death. See the heart of the scorpion, marked by a bright red star named Antares. Above it is the serpent and the serpent-holder."

THE MILKY WAY.

"Now look at the band of silvery light reaching from the north to the south. That is the Milky Way, and it is made up of millions of bright stars. There are large stars and little stars, and Professor Barnard thinks that there may be some very small stars forming out of the star-mist. These little stars glitter in vast beds of glowing gas. As scientists believe, this gas is the matter from which worlds and suns are made. The stars at these points in space seem to be actually growing out of the star-mist now surrounding them. I shall show you to-morrow some fine photographs Professor Barnard has taken of the Milky Way where you can see this star-mist in the background of the stars.

"According to a French legend, the stars in the Milky Way are lights held by angel-spirits to show us the way to heaven. The Grecians called the Milky Way the road to the palace of heaven. On the road stand the palaces of the illustrious gods, while the common people of the skies live on either side of them.

"Even the Algonquin Indians had something to say about it, for they believed that it was the 'Path of Souls' leading to the villages in the sun. As the spirits travel along the pathway, their blazing camp-fires may be seen as bright stars. Longfellow refers to this in his poem 'Hiawatha,' in describing the journey of Chibiabos to the land of the hereafter.

"While hunting deer he crossed the Big Sea Water and was dragged beneath the treacherous ice by evil spirits. By magic he was summoned thence, and, hearing the music and singing, he,--

"'Came obedient to the summons, To the doorway of the wigwam, But to enter they forbade him. Through a chink a coal they gave him, Through the door a burning fire-brand. Ruler in the Land of Spirits, Ruler o'er the dead they made him, Telling him a fire to kindle For all those who died hereafter, Camp-fires for their night encampments, On their solitary journey To the kingdom of Ponemah, To the land of the hereafter.'"

A SWEDISH LEGEND.

"According to a Swedish legend, there once lived on earth two mortals who loved each other. When they died they were doomed to dwell on different stars, far, far apart. But, 'as they sat and listened to the music of the spheres,' they thought of building a bridge of light that should reach from star to star, till it spanned the distance separating them from each other.

"'They toiled and built a thousand years in love's all-powerful might, And so the Milky Way was made a bridge of starry light.'

"Now, Harry, look at the Milky Way in the northern part of the sky, and what do you see?" asked Mary.

"Some stars that look like a W," replied Harry; "and just below it is another but larger W."

"The small W is Cassiopeia," said Mary, "and the large one is Cepheus; but I shall tell you their story another time, as it is getting late now. Under the large W, you will see some stars that look like a large cross. This is sometimes called the Northern Cross, but it is better known as the Swan."

LEGEND OF THE SWAN.

"The 'Swan' is supposed to represent a wonderful musician named Orpheus. Apollo gave him a magic harp, which he played with such sweetness that the wild beasts of the forest were tamed by its sounds, rapid rivers ceased to flow, and mountains and trees listened to the music.

"One day Orpheus met a beautiful maiden named Eurydice, and won her for his bride. But their happiness did not last long, as a serpent lurking in the grass stung her foot, and she died of the wound.

"Orpheus mourned her sadly, until at last he died and his spirit met hers in the kingdom of Pluto. Afterward Orpheus and Eurydice were placed among the stars. You can see the harp beside Orpheus, and it is adorned with a sparkling blue star named Vega.

"And now one more story," said Mary, as she heard the church clock chime nine, "and then we must say 'good-by' to the stars for to-night."

"It has been lovely," said Harry. "I could listen to these stories all night long. How I shall enjoy the stars since you have told me so much about them! What are you going to tell me now?"

"Just under the Swan can you see a bright star, and a little star on each side of it?" asked Mary.

Harry looked, and after a few moments he found them. When his sister had made sure that he could see the stars she meant, she began her story as follows:

MEETING OF THE STAR-LOVERS.

"The Japanese call the Milky Way the Silver River of Heaven, and they believe that on the seventh day of the seventh month (7th of July), the Shepherd-boy star and the Spinning-maiden star cross the Milky Way to meet each other. Vega, the bright star in the harp, is supposed to be the spinning-maiden, and on the other side of the Milky Way, crossing over where you see the bright star and the little star on each side, you will find the shepherd boy, otherwise known as the Goat. These stars are known among the Japanese as the 'boy with an ox' and 'the girl with a shuttle,' about whom the following story is told:

"There once lived on the banks of the Silver River of Heaven a beautiful maiden who was the daughter of the Sun. Night and morning she was always weaving, blending the roseate hues of morning with the silvery tints of evening. That is why she was called the Spinning maiden. The Sun-king chose a husband for her. He was a Shepherd boy who guarded his flocks on the banks of the celestial stream.

"After meeting him the Spinning maiden ceased to work, and the bright hues of morning were left to take care of themselves, while the silvery tints of evening hung like ragged fringe on the dark mantle of night. The Sun-king, believing that the Shepherd boy was to blame, banished him to the other side of the Silver River, telling him that only once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, could the Spinning maiden come to see him.

"The king called together myriads of doves and commanded them to make a bridge over the river of stars. Supported on their wings, the Shepherd boy crossed over to the other side. No sooner had he set foot on the opposite shore than the doves flew away, filling the heavens with their billing and cooing. The weeping wife and loving husband stood awhile gazing at each other from afar, and then they separated, one in search of another flock of sheep, the other to ply her shuttle during the long hours of daylight.