Part 21

"Thus the days passed away, and the Sun-king rejoiced that his daughter was busy again. But when night comes, and all the lamps of heaven are lighted, the lovers stand beside the banks of the starry river and gaze lovingly at each other, eagerly awaiting the seventh day of the seventh month. As the time draws near the Japanese are filled with anxiety. What if it should rain, for the River of Heaven is filled to the brim, and a single raindrop would make it overflow! This would cause a flood, and the bridge of doves would be swept away.

"But if the night is clear, then the Spinning maiden crosses over in safety, and meets her Shepherd boy. This she does every year except when it rains. That is why the Japanese hope for clear weather on the 7th of July, when the 'meeting of the star-lovers' is made a gala day all over the country."

"Sister, I can see the Spinning-maiden star, and the Shepherd boy, but where is the bridge of doves?" asked Harry.

"Across the Milky Way," said Mary.

"See the bright star, which is called Altair, and one little star on each side. We call that the Eagle, so if you change the story a little you can say the Eagle takes the Spinning maiden across the Silver River of Heaven."

THE STARS AND THE VIOLETS.

When the sky was first made and suspended From the far and invisible bars, It enveloped the world, and God fashioned Small windows, and these are the stars.

And the bits of the sky, through the evening, Fluttered down to the sod and the dew, And behold! in the morn they had blossomed, And these are the violets blue.

THE NIGHTS.

Oh, the Summer night Has a smile of light And she sits on a sapphire throne; Whilst the sweet winds load her With garlands of odor, From the bud to the rose o'erblown!

But the Autumn night Has a piercing sight, And a step both strong and free; And a voice for wonder, Like the wrath of the thunder, When he shouts to the stormy sea!

And the Winter night Is all cold and white, And she singeth a song of pain; Till the wild bee hummeth, And the warm spring cometh, When she dies in a dream of rain!

--Adelaide Proctor.

THE CALLING OF THE STARS.

God's presence through the twilight stillness glides, To spirits vocal--silent to the ear; He calls by name each fair star where it hides, And each star brightens, as it answers 'Here!'

Though we too call the stars, they answer not, They do not softly come like children shy At a fond parent's calling, for, I wot, We do not know what names God calls them by.

STORIES OF THE WINTER STARS.

I heard the trailing garments of the night Sweep through her marble halls, I saw her sable skirts all fringed with light From the celestial walls.

--Longfellow.

Winter had come with its cold north winds and frosty air. The stars glittered like gems against the dark velvet sky, and seemed reflected in the mantle of pure white snow that covered the earth. Mary had asked Harry's nurse to move his couch into her room so that he might see the stars from the windows, one looking south, the other east. Impatiently Harry now awaited his sister, who had promised to take him on another trip to starland. The room was in total darkness, and nurse had raised the curtains. Looking right into one window was the mighty giant Orion, while the Twins peeped into another.

STORY OF THE ROYAL FAMILY.

"It is as good as a play," said Harry, as his sister started to tell him about them.

"First of all," she said, "I am going to tell you the story of the Royal Family, although we cannot see them from this window. You can get a glimpse of Cepheus from your own room, but the rest of the Royal Family are overhead. You would have to make a hole through the roof if you wanted to watch them while I told their story."

"If we could go out-of-doors, as we did last summer, could we see them overhead?" asked Harry.

"Yes," replied his sister; "but it is too cold now to look at them except from a warm, cozy room. To-morrow I shall show you a map of these stars, and when the days grow warm again we can look for them in the sky."

"Can you see them during the summer-time as well as the winter?" asked Harry.

"Yes, we can see them all the year round, just as we can always see the Pole Star and the Great Dipper. The Royal Family consists of King Cepheus, Queen Cassiopeia, and her daughter Andromeda, sometimes called the 'Chained Lady.' Perseus, the rescuer, is at the feet of Andromeda, while her head rests upon the shoulder of the winged horse Pegasus.

"The Grecians told a wonderful story about this family. It appears that Cassiopeia boasted of her beauty, and said she was more attractive than Juno, the wife of Jupiter. As for her daughter Andromeda, not a nymph in the sea could compare with her in good looks. You may imagine how Juno and the sea-nymphs felt when they heard this vain boast!