,transcriber's ,note3 ,inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved4 ,obvious typographical errors have been corrected4 ,italic text is denoted by underscores4 ,illustration3 ,,richard ,a4 ,,proctor4 ,,stories ,,of ,,starland ,,by ,,mary ,,proctor 7,daughter of late ,richard ,a4 ,proctor7 ,,new ,,york ,,potter ,,putnam ,,company ,,london ,g4 ,w4 ,,bacon ,,co41 ,limited ,copyright1 #ahih1 ,,by ,,potter ,,putnam ,,company4 ,,the ,,mershon ,,company ,,press1 ,,rahway1 ,n4 ,j41 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,,dedicated ,,to ,,the ,,memory ,,of ,,my ,,brother ,,harry4 ,the heavens declare the glory of ,god2 and the firmament sheweth his handiwork4--,psalms4 ,,preface4 ,this book has been a labor of love from the beginning to the end1 and ,i have thoroughly enjoyed conversing with my little friends ,harry and ,nellie4 ,now that the book is finished1 ,i leave it with regret4 ,it is impossible to give all the authorities for my legends of the stars4 ,many were told to me by my father when ,i was a little girl1 or ,i found them among books in his library1 which is now scattered far and wide4 ,others are from ,grecian mythology1 ,japanese folk-lore1 ,hindoo legends1 while some of the ,american ,indian stories were found in musty volumes of the ,bureau of ,ethnology at the ,smithsonian ,institution4 ,as for the descriptive astronomy1 among my authorities are ,professor ,c4 ,a4 ,young1 ,professor ,barnard1 ,agnes ,m4 ,clerke1 ,professor ,r4 ,s4 ,ball1 ,schiaparelli1 ,flammarion1 ,professor ,todd1 ,mr4 ,lowell of ,flagstaff1 ,ariz41 and my father1 the late ,richard ,a4 ,proctor4 ,with the kind permission of ,houghton1 ,mifflin ,co4 ,i have been allowed to use the following selections3 ,why the ,stars ,twinkle1 by ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes2 ,the ,evening ,star1 by ,longfellow2 ,lady ,moon1 by ,lord ,houghton2 and ,the ,new ,moon1 by ,mrs4 ,follen4 ,the editor of ,st4 ,nicholas has kindly given me permission to include the poems ,the ,four ,sunbeams1 by ,m4 ,k4 ,b42 ,estelle's ,astronomy1 by ,delia ,hart ,stone2 and ,seven ,little ,indian ,stars1 by ,mrs4 ,s4 ,m4 ,b4 ,piatt4 ,i am indebted to the editor of ,child-,study ,monthly for the little poem ,is ,it ,true8 by ,morgan ,growth4 ,the poem on ,the ,solar ,system is taken from the ,youth's ,companion1 with the kind permission of the editor4 ,the verses about ,wynken1 ,blynken1 and ,nod are so familiar to every child that my book of ,stories of ,starland would seem incomplete without this poem by ,eugene ,field4 ,the illustration of a ,part of the ,milky ,way is from a photograph taken by ,professor ,barnard at the ,lick ,observatory4 ,mr4 ,percival ,lowell has also very kindly allowed me to make use of his excellent illustration of the ,canals of ,mars1 taken from ,todd's ,new ,astronomy1 published by the ,american ,book ,company4 ,i now submit this little book to my young readers1 sincerely hoping its pages may inspire them with a renewed interest in the wonders of ,starland4 ,mary ,proctor4 ,new ,york ,city1 ,june1 #ahih4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,light1 ,f4 ,w4 ,bourdillon1 #ac ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,giant ,,sun4 ,ancient ,stories of the ,sun--,heat of the ,sun--,distance of the ,sun--,size of the ,sun--,the ,sun in the ,days of ,its ,youth1 #ac-cc ,on the ,setting ,sun1 ,sir ,walter ,scott1 #bi ,the ,four ,sunbeams1 ,m4 ,k4 ,b41 from ,st4 ,nicholas1 #ca ,the ,sun1 #cb ,,the ,,family ,,of ,,giant ,,sun4 ,what ,is a ,planet8--,story of ,planet ,mercury--,story of ,planet ,venus1 #cd-de ,estelle's ,astronomy1 ,delia ,hart ,stone1 #dg ,venus1 ,milton1 #dg ,the ,evening ,star1 ,longfellow1 #dh ,mercury1 ,baker1 #dh ,a ,,ramble ,,on ,,the ,,moon4 ,story of the ,moon--,story of the ,man in the ,moon--,story of the ,woman in the ,moon--,story of the ,toad in the ,moon--,scenery on the ,moon--,hindoo ,legend1 #di-fg ,the ,new ,moon1 ,mrs4 ,follen1 #fe ,lady ,moon1 ,lord ,houghton1 #ff ,a ,legend1 ,taken from the ,new ,york ,tribune1 #fg ,,the ,,planet ,,mars ,,and ,,the ,,baby ,,planets4 ,story of ,planet ,mars--,story of the ,baby ,planets1 #fh-gi ,,story ,,of ,,jupiter ,,and ,,his ,,moons4 ,story of ,jupiter--,jupiter as ,seen through a ,telescope--,the ,moons of ,jupiter--,eclipse of ,jupiter's ,moons1 #hj-ic ,jupiter1 ,moore1 #ib ,a ,lesson in ,astronomy1 ,youth's ,companion1 #ib ,,the ,,giant ,,planets4 ,the ,planet ,saturn--,the ,planet ,uranus--,difference between a ,planet and a ,star--,discovery of ,planet ,neptune1 #id-ajc ,is ,it ,true8 ,morgan ,growth1 from ,child-,study ,monthly1 #ajb ,,comets ,,and ,,meteors4 ,story of ,comets--,story of ,meteors--,story of a ,shooting ,star1 #ajd-aad ,starlight at ,sea1 ,amelia ,b4 ,welby1 #aac ,,stories ,,of ,,the ,,summer ,,stars4 ,legends of the ,great ,bear--,stories of the ,great ,dipper--,story of the ,dragon--,stories of the ,northern ,crown--,story of the ,lion--,the ,milky ,way--,a ,swedish ,legend--,legend of the ,swan-- ,meeting of the ,star-,lovers1 #aaf-adf ,the ,stars and the ,violets1 #ade ,the ,nights1 ,adelaide ,proctor1 #ade ,the ,calling of the ,stars1 #adf ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,winter ,,stars4 ,story of the ,royal ,family--,story of the ,fishes--,story of the ,pleiades--,story of the ,seven ,little ,indian ,boys--,why the ,stars ,twinkle--,flowers of ,heaven--,number of the ,stars--,distance of the ,stars--,what ,are the ,stars ,made of8--,our ,island ,universe1 #adg-agi ,wynken1 ,blynken1 and ,nod1 ,eugene ,field1 #agg ,seven ,little ,indian ,stars1 ,mrs4 ,s4 ,m4 ,b4 ,piatt1 from ,st4 ,nicholas1 #agh ,why the ,stars ,twinkle1 ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes1 #agi ,,god ,,bless ,,the ,,star6 ,god ,bless the ,star6 #aha-ahf ,crossing the ,bar1 ,tennyson1 #ahe ,ye ,golden ,lamps of ,heaven1 ,doddridge1 #ahe ,illustration3 ,,harry4 ,,stories ,,of ,,starland4 ,,light4 ,night has a thousand eyes1 ,and the day but one2 ,yet the light of the bright world dies ,with the dying sun4 ,the mind has a thousand eyes1 ,and the heart but one2 ,yet the light of the whole life dies ,when love is done4 --,f4 ,w4 ,bourdillon4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,giant ,,sun4 ,sister1 come here and talk to me4 ,i am so tired of being alone4 ,his sister ,mary at once closed her book1 and took a chair beside ,harry's couch4 ,poor little ,harry was not like other boys4 ,he could not play and run about as they did1 for he was a cripple4 ,all the long weary days he had to lie on a couch which was placed under the shady trees during the warm summer season4 ,he had learned to love the flowers and trees1 and the bright blue sky overhead1 and his sister often told him pretty stories about them4 ,she was just thinking of telling him one now1 when he said gently3 ,,ancient ,,stories ,,of ,,the ,,sun4 ,sister1 you have told me so many stories of the flowers4 ,i wish you would tell me something about the sky4 ,i have been looking at it for such a long time1 watching the little white clouds floating across it like boats with silver sails2 and then ,i tried to look at the bright yellow sun1 but it dazzles my eyes4 ,won't you tell me about it1 and where it goes in the evening when we cannot see it any more8 ,is it always ready in the morning to give us light8 ,is it ever late1 do you think8 ,what would we do if it forgot to come round the edge of the earth and give us light8 he continued anxiously4 ,illustration3 ,,earth ,,supposed ,,to ,,be ,,flat4 ,there is no fear of that1 said his sister ,mary1 laughing at the idea4 ,but a long time ago people asked the very same question4 ,in those days they thought the earth was flat1 and surrounded by an ocean without end4 ,the ,hindoos supposed that the earth rested upon four elephants1 and the four elephants stood on the back of an immense tortoise1 which itself floated on the surface of an endless ocean4 ,it was thought that the sun plunged into the ocean when it disappeared in the evening1 and some people said they heard a hissing noise when the red-hot body went under the waves4 ,but if the sun dropped into the water each evening1 how did it happen that next morning it was seen again1 as hot and bright as ever8 ,the people could not tell why1 so they said that during the night the gods made a new sun to be used the next day4 ,that must have kept them busy1 said ,harry1 laughing4 ,illustration3 ,,ancient ,,idea ,,of ,,the ,,earth4 ,the good people made up another story about the sun1 so that the same one could be saved each night4 ,just as it was dropping into the ocean1 a god named ,vulcan1 who had a great boat ready1 caught it1 and all night long he paddled with the blazing sun4 ,next morning he was ready at sunrise to send the sun up into the sky in the east4 ,he threw it with so much force that it would go very high1 and when it came down on the other side in the west1 he stood ready to catch it again4 ,but where does the sun really go to at night8 asked ,harry curiously4 ,i should like to know4 ,,heat ,,of ,,the ,,sun4 ,illustration3 ,,illustrating ,,day ,,and ,,night4 ,we live on a big round globe called ,earth1 replied his sister1 and we travel round the sun1 which gives the earth light and heat4 ,the sun is like a great lamp in the sky1 and when you face the lamp you see the light1 but if you turn away from it you are in darkness4 ,as the earth goes around the sun1 it whirls around like a huge top2 first one side and then the other is turned to the sun and gets sunlight1 and so we have day and night4 ,if the sun1 or the lamp in the sky1 went out and stopped shining1 all the light would go out on the earth1 and we would miss its heat as well4 ,it is so hot that if it kept coming nearer and nearer until it was as far from the earth as the pretty bright moon1 the earth would get warmer and warmer and melt like a ball of wax4 ,illustration ,just like ,nellie's doll1 then1 said ,harry1 when she left it on the grass the other day4 ,the sun was so hot that day that when ,nellie picked up her doll1 she found that its wax face had melted and the eyes had fallen in4 ,so the sun did that1 continued ,harry1 laughing heartily4 ,poor ,nellie6 ,i must tell her that the next time ,i see her4 ,i can show you something else to prove how hot the sun is1 said ,mary1 as she picked up a leaf from the ground4 ,just wait a moment while ,i go into the house and get a magnifying-glass4 ,in a few minutes she returned1 holding the glass in one hand and the leaf in the other4 ,she held it so that the sun shone directly upon the glass and passed through it onto the leaf4 ,in a few seconds the leaf began to smoke1 and then burn1 until a little hole could be seen4 ,harry was so surprised that he had to try it for himself1 and he looked forward with much delight to a visit from his cousin ,nellie4 ,won't ,i have a lot to tell her8 he said to his sister3 all about the sun's melting her dollie1 and how to make the sun burn a hole through a leaf4 ,but the sun cannot be very far away1 can it8 he asked4 ,,distance ,,of ,,the ,,sun4 ,yes1 it is very far away1 replied ,mary4 ,if a railroad could be made from the earth to the sun1 and a train started going at the rate of a mile a minute1 it would take days and weeks and years to get there4 ,let me see1 said ,mary1 making a little note in her note-book4 ,there are sixty minutes in an hour1 and twenty-four hours in a day1 and three hundred and sixty-five days in a year4 ,why1 ,harry1 do you know it would take that train nearly one hundred and seventy-five years to get there8 ,it must be very far away1 then1 said ,harry1 more than a hundred miles4 ,it is more than a million miles1 said ,mary4 ,it is nearly ninety-three millions of miles away4 ,now let us suppose you want to go to the sun4 ,you would call at the railroad office and ask for a ticket to ,sunland4 ,the officer in charge would appear a little surprised1 because that is quite a long trip4 ,then he would look up the cost of the journey in his book1 and hand you a mileage book1 saying3 ',sir1 if you want to save money on this trip1 you had better take a mileage book with you1 costing two cents for every mile4 ,even then your fare will be nearly two million dollars4' ,then ,i would say3 ',dear sir1 ,i cannot go1 as ,i know my sister could not spare all that money4 ,i think ,i would rather walk to the sun4' ,how long would it take me to walk there1 supposing ,i could walk8 asked ,harry thoughtfully4 ,dear1 you would have to keep walking a very long time before you would ever get there4 ,supposing you walked four miles an hour1 and ten hours a day1 and kept this up for hundreds of years1 you would be more than six thousand years on the way4 ,when you reached the sun you would be footsore and weary1 and as old as the hills4 ,harry laughed heartily at the idea1 and thought again of poor ,nellie's doll and the melting wax running like tears down its cheeks4 ,but suppose1 he asked1 his eyes bright with excitement1 someone fired a big cannon at the sun4 ,would the cannon-ball ever get there8 ,again ,mary brought out her little note-book1 and1 with rather a look of surprise1 she said3 ,supposing the cannon-ball went as fast as it could go1 it would take nine years to reach the sun1 and the sound of the explosion would reach there in fourteen years4 ,the cannon-ball would come along first1 and five years afterward1 if you were living on the sun1 you would hear the sound made when the cannon was fired off4 ,it takes time for me to walk from the garden to the house1 so it takes time for sound to travel from the earth to the sky2 and sound travels only one-fifth of a mile in a second4 ,do you remember the thunderstorm the other day1 ,harry1 that frightened you so8 ,i shall never forget it1 said ,harry1 trembling at the thought4 ,you said1 ',count slowly'2 and ,i counted one1 two1 three1 four1 five1 up to fifteen4 ,then ,i said3 ',don't be afraid1 brother2 the storm is three miles away4' ,yes1 ,i remember1 said ,harry2 and ,i thought you were very clever1 and wondered how you knew4 ,it was not so wonderful1 after all1 was it8 said ,mary1 laughing4 ,now tell me1 sister1 said ,harry4 ,supposing ,i had a very long arm1 and stretched it out toward the sun1 and touched it with the tip of my little finger4 ,what would happen8 ,you would never know that you had burned it1 for the pain of burning would be one hundred and fifty years going along your little finger1 and down your giant arm nearly ninety-three millions of miles long1 before it at last reached your brain4 ,then it would let you know that one hundred and fifty years before you had burned your little finger4 ,harry stretched out his little arm in the direction of the sun1 and1 looking at it critically1 laughed at the idea of a giant arm millions of miles long4 ,it is too short by several inches1 said his sister1 reading his thoughts1 and joining in the laugh4 ,it would take hundreds and hundreds of little arms as long as yours1 would it not8 ,now what else do you want to know about the sun8 ,,size ,,of ,,the ,,sun4 ,if you are not very tired1 sister1 said ,harry coaxingly1 ,i should like to know how large it is4 ,is it as large as the earth8 ,illustration ,ever so much larger1 replied ,mary4 ,it is so large that if it were cut up into a million parts1 each part would be larger than the earth4 ,if we could weigh the sun in a pair of giant scales1 it would take over three hundred thousand globes as heavy as the earth to make the scales even4 ,if the sun were hollowed out1 and the earth placed in the center1 there would be room for the moon as well4 ,now the moon is thousands of miles from the earth1 and yet the edge of the sun would be thousands of miles from the moon1 as you will see in the picture4 ,if a tunnel could be made through the center of the sun1 and a train started going at the rate of a mile a minute1 it would take six hundred days for the train to reach the other side of the tunnel4 ,if this same train went around the edge of the sun it would take five years4 ,a train going around the earth would take seventeen days to complete the journey4 ,but suppose we went around the sun in a big steamer1 like the one ,uncle ,robert came over in2 how long would that take8 asked ,harry curiously4 ,only fifteen years1 said his sister1 laughing4 ,if you had started when you were a little baby you would still have five more years to travel before you would get back again to the starting-point4 ,then the sun must be very large1 said ,harry thoughtfully4 ,let us call it ,,giant ,,sun4 ,has it always been as large as it is now8 ,,the ,,sun ,,in ,,the ,,days ,,of ,,its ,,youth4 ,ever so much larger1 replied ,mary4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,sun ,,and ,,planets ,,forming ,,out ,,of ,,star-,,mist4 ,once upon a time it was a ball of glowing gas reaching as far as the path of the last planet4 ,the ball whirled around rapidly and the outer edge cooled4 ,a ring formed and separated from the ball and whirled around on its own account1 until it broke up into fragments4 ,one of the fragments drew all the others toward it1 and another ball was formed1 but quite a small ball this time1 called a planet4 ,just like the central ball1 the planet kept whirling around1 threw off a ring1 the ring broke up into little pieces1 and the pieces1 coming together1 made a little moon4 ,the planet is ,neptune1 and it still has only one moon4 ,meanwhile the ball in the center kept whirling around1 other rings formed other planets with their attendant moons1 completing the family of ,giant ,sun4 ,the ,sun is in the center and his planets circle around him4 ,next to him is playful little ,mercury1 then beautiful ,venus1 then our own planet ,earth4 ,beyond it1 we find ruddy ,mars1 the four hundred and fifty baby planets1 giant planet ,jupiter1 the ringed planet ,saturn1 and the last two planets1 ,uranus and ,neptune4 ,all these planets are under the control of the sun1 and cannot get away from him4 ,what is the sun made of8 asked ,harry4 ,of iron and copper and silver1 and many other things we can find on earth2 but the sun is so hot that they are melted together into a mass like glue4 ,this is the center of the sun4 ,outside is a shell of bright clouds1 from which rosy flames leap to a height of thousands of miles above the surface of the sun4 ,all around the edge of the sun1 and reaching millions of miles beyond it1 is the pearly light of the corona like a crown of glory4 ,the pearly corona fades away into a soft beam of light4 ,how beautiful the sun must be6 said ,harry1 as he listened attentively to his sister4 ,but is it all alone in the sky1 and does it not have any little stars to play with8 ,it is not at all lonely1 said ,mary1 laughing at the idea of the stars as playthings for ,giant ,sun1 and is kept quite busy looking after its large family of planets4 ,i will tell you about them to-morrow1 or nurse will scold me for tiring you4 ,and now1 good-by1 my dear4 ,don't forget all ,i have told you about ,giant ,sun4 ,forget6 how could ,i1 sister8 ,it is better than any fairy tale ,i have ever heard4 ,giant ,sun6 ,why you have told me enough to keep me thinking all day and all night4 ,here comes ,nellie4 ,hello6 ,nellie1 come here and let me tell you all about ,,giant ,,sun1 and how he melted your dollie for you the other day4 ,melted my dollie6 said a pretty little golden-haired girl1 as she tripped like a little fairy up the garden-path4 ,so he melted my dollie1 did he8 ,i should like to see him do it again6 ,tears came into her eyes at the thought of her sad experience4 ,since then1 however1 a china head had replaced the melted wax1 and ,nellie's fickle little heart had been comforted4 ,so the tears soon vanished in a smile as she showed her new treasure to ,harry4 ,,on ,,the ,,setting ,,sun4 ,those evening clouds1 that setting ray1 ,and beauteous tint1 serve to display ,their great ,creator's praise2 ,then let the short-lived thing called man1 ,whose life's comprised within a span1 ,to ,him his homage raise4 ,we often praise the evening clouds1 ,and tints so gay and bold1 ,but seldom think upon our ,god1 ,who tinged these clouds with gold4 --,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,illustration3 ,,giant ,,sun ,,and ,,little ,,earth4 ,,the ,,four ,,sunbeams4 ,,by ,m4 ,k4 ,b4 ,four little sunbeams came earthward one day1 ,shining and dancing along on their way1 ,resolved that their course should be blest4 ,let us try1 they all whispered1 some kindness to do1 ,not seek our own pleasuring all the day through1 ,then meet in the eve at the west4 ,one sunbeam ran in at a low cottage door1 ,and played hide-and-seek with a child on the floor1 ,till baby laughed loud in his glee1 ,and chased with delight his strange playmate so bright1 ,the little hands grasping in vain for the light ,that ever before them would flee4 ,one crept to the couch where an invalid lay1 ,and brought him a dream of the sweet summer day1 ,its bird-song and beauty and bloom2 ,till pain was forgotten and weary unrest1 ,and in fancy he roamed through the scenes he loved best1 ,far away from the dim1 darkened room4 ,one stole to the heart of a flower that was sad1 ,and loved and caressed her until she was glad1 ,and lifted her white face again2 ,for love brings content to the lowliest lot1 ,and finds something sweet in the dreariest spot1 ,and lightens all labor and pain4 ,and one1 where a little blind girl sat alone1 ,not sharing the mirth of her playfellows1 shone ,on hands that were folded and pale1 ,and kissed the poor eyes that had never known sight1 ,that never would gaze on the beautiful light ,till angels had lifted the veil4 ,at last1 when the shadows of evening were falling1 ,and the sun1 their great father1 his children was calling1 ,four sunbeams sped into the west4 ,all said3 ,we have found that in seeking the pleasure ,of others1 we fill to the full our own measure1 ,then softly they sank to their rest4 --,st4 ,nicholas1 ,december1 #ahgi4 ,,the ,,sun4 ,somewhere it is always light2 ,for when 'tis morning here1 ,in some far distant land 'tis night1 ,and the bright moon shines there4 ,when you've retired and gone to sleep1 ,they are just rising there2 ,and morning o'er the hill doth creep ,when it is evening here4 ,and other distant lands there be ,where it is always night2 ,for weeks the sun they never see1 ,the stars alone give light4 ,but though 'tis dark both night or day ,it is as wondrous quite ,that when the night has passed away1 ,the sun for weeks gives light4 ,yes1 while you sleep the sun shines bright1 ,the sky is blue and clear2 ,for weeks and weeks there is no night ,but always daylight there4 ,,the ,,family ,,of ,,giant ,,sun4 ,the next morning1 when ,mary came out in the garden to sit with ,harry1 she was surprised to see an audience of three instead of one3 ,harry1 whose face beamed with delight when he saw her2 ,nellie1 who was seated in a tiny rocking chair beside him1 and ,nellie's doll4 ,you see1 dollie wants to know all about ,giant ,sun1 too1 ,nellie gravely informed ,mary4 ,i never could remember all1 and she might remember what ,i forget4 ,besides1 she must learn some day4 ,that is what mamma said about me4 ,i heard her1 ,nellie continued wisely1 as she looked up at ,mary4 ,do you mind telling me about the sky-people too8 ,mind8 ,why you little bit of a doll baby1 laughed ,mary1 as she picked her up1 doll and all1 and hugged her1 if you and dollie promise not to go to sleep1 you can stay here as long as you want to4 ,but does ,aunt ,agnes know you are here1 ,nellie2 or have you run away from home8 ,illustration3 ,,giant ,,sun ,,and ,,his ,,family4 ,no1 ,i have not run away1 said ,nellie earnestly1 but my dollie has4 ,nurse brought me over here1 but she did not know my dollie was here4 ,i forgot all about her yesterday1 while ,harry was telling me about ,giant ,sun1 and ,i left her out on the grass4 ,but she didn't melt a bit4 ,i knew you wouldn't1 dear little dollie1 would you8 ,now1 dollie1 sit up straight1 and listen to ,cousin ,mary talk4 ,my1 how she can talk1 too6 ,can't you8 ,i'll try1 said ,mary1 laughing4 ,so you want to hear about ,giant ,sun and his family4 ,he has such a large family1 and he has to give them all plenty of light and heat4 ,if he put out his big lamp in the sky1 it would be always dark here1 and we would shiver with cold and die4 ,when ,i come to your room at night1 ,harry1 to say good-night1 ,i always carry a lamp in my hand so that ,i can see you2 but supposing a puff of wind blew it out1 then ,i could not see you at all4 ,now this light is not only for us1 but for the rest of the sun's family as well4 ,first1 there is little ,mercury1 who was named after the god of thieves2 and he deserves this name1 because he steals more light and heat from the sun than any of the other planets4 ,,what ,,is ,a ,,planet8 ,what is a planet8 asked ,harry4 ,a planet is just like this earth we are living on1 and only shines with the light it borrows from the sun4 ,if we lived on planet ,mercury1 and could look at our earth1 we would see it shining like a bright star in the sky2 but all the light comes from the sun4 ,do we live on a star1 then8 asked ,nellie1 her little eyes wide open with amazement4 ,no2 we live on a planet4 ,we could not live on a star1 as a star is blazing hot4 ,that is the difference between a star and a planet4 ,a star is hot and bright and shining and gives light to the planets1 if it has any4 ,planets are little globes like the earth that circle around the sun4 ,then the sun must be a star1 said ,harry1 as you told me yesterday that it is very hot4 ,that is right1 said ,mary2 and every star in the sky is a sun4 ,and has lots of weensy-teensy planets going all around it8 asked ,nellie excitedly4 ,,story ,,of ,,planet ,,mercury4 ,some of them have1 ,i am sure1 said ,mary4 ,but now we are running along too fast1 and ,i must tell you about our own sun first1 and its nearest planet ,mercury4 ,well1 ,mercury is a very warm little world1 and it gets so near the sun that sometimes it is about nine times as warm as here1 and at other times it is only four times as warm4 ,you see1 ,mercury does not go round the sun in a perfect circle1 so at times it is farther away than at others4 ,now1 the sun is like a great fire in the sky1 and the nearer we go to it the warmer we are4 ,how would you like to live on a little world where it is nine times warmer than it is here8 ,i should not like it at all1 would you1 dollie8 said ,nellie2 we would roast if we went to world ,mercury4 ,but we don't know whether there are any people there1 continued ,mary1 and if there are1 they might not mind the heat at all4 ,you can get used to the heat1 just as ,uncle ,robert did when he went to ,india4 ,don't you remember how he felt the change when he came home1 and how he shivered8 ,he missed the heat just as we would suffer from it if we went to ,india for the first time4 ,illustration3 ,,comparative ,,size ,,of ,,sun ,,as ,,seen ,,from ,,the ,,planets4 ,then ,uncle ,robert would not mind going to ,mercury1 said ,harry1 laughing1 if he is getting to like the heat in ,india4 ,but ,i do not want him to go yet1 as he might never come back again2 and what would we do without him8 ,what would we8 said ,nellie mournfully1 her eyes filling with tears at the very thought4 ,is a planet made of earth and stones and trees and flowers1 just like planet ,earth8 asked ,harry4 ,illustration3 ,,comparative ,,size ,,of ,,the ,,planets4 ,yes1 dear1 replied his sister2 only some planets1 like ,jupiter and ,saturn1 are still wrapped up in a blanket of clouds and steam1 and we cannot see them yet4 ,they are very hot indeed1 and all the water that will make the oceans and seas and bays is now steam and clouds hiding the true planet from view4 ,water could no more rest on the surface of the planets ,jupiter and ,saturn than it could rest on red-hot iron4 ,don't you remember1 the other day1 when nurse upset a cup of water on the hot stove1 how the water sizzled and turned into steam in a moment8 ,now planet earth1 a long time ago1 when it was a very young world1 was very hot like ,jupiter4 ,all the lakes and seas and oceans were turned into steam and blankets of cloud4 ,it would have been a very uncomfortable world to live on then4 ,but it became cooler and cooler1 and the clouds changed into the oceans and seas and lakes that make our earth so beautiful4 ,some day this little world will grow old1 and the oceans will get smaller and smaller1 and the earth colder and colder4 ,then there will be scarcely any air to breathe1 and we would gasp1 and die just like that poor fish that ,uncle ,robert caught last week and threw in the bottom of the boat4 ,don't you remember1 ,nellie1 how the poor little thing gasped and jumped around8 ,it could not live out of the water1 so it died4 ,now1 we cannot live without air1 and if this earth had not any air we would die4 ,but this will not happen for a very long time4 ,are you quite sure8 asked ,harry1 with an anxious look on his face2 because ,i don't want to die yet1 sister4 ,quite sure1 my little brother1 she said1 kissing him tenderly2 for hundreds and hundreds of years must pass away before anyone will have any idea that the earth is growing old4 ,and what will become of the poor little fishes when the oceans dry up8 asked ,nellie sadly1 as she clasped her dollie closely in her arms1 as though to protect it from the coming trouble4 ,i expect they will all die1 said ,harry wisely2 because you know1 ,nellie1 they can't live out of water4 ,can they8 ,or else that fish ,uncle ,robert caught would have lived1 said ,nellie4 ,but please tell us a story about ,mercury1 ,cousin ,mary1 and the other little planets4 ,well1 ,mercury is a very little planet1 and instead of taking a year of three hundred and sixty-five days1 it goes around the sun in eighty-eight days4 ,that is1 it goes round the sun four times while we go round it only once4 ,some think ,mercury always keeps the same side turned to the sun1 so that it is always day on one side and night on the other1 but we are not quite sure about this yet4 ,i should like to live on ,mercury1 wouldn't you1 ,harry8 said ,nellie1 clapping her hands with glee4 ,just think of day all the time1 and never having to go to sleep6 ,but you would get very tired of that1 said ,mary1 and long for the night to come4 ,and1 besides1 would you not miss seeing the moon and the beautiful stars8 ,i would live on the edge of ,mercury1 said ,harry thoughtfully1 so that when ,i was tired of day ,i might slip around it and have night4 ,it must be very cold on the other side1 where the sun does not shine1 if ,mercury gets all its heat from the sun4 ,i suspect it is1 said ,mary1 and ,i don't believe we should like to live on ,mercury1 after all2 so let us try the next planet1 which is called ,venus4 ,,story ,,of ,,planet ,,venus4 ,what a pretty name1 said ,nellie2 and is ,venus very warm1 like ,mercury8 ,it is not so near to the sun1 replied ,mary1 but it is about twice as warm and bright as our planet4 ,venus is nearly as large as the earth1 and sometimes she is called her twin sister4 ,like ,mercury1 she may probably always turn the same face to the sun1 and get baked on one side and frozen on the other4 ,she looks like a beautiful silver globe in the sky4 ,sometimes we see her early in the morning as a morning star1 or just about twilight as an evening star4 ,like ,mercury and the earth1 she borrows all her light from the sun4 ,we only see her because the sun is shining on her4 ,next to ,venus is our own planet1 earth1 and around it circles the moon1 but ,i must tell you about that another time4 ,illustration3 ,,earth ,,in ,,space4 ,,estelle',s ,,astronomy4 ,,by ,,delia ,,hart ,,stone4 ,our little ,estelle ,was perplexed when she found ,that this wonderful world ,that we live on is round4 ,how 'tis held in its place ,in its orbit so true ,was a puzzle to her1 ,with no answer in view4 ,it must be1 said ,estelle1 ,like a ball in the air ,that is hung by a string2 ,but the string isn't there6 --,st4 ,nicholas1 ,march1 #ahif4 ,,venus4 ,fairest of stars1 last in the train of night1 ,if better thou belong not to the dawn1 ,sure pledge of day1 that crown'st the smiling morn ,with thy bright circlet4 --,milton4 ,,the ,,evening ,,star4 ,lo6 in the painted oriel of the ,west1 ,whose panes the sunken sun incarnadines1 ,like a fair lady at her casement1 shines ,the evening star1 the star of love and rest6 ,and then anon she doth herself divest ,of all her radiant garments1 and reclines ,behind the somber screen of yonder pines1 ,with slumber and soft dreams of love oppressed4 ,o my beloved1 my sweet ,hesperus6 ,my morning and my evening star of love6 ,my best and gentlest lady6 even thus1 ,as that fair planet in the sky above1 ,dost thou retire unto thy rest at night1 ,and from thy darkened window fades the light4 --,longfellow4 ,,mercury4 ,first1 ,mercury1 amid full tides of light1 ,rolls next the sun1 through his small circle bright2 ,our earth would blaze beneath so fierce a ray1 ,and all its marble mountains melt away4 ,fair ,venus next fulfills her larger round1 ,with softer beams and milder glory crowned2 ,friend to mankind1 she glitters from afar1 ,now the bright evening1 now the morning star4 --,baker4 ,a ,,ramble ,,on ,,the ,,moon4 ,the moon was shining brightly and flooding ,harry's room with its rays4 ,he was suffering so very much1 and had tried in vain to sleep4 ,presently he asked his nurse if she would not let ,mary come and talk to him4 ,it will not tire me1 he begged earnestly2 and it does tire me to lie here hour after hour with no one to talk to4 ,his nurse understood him so well1 and her heart ached for the lonely child who had so little to amuse him in life4 ,she never refused a request if it were at all possible to grant it4 ,so she called his sister ,mary1 who hastened at once to his room1 and brother and sister were soon far away on a ramble in starland4 ,we shall go to the moon this evening1 she began1 and find out what a queer old world it is4 ,old8 asked ,harry2 why do you call it old1 when it looks so bright and new8 ,see1 sister1 how it seems to be looking right into the window and watching us4 ,i wonder if it knows what we are saying about it4 ,now what would it think if it heard you calling it old8 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,moon4 ,but it is1 said ,mary1 laughing2 and very old indeed4 ,its face is wrinkled and scarred1 and is just like that of the old dried-up apple we found in the orchard the other day4 ,what makes it so bright1 then1 if it is so old8 asked ,harry1 as he looked curiously at the moon4 ,it borrows its light from the sun1 replied his sister2 if the sun were to stop shining you would not be able to see the moon at all4 ,it would be as dark as night and twice as gloomy4 ,do you think there are people on the moon8 asked ,harry excitedly4 ,no1 dear1 not even the ',man in the ,moon1' though ,i am going to tell you some stories about him presently4 ,besides1 no one could live on the moon1 as there is not any air to breathe1 and you cannot live without air4 ,there is not any water to drink2 in fact1 there is not a drop of water on the moon4 ,then it must be very old1 said ,harry thoughtfully1 because you know you told me1 sister1 some time ago1 that if a planet grows very old all the oceans and bays disappear4 ,yes1 the moon is very old2 it is a dead world4 ,if you could go there1 you would find it a very gloomy spot4 ,there are no trees or flowers2 and there is not even a blade of grass4 ,the sky is always black and the stars shine night and day4 ,the shadows are so black on the moon that it would be a fine place to play hide-and-seek4 ,the moment you stepped into a shadow you would become invisible4 ,illustration3 ,,scenery ,,on ,,the ,,moon4 ,just like the prince in the fairy tale who put on a little cap and no one could see him1 said ,harry4 ,yes2 that prince would not need the cap on the moon4 ,if he did not want anyone to know he was there1 all he would have to do would be to keep in the shadow4 ,no one would hear his footsteps1 as not a sound can be heard on the moon4 ,it would be useless to speak1 as there is no air to carry the sound of a voice4 ,i should not like to go to the moon1 then1 said ,harry seriously1 because you could not tell me any stories1 sister1 could you8 ,what would ,i do then8 ,i really cannot imagine1 said ,mary1 laughing2 but perhaps you might come across the ,man in the ,moon and talk to him in sign-language4 ,like the deaf-and-dumb people8 asked ,harry4 ,if he could understand it1 said ,mary2 but then1 we know there is really not any ,man in the ,moon4 ,but there is a story about him1 said ,harry coaxingly1 and ,i do wish you would tell it to me1 just now while the moon is looking at us from the sky4 ,,the ,,man ,,in ,,the ,,moon4 ,well1 once upon a time1 began ,mary1 in true fairy-story fashion1 there was a man who went out into the woods and picked up sticks on a ,sunday4 ,that was very wicked of him1 you know1 because ,sunday is a day of rest1 and picking up sticks is work4 ,he tied the sticks together into a bundle1 and1 putting them on his shoulder1 started to walk home with them4 ,on the way he met a handsome stranger1 who said to him3 ',what are you picking up sticks for on ,sunday8' ',it does not matter to me whether it is ,sunday or ,monday1' replied the man roughly4 ',i pick up sticks when ,i want to4' ',very well1 then1' replied the handsome stranger sternly1 'since you will not observe ,sunday as a day of rest on earth1 you shall have an everlasting moon-day in heaven4' ,next moment he went whirling away to the sky1 and landed on the moon1 where you can still see him with his load of sticks on his back at full moon4 ,can ,i see him now1 sister8 asked ,harry4 ,not to-night1 she replied1 because there is only a quarter moon4 ,but perhaps you can see the face of the woman in the moon1 if you look very carefully4 ,see her sharp chin and pointed nose and shaggy eyebrows4 ,why1 is there a woman in the moon1 too8 asked ,harry1 as he looked intently at the moon1 trying to see all his sister had pointed out1 but having to rely largely upon his imagination4 ,,the ,,woman ,,in ,,the ,,moon4 ,i have heard a story of an old woman who was sent to the moon4 ,why1 what had she done8 asked ,harry4 ,she was very unhappy while on earth1 because she could not tell when the world would come to an end2 that is1 when it would get old and dead like the moon1 so that no one could live on it any longer4 ,for this she was sent to the moon4 ,she has been weaving a forehead strap ever since4 ,once a month she stirs a kettle of boiling hominy1 and her cat sits beside her unraveling her net4 ,so she keeps on weaving and weaving1 and the cat unravels her work as soon as it is done4 ,this must continue to the end of time1 for never till then will her work be finished4 ,poor old woman6 said ,harry2 ,i wonder she does not hide her work from the cat1 or send the cat away4 ,but then1 that is only a story4 ,can you tell me another8 ,do you never tire of stories8 asked ,mary1 smiling4 ,never1 when you tell them to me1 sister4 ,and you seem to know such a lot of them4 ,but these stories are only fairy-tales1 said ,mary1 laughing2 these moon-stories1 ,i mean4 ,i don't mind1 said ,harry roguishly2 we must have a little make-up story now and then1 or ,i would get tired4 ,do you make them all up yourself1 sister8 ,no1 indeed1 said ,mary4 ,i find them here and there and everywhere2 sometimes right in the middle of a big book on astronomy1 or in the corner of an old newspaper1 or hidden away in a book covered with dust on the top shelf in the library4 ,where did you find that story about the old woman and the cat8 ,in a book of ,indian legends1 and the story is told by the ,iroquois ,indians4 ,here is another one ,i found4 ,would you like to hear it8 ,you know ,i would1 dear1 said ,harry1 nestling closer to his sister1 as she clasped his hand in hers4 ,,the ,,toad ,,in ,,the ,,moon4 ,once upon a time a little wolf fell very much in love with a toad1 and went a-wooing one night4 ,just like the frog1 'he would a-wooing go4' ,you remember1 ,harry1 don't you8 ',whether his mother would let him or no1' continued ,harry2 of course ,i remember all about him4 ,so the wolf went after the toad and---- ,he prayed that the moon would light him on his way1 continued ,mary2 and his prayer was heard4 ,by the clear light of the full moon he ran after the toad1 and he nearly caught her1 when1 what do you think happened8 ,oh1 go on1 sister2 tell me quickly6 said ,harry excitedly4 ,why1 the toad jumped right onto the face of the moon1 and1 turning round to the wolf1 said3 ',how's that1 ,mr4 ,wolf8' ,and she is laughing at the wolf to this day4 ,that was a clever little toad1 said ,harry1 laughing2 and how vexed ,mr4 ,wolf must have been6 ,are there any more people on the moon--,i mean story people8 ,yes1 there is one we read about in the legend of ,hiawatha4 ,don't you remember how ,nokomis tells about a warrior '444 ,who very angry ,seized his grandmother1 and threw her ,up into the sky at midnight1 ,right against the moon he threw her3 ',tis her body that you see there4' ,do you think he meant the black marks you can see all over the moon1 sister8 ,illustration3 ,,earth ,,as ,,seen ,,from ,,the ,,moon4 ,,scenery ,,on ,,the ,,moon4 ,very likely1 replied ,mary2 and perhaps you would like me to tell you what those black marks are4 ,they are enormous plains and gloomy caverns on the moon4 ,a long time ago1 perhaps1 these plains were bays and seas4 ,at least1 a great astronomer named ,galileo thought they were1 and he gave them such pretty names--the ,sea of ,serenity1 the ,bay of ,dreams1 the ,ocean of ,storms4 ,but he lived in the days before it was known that there is not any water on the surface of the moon4 ,then the caverns on the moon may once have been volcanoes pouring forth hot lava and ashes1 just as the active volcanoes on the earth4 ,but the volcanoes in the moon have gone out4 ,they are now like huge dark caverns1 some of them more than fifty miles across4 ,one is three miles deep1 and it is named ,tycho1 after a great astronomer of olden times4 ,then there are mountains on the moon just like the mountains on earth1 and quite as high4 ,in walking over the moon you would find it very rough and uneven1 but you would not mind this very much1 as you would weigh so much less4 ,just think1 ,harry1 you would weigh only one-sixth as much as you do here4 ,and what would ,uncle ,robert weigh8 asked ,harry1 with a gleam of mischief in his eye4 ,illustration3 ,,planet ,,earth ,,and ,,the ,,moon4 ,he would only weigh forty pounds1 said ,mary1 laughing2 and if he played football on the moon1 a good kick would send the ball six times as far away as here4 ,supposing we were on the moon now1 you could throw a stone at ,uncle ,robert's house on the other side of the grounds1 six hundred yards away1 and hit one of the windows4 ,i expect ,uncle ,robert may be glad then we are not on the moon1 said ,harry1 laughing2 because ,i am afraid ,i should be throwing stones at the windows all the time4 ,i can see the windows plainly from here4 ,there is a light in the library4 ,then it must be very late1 said ,mary1 looking over at the house2 because uncle said he would not be home till nine o'clock4 ,so ,i can only tell you one more little story about the moon1 and then ,i must let you go to sleep4 ,this story is told by the ,hindoo people1 and gives the reason why the moon shines with such a soft1 silvery light4 ,,the ,,hindoo ,,legend4 ,the ,sun1 the ,moon1 and the ,wind had been invited to dinner one day by their uncle and aunt1 ,thunder and ,lightning4 ,their mother 7one of the most distant stars you see far up in the sky7 waited patiently at home for the return of her children4 ,sad to relate1 the ,sun and ,wind were both greedy and selfish1 and1 while enjoying the good feast1 forgot all about their poor hungry mother at home4 ,but the gentle ,moon did not forget1 and whenever a dainty dish was placed before her she would put part of it aside for the ,star who waited so patiently at home4 ,when the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,wind returned home1 the ,star1 who had kept her bright little eye open all night long1 said3 ',dear children1 have you brought anything home for me8' ,then the ,sun1 who was the oldest1 said3 ',i have brought nothing home for you4 ,i went out to enjoy myself with my friends1 not to get a dinner for my mother4' ,and the ,wind said3 ',neither have ,i brought home anything for you1 mother4 ,you could scarcely expect me to think of you when ,i merely went out for my own pleasure4' ,but the gentle ,moon said3 ',mother1 see all the good things ,i saved for you1' and she placed a choice dinner before her mother4 ,then the ,star turned to the ,sun1 and said3 ',because you went out to amuse yourself with your friends1 without any thought of your poor1 lonely mother at home1 you shall be cursed4 ,henceforth your rays shall be ever hot and scorching4 ,they shall burn all they touch1 and men shall hate you and cover their heads when you appear4' ,that is why the sun is so hot to this day4 ,then she turned to the ,wind and said3 ',you also1 who forgot your mother while you were enjoying yourself1 shall be punished4 ,you shall always blow during the hot1 dry weather1 and shall parch and shrivel all living things4 ,men shall detest and avoid you from this time till the end of the world4' ,that is why the wind is so disagreeable during the hot weather4 ,but to the gentle ,moon she said3 ',daughter1 because you remembered your hungry mother at home1 you shall be cool1 calm1 and bright4 ,no dazzling glare will accompany your pure rays1 and men will call you blessed4' ,that is why the moon's light is so soothing and beautiful4 ,is that all8 asked ,harry1 as his sister finished the story4 ,that is all1 said ,mary2 but here is a little good-night lullaby by ,eugene ,field1 and then you must go to sleep3 ',in through the window a moonbeam comes1 ,little gold moonbeam with misty wings1 ,all silently creeping1 he asks1 ,are you sleeping1 ,sleeping and dreaming1 while the pretty stars sing8' ,,the ,,new ,,moon4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,follen4 ,dear mother1 how pretty ,the moon looks to-night6 ,she was never so cunning before2 ,her two little horns ,are so sharp and bright1 ,i hope she'll not grow any more4 ,if ,i were up there1 ,with you and my friends1 ,i'd rock in it nicely1 you'd see2 ,i'd sit in the middle ,and hold by both ends2 ,oh1 what a bright cradle 'twould be6 ,i would call to the stars ,to keep out of the way ,lest we should rock over their toes2 ,and then ,i would rock ,till the dawn of the day1 ,and see where the pretty moon goes4 ,and there we would stay ,in the beautiful skies1 ,and through the bright clouds we would roam2 ,we would see the sun set1 ,and see the sun rise1 ,and on the next rainbow come home4 --,taken from ,child-,life1 edited by ,whittier4 ,illustration ,,lady ,,moon4 ,,by ,,lord ,,houghton4 ,lady ,moon1 ,lady ,moon1 where are you roving8 ,over the sea4 ,lady ,moon1 ,lady ,moon1 whom are you loving8 ,all that love me4 ,are you not tired with rolling1 and never ,resting to sleep8 ,why look so pale and so sad1 as forever ,wishing to weep8 ,ask me not this1 little child1 if you love me2 ,you are too bold2 ,i must obey my dear ,father above me1 ,and do as ,i'm told4 ,lady ,moon1 ,lady ,moon1 where are you roving8 ,over the sea4 ,lady ,moon1 ,lady ,moon1 whom are you loving8 ,all that love me4 --,taken from ,child-,life1 edited by ,whittier4 ,a ,,legend4 ,a moonbeam once fell on the bell of a flower1 ,way down by a silvery rill2 ',twas cradled to sleep in a rapturous hour1 ,when all the green forest was still4 ,that flower1 when golden and glad was the morning1 ,was shriveled and wilted and thin2 ,but on the next night1 all its chalice adorning1 ,the moonbeam still lingered within4 ,since then has the flower been tender and creamy1 ,wherever its petals have blown1 ,all fragile and pearly and dainty and dreamy ,is the night-blooming cereus known4 --,taken from the ,new ,york ,tribune4 ,,the ,,planet ,,mars ,,and ,,the ,,baby ,,planets4 ,next morning ,harry and his little cousin ,nellie1 with her doll1 awaited ,mary4 ,harry had told ,nellie about his delightful ramble on the moon the evening before1 and she was delighted with the stories of the man1 the woman1 and the toad in the moon4 ,i wonder what cousin ,mary will tell us about this morning1 she said4 ,i am going to tell you about a pretty little planet named ,mars1 said ,mary1 as she came into the room and overheard ,nellie's remark4 ,picking up ,nellie1 and placing her on her knee1 she began the story of ,mars as follows3 ,,story ,,of ,,planet ,,mars4 ,next door to our own planet earth is a beautiful little world tinted with red4 ,it has snow-white caps at the north and south poles just like our earth1 and trees and flowers perhaps far prettier1 for all we know4 ,but there is not much water on ,mars1 because ,mars is an old planet4 ,how do you know it is old8 asked ,harry4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,planet ,,mars4 ,i know it is old1 replied his sister1 because the older a planet is1 the smaller are the seas and lakes and the amount of water on its surface4 ,as the planet gets older and older1 the water disappears1 until not a drop is left4 ,but there are wonderful canals all over ,mars1 and if there were boats up there1 you could go all over ,mars by means of these canals4 ,when ,mr4 ,lowell looked at ,mars through his fine telescope1 he not only saw the canals1 but round spots where the canals meet4 ,perhaps the spots are landing-places where the captains take new passengers aboard1 said ,harry earnestly4 ,perhaps1 ,harry1 said his sister1 laughing2 that is1 if there are any people on ,mars1 and captains and boats4 ,how you would enjoy going in a yacht up and down these canals1 seeing the lovely flowers and scenery on ,mars1 for ,i am sure it must be a very beautiful little world4 ,it is not quite as bright on ,mars as it is here1 since it is farther away from the sun and only gets one-half as much light and heat4 ,the year is also nearly twice as long and lasts six hundred and eighty-seven days1 instead of only three hundred and sixty-five4 ,therefore1 the summer season is nearly twice as long1 but not nearly as warm as here4 ,then the winter must be twice as long and much colder than here1 ,harry said4 ,i do not think ,i should like that4 ,but perhaps the canals freeze over in the winter time1 and there may be fine skating up there8 ,illustration3 ,,canals ,,of ,,mars 7,,lowell74 ,no1 the canals disappear altogether during the winter time1 replied ,mary2 or1 rather1 we cannot see them until they reappear again as faint dark lines in the spring-time4 ,they get wider and wider until the summer season1 then they get narrow again and disappear4 ,some of them are double1 but the double lines we see may mean only grass and ferns on each side of a large canal fifty miles wide4 ,when the canals double1 the little round spots at the junctions of the canals darken4 ,perhaps these spots are like little islands in a desert1 and they are covered with grass during the summer time4 ,i should like to live on one of those little islands1 said ,harry4 ,wouldn't you1 ,nellie8 ,if ,i could take my dollie with me1 she replied1 as she gazed at it tenderly4 ,and we might go for little boat-rides all around the islands4 ,do you think there are any little girls on ,mars who have beautiful dollies like mine8 ,i really do not know1 replied ,mary2 but if there are any people living on ,mars1 ,i do know they are not like us4 ,we could not live there1 as there is not enough air for us to breathe4 ,we would gasp just as that poor fish did the other day1 when ,uncle ,robert hauled it up out of the lake and threw it into the boat4 ,we must have air1 and plenty of it1 if we want to live4 ,so we could not live on ,mars1 could we1 sister8 said ,harry4 ,it would not be comfortable1 replied ,mary2 besides1 it is not nearly as warm as here4 ,poor ,uncle ,robert would nearly freeze during the long winter4 ,he would also find another surprise awaiting him if he went to ,mars4 ,mars is a smaller world than the earth1 so everything weighs less4 ,ah6 ,i see1 said ,harry1 clapping his hands with glee4 ,uncle would not be so heavy on ,mars4 ,how glad he would be to go there6 ,poor ,uncle ,robert6 ,he is so heavy he just shakes the house when he walks across the floor4 ,next time ,i see him ,i shall say3 ',go to ,mars1 ,uncle ,robert1 and see what will happen to you there4' ,how much would he weigh on ,mars8 ,he weighs two hundred and forty pounds here1 and would weigh only ninety pounds there1 and you would weigh only thirty pounds4 ,so ,i could pick you up1 couch and all1 and carry you as easily as ,nellie carries her doll in its doll-carriage4 ,then dollie would weigh nothing at all1 said ,nellie1 looking at her doll curiously4 ,harry looked puzzled1 and after thinking a moment1 he said to his sister3 ,i cannot see why ,i would weigh less if ,i went to ,mars4 ,illustration3 ,,mars ,,and ,,the ,,earth4 ,because the planet being smaller than the earth1 it has less power to attract you and to hold you down to its surface4 ,the earth is like a great magnet1 and if there were not something drawing us to it and keeping us there1 we would be greatly puzzled4 ,tables and chairs would not stand firm1 and we would stagger about for want of weight1 just as when a diver tries to walk in deep water4 ,he has to have heavy weights fastened to him so as to keep him in place4 ,a stone that would be quite heavy on earth would weigh only a few ounces on ,mars4 ,nellie could carry this large rocking-chair ,i am sitting in and eight or ten dollies as well4 ,do you remember seeing the men at the circus jumping over bars five feet high8 ,well1 on ,mars they could jump fifteen feet1 while the clumsy old elephant we saw there would probably be as graceful and nimble as a deer4 ,how would football be on ,mars8 asked ,harry4 ,very unlike football here1 dear4 ,a good kick would send the ball much farther than here4 ,is ,mars very far away8 asked ,nellie4 ,if we could go there in a train1 would it take us ever so long going8 ,about sixty years1 said ,mary1 laughing1 if the train went a mile a minute4 ,if you tried to walk it1 going four miles an hour and ten hours a day1 it would take you more than two thousand years to get there4 ,so1 ,i don't think we can take that trip1 little girl1 can we8 ,but let us call on the next-door neighbor or neighbors to ,mars1 for there are about four hundred and fifty of them4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,baby ,,planets4 ,four hundred and fifty little worlds8 asked ,harry4 ,where can there be room for them all1 and don't they knock against each other in the sky8 ,no1 there is plenty of room for them up there4 ,besides1 they are so small1 some of them being only ten miles wide4 ,why1 ,uncle ,robert walked ten miles the other day1 said ,harry2 he could walk all around those little worlds4 ,and if they are so little1 ,i suppose he would weigh scarcely anything at all if he lived on one of them4 ,i should think he would be almost like the giant with the seven-league boots4 ,don't you remember1 ,nellie1 you were reading about him the other day4 ,poor little ,jack the ,giant ,killer would not have much chance there1 but perhaps he could fly if he weighed so little4 ,and how would football be on these little worlds8 ,you might give the ball such a kick that it would leave the planet altogether and circle around the sun as a planet on its own account4 ,how ,harry and ,nellie laughed at the idea of a football circling around the sun as a planet6 ,and is this really true8 inquired ,harry4 ,why1 this is better than any fairy story ,i ever heard4 ,now1 tell me some more4 ,don't you think we might be able to fly on these tiny worlds8 ,if you could get someone to make you a pair of wings up there1 it would be quite easy to fly4 ,our bodies would only weigh a few pounds1 so we ought to be able to flap a pair of wings strong enough to keep us flying4 ,that is1 if the air around these little worlds is as dense as ours4 ,don't ,i wish ,i lived there1 then1 said ,harry regretfully1 because it would not matter about my being lame4 ,and ,i could put on my wings whenever ,i wanted to see you1 ,nellie1 and fly across the park1 and way1 way up into the sky1 and---- ,oh1 don't6 ,harry1 said ,nellie1 throwing her doll on the ground and catching hold of her cousin in dismay2 if you go you must take me with you too4 ,and poor little dollie1 she continued1 suddenly remembering her precious charge1 and ,cousin ,mary and ,uncle ,robert and ,aunt ,agnes and everybody in the world4 ,what would we do if you flew away from us8 ,but ,i can't1 said ,harry1 laughing at her dismay2 and it's just like a little girl to think ,i would go and leave her all alone4 ,no1 we'll all go some day1 won't we8 he continued1 turning to his sister ,mary2 and we'll be with the angels--and have wings4 ,you and ,nellie and ,i--why1 we will all fly1 and ,i shall forget ,i ever was lame on planet earth then4 ,and will father have wings1 too8 asked ,nellie curiously4 ,he will want a very big pair1 something like the big eagle's down at the aquarium4 ,will he1 you little rogue8 exclaimed the loud1 good-natured voice of her father1 as he appeared on the scene4 ,so this is where you are1 and ,i have been looking for you all over the house and grounds4 ,i told nurse ,i would be back in a minute1 she replied4 ,a minute6 said her father1 laughing heartily2 why1 you have been here nearly an hour4 ,so you want your father to have wings1 do you1 you little rogue6 ,wait till ,i show you how you would fly if you had wings4 ,the next moment he put her up on his shoulder1 dollie and all1 and ran with her across the meadow at full speed1 while she laughed merrily and clapped her hands with delight4 ,so the party is broken up1 said ,harry's nurse1 who came to look after her charge4 ,yes2 one of the audience has flown1 said ,harry1 laughing4 ,and ,i must fly1 too1 said ,mary1 as she kissed ,harry lovingly4 ,and ,i shall tell you about the rest of ,giant ,sun's family to-morrow4 ,good-by4 ,,story ,,of ,,jupiter ,,and ,,his ,,moons4 ,it was several days before ,mary could see ,harry again and tell him sky-stories1 as he called them1 for he had been suffering much pain4 ,even her gentle voice irritated him1 and perfect quiet was ordered by the doctor until the little sufferer was better4 ,at last he was able to enjoy the sunlight and the flowers and the song of the birds again1 and one bright morning he was all ready1 as he told his sister1 to take another trip to ,starland4 ,as ,mary arranged the pillows on the couch for him1 and a large sunshade1 so that the glare of sunlight would not hurt his eyes1 he caught hold of her hand and1 pressing it lovingly1 he said3 ,darling1 what should ,i do without you8 ,you are so good to me4 ,how can ,i help it1 little sweetheart6 said ,mary1 as she turned her head aside to keep him from seeing the tears that would come to her eyes2 how can ,i help it1 when ,i love you so dearly4 ,besides1 you are my own dear little brother1 and you don't know how ,i missed you all last week4 ,did you really1 sister8 ,and ,i was dreaming away all day long about the wonderful stories you have been telling me4 ,i played football on ,mars1 and had beautiful wings when ,i lived on the baby planets1 and flew from one to another1 and now ,i want to know something about the giant planets4 ,you said they lived next door to the little tiny planets4 ,,story ,,of ,,jupiter4 ,yes1 next door to the baby planets we come to the largest of all1 the giant planet ,jupiter4 ,if a tunnel were made through the center of ,jupiter1 eleven globes as large as the earth1 placed side by side1 would reach from one side to the other4 ,you could make thirteen hundred globes out of planet ,jupiter as large as the earth4 ,if the earth were a large snowball1 and a giant could roll thirteen hundred such snowballs into one1 he would have a ball to play with as large as planet ,jupiter4 ,if it were made of the same material as the earth1 it would be more than three hundred times as heavy4 ,it would take a very big giant to play with that snowball1 wouldn't it8 said ,harry1 smiling at the thought4 ,there would not be much room in the sky for him to play in1 would there8 ,illustration3 ,,giant ,,jupiter ,,and ,,the ,,earth4 ,plenty of room1 replied his sister1 laughing2 room for millions and millions of balls as large as ,jupiter1 and much1 much larger4 ,what a wonderful place the sky must be6 said ,harry1 in awe4 ,now1 tell me some more about ,jupiter4 ,didn't you tell me last week that he is hidden away among blankets1 and very1 very hot8 ,that is right1 ,harry1 but some day he will cool down1 and the blankets will change into beautiful oceans and seas and lakes4 ,then it will be a world like ours1 with trees and flowers1 and perhaps people will live there4 ,the sun is so much further away from ,jupiter than from the earth that it gives it only one twenty-seventh as much light and heat4 ,if you can imagine the sun as a bright lamp in the sky1 and someone turning down the wick of the lamp till its light is only one twenty-seventh as bright as it is now1 you can imagine how dim the light and small the amount of heat must be on ,jupiter4 ,how long does ,jupiter take in going round the sun8 asked ,harry4 ,about twelve years1 replied ,mary2 and the day is only about ten hours long1 instead of twenty-four as here4 ,what a short day6 said ,harry1 in surprise4 ,then you could work only five hours and sleep five hours4 ,i believe ,i would sleep all day1 and all night1 too4 ,i must tell ,nellie about that next time ,i see her4 ,why did not she come this morning1 ,i wonder8 said ,mary4 ,perhaps she has gone for a walk with her nurse4 ,i'll tell her about my trip1 said ,harry generously1 when she comes over here again4 ,and now what else is there about ,jupiter8 ,,jupiter ,,as ,,seen ,,through ,a ,,telescope4 ,if you look at it through a large telescope you will see that it is beautifully colored1 as if ,uncle ,robert had taken his paint-box1 and dipped his brush into browns and reds1 and tinted the cloud-belts around ,jupiter here and there with touches of yellow and orange1 olive-green and purple4 ,only an artist could get such beautiful effects4 ,if we could journey to one of the little moons of ,jupiter---- ,has ,jupiter moons also8 asked ,harry1 delighted at the thought4 ,five of them1 said ,mary2 and ,i shall tell you about them later4 ,supposing we could journey to one of these little moons1 what a glorious sight ,jupiter would be6 ,from the nearest moon it would look thousands of times larger than our moon4 ,the colors we see only faintly through our telescopes would present a magnificent sight when seen at close range1 while constant changes would be taking place1 as varied as the changes in the clouds flitting across a summer sky4 ,great cloud-masses drift hither and thither with enormous speed1 driven by winds of hurricane force4 ,by watching the changes that take place in the clouds1 we know there must be winds blowing at the rate of nearly two hundred miles per hour4 ,do you remember the cyclone ,uncle ,robert told us about1 when several houses were blown down and trees uprooted8 ,yes1 indeed1 ,i do1 replied ,harry1 and his poor little dog ,fido was nearly killed by a falling chimney4 ,poor little ,fido would not have much chance on ,jupiter4 ,the storms there are ever so much worse than here4 ,the strongest buildings would be blown down in a few moments2 sturdy oaks would be uprooted and blown about by the wind like straws4 ,do the storms last very long8 asked ,harry4 ,they last six and seven weeks at a time1 replied ,mary1 so that ,jupiter would scarcely be a comfortable world to live on yet4 ,besides1 it is still in the fiery stage4 ,won't you tell me some more about the little moons of ,jupiter8 asked ,harry4 ,,the ,,moons ,,of ,,jupiter4 ,they are not so little1 after all1 brother1 except the first one1 which is only one hundred miles wide4 ,it is such a shy little moon that it keeps hiding behind ,jupiter1 or gets so close to him that it is lost in the glare of light from the giant planet4 ,we had no idea it was there at all until an ,american astronomer1 ,professor ,barnard1 caught sight of it one evening4 ,it was playing hide-and-seek as usual1 but ,professor ,barnard1 with his keen eyes1 spied the little speck of light4 ,it is now known as the fifth moon of ,jupiter4 ,it was only discovered in #ahib1 and just think1 that for the hundreds and hundreds of years it has been there1 yet no one had seen it4 ,the ,french people were so delighted because ,professor ,barnard caught sight of the little truant that they gave him a beautiful gold medal4 ,illustration3 ,,jupiter ,,and ,,his ,,moons4 ,won't you show the little moon to me sometime8 said ,harry4 ,i should like to see it so much4 ,you can only see it through a very large telescope2 but ,i can show you the other four moons if ,uncle ,robert will lend us his telescope4 ,here he comes1 said ,harry1 in great glee1 as he saw ,uncle ,robert crossing the meadow4 ,won't you bring over your telescope this evening8 said ,harry pleadingly1 as he told him what ,mary had just said4 ,certainly1 my little man1 his uncle replied2 but we can only see three of the moons this evening as one of them is eclipsed4 ,what's that8 said ,harry1 in surprise at the strange word4 ,eclipsed means hidden1 said ,mary1 laughing4 ,if ,uncle ,robert stands right in front of you1 as he is doing just now1 he hides me from you1 so ,i am eclipsed4 ,very true1 said ,uncle ,robert1 laughing heartily at the hint4 ,planet ,mary is eclipsed by ,uncle ,robert1 and poor little ,planet ,harry cannot see her till ,uncle ,robert gets out of the way4 ,this he immediately proceeded to do1 and next moment he was pursuing ,fido1 who was having a not over-friendly encounter with a strange cat in a neighbor's garden4 ,oh1 dear1 said ,harry1 in distress1 where were we8 ,we were up in the sky among the planets1 and now ,uncle ,robert has brought us back again to earth4 ,do listen to poor ,fido4 ,he certainly seemed to be getting the worse of the encounter with ,pussy2 but when ,uncle ,robert came to the rescue the enemy vanished1 and ,fido1 nothing daunted1 went in search of other prey4 ,when peace and quiet were once more restored1 ,mary resumed her story4 ,,eclipse ,,of ,,jupiter',s ,,moons4 ,do you know1 the appearance and disappearance of the little moons of ,jupiter once gave a great deal of trouble to astronomers4 ,they had a way of appearing a little too soon or a little too late4 ,they were very seldom on time4 ,this was very provoking1 as astronomers were rather proud of being able to tell exactly when these little moons could be seen4 ,at last they found out what was the matter1 and that they were to blame and not the moons4 ,we see the little moons on account of their light1 and light takes time to travel4 ,don't you remember1 ,i told you sound travels a mile in five seconds4 ,light travels even more quickly1 for it only takes a little over a second in coming to us from the moon4 ,it takes about eight minutes in coming to us from the sun2 but ,jupiter is about five times as far away from us as the sun1 so that light takes about half an hour in coming to us from ,jupiter4 ,we do not see it as it is1 but as it was more than half an hour ago1 when its rays of light started out to ,planet ,earth4 ,now1 ,jupiter1 in going around the sun1 is sometimes on the same side of the sun as we are4 ,then the light from the moons reaches us in about thirty-two minutes4 ,but when ,jupiter is on the opposite side of the sun1 and as far away from us as it can be1 then light takes as much as forty-eight minutes in coming here--over a quarter of an hour longer4 ,so a clever astronomer decided that when ,jupiter and his moons are nearest to us1 it does not take as long for their light to reach us as when they are farther away1 and this is because light1 like sound1 must have time to travel4 ,even though light can go round the earth seven times in a second1 traveling at the rate of about #ahf1jjj miles a second1 yet1 as ,jupiter is millions of miles away1 it takes light about half an hour1 and some times forty-eight minutes1 for it to cross that great distance4 ,it is just the same as if ,uncle ,robert were in ,india4 ,it would take him a much longer time to come and see you than if he were at his home just a few hundred yards away4 ,it takes time for him to travel here1 just as it takes time for light to travel from the little moons of ,jupiter4 ,i wish we had five moons shining on our earth1 said ,harry2 how pretty it would be6 ,does it take the moons as long as our moon to get around ,jupiter8 ,they are much livelier than our moon1 replied ,mary2 and the second moon flies right around ,jupiter in a little more than a day and a half1 and even the outside moon only takes about two weeks2 so there must always be a moon shining in the sky for ,jupiter4 ,these moons1 except the moon discovered by ,professor ,barnard1 are all larger than our moon1 and the fourth one is nearly as large as ,mars4 ,but ,i hear the bell for lunch1 ,harry1 and ,i must run away now4 ,i will tell you about the other planets later4 ,how many are there8 said ,harry1 as his sister kissed him good-by4 ,only three1 replied ,mary2 and ,i shall tell you about them to-morrow1 if you are not too tired4 ,too tired6 said ,harry4 ,i am never too tired to listen to you4 ,,jupiter4 ,oh6 that it were my doom to be ,the spirit of yon beauteous star1 ,dwelling up there in purity1 ,alone1 as all such bright things are2 ,my sole employ to pray and shine1 ,to light my censer at the sun6 ,moore3 ,loves of the ,angels4 ,a ,,lesson ,,in ,,astronomy4 ,the solar system puzzled us1 ,miss ,mary said she thought it would1 ,and so she gave us each a name1 ,and made it all into a game1 ,and then we understood4 ,theresa1 with her golden hair ,all loose and shining1 was the sun1 ,and 'round her ,mercury and ,mars1 ,venus1 and all the other stars ,stood waiting1 every one4 ,i was the earth1 with little ,nell ,beside me for the moon so round1 ,and ,saturn had two hoops for rings1 ,and ,mercury a pair of wings1 ,and ,jupiter was crowned4 ,then when ,miss ,mary waved her hand1 ,each slow and stately in our place1 ,we circled round the sun until ,a comet1 that was little ,will1 ,came rushing on through space4 ,he darted straight into our midst1 ,he whirled among us like a flash1 ,the stars went flying1 and the sun1 ,and laughing1 breathless1 wild with fun1 ,the system went to smash4 --,youth's ,companion4 ,,the ,,giant ,,planets4 ,,the ,,planet ,,saturn4 ,harry had spent a most delightful evening looking through ,uncle ,robert's telescope at the little moons of ,jupiter1 and he also had seen the planet ,saturn1 with its rings and moons4 ,next evening when his sister came to talk with him he had many questions to ask her4 ,first of all he wanted to know what the rings were made of4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,ringed ,,planet ,,saturn4 ,millions of little moons1 replied his sister4 ,i wish you could see ,saturn and its rings through the great telescope at the ,lick ,observatory4 ,it makes such a pretty picture4 ,like ,jupiter1 the planet ,saturn is surrounded by clouds2 but they are tinted with blue at the poles1 yellow elsewhere1 and dotted here and there with brown2 purple1 and red spots4 ,around the center is a creamy white belt4 ,then1 there are eight moons that accompany ,saturn in its journey around the sun2 but they give very little light to the planet1 since if they could all be full together they would give but a sixteenth part of the light we receive from the moon4 ,why is that8 asked ,harry4 ,,the ,,planet ,,uranus4 ,because ,saturn is so far away from the ,sun1 replied ,mary4 ,next to ,saturn we find ,uranus4 ,this planet was first seen by ,william ,herschel1 who afterwards became one of the greatest astronomers the world has ever known4 ,when ,herschel was a little boy his home was in ,hanover4 ,he had great talent for music1 and when he was fourteen years old he joined the band of the ,hanoverian ,guards4 ,what a proud boy he was when he dressed in his new uniform6 ,however1 pride must have a fall1 and it was not very long before he wished he had never entered the army4 ,just about this time war broke out between ,france and ,england1 and as ,hanover belonged to the ,english it was attacked by the ,french4 ,the ,hanoverian ,guards were badly defeated4 ,herschel spent the night after the battle hiding away in a ditch1 and next day1 assisted by his friends1 he ran away to ,england4 ,there he continued his musical studies1 and some years later he became a fine organist4 ,did he have to play a big organ like the one in our church8 asked ,harry4 ,something like that1 ,i suppose1 said ,mary2 and he played very well indeed4 ,he learned more and more about music1 and in the evenings when going and coming from the church he used to notice the beautiful stars overhead1 and he wished to learn something about them4 ,just the way ,i feel1 said ,harry4 ,i get nurse to pull up the window curtain at night so that ,i can see the stars from my bed1 and they seem to laugh and wink their little eyes at me as if they knew ,i was watching them4 ,did ,herschel have a telescope like the one ,uncle ,robert has8 ,he was not so fortunate1 but he wanted one very much indeed4 ,so he borrowed a telescope from a friend1 and every night after practicing in the church he would amuse himself looking at the stars4 ,he longed to have a telescope of his own2 but he found that they cost more than he could afford to pay1 so he decided to make one4 ,he bought all that was necessary1 and turned his home for the time into a workshop4 ,he had a dear1 good-natured sister named ,caroline1 and she did all she could to help her brother4 ,sometimes he was too busy to eat and she used to feed him4 ,when he was tired she would read to him from the ',arabian ,nights4' ,the same book ,i have8 asked ,harry1 in surprise4 ,the very same2 and this helped to pass away the time while ,herschel polished away on the great mirror of his telescope4 ,when the telescope was finished people came from far and near to see it4 ,one evening when ,herschel was gazing at the stars with this magic glass he spied a star not marked down on his charts4 ',something wrong here1' thought ,herschel2 'this must be a comet4' ,but after noticing it for a while he found that it was not a comet1 but a planet or wanderer among the stars4 ,,difference ,,between ,a ,,planet ,,and ,a ,,star4 ,how could he tell the difference8 asked ,harry4 ,when ,i looked at ,planet ,jupiter last night it looked like the stars1 only rounder and bigger4 ,the planets are so much nearer to us than the stars that we can follow them as they slowly creep between us and the stars in their journey around the sun4 ,the stars are so far away that we would have to watch them for thousands of years before they would seem to move at all1 yet we know they are moving4 ,are the stars moving8 said ,harry1 in surprise4 ,yes1 they are moving1 just as distant steamers seen at sea are moving2 but they are so far away that they seem motionless4 ,don't you remember how we used to watch them from the seashore4 ,still they were going as fast as steam could take them4 ,we might compare the steamers to the stars1 and the little boats nearer shore were more like the planets4 ,we could easily follow the boats with our eyes as they danced over the waves1 and in the same way we can easily follow the planets as they creep across the sky1 because they are so much nearer to us than the stars4 ,the new planet was called ,uranus1 although at first the friends of ,herschel wanted to name it after him4 ,next to ,uranus comes the planet ,neptune1 which was discovered before it was ever seen4 ,,the ,,discovery ,,of ,,planet ,,neptune4 ,how could that happen8 asked ,harry4 ,because ,uranus behaved so strangely1 replied his sister4 ,the planets attract each other2 for instance1 the earth is swayed to and fro by ,jupiter and ,venus1 and a great struggle is always going on among the planets in the family of ,giant ,sun4 ,it could be plainly seen that ,saturn was taking part in the struggle and dragging ,uranus toward it1 but something beyond the newly discovered planet was pulling it the other way4 ',there must be another planet1' said the astronomers1 and they were right4 ,after puzzling over the problem two astronomers found the truant1 and announced exactly when and where it was to be seen4 ,and there it was1 nearly exactly where these learned men said it would be4 ,the new planet was christened ,neptune1 and it takes about one hundred and sixty-four years to go around the sun4 ,it is so far away from the sun that it only receives one nine-hundredth of the amount of light and heat we receive on planet earth4 ,then it must be very cold on planet ,neptune8 said ,harry4 ,and very dark also1 said ,mary1 since from this planet the sun only looks as large as an electric light seen at a distance of a few feet4 ,illustration3 ,,size ,,of ,,planets1 ,,compared ,,with ,,the ,,sun4 ,,is ,,it ,,true8 ,,by ,,morgan ,,growth4 ,she stood where the winter sunlight ,seemed opening into the skies-- 7,she was only a little girl1 you see1 ,and her teacher was old and wise74 ,you never can be promoted1 ,that wise1 wise teacher said1 ,for the lesson you need the most of all ,you leave unlearned1 little maid4 ,i didn't like to say it-- ,her answer was grave1 and slow-- ,that the earth goes whirling 'round like a ball1 ,for ,i don't see how they know4 ,i'll write it down on my paper1 7,the one that ,i hand to you7 ,but when ,i die ,i shall find the ,lord1 ,and ask ,him if it's true4 ,the classes were called without her1 ,and the schooldays come and go1 ,and other children wonder and wait-- ,it is hers alone to know4 ,sometimes1 in the empty schoolroom1 ,the teacher is left alone ,with the echoes that linger about the place ,and call from stone to stone4 ,and1 lo1 with this world's learning ,before his wondering view1 ,he goes to his ,lord--his all-wise ,lord1 ,and asks ,him if it's true4 --,from ,child-,study ,monthly4 ,,comets ,,and ,,meteors4 ,a few evenings later ,mary had a wonderful story to tell her brother about some visitors from space who often visit the kingdom of ,giant ,sun4 ,they are called comets1 or hairy stars1 but ,i rather enjoy calling them 'celestial tramps4' ,what are they like8 asked ,harry4 ,,story ,,of ,,comets4 ,they usually have a bright golden head1 sometimes as large as the earth1 and as they approach the sun they adorn themselves with a glittering train millions of miles in length4 ,some of the comets are regular visitors1 and we know just when to expect them2 others come1 and do not return for hundreds of years1 while a few visit the sun never to return again4 ,where do they come from8 asked ,harry4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,comet4 ,we scarcely know1 replied ,mary1 except that it is from outer space1 just like tramps on earth4 ,we do not know where tramps come from1 nor do we expect to see them again4 ,if they do revisit us1 however1 we can usually recognize them4 ,do you remember the old man who came to the kitchen door the other day and begged for food8 ,you felt so sorry for him4 ,you would know him if you saw him again on account of his long white beard1 white hair1 and shabby clothes4 ,when a celestial tramp returns1 however1 it is not so easy to recognize it4 ,when it first greeted us it may have had a large head and a gorgeous train millions of miles in length4 ,next time we see it1 how it has changed6 ,its head may be small1 its train may have vanished1 or it may be the proud owner of three or four trains4 ,a comet usually changes its appearance at every visit4 ,just as if the old man we saw the other day were to cut off his beard1 dye his hair black1 and wear ,uncle ,robert's dress-suit4 ,we should not know him1 should we1 ,harry8 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,picture ,,of ,a ,,comet4 ,i should think not1 said ,harry1 laughing at the very idea4 ,then how can you tell when the same comet visits us again8 ,because it has a regular path marked out for it in the sky1 replied ,mary1 and it travels along that path unless something happens to it on the way4 ,it may go too near giant planet ,jupiter4 ,just like our tramp again4 ,let us suppose he has a regular path marked out and it takes him across ,uncle ,robert's farm and leads to our kitchen door4 ,we may expect to see ,mr4 ,tramp to-morrow1 but as he crosses the farm a dog bites him and frightens him away4 ,perhaps then we may not see him again4 ,poor old man1 laughed ,harry4 ,i hope that won't happen to him4 ,do the 'celestial tramps' travel very quickly through the sky8 ,not very quickly until they come close to the sun4 ,then they rush around it ever so much faster than an express train2 but as they recede from the sun they go more slowly until they seem only to creep along1 as if worn out by their long journey4 ,they also lose their trains after they go away from the sun1 and the train becomes shorter and shorter1 till the comet looks like a round1 fluffy ball1 just as it did before it came too near the sun4 ,it is the sun's heat that drives the particles from the head of the comet and forms a train4 ,what are comets made of8 asked ,harry4 ,of millions of tiny little particles covered with coats of glowing gas4 ,these particles are made up of carbon1 sodium1 iron1 and magnesium4 ,you will find plenty of sodium in the sea1 while common table salt is partly sodium4 ,you know what magnesium is4 ,some of that medicine doctor gives you is made of it4 ,so if ,i get some iron and salt and coal and some of my medicine1 and put them all together1 ,i should have a bit of a comet1 said ,harry4 ,but you must remember the coal1 iron1 sodium1 and magnesium must be very much heated1 and don't forget the coat of gas4 ,sometimes a comet breaks into pieces1 and the fragments travel along by themselves as meteors4 ,sometimes the earth plunges through swarms of meteors1 which journey in regular paths around the sun4 ,at such a time1 the bright masses seem to fall in showers from the sky4 ,there are three great showers which we always know when to expect4 ,some come in ,august1 some on the #acth or #adth of ,november1 and there is another shower which always appears within a day or two of the #bgth of ,november4 ',if you ,november's stars would see1 ,from twelfth to fourteenth watching be1 ,in ,august too stars shine from heaven1 ,on nights between nine and eleven4' ,,story ,,of ,,meteors4 ,what are meteors8 asked ,harry4 ,meteors are great masses of stone or iron which sometimes weigh several tons4 ,lieutenant ,peary found one not long ago in the ,arctic regions1 and it weighed about eighty tons4 ,it is lucky for us that many meteors do not fall on the earth1 or we should have to walk about with iron umbrellas over our heads as a protection4 ,when they do fall on earth1 they are much prized and placed in our museums as curiosities4 ,a story is told about a meteor that fell on a farm some time ago4 ,the landlord said it belonged to him1 for when he rented the farm to the tenant he claimed all minerals and metals found in the ground4 ',but it was not on the farm when the lease was made out1' said the tenant4 ',then ,i claim it as flying game1' replied the landlord angrily4 ',but it has neither wings nor feathers1 so ,i lay claim to it as ground game1' said the tenant in reply4 ,while the dispute was going on the custom-house officers seized the meteorite1 because1 as they said1 it had come into the country without paying duty4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,meteor4 ,that is not a true story1 is it8 asked ,harry1 laughing4 ,scarcely1 replied ,mary2 but it was a good joke on the landlord4 ,and now we come to the very smallest members of the family of ,giant ,sun4 ,i mean the shooting stars4 ,those bright little flying stars we can see at night8 asked ,harry4 ,,story ,,of ,a ,,shooting ,,star4 ,yes1 replied ,mary2 and if they could only talk1 what a wonderful story they would have to tell6 ,a shooting star is very much smaller than a meteor1 and the largest does not weigh more than a quarter of an ounce4 ,you could easily hold one in your hand1 for it is like a small stone1 only1 unlike a stone1 it is always on the move4 ,it hurries along through space ever so much faster than an express train1 and all goes well as long as it keeps above the blanket of air that surrounds the earth4 ,if it comes too near1 however1 it is sure to be destroyed4 ,it dashes into the air at the rate of twenty-five miles a second1 rubbing against every particle it meets on its way4 ,this makes it intensely hot1 until it glows with brilliant light4 ,we see it for a few moments as it flashes out against the dark sky2 but the light soon fades and all that remains of the shooting star is its ashes4 ,sometimes they sift down upon the earth and settle on the tops of high mountains1 or sink into the ocean1 or float in through an open window and rest upon tables and books as fine dust4 ,but when our good housekeeper finds it there she carefully removes it with her duster4 ,she does not know nor does she care where it came from2 it certainly has no right there1 and she treats it with small ceremony4 ,i wonder what she would say if she knew that the dust had come from the sky1 said ,harry4 ,i do not think it would make any difference1 said ,mary1 laughing4 ,and now ,i am going to tell you a little story about a shooting star1 and then ,i must say good-night4 ,it is said that the evil genii--you remember reading about them in the ,arabian ,nights1 don't you1 ,harry8 ,indeed ,i do1 he replied4 ,well1 at night they are said to fly up to the gates of heaven and listen to the conversation of the angels4 ,when the angels see their hidden foes1 they hurl fiery shooting stars at them and with so good an aim that for every shooting star we may be sure there is one spirit of evil less in the world4 ,,starlight ,,at ,,sea4 ,overhead the countless stars ,like eyes of love were beaming1 ,underneath the weary ,earth ,all breathless lay a-dreaming4 ,the twilight hours like birds flew by1 ,as lightly and as free2 ,ten thousand stars were in the sky1 ,ten thousand in the sea4 ,for every wave with dimpled face ,that leaped upon the air ,had caught a star in its embrace ,and held it trembling there4 --,amelia ,b4 ,welby4 ,illustration3 ,,lick ,,observatory4 ,,stories ,,of ,,the ,,summer ,,stars4 ,it was a glorious night in ,june1 and the stars sparkled like gems against the dark background of the sky4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,great ,,bear4 ,harry was enjoying the scene1 as the doctor had allowed him to spend the warm summer evenings out on the lawn in front of the house4 ,this was a royal treat to him4 ,he could see all the sky at once1 he said to his sister1 and could look at the stars while she told him stories about them4 ,first of all1 there was the ,great ,dipper in the ,north1 and the ,little ,dipper with the ,pole ,star4 ,he was surprised when his sister said that the ,great ,dipper formed part of the group of stars known as the ,great ,bear1 and he listened intently while she related the story as told in olden times by the ,grecians4 ,,legends ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,bear4 ,the ,great ,bear was said to be ,calisto1 the beautiful daughter of ,lycaon1 king of ,arcadia4 ,juno1 the wife of ,jupiter1 was jealous of ,calisto1 and threatened to destroy her beauty4 ,fearing that ,juno would harm her1 ,jupiter changed her into a bear4 ',her arms grow shaggy and deformed with hair1 ,her nails are sharpened into pointed claws1 ,her hands bear half her weight1 and turn to paws2 ,her lips1 that once could tempt a god1 begin ,to grow distorted in an ugly grin2 ,and1 lest the supplicating brute might reach ,the ears of ,jove1 she was deprived of speech4' ,calisto had a son named ,arcas1 who became a great hunter4 ,one day he roused a bear in the chase1 and1 not knowing that it was his mother1 was about to kill her1 when ,jupiter1 taking pity on them both1 changed ,arcas into the ,little ,bear4 ,who was ,jupiter8 asked ,harry4 ,in the olden times1 he was supposed to live on the top of ,mount ,olympus1 with his beautiful wife ,juno4 ,when ,jupiter was angry with people1 it is said he would hurl thunderbolts at them1 and when he was pleased he placed them after death among the stars4 ,so he was pleased with ,calisto and her son8 said ,harry4 ,so the story says1 replied ,mary4 ,but he also seemed to be afraid of his jealous wife ,juno4 ,a modern ,greek legend gives another account of this constellation or group of stars4 ,it is supposed that at one time the sky was made of glass and it touched the earth on both sides4 ,it was soft and thin1 and someone nailed a bear skin upon it1 and the nails became stars2 and the tail is represented by the three bright stars known as the handle of the ,great ,dipper4 ,another story is told about a princess who was turned into a bear on account of her pride in rejecting all suitors4 ,for this her skin was nailed to the sky as a warning to other proud maidens4 ,would you like to hear what the ,indians tell about the ,great ,bear8 asked ,mary4 ,indeed ,i should1 replied ,harry4 ,i had no idea the ,indians looked at the stars4 ,they spend so much time on the open plains that they cannot help noticing them1 said ,mary2 and they tell many strange legends about them4 ,the ,iroquois ,indians tell the following story about the ,great ,bear1 which must have seemed like a ,bear to them1 just as it did to the ,grecians4 ,once upon a time a party of hunters who were in pursuit of a bear were suddenly attacked by three monster stone giants who destroyed all but three of them4 ,these1 together with the bear1 were carried up to the sky by invisible hands4 ,the bear is still being pursued by the first hunter with his bow1 the second hunter carries a kettle1 and the third is carrying sticks wherewith to light a fire when the bear is killed4 ,only in the autumn does the hunter pierce the bear with an arrow1 and it is said that it is the dripping blood that tinges the autumn foliage4 ,i like that story1 said ,harry4 ,don't you know another bear story8 ,i can tell you one1 replied his sister1 that is told by the ,fox ,indians of ,louisiana4 ,in the days of long ago the ,indians believed that the trees were able to walk about at night and talk to each other4 ,one dark night as a bear was wandering homeward through a lonely wood1 he was very much surprised to see the trees walking about1 nodding their heads and whispering to each other4 ,at first ,mr4 ,bear thought it was only the wind2 but where he saw a mighty oak before him1 the next moment it was far behind him or on the other side of the road4 ,presently he happened to run against a tree4 ,it was the oak1 the lord of trees4 ,the oak was angry and reached out one of its long branches and grabbed the bear by the tail4 ,the bear struggled all night long to get away1 and at last the oak1 losing all patience1 gave his tail a final twist and hurled him up into the sky4 ,they say his tail was stretched in the struggle4 ,,stories ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,dipper4 ,that is a funny story1 said ,harry1 enjoying the account of ,mr4 ,bear4 ,are there any stories about the ,great ,dipper8 ,i wonder why it is called the ',dipper'8 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,great ,,dipper ,,and ,,the ,,little ,,dipper4 ,because it is supposed to look like a dipper1 replied ,mary4 ,you can see the four large stars representing the dipper and the three stars that form the handle4 ,it is known as the ',saucepan' in the ,south of ,france1 and in other parts of ,france it is called the ',chariot of ,david4' ,in ,england it is called the ',plow' and sometimes ',charles's ,wain4' ,that means wagon4 ,in ,italy it is known as the ',car of ,bootes4' ,bootes was supposed to be an ox-driver and inventor of the plow--the ,dipper4 ,one day the driver1 oxen1 and plow were suddenly lifted off the earth and placed in the sky4 ,you can see ,bootes now1 and in front of him are the seven stars of the ,great ,dipper1 which he must drive around the ,pole ,star for all eternity4 ,a pretty story is told of a peasant who met our ,saviour near the shores of ,galilee and gave ,him a ride in his wagon4 ,as a reward he was offered a home in heaven2 but he preferred to drive his wagon from east to west for all eternity1 and his wish was granted4 ,there stands his wagon in the sky1 and the brightest of the three stars is called ',the ,rider4' ,in ,north ,germany ',the ,rider' is supposed to start out on his journey before midnight1 and to return twenty-four hours later1 his wagon turning round with a great noise4 ,he urges on his horses with loud cries of 'hi6 he6' which it is said have sometimes been heard by lucky mortals4 ,hush1 sister1 said ,harry softly2 let us see if we can hear him now4 ,no1 you could only hear him at midnight1 replied his sister--that is1 if the story were true4 ,it is only like a fairy story1 then8 asked ,harry4 ,all these stories are fairy stories1 replied ,mary2 and here is another4 ,a ,basque legend relates that a certain husbandman had two oxen stolen from him by two wicked thieves4 ,he sent his laborer after them1 but he did not return4 ,then he sent his housekeeper1 and his dog1 and finally he decided to go after the thieves himself4 ,he was so angry that he lost his temper1 and in punishment for the remarks he made he was condemned to continue his search through the sky for all eternity4 ,there you can see him now4 ,the two oxen are the first two stars1 then follow the two thieves1 and lastly the two servants1 the husbandman1 and the little dog4 ,where is the little dog8 asked ,harry4 ,look at the three stars in the handle of the ,dipper1 replied ,mary4 ,now look at the middle star1 and if you have good eyes you can see a little star close beside it4 ,here1 look through this opera-glass and you can see it better4 ,i see it now1 said ,harry1 as he looked through the glasses4 ,so that is the little dog8 ,yes1 replied his sister2 and the ,arabians gave it the name of ,alcor4 ,dear little ,alcor1 said ,harry1 as he continued looking at him1 ,i am going to look for you every evening now1 because ,i can see the ,great ,dipper from my window4 ,so you can1 replied ,mary2 ,i forgot that it faced north4 ,the ,american ,indians tell a quaint story about the ,little ,dipper4 ,would you like to hear it8 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,little ,,bear4 ,if you are not tired1 sister1 said ,harry4 ,you will get tired first1 for ,i enjoy telling you these stories1 if they amuse you1 dear4 ,well1 here is one that ,i came across some years ago among a collection of ,indian legends4 ,once upon a time a party of ,indians went out hunting in a strange country and lost their way4 ,they wandered about for many moons4 ,what does that mean8 asked ,harry4 ,i suppose they did not know anything about our months1 so they counted from full moon to full moon4 ,this shows how much they observe the sky4 ,but1 as ,i was saying1 they wandered about for many moons1 and at last the chiefs decided to hold a council and pray to the gods to show them the way home4 ,during the dance that preceded the council1 while the flames of burnt offerings were ascending to the gods1 a little child appeared suddenly in their midst and said she had been sent as their guide4 ,she said she was the ,spirit of the ,pole ,star1 and that if they followed where it led them they would reach their home in the far ,north4 ,the hunters thanked the child1 and following her advice they soon reached home4 ,here they held another council1 and decided to call the ,pole ,star1 'the star which never moves1' by which name it is known among these ,indians to this day4 ,when the hunters died it is said they were taken up to the sky1 and we can see them still following the ,pole ,star4 ,the hunters are supposed to be the stars that form the ,little ,dipper4 ,they are smaller than the stars of the ,great ,dipper1 said ,harry1 and the dipper is smaller1 but ,i can see it quite well4 ,and what are the stars between the two ,dippers8 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,dragon4 ,they curve in and out like a great dragon1 said ,mary2 and two bright stars mark its eyes4 ,yes1 it does look something like a dragon1 said ,harry4 ,what is its name8 ,it is called the ,dragon1 as that was the name given to it by the ,grecians long ago4 ,this was supposed to be the dragon that ,juno placed as guardian of a tree covered with golden apples4 ,no one dared to touch the tree while the dread monster was there4 ,but a brave man named ,hercules was not afraid1 and killed the dragon4 ,to reward it for guarding the tree ,juno placed it among the stars4 ,see the two bright stars that mark the eyes of the ,dragon1 and quite close to it is ,hercules1 represented in the olden maps as crushing the head of the dragon under his foot4 ,bootes1 who drives the ,great ,bear around the ,pole ,star1 is very near ,hercules4 ,there you can see him1 with his hunting dogs4 ,illustration3 ,,bootes ,,and ,,his ,,hunting ,,dogs4 ,where1 sister8 ,i cannot see him1 said ,harry4 ,look right overhead1 and to the west you will see ,bootes with a very bright star2 and to the east is ,hercules1 or the ,kneeler1 as he is sometimes called4 ,now1 in between there is a pretty little half-circle of stars like a crown4 ,this is called the ,northern ,crown4 ,,stories ,,of ,,the ,,northern ,,crown4 ,i can see that very well1 replied ,harry1 for it is exactly overhead1 and ,i cannot help seeing ,hercules and the ,bear-driver4 ,they are large enough1 he continued1 laughing4 ,why are the little stars called the ,northern ,crown8 ,this was supposed to be a beautiful crown of seven stars given by ,bacchus to ,ariadne1 the daughter of ,minos1 second king of ,crete4 ',her crown among the stars he placed1 ,and with an eternal constellation grac'd1 ,the golden circlet mounts1 and as it flies ,its diamonds twinkle in the distant skies4' ,there is a pretty legend told about it by the ,shawnee ,indians4 ,they call this group of stars the ',celestial ,sisters1' on account of the story1 which is as follows3 ,white ,hawk was a great hunter1 handsome1 tall1 and strong4 ,one day1 while wandering through the forest in search of game1 he suddenly found himself on the borders of a prairie4 ,it was covered with grass1 and flowers1 and a ring was worn through the grass1 without any path leading to or from it4 ,white ,hawk was surprised at this1 so he hid behind some bushes and watched4 ',soon he heard1 high in the heavens1 ,issuing from the feathery clouds1 ,sounds of music1 quick descending1 ,as if angels came in crowds4' ,looking up he saw a small speck in the sky which gradually became larger and larger4 ,it was a silver basket containing twelve beautiful maidens1 who leaped out as it touched the ground4 ,they danced around in the ring1 beating time on a silver ball4 ,white ,hawk gazed at the fairies in wonder1 and1 rushing out from his hiding place1 tried to capture the youngest and prettiest4 ,but the sisters were too nimble for him1 and1 jumping into the basket1 they were soon far away in the sky4 ,white ,hawk was vexed1 but he came again next day4 ,this time he disguised himself as a rabbit1 but one of the little sisters saw him creeping toward them4 ,she gave the alarm just in time for them to escape4 ,next day ,white ,hawk disguised himself as a mouse1 and hid in the stump of a tree that he had moved close to the fairy ring4 ,the sharp-eyed little fairy noticed that the stump was not in the same place1 and warned her sisters1 but they only laughed at her4 ,they even ran around it striking it in fun4 ,out ran ,white ,hawk1 caught the youngest and prettiest1 and took her home as his bride4 ,for a while they were happy1 but the ',celestial ,sister' became homesick1 and longed for her sisters in the sky4 ,one day when ,white ,hawk was out hunting she made a silver basket and1 taking it to the fairy ring1 she stepped into it1 while she sang a magic chant4 ,white ,hawk was returning home across the fields just as the basket rose above the tops of the trees1 and1 hearing the music1 he knew what had happened4 ,but his wife did not forget him1 and her father sent for him and invited him to come to the sky1 where he is now one of the bright stars shining near the ,northern ,crown4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,northern ,,crown1 ,,and ,,bootes1 ,,the ,,bear-,,driver4 ,that must be the brightest star in ,bootes1 said ,harry4 ,what is it called8 ,arcturus1 replied his sister4 ,near ,bootes is ,virgo1 the ,virgin who lived on ,earth during the ,golden ,age when people were very good4 ,near her are the scales in which she weighed the good and evil deeds of men4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,lion4 ,just above the ,virgin1 in the west1 you can see some stars that look like a sickle1 said ,mary4 ,illustration3 ,,leo1 ,,the ,,lion4 ,harry looked in the direction pointed out by his sister1 and there he saw the sickle plainly outlined by a few bright stars4 ,is there a story about it1 sister8 he asked4 ,yes1 replied his sister2 or rather there is a story not about the sickle1 but about the group of stars to which it belongs1 known as the constellation of the ,lion4 ,you remember how jealous ,juno was1 and she was even displeased with a brave man named ,hercules1 because he was afraid of nothing4 ,she told her cousin to command ,hercules to bring him the skin of a fierce lion that roamed at large through the forests4 ,hercules was not afraid1 and attacked the lion4 ,finding he could not kill it with his club and arrows1 he strangled the animal with his hands4 ,he returned home carrying the dead lion on his shoulders1 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 town4 ,what a coward ,juno's cousin must have been6 said ,harry disdainfully4 ,i suppose ,hercules laughed at him4 ,of course he did1 said ,mary4 ,but he was not the only brave man ,juno disliked4 ,orion1 the mighty hunter1 also aroused her anger because he boasted that nothing could harm him4 ,she sent a scorpion out of the earth1 and it stung him1 causing his death4 ,see the heart of the scorpion1 marked by a bright red star named ,antares4 ,above it is the serpent and the serpent-holder4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,scorpion4 ,,the ,,milky ,,way4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,milky ,,way ,,is ,,crowded ,,with ,,stars4 ,now look at the band of silvery light reaching from the north to the south4 ,that is the ,milky ,way1 and it is made up of millions of bright stars4 ,there are large stars and little stars1 and ,professor ,barnard thinks that there may be some very small stars forming out of the star-mist4 ,these little stars glitter in vast beds of glowing gas4 ,as scientists believe1 this gas is the matter from which worlds and suns are made4 ,the stars at these points in space seem to be actually growing out of the star-mist now surrounding them4 ,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 stars4 ,according to a ,french legend1 the stars in the ,milky ,way are lights held by angel-spirits to show us the way to heaven4 ,the ,grecians called the ,milky ,way the road to the palace of heaven4 ,on the road stand the palaces of the illustrious gods1 while the common people of the skies live on either side of them4 ,even the ,algonquin ,indians had something to say about it1 for they believed that it was the ',path of ,souls' leading to the villages in the sun4 ,as the spirits travel along the pathway1 their blazing camp-fires may be seen as bright stars4 ,longfellow refers to this in his poem ',hiawatha1' in describing the journey of ,chibiabos to the land of the hereafter4 ,while hunting deer he crossed the ,big ,sea ,water and was dragged beneath the treacherous ice by evil spirits4 ,by magic he was summoned thence1 and1 hearing the music and singing1 he1-- ',came obedient to the summons1 ,to the doorway of the wigwam1 ,but to enter they forbade him4 ,through a chink a coal they gave him1 ,through the door a burning fire-brand4 ,ruler in the ,land of ,spirits1 ,ruler o'er the dead they made him1 ,telling him a fire to kindle ,for all those who died hereafter1 ,camp-fires for their night encampments1 ,on their solitary journey ,to the kingdom of ,ponemah1 ,to the land of the hereafter4' ,a ,,swedish ,,legend4 ,according to a ,swedish legend1 there once lived on earth two mortals who loved each other4 ,when they died they were doomed to dwell on different stars1 far1 far apart4 ,but1 'as they sat and listened to the music of the spheres1' they thought of building a bridge of light that should reach from star to star1 till it spanned the distance separating them from each other4 ',they toiled and built a thousand years in love's all-powerful might1 ,and so the ,milky ,way was made a bridge of starry light4' ,now1 ,harry1 look at the ,milky ,way in the northern part of the sky1 and what do you see8 asked ,mary4 ,some stars that look like a ,w1 replied ,harry2 and just below it is another but larger ,w4 ,the small ,w is ,cassiopeia1 said ,mary1 and the large one is ,cepheus2 but ,i shall tell you their story another time1 as it is getting late now4 ,under the large ,w1 you will see some stars that look like a large cross4 ,this is sometimes called the ,northern ,cross1 but it is better known as the ,swan4 ,,legend ,,of ,,the ,,swan4 ,the ',swan' is supposed to represent a wonderful musician named ,orpheus4 ,apollo gave him a magic harp1 which he played with such sweetness that the wild beasts of the forest were tamed by its sounds1 rapid rivers ceased to flow1 and mountains and trees listened to the music4 ,one day ,orpheus met a beautiful maiden named ,eurydice1 and won her for his bride4 ,but their happiness did not last long1 as a serpent lurking in the grass stung her foot1 and she died of the wound4 ,orpheus mourned her sadly1 until at last he died and his spirit met hers in the kingdom of ,pluto4 ,afterward ,orpheus and ,eurydice were placed among the stars4 ,you can see the harp beside ,orpheus1 and it is adorned with a sparkling blue star named ,vega4 ,and now one more story1 said ,mary1 as she heard the church clock chime nine1 and then we must say 'good-by' to the stars for to-night4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,swan4 ,it has been lovely1 said ,harry4 ,i could listen to these stories all night long4 ,how ,i shall enjoy the stars since you have told me so much about them6 ,what are you going to tell me now8 ,just under the ,swan can you see a bright star1 and a little star on each side of it8 asked ,mary4 ,harry looked1 and after a few moments he found them4 ,when his sister had made sure that he could see the stars she meant1 she began her story as follows3 ,,meeting ,,of ,,the ,,star-,,lovers4 ,the ,japanese call the ,milky ,way the ,silver ,river of ,heaven1 and they believe that on the seventh day of the seventh month 7#gth of ,july71 the ,shepherd-boy star and the ,spinning-maiden star cross the ,milky ,way to meet each other4 ,vega1 the bright star in the harp1 is supposed to be the spinning-maiden1 and on the other side of the ,milky ,way1 crossing over where you see the bright star and the little star on each side1 you will find the shepherd boy1 otherwise known as the ,goat4 ,these stars are known among the ,japanese as the 'boy with an ox' and 'the girl with a shuttle1' about whom the following story is told3 ,there once lived on the banks of the ,silver ,river of ,heaven a beautiful maiden who was the daughter of the ,sun4 ,night and morning she was always weaving1 blending the roseate hues of morning with the silvery tints of evening4 ,that is why she was called the ,spinning maiden4 ,the ,sun-king chose a husband for her4 ,he was a ,shepherd boy who guarded his flocks on the banks of the celestial stream4 ,after meeting him the ,spinning maiden ceased to work1 and the bright hues of morning were left to take care of themselves1 while the silvery tints of evening hung like ragged fringe on the dark mantle of night4 ,the ,sun-king1 believing that the ,shepherd boy was to blame1 banished him to the other side of the ,silver ,river1 telling him that only once a year1 on the seventh day of the seventh month1 could the ,spinning maiden come to see him4 ,the king called together myriads of doves and commanded them to make a bridge over the river of stars4 ,supported on their wings1 the ,shepherd boy crossed over to the other side4 ,no sooner had he set foot on the opposite shore than the doves flew away1 filling the heavens with their billing and cooing4 ,the weeping wife and loving husband stood awhile gazing at each other from afar1 and then they separated1 one in search of another flock of sheep1 the other to ply her shuttle during the long hours of daylight4 ,thus the days passed away1 and the ,sun-king rejoiced that his daughter was busy again4 ,but when night comes1 and all the lamps of heaven are lighted1 the lovers stand beside the banks of the starry river and gaze lovingly at each other1 eagerly awaiting the seventh day of the seventh month4 ,as the time draws near the ,japanese are filled with anxiety4 ,what if it should rain1 for the ,river of ,heaven is filled to the brim1 and a single raindrop would make it overflow6 ,this would cause a flood1 and the bridge of doves would be swept away4 ,but if the night is clear1 then the ,spinning maiden crosses over in safety1 and meets her ,shepherd boy4 ,this she does every year except when it rains4 ,that is why the ,japanese hope for clear weather on the #gth of ,july1 when the 'meeting of the star-lovers' is made a gala day all over the country4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,eagle4 ,sister1 ,i can see the ,spinning-maiden star1 and the ,shepherd boy1 but where is the bridge of doves8 asked ,harry4 ,across the ,milky ,way1 said ,mary4 ,see the bright star1 which is called ,altair1 and one little star on each side4 ,we call that the ,eagle1 so if you change the story a little you can say the ,eagle takes the ,spinning maiden across the ,silver ,river of ,heaven4 ,,the ,,stars ,,and ,,the ,,violets4 ,when the sky was first made and suspended ,from the far and invisible bars1 ,it enveloped the world1 and ,god fashioned ,small windows1 and these are the stars4 ,and the bits of the sky1 through the evening1 ,fluttered down to the sod and the dew1 ,and behold6 in the morn they had blossomed1 ,and these are the violets blue4 ,,the ,,nights4 ,oh1 the ,summer night ,has a smile of light ,and she sits on a sapphire throne2 ,whilst the sweet winds load her ,with garlands of odor1 ,from the bud to the rose o'erblown6 ,but the ,autumn night ,has a piercing sight1 ,and a step both strong and free2 ,and a voice for wonder1 ,like the wrath of the thunder1 ,when he shouts to the stormy sea6 ,and the ,winter night ,is all cold and white1 ,and she singeth a song of pain2 ,till the wild bee hummeth1 ,and the warm spring cometh1 ,when she dies in a dream of rain6 --,adelaide ,proctor4 ,,the ,,calling ,,of ,,the ,,stars4 ,god's presence through the twilight stillness glides1 ,to spirits vocal--silent to the ear2 ,he calls by name each fair star where it hides1 ,and each star brightens1 as it answers ',here6' ,though we too call the stars1 they answer not1 ,they do not softly come like children shy ,at a fond parent's calling1 for1 ,i wot1 ,we do not know what names ,god calls them by4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,great ,,telescope ,,at ,,lick ,,observatory4 ,,stories ,,of ,,the ,,winter ,,stars4 ,i heard the trailing garments of the night ,sweep through her marble halls1 ,i saw her sable skirts all fringed with light ,from the celestial walls4 --,longfellow4 ,winter had come with its cold north winds and frosty air4 ,the stars glittered like gems against the dark velvet sky1 and seemed reflected in the mantle of pure white snow that covered the earth4 ,mary had asked ,harry's nurse to move his couch into her room so that he might see the stars from the windows1 one looking south1 the other east4 ,impatiently ,harry now awaited his sister1 who had promised to take him on another trip to starland4 ,the room was in total darkness1 and nurse had raised the curtains4 ,looking right into one window was the mighty giant ,orion1 while the ,twins peeped into another4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,royal ,,family4 ,it is as good as a play1 said ,harry1 as his sister started to tell him about them4 ,first of all1 she said1 ,i am going to tell you the story of the ,royal ,family1 although we cannot see them from this window4 ,you can get a glimpse of ,cepheus from your own room1 but the rest of the ,royal ,family are overhead4 ,you would have to make a hole through the roof if you wanted to watch them while ,i told their story4 ,if we could go out-of-doors1 as we did last summer1 could we see them overhead8 asked ,harry4 ,yes1 replied his sister2 but it is too cold now to look at them except from a warm1 cozy room4 ,to-morrow ,i shall show you a map of these stars1 and when the days grow warm again we can look for them in the sky4 ,can you see them during the summer-time as well as the winter8 asked ,harry4 ,illustration3 ,,queen ,,cassiopeia4 ,yes1 we can see them all the year round1 just as we can always see the ,pole ,star and the ,great ,dipper4 ,the ,royal ,family consists of ,king ,cepheus1 ,queen ,cassiopeia1 and her daughter ,andromeda1 sometimes called the ',chained ,lady4' ,perseus1 the rescuer1 is at the feet of ,andromeda1 while her head rests upon the shoulder of the winged horse ,pegasus4 ,the ,grecians told a wonderful story about this family4 ,it appears that ,cassiopeia boasted of her beauty1 and said she was more attractive than ,juno1 the wife of ,jupiter4 ,as for her daughter ,andromeda1 not a nymph in the sea could compare with her in good looks4 ,you may imagine how ,juno and the sea-nymphs felt when they heard this vain boast6 ,they determined to have revenge1 and ,juno asked ,jupiter to punish ,cassiopeia4 ,so she was sent away from the earth and placed among the stars with her husband ,cepheus4 ,illustration3 ,,king ,,cepheus4 ,as for ,andromeda1 the sea-nymphs asked ,neptune to send a sea-monster to devour her4 ,she was chained to a rock so that she might not escape this terrible fate2 but just as the monster was approaching a brave hero named ,perseus came to her rescue4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fair ,,andromede4 ,perseus was returning through the air on his winged horse ,pegasus from a terrible encounter with the ,gorgons4 ,these were three sisters who frightened everyone that saw them4 ,serpents were wreathed around their heads instead of hair1 their hands were of brass1 their bodies were covered with scales1 and their eyes had the power of turning all they looked at to stone4 ,perseus had cut off the heads of one of these terrible beings1 and when he saw the monster approaching ,andromeda1 he turned the head which he still held in his hand toward it1 and in a moment it turned to stone4 ,as a reward for his bravery1 he was placed after his death among the stars1 and near the fair ,andromeda4 ,he still holds the head in his hand1 and a star named ,algol1 or the ,demon1 as the ,arabs call it1 marks the evil eye4 ,sometimes it is bright1 but in a few hours it will grow dim1 as though winking at the people on earth4 ,for this reason it is called a variable or changing star4 ,illustration3 ,,perseus4 ,what is that1 sister8 asked ,harry4 ,a star that is brighter one time than another4 ,supposing someone kept turning the wick of the lamp up and down so that at one moment the room would be very bright and the next moment quite dim4 ,you would call that a changing light4 ,so it is with these stars1 only in the case of ,algol it is a planet that goes around it and at times cuts off part of its light4 ,for two days and a half it is very bright1 then during three or four hours it begins to get dim1 and remains so for twenty minutes and then it gets bright again4 ,supposing you were trying to read by lamplight1 and ,i should now and then hold a book between the lamp and you4 ,each time ,i did so the light on your book would grow dim4 ,there is another variable or changing star named ,mira1 in the group of stars called ,cetus1 which is no other than the sea-monster which was sent to devour ,andromeda4 ,you can see it if you look out of the window facing south1 and you will notice that it is at a safe distance from ,andromeda1 who is almost exactly overhead just now4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,fishes4 ,not far from the sea-monster are the ,fishes1 and the story about them is as follows3 ,one day when ,venus and her little son ,cupid were walking beside the banks of a river they were frightened at seeing a terrible giant named ,typhon4 ,flames flashed from his eyes1 and as he glared at ,venus and ,cupid they were overcome with fear and called on ,jupiter to help them4 ,he changed them into fishes1 and afterward placed them among the stars4 ,between ,cetus and ,orion you can see some stars winding in and out1 and they are part of the ,river ,eridanus4 ,a daring youth named ,phaeton tried to drive the chariot of the sun through the sky one day4 ,jupiter struck him with a thunderbolt1 and hurled him from heaven into the river below4 ,illustration3 ,,river ,,eridanus4 ',at once from life and from the chariot driven1 ,th' ambitious boy fell thunderstruck from heaven4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the breathless ,phaeton1 with flaming hair1 ,shot from the chariot like a falling star ,that in a summer's evening from the top ,of heaven drops down1 or seems at least to drop4' ,his sisters mourned his unhappy end1 and were changed by ,jupiter into poplars1 which are still to be seen on the banks of the ,river ,eridanus4 ',all the night long their mournful watch they keep1 ,and all the day stand round the tomb and weep4' ,poor ,phaeton1 said ,harry1 as ,mary finished the story4 ,and is that ,phaeton with those three bright stars near the river8 ,illustration3 ,,cloud ,,of ,,star-,,mist ,,in ,,orion4 ,no2 that is ,orion1 replied his sister1 and the three bright stars mark his belt4 ,under it you can see a small cloud of mist1 if you look at it through your opera glass4 ,it is clinging around one of the faint stars in the sword4 ,this is star-mist1 from which other stars are being made1 and it looks small only because it is so far away from us2 but there is enough star-dust there to make thousands of bright stars4 ,astronomers called these clouds nebul4 ,who was ,orion8 asked ,harry4 ,won't you tell me more about him8 ,he was a mighty hunter1 and in the old maps you can see him represented as warding off the attack of the ,bull1 which is glaring at him with its bright red eye named ,aldebaran4 ,a story was told by the ,grecians about this bull3 ,once upon a time there was a beautiful little girl named ,europa1 and she was a princess of ,phnicia4 ,one day she was playing with some friends and gathering flowers in a meadow near the seashore4 ,suddenly a snow-white bull appeared1 and the little children were very much afraid4 ,but the princess was not afraid4 ,she made a pretty garland of flowers and placed it around the bull's neck4 ,when it knelt down in front of her as though to thank her1 she jumped on its back1 and it ran away with her down to the sea4 ,plunging under the waves1 it swam with her to ,crete4 ,the ,grecians thought they saw the bull outlined among the stars in the sky1 but only its head and shoulders are there4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,bull1 ,,and ,,the ,,pleiades4 ,but there are not any animals really in the sky1 are there8 said ,harry4 ,no1 said ,mary1 laughing at the question2 but if you look at the stars you can imagine you see outlines of bulls and serpents and all kinds of strange animals4 ,only you have to imagine very much1 and this is exactly what the ,grecians did4 ,in the shoulder of the bull is the pretty little cluster of stars known as the ,pleiades4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,pleiades4 ,what is a cluster of stars8 asked ,harry4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,ball ,,of ,,suns4 ,hundreds and thousands of stars forming a family party1 as it were2 and seen from earth they seem to be closely packed together4 ,but if we could draw near to them1 however1 we should find that they were very far apart4 ,if you look at the ,pleiades through your opera glass you will see quite a number of little stars1 and if you could see it through the large telescope at the ,lick ,observatory you would be able to count hundreds of stars4 ,when the cluster had its photograph taken1 not long ago1 six thousand stars were counted1 so you might call the ,pleiades a 'ball of suns4' ,there are hundreds of these clusters1 or 'family parties1' in the sky--mighty regiments marching across the star-depths4 ,what do you mean1 sister8 asked ,harry in surprise4 ,all the stars are moving1 replied his sister4 ,some in one direction1 some in another2 but the stars in the ,pleiades are all drifting in the same direction4 ,the ,pleiades were said to be the seven daughters of ,atlas1 and were so beautiful that ,orion pursued them across wood and dale1 till the sisters called on ,jupiter to help them4 ,he changed them into doves1 and afterward placed them among the stars4 ,orion still seems to be pursuing them among the stars2 but1 strange to say1 they are drifting toward him now instead of away from him4 ,illustration3 ,,orion1 ,,the ,,great ,,hunter4 ,then he will soon catch them1 said ,harry1 laughing at the idea4 ,i once heard something about the ',lost ,pleiad4' ,what does that mean8 ,one of the seven stars supposed to represent the sisters does not shine as brightly as the rest1 so the ,grecians called it the ',lost ,pleiad4' ,some say the ,lost ,pleiad is ,electra1 who hid her face in her hands so that she might not see the burning of ,troy4 ,but she seems to have recovered from her fright1 as her star now glows as brightly as the rest4 ,others said it was ,merope1 who married a mortal while her sisters married gods4 ,an ,iroquois legend accounts for the ,lost ,pleiad by saying it is a little ,indian boy in the sky who is very homesick4 ,when he cries he covers his face with his hands and thus hides his light4 ,do tell me about him1 said ,harry1 looking forward to a treat1 as he always enjoyed these ,indian stories4 ,the story is as follows1 said ,mary3 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,seven ,,little ,,indian ,,boys4 ,once upon a time seven little ,indian boys lived in a log cabin in the woods4 ,every evening when the stars peeped out of the sky these children would take hold of hands and dance around1 while they sang the ',song of the ,stars1' and the stars learned to love them4 ,they would often beckon to the little boys1 inviting them to come up to the sky2 but the children loved their home on earth too well4 ,but one day they found fault with everything4 ,the oatmeal was too hot at breakfast1 there was an absence of pie at dinner-time2 and the distressing news that they were only to have corn and beans for supper was a climax to their 'tale of woe4' ,meanwhile their mother calmly ate her supper1 while her seven little boys looked on in hungry dismay4 ,when supper-time was over they filed slowly and sadly out of the cabin4 ,their mother felt sorry for them1 it is true2 but she knew that if she gave in now she would have to give in always4 ,she watched her boys as they danced as usual that evening and sang their song to the stars2 and then she hurried into the cabin and cleared away the uneaten corn and beans4 ,alas6 she did not hear the song her children sang to the stars4 ,when the stars beckoned as usual to the little boys1 inviting them to come up to the sky1 they had accepted the invitation4 ,as they danced round and round their heads and their hearts grew lighter1 and in a few moments they were soaring like birds through the air4 ,just then their mother went to the cabin door to tell them it was time to come home2 and imagine her horror when she saw her children slowly disappearing in the sky6 ,and now every evening the lonely mother gazes at seven bright stars in the sky1 which she fondly believes are her seven little boys1 but which are really the seven stars known to us as the ,pleiades4 ,one star in the group does not shine as brightly as the rest1 and this must be one of the little ,indians who is homesick4 ,i shall never forget that story1 said ,harry1 who had enjoyed every word of it2 and now ,i wish you would tell me about that very bright star on the other side of ,orion4 ,i can only just see it1 but it is so beautiful4 ,it is bluish-white1 and twinkles so brightly4 ,that is ,sirius1 the brightest star in this part of the sky1 replied ,mary1 and ever so much larger than the sun4 ,what makes it twinkle8 asked ,harry4 ,,why ,,the ,,stars ,,twinkle4 ,when we look at the stars we have to see them through the great ocean of air that surrounds the earth1 replied ,mary4 ,like the ,atlantic ,ocean1 when the ocean of air is disturbed there are waves1 and we have to look at the stars through the waves4 ,that is why their light seems to dance about so4 ,when the air is still then the starlight is steady1 but when it moves the stars twinkle4 ,if we could go to the moon1 where there is not any air1 we would not see the stars twinkle4 ,then ,i should rather stay here1 said ,harry1 because ,i like to watch them dancing about4 ,they seem so merry1 ,i am sure they are laughing at us1 sister4 ,is there a story about ,sirius8 ,it is part of a group of stars named the ',great ,dog1' she replied2 and higher up you will see the ',little ,dog4' ,these are the hounds that ,orion always took with him when he went hunting4 ,they seem to have even followed him to the sky4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,great ,,dog4 ,sirius is also known as the ,dog-star1 because when it was seen by the ,egyptians in the east just before dawn it was thought to announce the overflow of the ,nile4 ,therefore the ,egyptians watched this star1 which warned them1 like a faithful dog1 of the coming deluge4 ,it was their watch-dog or sentinel4 ,now ,i am going to tell you about the ,twins1 two brothers who loved each other dearly while on earth4 ,they were named ,castor and ,pollux4 ,castor was killed in battle4 ,pollux could not bear to remain on earth without him1 so ,jupiter placed him in the sky next to his brother4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,heavenly ,,twins1 ,,castor ,,and ,,pollux4 ,if you look through the glass you can see that ,pollux is a golden-yellow star and ,castor has a green tinge4 ,are all the stars colored8 asked ,harry4 ,,the ,,flowers ,,of ,,heaven4 ,yes1 replied his sister1 and they are as varied in color as the flowers of the earth4 ,the stars may be called ',the flowers of heaven4' ,longfellow says so beautifully3 ',silently1 one by one1 in the infinite meadows of heaven ,blossomed the lovely stars1 the forget-me-nots of the angels4' ,some of the natives of ,australia believe that when the flowers die on earth they rise on the winds and float away to the fair fields of heaven1 where they flourish forever in immortal beauty4 ,we cannot see the colors of these flowers of heaven very well1 on account of the air that surrounds the earth4 ,if it were removed1 then the dark sky would seem to be covered with starry flowers of all the colors of the rainbow4 ,how beautiful6 said ,harry thoughtfully4 ,how ,i wish we could see them that way6 ,but even as it is1 said his sister1 you can see some of these colors4 ,look at white ,sirius1 that sometimes seems to me tinged with blue1 and then at red ,aldebaran in the eye of the bull1 and a creamy star called ,capella just near the ,twins4 ,so you can see some of the colors4 ,and now a few more words about ,castor1 which is a double star4 ,that is1 it is made up of two bright stars1 and they go around each other4 ,professor ,ball was once showing the stars through his telescope to some friends1 when he pointed out this double star to them4 ,first of all1 he told them to note the different colors of the stars1 for one was white1 the other green4 ,all double stars are of complementary colors4 ,one may be green and the other red1 one blue and the other orange4 ,then ,professor ,ball told his visitors that the stars went round each other4 ',oh1 yes6' said one of the visitors4 ',i saw them going round in the telescope4' ,but it was the twinkling that made the stars appear to dance around each other4 ,in reality1 he would have had to remain with his eye at the telescope more than a hundred years before he could have seen the stars go completely around each other4 ,,number ,,of ,,the ,,stars4 ,i wonder how many stars there are in the sky1 sister1 said ,harry4 ,do you think we could count them8 ,i read somewhere1 replied his sister1 that the stars are as plentiful as the sands on the seashore4 ,still1 in the whole sky1 the number bright enough to be seen without a telescope is only from six to seven thousand in a clear1 moonless sky4 ,with an opera glass you can bring the number up to one hundred thousand4 ,a small telescope can show about three hundred thousand1 while with a telescope such as the one at the ,lick ,observatory the number would be nearly one hundred million4 ,but it is possible to photograph the stars1 and millions of stars have had their pictures taken4 ,probably we would never have known anything about them but the camera caught them1 and now they are being named and labeled1 so that they cannot escape us again4 ,in fact1 some of the stars are so far away that if we had not captured them in this way they would have remained hidden to us forever4 ,what do you mean1 sister8 said ,harry1 his eyes filled with surprise4 ,i mean1 dear1 that some stars are so far away that their light has not yet reached us4 ,don't you remember what ,i told you about ,jupiter's moons3 that they are so far away that light takes about half an hour in coming from them to the earth4 ,well1 the stars are hundreds of times as far away as ,jupiter's moons4 ,so far away are they that even from the nearest--a star seen in the southern hemisphere--light takes four years and four months in reaching us1 although light travels more than #ahf1jjj miles a second4 ,,distance ,,of ,,the ,,stars4 ,look at the ,pole ,star some night1 and you will not see it as it is now1 but as it was more than sixty-two years ago4 ,all this time its light has been on its way to ,planet ,earth4 ,if a planet travels around the ,pole ,star1 or ,polaris1 as it is sometimes called1 and an astronomer on that planet looked at the earth he would not see it as it is now1 but as it was more than sixty-two years ago4 ,there are other stars so far away that light takes hundreds of years in coming here4 ,perhaps they faded out long ago1 but the message is still on its way4 ,it does seem strange to think of people who may be living on distant worlds in space1 watching our little world1 but we need not fear4 ,the earth is so small that it could not be seen at all1 even from the nearest star4 ,at that distance ,giant ,sun would not look quite as bright as ,sirius does to us1 and giant ,planet ,jupiter would only appear as a faint speck of light near the sun4 ,how far away everything seems to be6 said ,harry4 ,yet you said just now that we could tell what the stars are made of4 ,how can we do that8 ,,what ,,are ,,the ,,stars ,,made ,,of8 ,the stars are made of iron1 copper1 zinc1 and other such metals1 but the heat is so intense that these metals are turned into vapor4 ,you have seen the steam coming from the spout of a kettle when water is boiling1 and you know then that the water is scalding hot4 ,but imagine heat so great that masses of iron and copper are not only melted but turned into vapor4 ,then you have some idea of the intense heat that prevails on the stars4 ,the rains that fall on earth are made up of drops of water1 but the rainfalls on the stars must be drops of melting iron1 while the clouds that form are sheets of molten metal4 ,how wonderful6 said ,harry2 and how do we know this1 as the stars are so far away8 ,by means of a little instrument known as the spectroscope1 or light-sifter4 ,but you must wait till you are a little older before ,i can explain that to you1 as it is something very difficult to understand4 ,at any rate1 ,i can tell you this1 that when we want to find out what a star is made of we catch a ray of its light and examine it with the light-sifter4 ,as ,professor ,ball quoted in one of his lectures3 ',twinkle1 twinkle1 little star1 ,now we find out what you are1 ,when unto the midnight sky ,we the spectroscope apply4' ,and can you tell how old the stars are8 asked ,harry2 because when you were talking about the planets you said some are old and some are young4 ,this same little spectroscope tells us that as well1 and we can recognize the stars that are in their infancy1 and others that are middle-aged or nearly worn-out4 ,how strange to think of worn-out stars1 said ,harry2 yet ,i suppose they must grow old sometime1 just as we do2 only ,i suppose they take ever so much longer growing up4 ,hundreds of years1 said ,mary1 laughing at the idea of grown-up stars4 ,there are young stars and old stars1 and even the star that gives us light and heat will grow cold and dead some day1 and not warm its planets any longer4 ,but that will be millions of years hence1 long after we are dead and gone4 ,,our ,,island ,,universe4 ,so it is all over the heavens4 ,our little universe is like an island in space4 ,there are other islands like our own1 with their millions of stars and star-clusters and star-mist1 passing through the periods of youth1 middle age1 old age1 and decay4 ,our little universe is not eternal4 ,it cannot last forever1 but as long as it does we should feel glad that we are here to enjoy it4 ,now1 ,harry1 ,i really think we have had quite a long ramble in starland for one evening1 and ,i believe two little stars ,i know need a rest4 ,they are a little tired1 said ,harry1 smiling2 two little worn-out stars1 sister2 and perhaps they do want to let the curtains down over them for awhile4 ,i believe they do1 said ,mary softly2 and the stars were hidden by their curtains almost before she had said the words4 ,,wynken1 ,,blynken1 ,,and ,,nod4 ,wynken1 ,blynken1 and ,nod1 one night ,sailed off in a wooden shoe-- ,sailed on a river of crystal light ,into a sea of dew4 ,where are you going1 and what do you wish8 ,the old man asked of the three4 ,we have come to fish for the herring-fish ,that live in this beautiful sea4 ,nets of silver and gold have we1 ,said ,wynken1 ,blynken1 ,and ,nod4 ,the old ,moon laughed and sang a song ,as they rocked in the wooden shoe1 ,and the wind that sped them all night long ,ruffled the waves of dew4 ,the little stars were the herring-fish ,that lived in the beautiful sea1 ,now cast your net wherever you wish1 ,never afeared are we4 ,so cried the stars to the fishermen three1 ,wynken1 ,blynken1 ,and ,nod4 ,all night long their nets they threw ,for the stars in the twinkling foam2 ,then down from the sky came the wooden shoe1 ,bringing those fishermen home4 ',twas all so pretty a tale1 it seemed ,as if it could not be4 ,and some folks thought 'twas a dream they dreamed ,of sailing that beautiful sea4 ,but ,i shall name you the fishermen three1 ,wynken1 ,blynken1 ,and ,nod4 ,wynken and ,blynken are two little eyes1 ,and ,nod is a little head1 ,and the wooden shoe that sailed the skies ,is a wee one's trundle-bed4 ,so shut your eyes while mother sings ,of wonderful sights that be2 ,and you shall see the beautiful things ,as you rock in the misty sea1 ,where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three1 ,wynken1 ,blynken1 ,and ,nod4 --,eugene ,field4 ,,seven ,,little ,,indian ,,stars4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,s4 ,m4 ,b4 ,,piatt4 ,seven little ,indian boys were they1 ,dancing with the moonbeams on a mound1 ,in the wind they all were whirled away1 ,and the fireflies searched the dews around4 ,seven little ,indian stars are they1 ,seven1 and only one1 my child1 is dim4 ,that's the ,singer1 their sad stories say2 ,that's the ,singer--let us pity him4 ,oh1 the little ,singer6 7,you can see ,he's not shining as the others are47 ,once1 when all the stars made wishes1 he ,wished he didn't have to be a star4 --,st4 ,nicholas1 ,march1 #ahij4 ,,why ,,the ,,stars ,,twinkle4 ,,by ,,oliver ,,wendell ,,holmes4 ,when ,eve had led her lord away1 ,and ,cain had killed his brother1 ,the stars and flowers1--the poets say1-- ,agreed with one another ,to cheat the cunning tempter's art ,and show the world its duty1 ,by keeping on its wicked heart ,their eyes of love and beauty4 ,a million sleepless lids1 they say1 ,will be at least a warning2 ,and so the flowers will watch by day1 ,the stars from eve to morning4 ,on hills and prairies1 fields and lawn1 ,their dewy eyes upturning1 ,the flowers still watch from reddening dawn ,till western skies are burning4 ,alas6 each hour of daylight tells ,a tale of shame so crushing1 ,that some turn white as sea-bleached shells1 ,and some are always blushing4 ,and when the patient stars look down1 ,on all their light discovers1 ,the traitor's smile1 the murderer's frown1 ,the lips of lying lovers1 ,they try to shut their saddening eyes ,and in the vain endeavor ,we see them twinkling in the skies1 ,and so--they wink1--forever4 --,taken from ,the ,autocrat of the ,breakfast-,table4 ,,god ,,bless ,,the ,,star6 ,darling1 ,i am feeling so tired this evening1 won't you sit beside my bed and hold my hand in yours while you tell me about the stars8 ,his sister ,mary suggested lighting the lamp and reading a story1 but he held her hand with gentle force1 saying3 ,do not light the lamp4 ,leave the curtain up so that ,i can see the stars from my window1 and tell me in your own words that story you told me of a star the other day--,dickens' story of a star4 ,don't you remember1 sister8 ,still holding his little hand in hers1 and giving it a loving pressure1 she rested her head on the pillow beside his1 and began1 in low soft tones3 ,there was once a beautiful bright star that shone down upon the home of a little boy and girl who wondered at its light4 ,they learned to know it so well that every evening the one who saw it first would say1 ',i see the star1' and before they went to sleep at night they would say ',good-night' to the star1 and1 ',god bless the star6' ,but the little girl1 while she was still very young1 became very weak and feeble1 so that she was unable to go to the window and look at the star1 so the brother would stand there alone and watch for it4 ,as soon as he saw it he would turn round to his sister1 and say1 ',i see the star1' and the little sister would answer gently1 ',god bless my brother and the star6' ,one evening the brother looked at the star alone1 for his little sister had passed away to her home among the stars4 ,that was a sad and lonely evening for the brother1 and at night he dreamed of his sister4 ,her face seemed to be looking at him from the bright star1 and he could see a pathway of light reaching from it to his room4 ,along the pathway were people passing from this earth to the stars4 ,angels waited to receive them1 and as they reached the star people came out to welcome them4 ,kissing their friends tenderly1 they went away together down avenues of light4 ,but there was one who waited patiently near the entrance of the star and asked the guide who led the people thither if her brother had not yet come4 ',not yet1' he replied kindly1 and as she turned sadly away the little brother reached out his arms toward her1 and said1 ',here ,i am sister2 ,i am coming to you4' ,as she turned her beaming eyes on him1 the star was shining into the room1 and he could see its rays of light through his tears4 ,from that hour the child looked on that star as his future home1 where he would some day meet his angel sister again4 ,and he waited1 oh6 so patiently1 and the years rolled slowly by4 ,he grew to manhood1 and still the star shone down upon him at night4 ,then he grew to be an old man with gray hair and wrinkled face1 and his steps were slow and feeble4 ,others had gone before him to the star4 ,a little brother who died while he was young--his mother--his daughter--and now surely his own time had come4 ,one night he lay upon a bed of sickness1 and as his children gathered around him he suddenly cried out1 as he had long ago1 ',i see the star4' ,then they whispered to each other1 ',he is dying1' and he heard them1 and said3 ',i am4 ,my age is falling from me like a mantle1 and ,i move toward the star as a child4 ,and1 ,o my ,father1 now ,i thank thee that the star has so often opened to receive those dear ones who await me6' ,and next day the star was shining1 and it still shines1 upon his grave4 99 99 99 99 99 ,harry had been lulled to sleep by the sound of his sister's voice1 and in the dim light ,mary could see that he was smiling in his dreams4 ,were his dreams1 she wondered1 about ,stories of ,starland8 ,,crossing ,,the ,,bar4 ,sunset and evening star1 ,and one clear call for me6 ,and may there be no moaning of the bar1 ,when ,i put off to sea4 ,but such a tide1 as1 moving1 seems asleep1 ,too full for sound and foam1 ,when that which drew from out the boundless deep ,turns again home4 ,twilight and evening bell1 ,and after that the dark6 ,and may there be no sadness of farewell1 ,when ,i embark4 ,for tho' from out our bourne of ,time and ,place ,the flood may bear me far1 ,i hope to see my ,pilot face to face ,when ,i have cros't the bar4 --,tennyson4 ,,ye ,,golden ,,lamps ,,of ,,heaven4 ,ye golden lamps of heaven1 farewell1 ,with all your feeble light2 ,farewell1 thou ever-changing ,moon1 ,pale empress of the ,night4 ,and thou1 refulgent ,orb of ,day1 ,in brighter flames arrayed2 ,my soul1 that springs beyond thy sphere1 ,no more demands thine aid4 ,ye stars are but the shining dust ,of my divine abode1 ,the pavement of those heavenly courts ,where ,i shall reign with ,god4 ,father of eternal light ,shall there his beams display1 ,nor shall one moment's darkness blend ,with that unvaried day4 --,philip ,doddridge4