THE VOLCANO.
AUWAE suddenly forgets the long and tiresome ride, as she jumps from
her horse's back in front of the hotel. This hotel is built on the edge
of a crater! Think of the family who live here year after year! Night
after night they look from the windows upon the raging fire below, yet
are not afraid. Many a time the earth shakes beneath them, and the house
rocks to and fro. The shelf of lava on which it stands may break at any
moment, and the people within may suddenly be flung over the precipice.
Yet they live on, and work and play as others do who have nothing to
fear.
In many places around the house are cracks in the earth from which
sulphur fumes are rising. As the children look out in front they see the
crater itself, more than nine miles round, and nearly a quarter of a
mile deep.
As they creep out and look over the edge, what is before them? The
crater is filled with steam, while over in a distant corner of the pit
they look for the first time upon the "house of everlasting fire," as
the old legends call it,--the home of the goddess Pele.
The flames rise and fall, now high enough to light up the evening sky,
now low as though dying out, and with it can be heard the breathing of
this great furnace of nature. It sounds like the restless ocean many
miles away.
Auwae and Upa hold each other's hands tightly and do not speak. Surely
this is a wonderful sight. They will not forget it as long as they live.
They are so tired, however, that they are soon fast asleep in "white
people's beds," as they call them. They do not awake till the sun has
driven away the clouds which hang about the place in the early hours of
morning. Upa's father has already eaten breakfast and attended to his
business with the landlord.
He tells the children that horses are at the door to carry them down
into the crater; for they have begged him to let them see everything
possible.
What a ride this is down the rough, jagged side of the pit! The horses
pick their way step by step over the sharp broken lava. But even here
beautiful things are growing. There are delicate ferns, silvery grasses,
pink, white, and brilliant blue berries. It seems as though Mother
Nature wished to hide the frightful masses of black and gray lava.
Now the air gets very hot; steam and sulphur pour through great cracks
in the floor of the crater; the lava itself will burn if Auwae dares to
touch it with her fingers.
The floor of the crater, looking quite even from above, is broken up
into hills and valleys, immense ridges and rivers of lava which have
poured forth, one above the other, at different times.
After two hours of hard riding and walking, Auwae and Upa reach the lake
of living fire and look down, down, into its depths. But they cannot see
the bottom. Each throws in a garland of flowers as an offering to the
goddess Pele. They know she does not exist, but it is an old, old custom
of the people, and they have not quite grown out of the idea that it is
safest to do so.
For, look at the flames leaping up at this very moment! "People _may_ be
mistaken," thinks Auwae, "and the goddess may get angry if we are not
polite, and suddenly drown us in fire!"
It is dinner-time before the party get back to the hotel. They are
willing to rest all the afternoon under the tree-ferns near the house.
They lazily pick the ohele berries growing about them, as they tell the
village news to the landlord's family.
On the evening of the third day our little brown maiden finds herself
safe at home once more. She is very well, but quite lame and sore from
her long ride. Her mother says she shall have a lomi-lomi, and she will
feel all right again.
Auwae stretches herself out on a mat while an old woman of the village
pinches and pounds and kneads every part of her dear little body. Do you
suppose it hurts? Just try it yourself the first time you have a chance,
and when it is over see if you do not feel as limber and care-free as
Auwae does.
She dances about under the trees, and exclaims: "Oh, how nice it is to
be alive! What a lovely home I have! But I'm glad I've been to Kilauea,
though I would not like to live there."
At this moment she sees her father coming down the path to the house.
He was away when she got home, and she runs to welcome him.
"But, dear papa, what are you hiding behind you?" she cries.
"I have a present for my little daughter," he answers. "It has cost a
large sum, but my only child deserves it, I well know. It is something
for you to treasure all your life."
He hands her a bamboo cylinder, telling her to see what is inside. The
excited girl opens one end, and out falls a band of tiny yellow feathers
to be worn as a wreath. It is more precious to this Hawaiian child than
a diamond ring or gold necklace could possibly be.
Why, do you ask? Because of the time and labour in getting the
feathers, which are found on only one kind of bird in the islands, or
any other place, for that matter. This little creature is called the oo.
It lives among the mountains. Under each of its wings are a few bright
yellow feathers no more than an inch long. Hunters spend their lives in
snaring this bird. They place long sticks smeared with a sticky
substance where the oo is apt to alight. After it is caught, the
precious feathers are plucked and the bird set free.
While Auwae crowns herself with her new wreath, her father tells her
that next month she shall go away with him on a steamboat. She shall
visit Honolulu, the capital of the islands. There she shall see the
wonderful war-cloak of Kamehameha the Great. It is made entirely of oo
feathers. Nine kings lived and died, one after the other, before this
priceless cloak was finished. And now it is guarded as one of the
greatest treasures of the country.
Yes, Auwae shall see, not only this, but many wonders beside. She shall
ride through the streets with neither man nor animal to carry her. She
shall talk with people miles away by placing her mouth to a tube. She
shall see how her white cousins live and dress.
But her father does not doubt that she will be glad to come home again
to this little grass house with the quiet and the peace of the village
life.
THE END.
THE LITTLE COUSIN SERIES
The most delightful and interesting accounts possible of child life in
other lands, filled with quaint sayings, doings, and adventures.
Each one vol., 12mo, decorative cover, cloth, with six or more full-page
illustrations in color.
Price per volume $0.60
_By MARY HAZELTON WADE (unless otherwise indicated)_
=Our Little African Cousin=
=Our Little Alaskan Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Arabian Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Armenian Cousin=
=Our Little Brown Cousin=
=Our Little Canadian Cousin=
By Elizabeth R. Macdonald
=Our Little Chinese Cousin=
By Isaac Taylor Headland
=Our Little Cuban Cousin=
=Our Little Dutch Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little English Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Eskimo Cousin=
=Our Little French Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little German Cousin=
=Our Little Hawaiian Cousin=
=Our Little Hindu Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Indian Cousin=
=Our Little Irish Cousin=
=Our Little Italian Cousin=
=Our Little Japanese Cousin=
=Our Little Jewish Cousin=
=Our Little Korean Cousin=
By H. Lee M. Pike
=Our Little Mexican Cousin=
By Edward C. Butler
=Our Little Norwegian Cousin=
=Our Little Panama Cousin=
By H. Lee M. Pike
=Our Little Philippine Cousin=
=Our Little Porto Rican Cousin=
=Our Little Russian Cousin=
=Our Little Scotch Cousin=
By Blanche McManus
=Our Little Siamese Cousin=
=Our Little Spanish Cousin=
By Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
=Our Little Swedish Cousin=
By Claire M. Coburn
=Our Little Swiss Cousin=
=Our Little Turkish Cousin=
THE GOLDENROD LIBRARY
The Goldenrod Library contains stories which appeal alike both to
children and to their parents and guardians.
Each volume is well illustrated from drawings by competent artists,
which, together with their handsomely decorated uniform binding, showing
the goldenrod, usually considered the emblem of America, is a feature of
their manufacture.
Each one volume, small 12mo, illustrated $0.35
LIST OF TITLES
=Aunt Nabby's Children.= By Frances Hodges White.
=Child's Dream of a Star, The.= By Charles Dickens.
=Flight of Rosy Dawn, The.= By Pauline Bradford Mackie.
=Findelkind.= By Ouida.
=Fairy of the Rhone, The.= By A. Comyns Carr.
=Gatty and I.= By Frances E. Crompton.
=Helena's Wonderworld.= By Frances Hodges White.
=Jerry's Reward.= By Evelyn Snead Barnett.
=La Belle Nivernaise.= By Alphonse Daudet.
=Little King Davie.= By Nellie Hellis.
=Little Peterkin Vandike.= By Charles Stuart Pratt.
=Little Professor, The.= By Ida Horton Cash.
=Peggy's Trial.= By Mary Knight Potter.
=Prince Yellowtop.= By Kate Whiting Patch.
=Provence Rose, A.= By Ouida.
=Seventh Daughter, A.= By Grace Wickham Curran.
=Sleeping Beauty, The.= By Martha Baker Dunn.
=Small, Small Child, A.= By E. Livingston Prescott.
=Susanne.= By Frances J. Delano.
=Water People, The.= By Charles Lee Sleight.
=Young Archer, The.= By Charles E. Brimblecom.
COSY CORNER SERIES
It is the intention of the publishers that this series shall contain
only the very highest and purest literature,--stories that shall not
only appeal to the children themselves, but be appreciated by all those
who feel with them in their joys and sorrows.
The numerous illustrations in each book are by well-known artists, and
each volume has a separate attractive cover design.
Each 1 vol., 16mo, cloth $0.50
_By ANNIE FELLOWS JOHNSTON_
=The Little Colonel.= (Trade Mark.)
The scene of this story is laid in Kentucky. Its heroine is a small
girl, who is known as the Little Colonel, on account of her fancied
resemblance to an old-school Southern gentleman, whose fine estate and
old family are famous in the region.
=The Giant Scissors.=
This is the story of Joyce and of her adventures in France. Joyce is a
great friend of the Little Colonel, and in later volumes shares with her
the delightful experiences of the "House Party" and the "Holidays."
=Two Little Knights of Kentucky.=
WHO WERE THE LITTLE COLONEL'S NEIGHBORS.
In this volume the Little Colonel returns to us like an old friend, but
with added grace and charm. She is not, however, the central figure of
the story, that place being taken by the "two little knights."
=Mildred's Inheritance.=
A delightful little story of a lonely English girl who comes to America
and is befriended by a sympathetic American family who are attracted by
her beautiful speaking voice. By means of this one gift she is enabled
to help a school-girl who has temporarily lost the use of her eyes, and
thus finally her life becomes a busy, happy one.
=Cicely and Other Stories for Girls.=
The readers of Mrs. Johnston's charming juveniles will be glad to learn
of the issue of this volume for young people.
=Aunt 'Liza's Hero and Other Stories.=
A collection of six bright little stories, which will appeal to all
boys and most girls.
=Big Brother.=
A story of two boys. The devotion and care of Steven, himself a small
boy, for his baby brother, is the theme of the simple tale.
=Ole Mammy's Torment.=
"Ole Mammy's Torment" has been fitly called "a classic of Southern
life." It relates the haps and mishaps of a small negro lad, and tells
how he was led by love and kindness to a knowledge of the right.
=The Story of Dago.=
In this story Mrs. Johnston relates the story of Dago, a pet monkey,
owned jointly by two brothers. Dago tells his own story, and the account
of his haps and mishaps is both interesting and amusing.
=The Quilt That Jack Built.=
A pleasant little story of a boy's labor of love, and how it changed the
course of his life many years after it was accomplished.
=Flip's Islands of Providence.=
A story of a boy's life battle, his early defeat, and his final triumph,
well worth the reading.
_By EDITH ROBINSON_
=A Little Puritan's First Christmas.=
A Story of Colonial times in Boston, telling how Christmas was invented
by Betty Sewall, a typical child of the Puritans, aided by her brother
Sam.
=A Little Daughter of Liberty.=
The author introduces this story as follows:
"One ride is memorable in the early history of the American Revolution,
the well-known ride of Paul Revere. Equally deserving of commendation is
another ride,--the ride of Anthony Severn,--which was no less historic
in its action or memorable in its consequences."
=A Loyal Little Maid.=
A delightful and interesting story of Revolutionary days, in which the
child heroine, Betsey Schuyler, renders important services to George
Washington.
=A Little Puritan Rebel.=
This is an historical tale of a real girl, during the time when the
gallant Sir Harry Vane was governor of Massachusetts.
=A Little Puritan Pioneer.=
The scene of this story is laid in the Puritan settlement at
Charlestown.
=A Little Puritan Bound Girl.=
A story of Boston in Puritan days, which is of great interest to
youthful readers.
=A Little Puritan Cavalier.=
The story of a "Little Puritan Cavalier" who tried with all his boyish
enthusiasm to emulate the spirit and ideals of the dead Crusaders.
=A Puritan Knight Errant.=
The story tells of a young lad in Colonial times who endeavored to carry
out the high ideals of the knights of olden days.
_By OUIDA_ (_Louise de la Ramée_)
=A Dog of Flanders=: A CHRISTMAS STORY.
Too well and favorably known to require description.
=The Nurnberg Stove.=
This beautiful story has never before been published at a popular price.
_By FRANCES MARGARET FOX_
=The Little Giant's Neighbours.=
A charming nature story of a "little giant" whose neighbours were the
creatures of the field and garden.
=Farmer Brown and the Birds.=
A little story which teaches children that the birds are man's best
friends.
=Betty of Old Mackinaw.=
A charming story of child-life, appealing especially to the little
readers who like stories of "real people."
=Brother Billy.=
The story of Betty's brother, and some further adventures of Betty
herself.
=Mother Nature's Little Ones.=
Curious little sketches describing the early lifetime, or "childhood,"
of the little creatures out-of-doors.
=How Christmas Came to the Mulvaneys.=
A bright, lifelike little story of a family of poor children, with an
unlimited capacity for fun and mischief. The wonderful never-to-be
forgotten Christmas that came to them is the climax of a series of
exciting incidents.
_By MISS MULOCK_
=The Little Lame Prince.=
A delightful story of a little boy who has many adventures by means of
the magic gifts of his fairy godmother.
=Adventures of a Brownie.=
The story of a household elf who torments the cook and gardener, but is
a constant joy and delight to the children who love and trust him.
=His Little Mother.=
Miss Mulock's short stories for children are a constant source of
delight to them, and "His Little Mother," in this new and attractive
dress, will be welcomed by hosts of youthful readers.
=Little Sunshine's Holiday.=
An attractive story of a summer outing. "Little Sunshine" is another of
those beautiful child-characters for which Miss Mulock is so justly
famous.
_By MARSHALL SAUNDERS_
=For His Country.=
A sweet and graceful story of a little boy who loved his country;
written with that charm which has endeared Miss Saunders to hosts of
readers.
=Nita, the Story of an Irish Setter.=
In this touching little book, Miss Saunders shows how dear to her heart
are all of God's dumb creatures.
=Alpatok, the Story of an Eskimo Dog.=
Alpatok, an Eskimo dog from the far north, was stolen from his master
and left to starve in a strange city, but was befriended and cared for,
until he was able to return to his owner.
_By WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE_
=The Farrier's Dog and His Fellow.=
This story, written by the gifted young Southern woman, will appeal to
all that is best in the natures of the many admirers of her graceful and
piquant style.
=The Fortunes of the Fellow.=
Those who read and enjoyed the pathos and charm of "The Farrier's Dog
and His Fellow" will welcome the further account of the adventures of
Baydaw and the Fellow at the home of the kindly smith.
=The Best of Friends.=
This continues the experiences of the Farrier's dog and his Fellow,
written in Miss Dromgoole's well-known charming style.
=Down in Dixie.=
A fascinating story for boys and girls, of a family of Alabama children
who move to Florida and grow up in the South.
_By MARIAN W. WILDMAN_
=Loyalty Island.=
An account of the adventures of four children and their pet dog on an
island, and how they cleared their brother from the suspicion of
dishonesty.
=Theodore and Theodora.=
This is a story of the exploits and mishaps of two mischievous twins,
and continues the adventures of the interesting group of children in
"Loyalty Island."
_By CHARLES G. D. ROBERTS_
=The Cruise of the Yacht Dido.=
The story of two boys who turned their yacht into a fishing boat to
earn money to pay for a college course, and of their adventures while
exploring in search of hidden treasure.
=The Young Acadian.=
The story of a young lad of Acadia who rescued a little English girl
from the hands of savages.
=The Lord of the Air.=
THE STORY OF THE EAGLE
=The King of the Mamozekel.=
THE STORY OF THE MOOSE
=The Watchers of the Camp-fire.=
THE STORY OF THE PANTHER
=The Haunter of the Pine Gloom.=
THE STORY OF THE LYNX
=The Return to the Trails.=
THE STORY OF THE BEAR
=The Little People of the Sycamore.=
THE STORY OF THE RACCOON
_By OTHER AUTHORS_
=The Great Scoop.=
_By MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL_
A capital tale of newspaper life in a big city, and of a bright,
enterprising, likable youngster employed thereon.
=John Whopper.=
The late Bishop Clark's popular story of the boy who fell through the
earth and came out in China, with a new introduction by Bishop Potter.
=The Dole Twins.=
_By KATE UPSON CLARK_
The adventures of two little people who tried to earn money to buy
crutches for a lame aunt. An excellent description of child-life about
1812, which will greatly interest and amuse the children of to-day,
whose life is widely different.
=Larry Hudson's Ambition.=
_By JAMES OTIS_, author of "Toby Tyler," etc.
Larry Hudson is a typical American boy, whose hard work and enterprise
gain him his ambition,--an education and a start in the world.
=The Little Christmas Shoe.=
_By JANE P. SCOTT WOODRUFF_
A touching story of Yule-tide.
=Wee Dorothy.=
_By LAURA UPDEGRAFF_
A story of two orphan children, the tender devotion of the eldest, a
boy, for his sister being its theme and setting. With a bit of sadness
at the beginning, the story is otherwise bright and sunny, and
altogether wholesome in every way.
=The King of the Golden River=: A LEGEND OF STIRIA. _By JOHN RUSKIN_
Written fifty years or more ago, and not originally intended for
publication, this little fairy-tale soon became known and made a place
for itself.
=A Child's Garden of Verses.=
_By R. L. STEVENSON_
Mr. Stevenson's little volume is too well known to need description.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page 58, "the" changed to "The" to match rest of usage (other troubles,
but The)
Final advertising page, "L. R." changed to "R. L." (By R. L. STEVENSON)
End of Project Gutenberg's Our Little Hawaiian Cousin, by Mary Hazelton Wade