Our Little Hawaiian CousinWade, Mary Hazelton Blanchard
General
Our Little Hawaiian Cousin
Wade, Mary Hazelton Blanchard
Children -- Hawaii --Juvenile literature; Hawaii -- Social life and customs -- Juvenile literature
"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=
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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