chariot plunges
into unfathomed depths of the Pacific Ocean.

With her first breath this daughter of Columbia, born of gods, clamored
for aid. Neptune was first among the planets to heed the plaintive cry
and held her to his breast, with fond caresses.

The grandest canyon on the face of earth with flowing streams and
limpid crystals he gave her as a birthday present.

These crystals rare are famed as Arizona diamonds now.

Bright, lovely Venus, the sister of Earth, a shining planet, gave the
ruby-red garnet, her pledge of love and Arizona hid it in her bosom.
There shall you find it, if worthy so you be, in the hearts of happy
maidens.

Saturn gave her his ring of amethysts and Uranus the greenish
malachite, of buoyant hope the emblem. This, in time, was changed to
copper, the king of all commercial metals.

Mars gave the bloodstone. From it came soldiers bold, heroes who fought
Apaches and the Spaniard.

The winged Mercury on passing tossed her two stones, most precious; the
lodestone and a Blackstone. The lodestone was a stone of grit. When
Arizona placed it in her crib thence came the lucky prospector who
sinks his shafts through earth and rock in search of mineral treasure.

Then opened she the Blackstone and lo, from it arose the men of
eloquence who aided by retainers fight keenly in continued terms for
order, law and justice with weapons that are mightier than the sword
which giveth glory, eternal rest and immortality to heroes only whom it
smiteth.

Behold, a shadow now fell on the Earth and as a serpent coils and
creeping stretches forth its slimy length, it came apace.

Foreboding evil it announced the knight-errant of never-ending space, a
wicked comet. To Arizona gave he playthings many: the rattlesnake,
hairy tarantelas and stinging scorpions, horned toads and centipedes, a
scented hydrophobia-cat, the Gila monster, a Mexican and the Apache;
also a thorny cactus plant.

Anon the tricky Hassayampa rose from his source. On mischief bent he
overflowed his bed, teasing the infant Arizona. He worried her, poor
dearie--dear till she shed tears and nature adding to the gush of
waters there flowed a brackish stream away; now named Saltriver and on
its banks nested the Phoenix.

From Elysium in his chariot descended then the sungod to nurse his
infant daughter. He dried the Hassayampa's bed in the hot desert sand
and where man-like, incautiously he scorched the hem of Arizona's
dress--where now lie