THE ROAD OF THE LOVING HEART.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the beautiful poem called “Singing.” It is in a book which he named “A Child’s Garden of Verses.”
He was sick much of the time and had to live in a warm country. His home was far away in the South Seas on a beautiful island.
Robert Louis Stevenson built his house on a hillside among the large forest trees. Here the flying foxes came to rest. At night great bats flew about.
The house was three miles from the nearest town. The trees grew close and high along the path that led to it. They used packhorses to carry things from the town to the house.
A beautiful stream ran through the ground. Orange trees grew along the banks. Here Robert Louis Stevenson came to bathe and swim.
Mrs. Stevenson had a garden in which grew oranges, lemons, bananas, and breadfruit trees.
She had cows, and pigs, and chickens in the barn-yard.
Robert Louis Stevenson had a brown pony named Jack. He and Jack were great friends and had many fine rides together.
In this warm country Robert Louis Stevenson grew so much better that he once said,
“It is like a fairy story that I should become well and strong. I go boating, riding, bathing, and work hard with my wood-knife in the forest.”
The people on the island do not look as we do. Their skin is brown. Many bright flowers grow on the island. The women always wear flowers in their hair.
The people loved Mr. Stevenson very dearly. When they learned that he wrote stories, they named him Tusitala. That means The Story Writer.
Once some of the chiefs were put in prison. Robert Louis Stevenson did not think this was right.
He went to the prison to see the chiefs and was very kind to them.
At last the chiefs were set free. They wantedto show their love for Mr. Stevenson, so they made a road from the town to his house.
It was a hard piece of work. It took many men a long time to do it.
When the road was made the chiefs gave a great feast. All the people on the island came to it.
These are some of the words which they put on a board beside the road,
“To show our great love for Tusitala we have made this gift. It shall never be muddy. It shall go on forever, this road that we have dug.”