Fraught with golden prophecy was her horoscope, cast by fate’s oracle for her birthday fell under the sign of the scorpion when in the path of planets Venus contended with the Earth for first place of ascendency to the second house of the heavens.

High above the tidal wave rose Arizona, as fleecy clouds float in the rays of Apollo’s sun-torch when at eventide his flaming 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 lies Yuma—­there the temperature rose ten degrees hotter than hades; but luckily since then it has cooled off as much.