[Illustration: This book belongs to]

[Illustration: To American Children and their friends of all nations. ]

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THE MEXICAN TWINS

By Lucy Fitch Perkins

ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR

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BOSTON AND NEW YORKHOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANYThe Riverside Press Cambridge

COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY LUCY FITCH PERKINSALL RIGHTS RESERVED

_Published November 1915_

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CONTENTS

 Introduction--The Mexican Twins 1

 I. San Ramon's Day In The Morning 5

 II. The Blessing 19

 III. The Party 45

 IV. Tonio's Bad Day 59

 V. Judas Iscariot Day 85

 VI. The Adventure 109

 VII. While They Were Gone 123

 VIII. The Secret Meeting 133

 IX. Christmas At The Hacienda 161

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THE MEXICAN TWINS

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THE MEXICAN TWINS

_This is a picture of Antonio Francisco Gomez[1] and his twin sister, Margarita Teresa Gomez. 

They live on the great hacienda[2], or plantation, of SeñorFernandez's[3], in the wonderful country of Mexico, and they are eightyears old. 

The boy is named Antonio for Saint Antonio and Francisco for his father, and the girl is named Margarita for Saint Margarita and Teresa for hermother. 

But nobody ever thinks of calling the Twins by all these names. They arecalled just Tonio and Tita, to save time. 

Even their father isn't called by his long name! Everybody calls himPancho[4]--that is, everybody but the Twins, of course. 

Their mother isn't called anything at all for short. She is alwayscalled Doña Teresa[5]. I do not know why this is, unless perhaps it isbecause she can make better tortillas, and chicken mole, and candiedsweet potatoes than any one else on the whole hacienda. 

Pancho is a vaquero, or cowboy. 

There are hundreds of cows and oxen and sheep and goats on SeñorFernandez's hacienda, and all day long, every day, Pancho rides about onhis horse Pinto, rounding up cattle, driving the cows to pasture aftermilking, or getting the oxen together for the plowing. 

The Twins think it is a fine thing to be a vaquero and ride horsebackall the time. 

Tonio means to be one when he grows up. He practices riding on Tonto, the donkey, now, and he has had his own lasso since he was six. 

If you will turn the page you will find a picture of the little adobehut where Tonio and Tita and Pancho and Doña Teresa live. Pancho isn'tin the picture, because he and Pinto are away in the fields, but DoñaTeresa is there grinding her corn, and Tita is feeding the chickens, while Tonio plays with his dog, Jasmin[6]. 

Tonio is looking out from the shed at the end of the hut. Tita's cat ison the roof. She is almost always on the roof when Jasmin is about. 

Beside the hut is a fig tree, which bears the most delicious figs. Every night the red rooster, the five hens, and the turkey go to roostin its branches, and every day its green boughs make a pleasant shadeacross the dooryard. 

Back of the hut there is a tiny garden with bee-hives, and beyond thatthere is a path through the woods that leads down to a little river. Itwas in this very path, just where the stepping-stones cross the river, that Tonio met--But there! it tells all about that in the story and youcan read it for yourselves. _

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 [1] Pronounced Gō´mess. 

 [2] Ah-sī-en´-dah. 

 [3] Fer-nahn´dess. 

 [4] Pahn´cho. 

 [5] Dōn´ya Tay-ray´sa. 

 [6] Hahss-meen´. 

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I

SAN RAMON'S DAY IN THE MORNING

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I

SAN RAMON'S DAY IN THE MORNING

I

One summer morning the red rooster on his perch in the fig tree woke upand took a look at the sky. 

He was a very responsible rooster. He was always the first one up in themorning, and I really think he believed that if it were not for him thesun himself would forget to rise. 

It was so very early that a few stars still shone, and a pale moon wassailing away toward the west. Over the eastern hills the rooster saw apink cloud, and knew at once that it was time to wake the world. Hestood up and stretched his wings. Then he crowed so long and loud thathe nearly fell off his perch backward, on to the cat, who was sleepingon the roof just below. 

"Cock a doodle do-o-o!" he screamed. "I'm awake, are you-oo-oo?"

At least that is the way it must have sounded to all the other roostersin the little village, for they began at once to answer him. 

"Cock a doodle doo-oo, we're up as soon as you-oo, " they cried; and soonthere was such a chorus of them calling back and forth that the fivehens woke up, one after another, and flew down from the perch, to huntbugs for their breakfast. 

Last of all the turkey opened his eyes and flapped heavily to theground, gobbling all the way. 

The cat stretched herself and sprang from the roof to the fig tree andsharpened her claws on its bark. 

The birds began to sing, and still there was no sound from the tiny grayadobe house under the fig tree. 

The little white hen tiptoed round to the front of the hut and peepedin at the open door. There in one corner of their one room lay Tonio andTita and their father and mother, all sound asleep. 

The little white hen must have told the red rooster what she saw, for hefollowed her and looked into the hut too. Then he ruffled his neckfeathers, flapped his wings, and crowed so loudly that Pancho and DoñaTeresa and the Twins all woke at once and sat up with a bounce, to seewhat was the matter. 

It startled the little white hen to see them all sit up suddenly in arow, so she squawked and scrambled out through the open door as fast asshe could go. 

The red rooster ran too, and the two of them never stopped until theydisappeared behind the bee-hives in the garden. 

II

The moment she was really awake, Doña Teresa began to talk. 

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"Upon my soul!" she cried, crossing herself, "the red rooster gave me adreadful turn. I was just in the midst of a most beautiful dream! Butnow he has driven it all out of my head with his silly noise, and Icannot even remember what it was about!"

Doña Teresa rose, and while she talked she deftly rolled up the mat onwhich she had slept and stood it on end in the corner of the room. Yousee it didn't take any time at all to dress, because they always sleptwith their clothes on. But Doña Teresa was very particular about onething. She made them all wash their faces and hands the very first thingevery single morning!

For a wash-basin there was a part of a log, hollowed out like a trough. Beside the hollow log there was a large red olla, with a gourd in it. Pancho had dipped water from the olla into the trough and was alreadysplashing about, while Doña Teresa rolled the Twins off on to the floorand placed their mats in the corner with the others. 

"Come, my pigeons, " she said to them, "it is time to be stirring. We arevery lazy to lie in bed after cockcrow on San Ramon's[7] Day!"

"Oh, Little Mother, " cried Tita, picking herself up, "is it really thefiesta of San Ramon? And may I take the little white hen to be blessed, all myself?"

"You may take the little white hen if you can catch her, " Doña Teresaanswered. "Indeed, we must take all the animals, or at the very leastone of each kind to stand for all the others. The turkey must be caught, and the goat must be brought from the field so I can milk her. Tonto[that was what they called the donkey] is waiting in the shed to be madeready, not to speak of the cat and dog! Bless my soul, how many thingsthere are to be done!"

While his mother talked, Tonio had taken his lasso down from the nailwhere it hung, and was just quietly slipping out of the door with it, when Doña Teresa saw him. "Here you--Tonio, " she cried, "come back andwash yourself!"

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"Can't I wait until I've caught Pinto?" Tonio begged. "What's the use ofwashing? You only get dirty again. Lots of the boys don't wash at allexcept on Sunday. "

"Come right back and wash yourself this minute, " commanded Doña Teresa. "You might as well say it's no use to eat your breakfast because you'llbe hungry again right away! As long as I'm your mother you shall beginthe day right at least. "

Tonio groaned a little, and came back to the trough. There he didsomething that he called washing, though I feel quite sure that therewere corners behind his ears that were not even wet!

On the wall above the place where the sleeping mats had been spread, there was a picture of the Virgin and Child, and Doña Teresa kept alittle taper always burning before the picture. 

When they had all washed, Doña Teresa called Pancho and the Twins to herside, and all four knelt in a row before the picture, crossedthemselves, and murmured a little prayer. 

"If you want the day to go right, " said Doña Teresa as she rose from herknees, "always begin with saying your prayers and washing your face. Andnow, Tonio, run and catch Pinto for your father while I get hisbreakfast, for the cows must be rounded up for milking even if it isSan Ramon's Day; and Tita, you take the little red olla and go forwater!"

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III

While the Twins were gone on these errands, Pancho fed the donkey, andDoña Teresa made the fire in her queer little stove; only she didn'tcall it a stove--she called it a _brasero_. [8] It was a sort of boxbuilt up of clay and stones. The brasero stood in an alcove, and besideit was a large red olla, which Doña Teresa kept filled with water forher cooking. Beyond the brasero was a cupboard for the dishes. 

Doña Teresa knelt before the brasero and pulled out the ashes ofyesterday's fire. Then she put in some little sticks, lighted them, andset a flat red dish on top of the brasero over the tiny flames. 

In the corner of the room there was a pretty basket covered with a whitedrawn-work napkin. Doña Teresa turned back the napkin and counted outten flat cakes, made of corn meal. They were yesterday's tortillas. These she put in the dish to heat. 

When they were warm, she brought some of them to Pancho, with a dish ofbeans and red chile sauce. Pancho sat down on a flat stone under the figtree to eat his breakfast. He had no knife or fork or spoon, but hereally did not need them, for he tore the tortillas into wedge-shapedpieces and scooped up the beans and chile sauce with them, and atescoop, beans, chile sauce, and all in one mouthful. The chile sauce wasso hot with red pepper that you would have thought that Pancho must havehad a tin throat in order to swallow it at all; but he was used to it, and never even winked his eyes when it went down. Just as he was takingthe last bite of the last tortilla, Tonio came back, leading Pinto bythe rope of his lasso. 

Tonio was very proud of catching Pinto and bringing him back to hisfather all by himself. He even put the saddle on. But the moment he feltthe saddle-girth around him Pinto swelled up like everything, so thatTonio couldn't buckle it! Tonio pulled and tugged until he was red inthe face, but Pinto just stood still with his ears turned back, andstayed swelled. 

Then Pancho came up. He took hold of the strap, braced his knee againstPinto's side, and pulled. 

Pinto knew it was no use holding his breath any longer, so he let go, and in a minute Pancho had the strap securely fastened and had vaultedinto the saddle. 

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He was just starting away, when Doña Teresa came running out of the hutwith something in her hand. "Here's a bite of lunch for you, " she said, "in case you get hungry in the field. There's beans and chile sauce andfour tortillas. "

She had put it all nicely in a little dish with the tortillas fitted inlike a cover over the chile sauce and beans, and it was all tied up in aclean white cloth. 

Pancho took off his sombrero, put the dish carefully on his head, andclapped his hat down over it. The hat was large, and the dish justfitted the crown, so it seemed quite safe. Then he galloped off, lookingvery grand and gay, with his red serape flying out behind him. 

When he was out of sight, Doña Teresa and the Twins had their breakfaststoo, sitting on the stones under the fig tree. 

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 [7] Pronounced Sahn Rah-mon´. 

 [8] Brah-say´ro. 

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II

THE BLESSING

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II

THE BLESSING

I

When breakfast was over you could tell by the long, long shadow of thefig tree that it was still very early in the morning. On sunny days DoñaTeresa could tell the time almost exactly by its shadow, but on rainydays she just had to guess, because there was no clock in her littlecabin. 

It was lucky that it was so early, because there were so many things tobe done. The Twins and their mother were not the only busy people about, however, for there were two hundred other peons beside Pancho who workedon the hacienda, and each one had a little cabin where he lived with hisfamily. 

There were other vaqueros besides Pancho. There were ploughmen, andfarmers, and water-carriers, and servants for the great white housewhere Señor Fernandez lived with his wife and pretty daughter Carmen. And there was the gatekeeper, José, [9] whom the Twins loved because heknew the most wonderful stories and was always willing to tell them. 

There were field-workers, and wood-cutters, and even fishermen. The hutswhere they all lived were huddled together like a little village, andthe village, and the country for miles and miles around, and the bighouse, and the little chapel beside it, and the schoolhouse, andeverything else on that great hacienda, belonged to Señor Fernandez. 

It almost seemed as if the workers all belonged to Señor Fernandez, too, for they had to do just what he told them to, and there was no otherplace for them to go and nothing else for them to do if they had wantedever so much to change. 

All the people, big and little, loved the fiesta of San Ramon. Theythought the priest's blessing would cause the hens to lay more eggs, andthe cows to give more milk, and that it would keep all the creatureswell and strong. 

Though it was a feast day, most of the men had gone away from theirhomes early, when Pancho did; but the women and children in all thelittle cabins were busy as bees, getting themselves and their animalsready to go in procession to the place where the priest was to blessthem. 

As soon as breakfast was eaten, Doña Teresa said to Tonio: "Go now, myTonio, and make Tonto beautiful! His coat is rough and full of burs, andhe will make a very poor figure to show the priest unless you give him agood brushing. Only be careful of his hind legs. You know Tonto issometimes very wild with his hind legs. It is strange to me that hisfront ones should be so much more tame, but it seems to be the nature ofthe poor creature. "

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Tonio went to Tonto's shed and brought him out and tied him to a tree. Then he brushed his coat and took out the burs, and braided the end ofhis tail, and even made a wreath of green leaves and hung it over hisleft ear. And Tonto seemed to know that it was San Ramon's Day, for henever kicked at all, and brayed only once, when Tonio pulled a verylarge bur out of his ear. 

II

While Tonio was making Tonto beautiful, Tita swept the ground under thefig tree and sprinkled it with water, and washed and put away the fewdishes they had used. 

Her mother was very busy meanwhile, grinding the corn for tortillas. Yousee, every single meal they had tortillas. It was their bread, and theirmeat too, most of the time, so it would never do to miss getting thecorn ground, not even if it were the greatest feast day of the wholeyear. 

When Tita had finished putting things in order, her mother said to her, "Now, my pigeon, see if you can't catch the little white hen, and thered rooster, and the turkey. The red rooster crows so sweetly I shallmiss him when he is put in the pot, but he is not long for this world!He is so greedy there's no satisfying him with food. He has nousefulness at all, except to wake us in the morning. 

"But the little white hen now! There is the useful one! She has alreadybegun to lay. She must surely go to the priest. And as for the turkey, he needs to go for the sake of his temper! I hope the _padrecito_ willlay a spell on him to stop his gobbling from morning till night. It willbe no grief to me when he is put on to boil. "

The red rooster, the hen, and the turkey were all wandering round in thelittle patch of garden behind the house, when Tita came out, rattlingsome corn in a dish. 

The red rooster began to run the moment he heard corn rattle, and hecalled to the hens to come too. He seemed to think they wouldn't knowenough even to eat corn unless he advised them to. 

They swarmed around Tita's feet, pecking at each other and snatchinggreedily at each kernel as it fell. 

"You all need to go to the priest for your manners, " Tita said to themseverely. "You behave like the pigs. "

She set the dish down on the ground, and when they all tried to gettheir heads into it at once, she picked out the legs of the red roosterand seized them with one hand, and those of the little white hen withthe other, and before they could guess what in the world was happeningto them she had them safely in the house, where she tied them to thelegs of the table. 

III

When Tita went back after the turkey, she found him eating the very lastkernels of corn out of the dish. He had driven all the hens away and washaving a very nice time by himself. Tita made a grab for his legs, buthe was too quick for her. He flew up into the fig tree and from there tothe roof. Tita looked up at him anxiously. 

"Don't you think you ought to get blessed?" she said. "Come down now, that's a good old gobbler! Mother says your temper is so bad you mustsurely go to the priest, and how can I take you if you won't come down?"

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"Gobble, " said the turkey, and stayed where he was. 

Tita was in despair. She threw a stick at him, but he only walked up thethatched roof with his toes turned in, and sat down on the ridge-pole. 

Just then Tita looked down the river path, and there was Tonio comingwith the goat! At least he was trying to, but the goat didn't seem tocare any more about being blessed than the turkey did. She was standingwith her four feet braced, pulling back with all her might, while Toniopulled forward on the lasso which was looped over her horns. 

Tonio looked very angry. He called to Tita, "Come here and help me withthis fool of a goat! I believe the devil himself has got into her! Shehas acted just like this all the way from the pasture!"

Tita ran down the path and got behind the goat. She pushed and Toniopulled, and by and by they got her as far as the fig tree. Then theytied her to a branch, and while Doña Teresa milked her, the Twins wentafter the turkey again. 

Tonio had practiced lassoing bushes and stumps and pigs and chickens andeven Tita herself, ever since he could remember, and you may be sure noturkey could get the best of him. He stood down in the yard and whirledhis lasso in great circles round his head, and then all of a sudden theloop flew into the air and dropped right over the turkey on theridge-pole, and tightened around his legs!

If he hadn't had wings the turkey certainly would have tumbled off theroof. As it was, he spread his wings and flopped down, and Tita took himinto the cabin and tied him to the third leg of the table. There he madehimself very disagreeable to the little white hen, and gobbled angrilyat the red rooster, and even pecked at Tita herself when she came near. 

"There!" sighed Doña Teresa, when the turkey was safely tied; "at lastwe have them all together. Now we will make them all gay. "

She went to the chest which held all their precious things, took outthree rolls of tissue paper, and held them up for the Twins to see. Onewas green, one was white, and one was red. 

"Look, " said she. "These are all Mexican animals, so I thought it wouldbe nice for them to wear the Mexican colors. Come, my angels, and I willshow you how to make wreaths and streamers and fringes and flowers forthem to wear. Our creatures must not shame us by looking shabby and dullin the procession. They shall be as gay as the best of them. "

For a long time they all three worked, and when they had made enoughdecorations for all the animals, Doña Teresa brought out anothersurprise. It was some gilt paint and a brush! She let Tonio gild thegoat's horns and hoofs, and Tita gilded the legs and feet of the littlewhite hen. 

While she was doing it, the red rooster stuck his bill into the dish andswallowed two great big bites of gold paint on his own account! DoñaTeresa saw him do it. 

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"If he isn't trying to gild himself on the inside!" she cried. "Did youever see such sinful pride!" And then she made him swallow a large pieceof red pepper because she was afraid the paint would disagree with him. 

The red rooster seemed depressed for a long time after that; but whetherit was because of the paint, or the pepper, or being so awfully dressedup, I cannot say. His bill was gilded because he had dipped it in thegold paint, so they gilded his legs to match. Then they tied a whitetissue-paper wreath with long streamers around his neck. They tied ared one on the little white hen. They tried to decorate the turkey, too, but he was in no mood for it, and gobbled and pecked at them so savagelythat Doña Teresa had to tie up his head in a rag!

They stuck some red tissue-paper flowers in Tonto's wreath, and tied redtissue-paper streamers to the goat's horns. They put a green ruff aroundthe cat's neck, and a red one on the dog; but the dog ran at once to theriver and waded in and got it all wet, and the color ran out and dyedhis coat, and the ruff fell off, before they were even ready to start. 

IV

At last a gong sounded from the big house. 

The gong was the signal for the procession to start, and the moment theyheard it, the people began pouring out of their cabins, and gettingtheir animals together to drive toward the place where the blessing wasto be. 

Doña Teresa and Tita threw their _rebozos_ over their heads, and Tonioput on his sombrero. Then Doña Teresa untied the turkey's legs and tookhim in her arms; and though his head was still tied in the cloth, hegobbled like everything. 

Tita took the little white hen on one arm, and her kitten on the other, and Tonio led the donkey, with Jasmin following behind. 

They were all ready to start, when Doña Teresa cried out, "Upon my soul!We nearly forgot the goat! Surely she's needing a blessing as much asthe worst of them. "

She hurried back to the fig tree and untied the goat with one hand, because she was still carrying the turkey with the other. When the goatfelt herself free, she gave a great jump and nearly jerked the rope outof Doña Teresa's hand; then she went galloping toward the gate so fastthat poor Doña Teresa was all out of breath keeping up with her. 

"Bless my soul, but that goat goes gayly!" she panted, as she joinedthe Twins at the gate. "If I led her about much I should have no chanceto get fat. "

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Already there were crowds of people and animals going by. It was awonderful procession. There were horses and cows all gayly decoratedwith garlands and colored streamers. There were donkeys and pigs andguinea-fowls and cats and dogs and birds in cages, and so many othercreatures that it looked very much like the procession of animals goinginto Noah's ark. 

Doña Josefa, [10] who lived in a hut near the river, was driving twoducks and two white geese, --only she had dyed the geese a brightpurple, --and José's wife had painted stripes of red clear around herpig. She was having a dreadful time keeping the pig in the road, for allthe little boys, and all the little dogs--and there were a great many ofboth--frisked and gamboled around the procession and got in the way, andmade such a noise that it is no wonder the creatures were distracted andtried to run away. 

V

It was not a very great distance to the large corrals back of the bighouse where the people were to meet, and as they drew near the groundsTonio and Tita could see Pancho dashing about on Pinto after straycows, and other cowboys rounding up the calves and putting them in acorral by themselves. 

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The bulls were already safely shut away in another inclosure, and allthe open space around the corrals was filled with horses, and donkeys, and sheep, and goats, and dogs, and cats, and fowls of all kinds, alldressed in such gay colors and making such a medley of sounds that theFourth of July, fire-crackers and all, would have seemed like Sundayafternoon beside the celebration of San Ramon's Day in Mexico. 

Señor Fernandez, looking very grand in his black velvet suit and bigsombrero, sat on his fine horse and watched the scene. Beside him, ontheir own horses, were Doña Paula, his wife, and pretty Carmen, theirdaughter. 

The servants of the big house were grouped around them, and all the restof the people passed back and forth among the animals, trying to makethem keep still and behave themselves until the priest should appear. 

It was not long before the priest came out of his house, with a smallboy beside him carrying a basin of holy water. 

Doña Teresa and all the people knelt on the ground when they saw himcoming. The priest walked among them chanting a prayer and sprinklingdrops of holy water over the animals and over the people too. Of coursethe people behaved very well, but I am sorry to have to tell you thatwhen he felt the drops of water fall on the rag that his head was tiedup in, the turkey gobbled just exactly as if it were Tita--or DoñaTeresa--instead of the priest!

And the cat stuck up her tail and arched her back, in a most impoliteway. Perhaps that was not to be wondered at, because we all know thatcats can never bear water, not even holy water. 

But when Tonto, who should have known better, and who was used to beingout in the rain even, stuck his nose up in the air and let out a"hee-haw, hee-haw" that set every other donkey in the crowd hee-hawingtoo, Doña Teresa felt as if she should die of mortification. 

Only the red rooster, the little white hen, the goat, and the Twinsbehaved as if they had had any bringing up at all! However, the priestdidn't seem to mind it. He went in and out among the people, sprinklingthe water and chanting his prayer until the basin was empty. Then hepronounced the blessing. 

VI

When he had finished, the people drove their creatures back to theirhomes, or to the fields. 

Pancho came riding along and took Tita and the white hen up on Pinto'sback with him. Tonio rode Tonto and carried the rooster. Tita had to putthe cat down to get up on the horse, and when Tonio's dog saw her hebarked at her, and she ran just as fast as she could and got to thecabin and up on the roof out of reach. 

Doña Teresa walked along with Doña Josefa, and talked with her about herrheumatism and about how badly the animals behaved, and how handsomeDoña Josefa's purple geese were, until she turned in at their own gate. 

When she was in their own yard once more, she set the turkey down anduntied his head. Tonio let the rooster go, and Tita set the little whitehen free, and they all three ran under Tonto's shed as if they wereafraid they might get blessed again if they stayed where they couldeasily be caught. And they never came out until they had torn the tissuepaper all to pieces and left it lying on the ground. 

[Illustration]

Tonio got the goat back to pasture by walking in front of her, holdinga carrot just out of reach, and Pancho took Pinto and the donkey down tothe river for a drink, while Tita and her mother went into the cabin toget the second breakfast ready. When people get up so very early theyneed two breakfasts. 

Doña Teresa was just patting the meal into cakes with her hands andcooking them over the brasero, when Pancho came in the cabin door withdreadful red streams running down his head and face and over his whitecotton clothes!

When Doña Teresa saw him, she screamed and flew to his side. "What isit, my Pancho?" she cried. "You are hurt--you are killed, my angel! Oh, what has happened?"

She asked so many questions and poured out so many words that Panchocouldn't get one in edgewise; so he just took off his hat, and there wasthe dish of chile sauce and tortillas broken all to bits, and the chilesauce spilled all over his face and clothes!

"It was that foolish Tonto that did it, " he said, when he could sayanything at all. "I was just putting him back in his shed when he cried, 'Hee-haw, ' and let fly with both hind feet at once and one of them justgrazed my head, and broke the dish. "

Doña Teresa sat down heavily with her hand on her heart. "If anythinghad happened to you, my rose, my angel, " she said, "I should have diedof sorrow! Tonto is indeed a very careless beast. It would seem as ifthe padrecito's blessing might have put more sense into him. It must bethe will of God that there should be a great deal of foolishness in theworld, but without doubt donkeys and goats have more than their share. "

Just then she smelled the tortillas burning and ran back to attend tothem, while Pancho washed himself at the trough, and mopped the chilesauce off his clothes. 

In a little while the Twins and their father and mother were all sittingabout on the stones under the fig tree, eating their second breakfast. And when they had all had every bit they could hold, it was almost noon. 

[Illustration]

 [9] Hō-sā´. 

 [10] Hō-sĕf´-ah. 

III

THE PARTY

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III

THE PARTY

I

Early that evening, when Pancho had rounded up the cows and taken themback again to pasture, and the goat had been milked, the animals fed, and supper eaten and cleared away, the Twins and their father and mothersat down together outside their cabin door. 

The moon had risen and was shining so brightly that it made beautifulpatterned shadows under the fig tree. There were pleasant evening soundsall about. Sometimes it was the hoot of an owl or the chirp of acricket, but oftener it was the sound of laughter and of children'svoices from the huts near by. 

The red rooster, the turkey, and the hens were all asleep in the figtree. Tita could see their bunchy shadows among the shadows of theleaves. The cat was away hunting for field-mice. Jasmin sat besideTonio, with his tongue hanging out, and everything was very quiet andpeaceful. 

Then suddenly, quite far away, they heard a faint tinkling sound. "Ting-a-ling-ling; ting-a-ling-ling, " it went, and then there was avoice singing:

 "Crown of the high hill That with your cool shadow Gives me life, Where is my beloved? Oh, beautiful hill, Where dwells my love? If I am sleeping, I'm dreaming of thee; If I am waking, thee only I see. "

The voice came nearer and nearer, and children's voices began to join inthe singing, and soon Tonio and Tita could see dark forms moving in themoonlight. There was one tall figure, and swarming around it there wereever so many short ones. 

"It's José with his guitar!" cried the Twins, and they flew out to meethim. Doña Teresa and Pancho came too. 

"God give you good evening, " they all cried out to each other when theymet; and then José said, "Have you plenty of sweet potatoes, DoñaTeresa? We have come with our dishes and our pennies. "

"Yes, " laughed Doña Teresa. "I thought you might come to-night and Iknew your sweet tooth, José! And all these little ones, have they eachgot a sweet tooth too?"

"Oh yes, Doña Teresa, _please_ cook us some sweet potatoes, won't you?"the children begged. They held up their empty dishes. 

"Well, then, come in, all of you, " said Doña Teresa, "and I will seewhat I can do. "

She hurried back to the cabin. Pancho went with her, and José and theTwins and all the other children came trooping after them and swarmedaround the cabin door. 

Pancho made a little brasero right in the middle of the open spacebeside the fig tree. He made it of stones, and built a fire in it. While he was doing that, Doña Teresa got her sweet potatoes ready tocook, and when she came out with the cooking-dish and a jug of syrup inher hands, the children set up a shout of joy. 

[Illustration]

"Now sit down, all of you, " commanded Doña Teresa, as she knelt besidethe brasero and poured the syrup into the cooking-pan, "It will takesome time to cook enough for every one, and if you are in too much of ahurry you may burn your fingers and your tongue. José, you tell us astory while we are waiting. "

So they all sat down in a circle around Doña Teresa with José oppositeher, and the fire flickered in the brasero, and lighted up all the eagerbrown faces and all the bright black eyes, as they watched Doña Teresa'scooking-pan. 

II

Then José told the story of Br'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby; and afterthat he told how Br'er Rabbit made a riding-horse out of Br'er Fox; andwhen he had finished, the sweet potatoes were ready. 

"Who shall have the first piece?" asked Doña Teresa, holding up a nicebrown slice. 

"José, José, " cried all the children. 

José took out his penny and gave it to Doña Teresa, and held out hisdish. She took up a big piece of sweet potato on the end of a pointedstick. It was almost safely landed in José's dish, when suddenly therewas a great flapping of wings and a loud "Cock-a-doodle-doo, " rightbehind José!

The red rooster had opened his eyes, and when he saw the glow of thefire, he thought it must be morning. So he crowed at once, and then flewright down off his perch, and before any one knew what he was after orcould stop him, he had snatched José's candied sweet potato off the endof Doña Teresa's stick, and was running away with it as fast as he couldgo!

"Thanks be to God, " said José, "that piece was still very hot!"

The red rooster soon found that out for himself. He was so afraid thatsomebody would get his morsel away from him that he swallowed it whole, boiling hot syrup and all! He thought it was worse than the red pepperand the gold paint he had taken that morning. 

He opened his bill wide and squawked with pain, and his eyes lookedwild. The children rolled on the ground with laughter. The last theysaw of the red rooster he was running to the back of the house, where adish of water was kept for the chickens; and it is perfectly true thatfor three days after that he could hardly crow at all!

[Illustration]

Doña Teresa was dreadfully ashamed of the red rooster. She apologizedand gave José another piece of sweet potato at once, and then she passedout more pieces to the children, and said:--

"Now mind you don't behave like the rooster! You see what he got forbeing greedy. "

The children sucked their pieces slowly, so as to make them last a longtime, and while they got themselves all sticky with syrup, José toldthem the story of Cinderella and her glass slippers and her pumpkincoach, and two ghost stories. 

III

"Where did you learn so many beautiful stories, José?" asked Tonio whenhe had finished the last one. "Did you read them out of a book?" (Yousee Tonio and Tita and some of the older children went to school andwere beginning to read a little. )

José shook his head. "No, " he said, "I didn't read them out of books. Inever had a chance to go to school when I was a boy. I tell you thesestories just as they were told to me by my mother when I was as small asyou are. And she couldn't read either, so somebody must have told themto her. Not everything comes from books, you see. "

"Yes, " said Doña Teresa. "I heard them from my mother when I was achild, and she couldn't read any more than Pancho and I can. But withthese children here it will be different. They can get stories from you, and out of the books too. It is a great thing to have learning, though apeon can get along with very little of it, praise God. "

Up to this time Pancho had not said a single word. He had brought sticksfor the fire and had listened silently to the stories; but now he spoke. 

"When the peons get enough learning, they will learn not to be peons atall, " he said. 

"But whatever will they be then?" gasped Doña Teresa. "Surely they mustbe whatever the good God made them, and if they are born peons--"

She stopped and looked a little alarmed, as if she thought perhaps afterall it might be as well for Tonio and Tita to be like most of the peopleshe knew--quite unable to read or write. 

She crossed herself, and snatched Tita to her breast. 

"You shall not learn enough to make you fly away from the nest, mybird!" she said. 

Then Pancho spoke again. "With girls it does not matter, " he said. "Girls do not need to know any thing but how to grind corn and maketortillas, and mind the babies--that is what girls are for. Butboys--boys will be men and--" But here it seemed to occur to him thatperhaps he was saying too much, and he became silent again. 

José had listened thoughtfully, and when Pancho finished he sighed alittle and made a soft little "ting-ting-a-ting-ting" on hisguitar-strings. Then he jumped up and began to sing and dance, playingthe guitar all the while. It was a song about the little dwarfs, and thechildren loved it. 

 "Oh, how pretty are the dwarfs, The little ones, the Mexicans! Out comes the pretty one, Out comes the ugly one, Out comes the dwarf with his jacket of skin. "

José sang, --and every time he came to the words, --

 "_Out_ comes the little one, _Out_ comes the pretty one, "

he stooped down as he danced and made himself look as much like a dwarfas he possibly could. 

When he had finished the Dwarf Song, José tucked his guitar under hisarm, and bowed politely to Doña Teresa and Pancho. 

"Adios!" he said. "May you rest well. "

"Adios, adios!" shouted all the children. 

And Pancho and Doña Teresa and the Twins replied: "Adios! God give yousweet sleep. "

Then José and the children went away, and the tinkle of the guitar grewfainter and fainter in the distance. When they could no longer hear it, Doña Teresa went into the cabin, unrolled the mats, and laid out thepillows, and soon the Twins and their father and mother were all soundasleep on their hard beds. 

When at last everything was quiet, the red rooster came stepping roundfrom behind the house, and looked at the dying coals of the fire as ifhe wondered whether they were good to eat. He seemed to think it bestnot to risk it, however, for he flew up into the fig tree once more andsettled himself for the night. 

[Illustration]

IV

TONIO'S BAD DAY

[Illustration]

IV

TONIO'S BAD DAY

I

It is hard for us to understand how they tell what season it is in acountry like Mexico, where there is no winter, and no snow except on thetops of high mountains, and where flowers bloom all the year round. 

Tonio and Tita can tell pretty well by the way they go to school. Duringthe very hot dry weather of April and May there is vacation. In June, when the rainy season begins, school opens again. Then, though the rainpours down during some part of every day or night, in between times thesky is so blue, and the sunshine so bright, and the air so sweet, thatthe Twins like the rainy season really better than the dry. 

If you should pass the open door of their school some day when it is insession, you would hear a perfect Babel of voices all talking at onceand saying such things as this, --only they would say them in Spanishinstead of English, --

"The cat sees the rat. Run, rat, run. Two times six is thirteen, twotimes seven is fifteen" (I hope you'd know at once that that was wrong). "Mexico is bounded on the north by the United States of America, on theeast by the Gulf of Mexico, on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the . .. Cortez conquered Mexico in 1519 and brought the holy Catholic religionto Mexico. The Church is . .. "

Then perhaps you would clap your hands on your ears and think the wholeschool had gone crazy, but it would only mean that in Mexico thechildren all study aloud. The sixth grade is as high as any one evergoes, and most of them stop at the fourth. 

Señor Fernandez thinks that is learning enough for any peon, and as itis his school, and his teacher, and his land, of course things have tobe as he says. 

Pancho asked the priest about it one day. He said: "I should like tohave Tonio get as much learning as he can. Learning must be a greatthing. All the rich and powerful people seem to have it. Perhaps that iswhat makes them rich and powerful. "

But the priest shook his head and said, "Tonio needs only to know how tobe good, and obey the Church, and to read and write and count a little. More knowledge than that would make him unhappy and discontented withhis lot. You do not wish to make him unhappy. Contentment with godlinessis great gain. Is it not so, my son?"

The priest called everybody, even Señor Fernandez himself, "my son, "unless he was speaking to a girl or a woman, and then he said, "mydaughter. "

Pancho scratched his head as if he were very much puzzled by a good manythings in this world, but he only said, "Yes, little father, " veryhumbly, and went away to mend the gate of the calves' corral. 

II

I am not going to tell you very much about the Twins' school, becausethe Twins didn't care so very much about it themselves. 

But I am going to tell you about one particular day, because that day agreat deal happened to Tonio. Some of it wasn't at all pleasant, but youwill not be surprised at that when I explain the reason why. 

A good many months had passed by since San Ramon's Day, and it was abright beautiful spring morning, when the Twins left their little adobehut to go to school. 

They had to be there at half past eight, and as the schoolhouse was somedistance down the road and there were a great many interesting things onthe way, they started rather early. 

Doña Teresa gave them two tortillas apiece, rolled up with beans inside, to eat at recess, and Tonio wrapped them in a cloth and carried them inhis hat just the way Pancho carried his lunch, only there was no chilesauce, this time. Doña Teresa waved good-bye to them from the troughwhere she was grinding her corn. 

The air was full of the sweet odor of honeysuckle blossoms, and theroadsides were gay with flowers, as the Twins walked along. The birdswere flying about getting material for their nests, and singing as ifthey would split their little throats. 

Sheep were grazing peacefully in a pasture beside the road, with theirlambs gamboling about them. In a field beyond, the goats were leaping upin the air and butting playfully at each other, as if the lovely daymade them feel lively too. Calves were bleating in the corrals, and awayoff on the distant hillside the children could see cows moving about, and an occasional flash of red when a vaquero rode along, his brightserape flying in the sun. 

Farther away there were blue, blue mountain-peaks crowned withglistening snow, and from one of them a faint streak of white smoke roseagainst the blue of the sky. It was a beautiful morning in a beautifulworld where it seemed as if every one was meant to be happy and good. 

[Illustration]

The school was not far from the gate where José, the gate-keeper, satall day, waiting to open and close the gate for cowboys as they drovethe cattle through. 

The Twins stopped to speak to José, and just then on a stone rightbeside the gate Tonio saw a little green lizard taking a sun bath. Hewas about six inches long and he looked like a tiny alligator. 

Tonio crept up behind him very quietly and as quick as a flash caughthim by the tail. Just then the teacher rang the bell, and the Twins ranalong to join the other children at the schoolhouse door, but not one ofthem, not even Tita herself, knew that Tonio had that green lizard inhis pocket!

Tonio didn't wear any clothes except a thin white cotton suit, and hecould feel the lizard squirming round in his pocket. Tonio didn't liketickling, and the lizard tickled like everything. 

As they came into the schoolroom, the boys took off their hats and said, "God give you good day, " to the Señor Maestro[11]--that is what theycalled the teacher. 

Then they hung their hats on nails in the wall, while the girls curtsiedto the teacher and went to their seats. 

When they were all in their places and quiet, the Señor Maestro stood upin front of the school, and raised his hand. At once all the childrenknelt down beside their seats. The Maestro knelt too, put his handstogether, bowed his head, and said a prayer. He was right in the middleof the prayer when the lizard tickled so awfully in Tonio's pocket thatTonio, --I really hate to have to tell it, but facts are facts, --Toniolaughed--aloud!

Then he was so scared, and so afraid he would laugh again if the lizardkept on tickling, that he put his hand in his pocket and took it out. Kneeling in front of Tonio was a boy named Pablo, and the bare soles ofhis feet were turned up in such a way that Tonio just couldn't helpdropping the lizard on to them. 

The lizard ran right up Pablo's leg, inside his cotton trousers, andPablo let out a yell like a wild Indian on the warpath, and began to actas if he had gone crazy. 

He jumped up and danced about clutching his clothes, and screaming! TheSeñor Maestro and the children were perfectly amazed. They couldn'tthink what ailed Pablo until, all of a sudden, the green lizard droppedon the floor out of his sleeve and scuttled as fast as it could towardthe girls' side of the room. Then the girls screamed and stood on theirseats until the lizard got out of sight. 

[Illustration]

Nobody knew where it had gone, until the Señor Maestro suddenly fishedit out of a chink in the adobe wall and held it up by the tail. 

"Who brought this lizard into the schoolroom?" he asked. 

Tonio didn't have to say a word. I don't know how they could be so sureof it, but all the children pointed their fingers at Tonio and said, "Hedid. "

The Maestro said very sternly to Tonio, "Go out to the willow tree andbring me a strong switch, " Tonio went. 

He went very slowly and came back with the willow switch more slowlystill. 

I think you can guess what happened next--I hope you can, for I reallycannot bear to tell you about it. When it was over Tonio was sent home, while all the other children sat straight up in their seats, looking sohard at their books that they were almost cross-eyed, and studying theirlessons at the top of their lungs. 

If you had asked them then, they would every one have told you that theyconsidered it very wrong to bring lizards to school, and that under nocircumstances would they ever think of doing such a thing. 

[Illustration]

III

Tonio walked slowly down the road toward his home. He didn't cry, but helooked as if he wished he could just come across somebody else who wasdoing something wrong! He'd like to teach him better. 

When José saw him, he called out to him, "Is school out?"

"No, " said Tonio. "I am, " and he never said another word to José. 

He had the willow switch in his hand. The Maestro had given it to him, "to remember him by, " he said. Tonio felt pretty sure he could rememberhim without it, but he switched the weeds beside the road with it as hewalked along, and there was some comfort in that. 

At last he remembered that he had a luncheon in the crown of his hat. Hesat down beside the road and ate all four tortillas and every singlebean. Then he went home. His mother was not in the house when he gotthere. 

Jasmin came frisking up to Tonio and jumped about him and licked hishand. It seemed strange to Tonio that even a dog could be cheerful insuch a miserable world. He took his lasso down from the wall and wentout again with Jasmin. 

The cat was lying back of the house in the sunshine asleep. Toniopointed her out to Jasmin and he sent her up the fig tree in a hurry. Then Jasmin chased the hens. He drove the red rooster right in amongthe beehives, and when the bees came out to see what was the matterthey chased Jasmin instead of the rooster, and stung him on the nose. Jasmin ran away yelping to dig his nose in the dirt, and Tonio went onby himself through the woods. 

Soon he came to the stepping-stones that led across the river to thegoat-pasture, and there he met José's son and another boy. 

"Hello, there! Where are you going?" Tonio called to them. 

"We aren't going; we've been, " said José's son, whose name was Juan. [12]The other boy's name was Ignacio. [13]

"Well, where have you been then?" said Tonio. 

"Down to the lake hunting crabs. We didn't find any, " they said. 

You see there is no law in Mexico that every child must go to school, and the parents of Juan and Ignacio didn't make them go either, so theyoften stayed away. 

"What's the reason you're not in school?" Juan said to Tonio. "I thoughtyour father always made you go. "

"Well, " said Tonio, "I--I--hum--well--I thought I would rather playbull-fight up in the pasture! I've got an old goat up there trained sohe'll butt every time he sees me. Come along. "

The three boys crossed on the stepping-stones, and ran up the hill onthe other side of the river to the goat-pasture. 

There was a growing hedge of cactus plants around the goat-pasture. Thiskind of cactus grows straight up in tall, round spikes about as largearound as a boy's leg, and higher than a man's head. The spikes arecovered with long, stiff spines that stick straight out and prick likeeverything if you run into them. The only way to get through such afence is to go to the gate, so the boys ran along until they came tosome bars. They opened the bars (and forgot to put them up again) andwent into the pasture. 

[Illustration]

IV

When they got inside the pasture the boys looked about for the goat. This goat was quite a savage one, and was kept all by himself in a smallfield. It did not take them long to find him. He was grazing quietly inthe shadow of a mesquite[14] tree. As Tonio had the only lasso therewas, he knew he could have the game all his own way, so he said, --

"I'll take the first turn with the lasso, Ignacio; you wave your redserape at the goat while Juan stirs him up from behind. "

The goat had his head down, eating grass, and did not notice the boysuntil suddenly Juan split the air behind him with a fearful roar andprodded his legs with a stick. 

"Ah, Toro!" roared Juan at the top of his lungs just as he had heard thematadors do at a real bull-fight, and at the same moment Ignacio shookout his red serape. 

The goat looked up, saw Tonio and the red serape, and immediately stoodup on his hind legs. Then he came down with a thump on his fore feet, put his head down, and ran at Ignacio like a bullet from a gun. Ignaciowaved the serape and shouted, and when the goat got very near, he jumpedto one side as he had seen the matadors do, and the goat butted with allhis might right into the serape. 

When he struck the serape his horn went through one end of it. Ignaciohad hold of the other end and before he knew what had happened he wasrolling backward down a little slope into a pool of water which was thegoat's drinking-place. 

[Illustration]

Meanwhile the goat went bounding about the pasture with the serapehanging from one horn. Every few minutes he would stamp on it and paw itwith his fore feet. Ignacio picked himself out of the water, and thenall three boys began a wild chase to get back the serape. It would be asad day for Ignacio if he went home without it. 

Serapes are the most valuable things there are in a peon's hut, and werenever intended to be used by goats in this way. 

Tonio couldn't lasso the goat because the serape covered his horns, sothe boys all tried to snatch off the serape as the goat went gallopingpast, but every time they tried it the goat butted at them, and they hadto run for their lives. 

At last the goat stood up on his hind legs and came down on the serapeso hard that there was a dreadful tearing sound, and there was theserape torn clear in two and lying on the ground!

When his horns were free, the goat looked around for the boys. He was avery mad goat, and when he saw them he went for them like an expresstrain. Juan ran one way, and Ignacio ran the other. Tonio was a naughtyboy, but he wasn't a coward. He kept his lasso whirling over his head, and as the goat came by, out flew the loop and dropped over his horns!

The goat was much stronger than he, but Tonio braced back with all hismight and held on to the rope. Then began a wild dance! The goat wentbounding around the pasture with Tonio at the other end of the ropebouncing after him. 

It was a sight to see, and Juan and Ignacio were not the only ones whosaw it either. 

V

Señor Fernandez was going by on his fine black horse, and when he heardthe yells of the boys he rode up to the pasture to see what was goingon. He was right beside the bars when the goat and Tonio came tearingthrough. 

The goat jumped over the bars that the boys had left down, but Toniocaught his foot and fell down, and the goat jerked the rope out of hishands and went careering off over the fields and was soon out of sight. 

Tonio sat up all out of breath and looked at Señor Fernandez. SeñorFernandez looked at Tonio. Juan and Ignacio were nowhere to be seen. They were behind bushes in the goat-pasture, and they were both verybadly scared. 

"Well, " said Señor Fernandez at last, "what have you been doing?"

"Just playing bull-fight a little, " Tonio answered in a very smallvoice. 

"Didn't you know that was _my_ goat?" said Señor Fernandez severely. "What business have you driving it mad like that? Get up. "

Tonio got up. He was stiff and sore all over. Moreover, his hands wereall skinned inside, where the rope had pulled through. 

"Were you alone?" asked Señor Fernandez. 

"Not--very--" stammered Tonio. 

"Where are the other boys?" demanded the Señor Fernandez. 

"I d--don't know, " gasped poor Tonio. "I--I don't see them anywhere. "(Tonio was looking right up into the top of the cactus hedge when hesaid this, so I am quite sure he spoke the truth. )

"Humph, " grunted Señor Fernandez. "Go look for them. "

Tonio began to hunt around stones and bushes in the pasture with SeñorFernandez following right behind on his horse. It wasn't long before hecaught a glimpse of red. It was the pieces of the serape, which Ignaciohad picked up. Tonio pointed it out, and Señor Fernandez galloped to itand brought out the two culprits. Then he marched the three boys back tothe village in front of his horse, Tonio with his blistered hands andtorn clothes, Juan with bumps that were already much swollen, andIgnacio wet as a drowned rat and carrying the rags of the serape. 

[Illustration]

When they got back to the river they found Doña Teresa there washingout some clothes. When she saw them coming she stopped rubbing andlooked at them. She was perfectly astonished. She supposed, of course, that Tonio was in school. 

"Here, Doña Teresa, is a very bad boy, " Señor Fernandez said to her. "Hehas been chasing my goat all around the pasture and lassoing it, and heleft the bars down and they are broken besides, and no one knows wherethe goat is by this time. I'll leave him to you, but I want you to makea thorough job of It. "

He didn't say just what she should make a thorough job of, but Toniohadn't the smallest doubt about what he meant. Doña Teresa seemed tounderstand too. 

Señor Fernandez rode on and left Tonio with his mother while he took theother two boys to their homes. What happened there I do not know, butwhen she and Tonio were alone I do know that Doña Teresa said sternly, "Go bring me a strong switch from the willow tree, " and that Toniothought, as he went for it, that there were more willow trees in theworld than were really needed. 

And I know that when Doña Teresa had done "IT"--whatever it was thatSeñor Fernandez had asked her to do thoroughly--Tonio felt that itwould be a very long time before he took any interest in either lizardsor goats again. 

That evening Pancho went out with Pinto and hunted up the goat and puthim back in the pasture and brought home Tonio's lasso, and when he hungit up on the nail he said to Tonio, "I think you're too young to betrusted with a lasso. Let that alone for two weeks. "

That was the very worst of all. To be told that he was too young! Toniowent out and sat down under the fig tree and thought perhaps he'd betterrun away. 

But pretty soon Tita came out and sat down beside him and told him shewas sure he never meant any harm about the lizard, and his mother washedhis skinned hands and put oil on then, and brought him some molasses toeat on his tortillas just as if she still loved him in spite ofeverything. 

So Tonio went to bed quite comforted, and that was the end of the day. 

[Illustration]

 [11] Mah-ĕs´trō. 

 [12] Hwahn. 

 [13] Ig-nah´sĭ-ō. 

 [14] Mes´keet. 

[Illustration]

V

JUDAS ISCARIOT DAY

[Illustration]

V

JUDAS ISCARIOT DAY

I

One day, later in spring, in the week just before Easter, Doña Teresagot ahead of the red rooster. It happened in this way. Early in themorning, when everything was still as dark as a pocket, and not a singlerooster in the neighborhood had yet thought of crowing, Doña Teresa wokeup and lighted a candle. Then see went over to the Twins' mat and heldup her candle so she could look at them. They were both sound asleep. 

"Wake up, my lambs, " said Doña Teresa. But her lambs didn't wake up. Doña Teresa shook them gently. "Wake up, dormice! Don't you know this isJudas Iscariot Day, and you are all going to town? Come, we are going inPedro's boat, and he has to start early. "

Tita began to rub her eyes, and Tonio was sitting up with both of hiswide open the moment Doña Teresa said the word "boat. " They bounced outin a minute, and they even washed without being told, and they usedsoap, too!

Pancho was roused by the noise they made. He got up at once and went toattend to the donkey and to Pinto. When he opened the door the gleam ofDoña Teresa's candle woke the red rooster. He began to crow, and thenall the other roosters crowed, and almost right away candles wereglimmering in every hut in the village and every one was up and gettingready to start to town. 

Everybody was going. Some were going on horseback and some on donkeys;more were walking, and as it was many miles from the hacienda to thetown it was necessary to start very early. 

The quickest way to go was by boat, but, of course, not every one couldgo that way because there were not enough boats. Pedro's boat went backand forth every day between the hacienda and the town, carrying woodand all kinds of supplies. He was a friend of Pancho's and that was howthey were so fortunate as to be invited to go with him. 

Doña Teresa got breakfast very quickly, and while they were eating itthey heard a voice calling, "Here, buy your Judases--at six and twelvecents--your Judases. "

"There comes the Judas-seller. Run, children, run, " cried Doña Teresa. "You may each have twelve cents and you may buy two little ones or onebig one, as you like. "

The Judas-seller had a long branch cut from a tree, with little twigsgrowing out of it. On each twig hung a "Judas. " They were small dolls, with sticky pink-painted faces and sticky black-painted hair, and theywere dressed in tissue paper. The hands of the Judases were stuckstraight out on each side and from one hand to the other there was astring stretched. Fire-crackers were hung along on this string. Whenthese fire-crackers go off, one after another, they set fire to theJudas and burn him up. 

You remember that long years ago, when Jesus was on earth, He wasbetrayed by a man named Judas Iscariot, who sold Him to his enemies forthirty pieces of silver. In Mexico, Judas Iscariot Day is kept inremembrance of this, and all the Judases which the people buy and burnup are to show how very wicked they believe the real Judas to have been. 

But the Judas dolls didn't look the least bit as the real Judas musthave looked. Some of them were made to look like Mexican donkey-boys andsome like water-carriers, while others represented priests, orpolicemen, or cowboys. 

Tita couldn't make up her mind whether to buy a donkey-boy or apoliceman. But Tonio found what he wanted right away. It was a "Judas"made like a thin young school-teacher! Tonio thought it looked like theSeñor Maestro, and he thought it would be very pleasant to see him burnup, and so, though he cost twelve cents, he bought him at once. 

II

When Pancho and Doña Teresa and the Twins were ready they went in alittle procession to the lake-shore. They found Pedro with his wife andbaby and Pablo already there. 

This was the very same Pablo on whose feet Tonio had put the lizard. Hewas Pedro's son. 

Pedro was loading the boat with bundles of reeds. They were the reedsused for weaving the petates[15] or sleeping-mats. The reeds grew allabout the lake, but the people in the town could not easily get them, soPedro had gathered a supply to sell to them. 

The boat was quite large. It had one sail and there was a thatched roofof reeds over the back part of it. It was too large to bring into theshallow water near the shore, so Pedro had rolled up his white trousersand was wading back and forth from the boat to the beach, carrying abundle of reeds each time and stowing it away under the thatch. 

[Illustration]

Pancho at once took off his sandals, rolled up his trousers, and beganto help carry the bundles, while Doña Teresa and the Twins sat on thesand with Pablo and the baby and their mother. 

There was a large sack of sweet potatoes lying on the sand besidePedro's wife. You could tell they were sweet potatoes because thebundle was so knobby. Besides Tonio felt of them. 

"What are you going to do with your sweet potatoes?" asked Doña Teresa. 

"I'm going to cook them in molasses and sell them, " said Pedro's wife. "I shall sit under an awning and watch the fun and turn a penny at thesame time. The baby is too heavy to carry round all day, anyway. "

"I'll help you, " said Doña Teresa. "Very likely I shall be glad enoughto sit down somewhere myself before the day is over. "

"Pedro made me a little brasero out of a tin box, " said his wife, "and Ihave a bundle of wood right here, and the syrup and the dishes, allready. "

When the reeds had all been put on board, Pancho took Tonio in his armsand Pedro took Pablo, and they tossed them into the boat as if they hadbeen sacks of meal. The boys scrambled under the covered part and out tothe bow at once, and Pablo got astride the very nose of the boat andlet his feet hang over. 

Then Pedro lifted Tita in. 

It was more of a job to get the mothers aboard, for Pedro's wife wasfat, and he was a small man. Pedro shook his head when he looked at hiswife, then he took off his sombrero, and scratched his head. At last hesaid, "I think I'll begin with the baby. "

He took the baby and waded out to the boat and handed her to Tita, thenhe went back to shore and took another look at his wife. "It'll take twoof us, " he said to Pancho. 

"I'm your man, " said Pancho bravely. "I can lift half of her. "

So Pedro and Pancho made a chair with their arms, and Pedro's wife saton it, and put her arms around their necks, and they waded out with herinto the water. 

They got along beautifully until they reached the side of the boat andundertook to lift her over the edge. Then there came near being anawful accident, for Pedro's foot slipped on a slimy stone and he let herdown on one side so that one of her feet went into the water. 

[Illustration]

"Holy mother!" screamed Pedro's wife. "They are going to drown me!"

She waved her arms about and jounced so that Pancho almost dropped theother foot in too, but just in time Pedro shouted, "One, two, three, andover she goes, " and as he said _over_, he and Pancho gave a great heaveboth together, and in she went all in a heap beside Tita and the baby. 

While she crawled under the awning and settled herself with the baby andstuck her foot out in the sunshine to dry, Pancho and Pedro went backfor Doña Teresa. She wasn't very stout so they got her in without anytrouble. 

They put in the brasero and all the other things, and last of all Panchoand Pedro climbed on board themselves, hoisted the sail, and pushed off. Luckily the breeze was just right, and they floated away over the bluewater at about the time of day that you first begin to think of wakingup. 

III

Even with a good breeze it took nearly an hour to sail across the lake. If they hadn't been in such a hurry to see the fun in town, the Twinsand Pablo would have wished to have it take longer still. 

Far away across the lake they could see the town with its littlebright-colored adobe houses and the spire of the church standing upabove the tree-tops. 

As they drew nearer and nearer, they could see a bridge, and peoplepassing over it, and flags flying, and then they turned into a riverwhich ran through the town, where there were many other boats. 

It took some time to find a good place to tie the boat, but at last itwas done, and the whole party went ashore and started up the streettoward the open square in the middle of the town. 

Pedro and Pancho went ahead, each carrying three bundles of reeds on hisback. Then came Pedro's wife with the bag of sweet potatoes, while DoñaTeresa carried the baby. Pablo had the brasero and the wood, and Tonioand Tita brought up the rear with the molasses jug, the cooking-dishes, and their Judases all carefully packed together. 

"Now, mind you, Tonio, " said Doña Teresa as the procession started, "don't you get to watching everything in the street and forget that jugof molasses. "

[Illustration]

It was pretty hard to keep your mind on a jug when there were so manywonderful things to see. In the first place there was the street itself. No one had ever seen it so gay! Strings had been stretched back andforth across the street from the flat tops of the houses on either side, and from these strings hung thousands of tissue-paper streamers andpennants in all sorts of gorgeous colors. 

The houses in Mexican towns are close to the street-line and stand verynear together. They are built around a tiny open space in the centercalled a patio. The living-rooms open on the patio, so all that can beseen of a house from the street is a blank wall with a doorway, andperhaps a window or two with little balconies. Sometimes, if the door isopen, there are glimpses of plants, flowers, and bird-cages in thelittle patio. 

Pablo and Tonio and Tita had their hands full, but they kept their eyesopen, and their mouths too. They seemed to feel they could see more thatway. 

IV

It was not very long before they came to the public square or plaza ofthe town, and there on one side was the church whose spire they had seenfrom the boat. 

On the other side was the market-place, and in the center of the squarethere was a fountain. In another place there was a gayly paintedband-stand with the red, white, and green flag of Mexico flying over it. 

There were beds of gay geraniums at each corner of the square, and largetrees made a pleasant shade where people could sit and watch the crowds, or listen to music, if the band were playing. 

Pedro and Pancho went straight across the street to the market side. There were rows of small booths there, and already many of them wereoccupied by people who had things to sell. There were peanut-venders, and pottery-sellers; there were women with lace and drawn work; therewere foods of all kinds, and flowers, and birds in cages, and chickensin coops or tied up by the legs, and geese and ducks, --in fact, Ican't begin to tell you all the things there were for sale in thatmarket. 

Pedro found a stall with an awning over it and took possession at once. He and Pancho put down the bundles of reeds in a pile, and his wife saton them. Pedro placed the brasero on the ground in front of her, and thesweet potatoes by her side. Pablo put down the wood, and Doña Teresa putthe baby into her arms. Tita gave her the cooking-dishes, and Tonio wasjust going to hand her the jug, when bang-bang-bang!--threefire-crackers went off one right after the other almost in his ear!Tonio jumped at least a foot high, and oh--the jug! It accidentallytipped over sideways, and poured a puddle of molasses right on top ofthe baby's head!

It ran down his cheek, but the baby had the presence of mind to stickhis tongue out sideways and lick up some of it, so it wasn't allwasted. 

[Illustration]

Doña Teresa said several things to Tonio while the baby was being moppedup. Tonio couldn't see why they should mind it if the baby didn't. 

At last Doña Teresa finished by saying to the Twins and Pablo, "Now yourun round the square and have a good time by yourselves, only see thatyou don't get into any more mischief; and come back when you'rehungry. "

Pedro and Pancho had already gone off by themselves, and as they didn'tsay where they were going I can't tell you anything about it. I onlyknow they were seen not long after in front of a pulque shop (pulque[16]is a kind of wine) talking in low tones with a Tall Man on horseback, and that after that nobody saw them for a long time. It may be they wentto a cock-fight, for there was a cock-fight behind the pulque shop andmost of the other men went if they did not. 

V

The Twins and Pablo with their precious Judases went to a bench near thefountain, and sat down to watch the fun. There were water-carriersfilling their long earthen jars at the fountain; there were young girlsin bright dresses who laughed a great deal; and there were young men inbig hats and gay serapes who stood about and watched them. 

[Illustration]

There were more small boys than you could count. Twelve o'clock was thetime that every one was supposed to set off his fire-crackers, and thechildren waited patiently until the shadows were very short indeed underthe trees in the square and there had been one or two explosions tostart the noise, then they tied their Judases up in a row to the back ofthe bench. They hung Tonio's Maestro in the middle, with Tita'sdonkey-boy on one side and the policeman on the other. Pablo's Judas wasa policeman too, and they put him on the other side of the donkey-boy. 

Then Pablo borrowed a match from a boy and set fire to the first crackeron his policeman. Fizz-fizz-bang! off went the first fire-cracker. Fizz-fizz-bang! off went the second one. When the third one exploded, the policeman whirled around on his string, one of his hands caughtfire, and up he went in a puff of smoke. 

They lighted the fuses on the donkey-boy and the other policeman, bothat once, and last of all Tonio set fire to the Maestro Judas. He was thebiggest one of all. While the fire-crackers went off in a series ofbangs, Tonio jumped up and down and sang, "Pop goes the Maestro! Popgoes the Maestro!" and Tita and Pablo thought that was so very funnythat they hopped about and sang it too. 

Just as the last fire-cracker went off and Tonio's Judas caught fire, and all three of them were dancing and singing at the top of theirlungs, Tonio saw the Señor Maestro himself standing in front of thebench with his hands in his pockets, looking right at them!

[Illustration]

Tonio shut his mouth so quickly that he bit his tongue, and then Pabloand Tita saw the Maestro and stopped singing too, and they all three ranas fast as they could go to the other side of the square and lostthemselves in the crowd. 

They stayed away for quite a long time. They were in the crowd by abaker's shop when a great big Judas which hung high overhead explodedand showered cakes over them. They each picked up a cake and then ranback to show their goodies to their mothers. They could hardly get nearthe booth at first, because there was quite a little crowd around it, but they squirmed under the elbows of the grown people, and right besidethe brasero eating a piece of candied sweet potato, and talking to DoñaTeresa, whom should they see but the Señor Maestro?

Tonio wished he hadn't come. He turned round and tried to dive back intothe crowd again, but the Señor Maestro reached out and caught him by thecollar and pulled him back. Tonio was very much frightened. He thoughtsurely the Maestro had told his mother about "Pop goes the Maestro, " andthat very unpleasant things were likely to happen. 

"Any way, there aren't any willow trees in the plaza, " he said tohimself. "That's one good thing. "

But what really happened was this. The Maestro took three pennies out ofhis pocket, and said to Pedro's wife, "Please give me three pieces ofyour nice sweet potatoes for my three friends here!"

Pedro's wife was so busy with her cooking that she did not look up tosee who his three friends were until she had taken the pennies andhanded out the sweet potatoes. Then she saw Pablo and Tonio and Tita allthree standing in a row looking very foolish. 

She was quite overcome at the honor the Maestro had done her in buyingsweet potatoes to give to her son, and Doña Teresa thought to herself, "They really must be very good and clean children to have the Maestrothink so much of them as that. " She thanked him, and Tonio and Tita andPablo all thanked him. 

After that there was a wonderful concert by a band all dressed in greenand white uniforms with red braid, and at the end of the concert, itwas four o'clock. Pedro's wife had sold all her sweet potatoes by thattime and Pedro had sold all his reeds. Pancho had come back, the babywas sleepy, and every one was tired and ready to go home. So the wholeparty returned to the boat, this time without any heavy bundles exceptthe baby to carry, and sailed away across the lake toward the hacienda. 

Pancho and Doña Teresa and the Twins reached their little adobe hut justas the red rooster and the five hens and the turkey were flying up totheir roost in the fig tree. 

[Illustration]

 [15] Pay-tah´tays. 

 [16] Pool´kay. 

[Illustration]

VI

THE ADVENTURE

[Illustration]

VI

THE ADVENTURE

I

One hot morning in early June, Doña Teresa took her washing down to theriver, and Tonio and Tita went with her. They found Doña Josefa andPedro's wife already there with their soiled clothes, and the threewomen had a good time gossiping together while they soaped the garmentsand scrubbed them well on stones at the water's edge. 

Pablo and the Twins played in the water meanwhile, hunting mud turtlesand building dams and trying to catch minnows with their hands. 

At last Pablo's mother said to him, "Pablo, take this piece of soap andgo behind those bushes and take a bath. "

Then she went on telling Doña Teresa about a new pattern of drawn workshe was beginning and forgot all about Pablo. Pablo disappeared behindthe bush, and no one saw him again that day. He wasn't drowned, but it'smy belief that he wasn't bathed either. 

However, this story is not about Pablo. It's about Tonio and Tita, andwhat happened to them. 

Doña Teresa said to them, "I wish you would get Tonto and go up themountain beyond the pasture and bring down a load of wood. Take somelunch with you. You won't get lost, because Tonto knows the way home ifyou don't. Get all the ocote[17] branches you can to burn in thebrasero. "

The Twins were delighted with this errand. It meant a picnic for them, so they ran back to the house and got Tonto and the luncheon and startedaway down the road as gay as two larks in the springtime. 

They both rode on the donkey's back and they had Tonio's lasso withthem. The luncheon was in Tonio's hat as usual. Tonio whistled forJasmin, but he was nowhere to be found, so they started without him. 

They crossed the goat-pasture, and this time Tonio did not forget to putup the bars. They passed the goat too, but Tonio rode right by and hopedthe goat wouldn't notice him. 

From the goat-pasture they turned into a sort of trail that led up themountain-side, and rode on for two miles until they came to a thickwood. Here they dismounted and, leaving Tonto to graze comfortably byhimself, began to search for ocote wood. Tonio had a machete stuck inhis belt. 

A machete is a long strong knife, and he used it to cut up the wood intosmall pieces. Then he tied it up in a bundle with his lasso to carryhome on Tonto's back. 

The children had such fun wandering about, gathering sticks, and lookingfor birds' nests that they didn't think a thing about time until theysuddenly realized that they were very hungry. They had gone somedistance into the wood, and quite out of sight of Tonto by this time. 

II

They sat down on a fallen log and ate their lunch, and then they werethirsty. 

"Let's find a brook and get a drink, " said Tonio. "I know there must beone right near here. "

They left their bundle of wood and walked for some distance searchingfor water, but no stream did they find. They grew thirstier andthirstier. 

"It seems to me I shall dry up and blow away if we don't find it prettysoon, " said Tita. 

"I've _almost_ found it, I think, " answered Tonio. "It must be rightover by those willow trees. "

They went to the willow trees but there was no stream there. 

"I think we'd better go back and get the wood and start home, " saidTita. "We can get a drink in the goat-pasture. "

"All right, " said Tonio, and he led the way back into the woods. 

They looked and looked for the bundle of sticks, but somehow everythingseemed different. 

"I'm sure it must have been right near here, " said Tonio. "I rememberthat black stump. I'm sure I do, because it looks like a bear sitting upon his hind legs. Don't you remember it, Tita?"

But Tita didn't remember it, and I'm afraid Tonio didn't either, really, for the bundle of sticks certainly was not there. They hunted about fora long time, and at last Tonio said, "I think we'd better go back toTonto; he may be lonesome. "

But Tonto had disappeared too! Tonio was sure he knew just where he hadleft him, but when they got to the place he wasn't there, and it_wasn't_ the place either! It was very discouraging. 

At last Tonio said, "Well, anyway, Tonto knows the way home by himself. We'll just let him find his own way, and we'll go home by ourselves. "

"All right, " said Tita, and they started down the mountain-side. 

They had walked quite a long way when Tita said, "I think we're highenough up so we ought to see the lake. " But no lake was in sight in anydirection. 

Tita began to cry. "We-we-we're just as lost as we can be, " she sobbed. "And you did it! You said you knew the way, and you didn't, and nowwe'll die of hunger and nobody will find us--_I want to go home_. "

"Hush up, " said Tonio. "Crying won't help. We'll keep on walking andwalking and we'll just _have_ to come to something, some time. Andthere'll be people there and they'll tell us how to go. "

Tonio seemed so sure of this that Tita was a little comforted. Theywalked for a very long time--hours it seemed to her--before Tita spokeagain. 

[Illustration]

Then she said, "There's a big black cloud, and the sun is lost in it, and it's going to rain, and we aren't anywhere at all yet!"

They had got down to level ground by this time and were walking througha great field of maguey[18] plants. The maguey is a strange greatcentury-plant that grows higher than a man's head. When it gets ready toblossom the center is cut out and the hollow place fills with a sweetjuice which Mexicans like to drink. Tonio knew this and thought perhapshe could get a drink in that way. 

So he cut down a hollow-stemmed weed with his machete and made a pipeout of it. Then he climbed up on the plant that had been cut and stuckone end of his pipe into the juice, and the other into his mouth. Whenhe had had enough, he boosted Tita up and she got a drink too. This madethem feel better, and they walked on until they had passed the magueyplantation and were out in the open fields once more. 

III

The sky grew darker and darker, and there were queer shapes all aroundthem. Giant cacti with their arms reaching out like the arms of a crossloomed up before them. There were other great cacti in groups of tallstraight spines, and every now and then a palm tree would spread itsspiky leaves like giant fingers against the sky. 

[Illustration]

Suddenly there was a great clap of thunder, "It's the beginning of therains, " said Tonio. 

"Shall we--shall we--be drowned--do you think?" wept Tita. "It's almostnight. "

Tonio was really a brave boy, but it is no joke to be lost in suchcountry as that, and he knew it. 

Tonio was almost crying, too, but he said, "I'll climb the first tree Ican get up into and look around. " He tried to make his voice sound bigand brave, but it shook a little in spite of him. 

Soon they came to a mesquite tree. There were long bean-like podshanging from it. Tonio climbed the tree and threw down some pods. Theywere good to eat. Tita gathered them up in her rebozo, [19] while Toniogazed in every direction to see if he could see a house or shelter ofany kind. 

"I don't see anything but that hill over there, " he called to Tita. "Itis shaped like a great mound and seems to be all stone and rock. Perhapsif we could get up on top of it and look about we could tell where weare. "

"Let's run, then, " said Tita. 

The children took hold of hands and ran toward the hill. There werecacti of all kinds around them, and as they ran, the spines caught theirclothes. The hill seemed to get bigger and bigger as they came nearer toit, and it didn't look like any hill they had ever seen. It was shapedlike a great pyramid and was covered with blocks of stone. There werebushes growing around the base and out of cracks between the stones. Tonio tried to climb up but it was so steep he only slipped back intothe bushes, every time he tried. 

"Oh, Tonio, maybe it isn't a hill at all, " whispered Tita. "Maybe it'sthe castle of some awful creature who will eat us up!"

"Well, whatever it is he won't eat me up!" said Tonio boldly. "I'llstick a cactus down his throat and he'll have to cough me right up if hetries. "

"I'll kick and scream so he'll have to cough me up too, " sobbed Tita. 

Just then there came a flash of lightning. It was so bright that thechildren saw what they hadn't noticed before. It was a hollow place inthe side of the pyramid where a great stone had fallen out, and the dirtunderneath had been washed away, leaving a hole big enough for them tocrawl into, but it was far above their heads. 

At last Tonio climbed into a small tree that grew beside it, bent abranch over, and dropped down into the hollow, holding to the branch byhis hands. 

Poor Tita never had felt so lonely in her whole life as she did when shesaw Tonio disappear into that hole! In a minute he was out again andlooking over the edge at her. 

"It's all right. You climb up just as I did, " he said. 

Tita tied the mesquite pods in the end of her rebozo and threw it up toTonio. Then she too climbed the little tree and dropped from the branchinto the mouth of the tiny cave. 

A hole in the side of a queer pyramid isn't exactly a cheerful place tobe in during a storm, but it was so much better than being lost in acactus grove that the children felt a little comforted. 

The rain began to fall in great splashing drops, but they were protectedin their rocky house. They ate the mesquite pods for their supper, andthen Tonio said: "Of course, no one will find us to-night, so we'dbetter go to sleep. We'll play we are foxes. The animals and birds sleepin such places all the time and they're not afraid. "

So they curled down in the corner of the cave, and, being very tired, soon fell asleep. 

[Illustration]

 [17] Ō-kō´teh. 

 [18] Mah-gay´ē. 

 [19] Ray-bō´sō. 

[Illustration]

VII

WHILE THEY WERE GONE

[Illustration]

VII

WHILE THEY WERE GONE

I

Meanwhile what do you suppose had been happening at home? When she hadfinished her washing and had dried the clothes on the bushes, DoñaTeresa folded them and carried them back to the house, and began herironing. 

She didn't think much about the time because she was so busy with herwork, but at last she felt hungry and glanced out at the shadow of thefig tree to see what time it was. 

She was surprised to see the shadow already quite long and pointingtoward the east. 

"Well, " thought she to herself, "I'll get myself something to eat, andby that time the children will be home and as hungry as two bears. Ithink I'll get something especially good for their supper. "

She hummed a little tune as she worked, and every little while sheglanced out the open door to see if they were not coming. By and by shenoticed that the sky was overcast and then she heard a clap of thunder. It was the very same clap of thunder that had frightened the Twins inthe cactus grove. 

"The holy saints above us!" cried Doña Teresa aloud. "The childrenshould have been home long ago. Where can they be!" She ran to the doorjust in time to see Tonto come ambling slowly into the yard alone and goto his own place in the shed. 

Doña Teresa's eyes almost popped out of her head with surprise andfright. She threw on her rebozo and ran over to Pedro's hut. Pedro'swife was just examining Pablo's ears to see if he had really washedhimself in the river, when Doña Teresa arrived, quite breathless, at thedoor. 

"Whatever can be the reason that my children are not home?" she gasped. "You remember it was morning when I sent them after wood. They have notbeen seen since, and Tonto walked into the yard just now all alone, andof course there's nothing to be got out of him! What can have happenedto them?"

"Now, never you mind, like a sensible woman, " said Pablo's mothersoothingly. "They're playing along the way as likely as not and will beat your door before you are. Who should know better than myself the waychildren will forget the thing they're set to do. "

She looked severely at Pablo as she said this, so I judge theexamination of his ears had not been satisfactory. 

Doña Teresa didn't wait to hear any more, but ran back home, and whenthe children still did not appear she walked down the road hoping tomeet them. 

The clouds grew blacker and blacker, and the rain began to fall. DoñaTeresa called Jasmin, who had reappeared by this time, and gave himTonio's shoes to smell of. 

"Go find him, go find him, " she cried. 

Jasmin whined and looked anxious, but just then came a flash oflightning. Jasmin was afraid of lightning, so he crept into Tonto'sstall with his tail between his legs and hid there until the storm wasover. 

II

At last it was time for Pancho to come home. Poor Doña Teresa kept hersupper hot and waited anxiously to hear the sound of Pinto's hoofs, butno such sound came. Pancho would go with her, and together they wouldfind their children, she was sure, but six o'clock and seven came, without either Pancho or the children. 

It was quite dark when at last she put on her rebozo and ran as fast asshe could to the priest's house. The door was opened by the priest's fatsister, who kept house for him. 

"Oh, where is the padrecito?" Doña Teresa said to her. "I must see him. "

"He is eating his supper, " said the fat sister. 

"Tell him I am in great trouble, " sobbed Doña Teresa. 

In a moment the priest appeared at the door, and Doña Teresa kissed thehand he stretched out to her, and told him her anxieties all in onebreath. 

The padrecito had just had his supper and was feeling very comfortablehimself, so he told her he was sure that everything would come out allright. He patted Doña Teresa on the shoulder and said not to worry; thatprobably Pancho had had to stay to mend a fence somewhere, and thechildren--why, they had probably stopped to play!

"In pitch darkness and rain, holy father? It cannot be, " Doña Teresamoaned. 

"Well, " said the priest, "if they are not here in an hour we will searchfor them, but they will surely come soon. "

Doña Teresa had such faith in the priest that she went back home, intending to do just what he said, but when she got there she foundPedro's wife waiting for her. 

The moment she saw Doña Teresa she cried out, "Has Pancho come?"

"No, " sobbed Doña Teresa. 

"Neither has Pedro, " answered his wife. "I can't think what can be thematter. He never stays out so late as this--especially in a storm. Something dreadful has surely happened. "

Doña Teresa told her what the priest had said, but neither one waswilling to wait another minute, so they ran together in the rain to theother huts and told the news, and the men formed a searching-party atonce. 

They put on their grass coats to protect them from the rain, and startedoff in the darkness and wet, carrying lighted pine torches, and callingloudly, "Pancho--Pedro--Tonio--Tita, " every few minutes. 

[Illustration]

While they were gone Pedro's wife left the baby and Pablo with aneighbor and asked her to send Pablo to the chapel if there should beany news. Then she and Doña Teresa went there to pray. 

The chapel door was open and candles were burning on the little altar, as the two women crept in and knelt before the image of the Virgin andChild. 

"O Holy Mother, " sobbed Doña Teresa, "help us who are mothers, too!"

All night long they knelt on the chapel floor before the images, sobbingand praying, listening for footsteps that did not come, and promisingmany candles to be placed upon the altar, if only their dear ones couldbe restored to them. 

It was long after the rain was over and the moon shining again that theweary search party returned to the village without any news of thewanderers. 

VIII

THE SECRET MEETING

[Illustration]

VIII

THE SECRET MEETING

I

The children, meanwhile, were sleeping soundly in their hard bed. Theywere so tired that they did not wake up even when a tiny stream of waterbroke through a crevice in the rocks and splashed down on Tonio's head. It ran off his hair just as the rain ran off the thatched roof of theirlittle adobe hut. 

About nine o'clock the rain stopped and the moon shone out from behindthe clouds. An owl hooted; a fox ran right over the roof of their cave, making a soft pat-pat with his paws that would have frightened them ifthey had heard it, but they slept on. 

At last, however, something did wake Tita. She sat up in terror. Aflickering light that wasn't moonlight was dancing about the cave! Itwas so bright that she could see everything about them as plain as day. 

She clutched Tonio, shook him gently, and whispered in his ear, "Tonio, Tonio, wake up. "

Tonio stirred and opened his mouth, but Tita clapped her hand over it. She was so afraid he would make a noise. When he saw the flickeringlight Tonio almost shouted for joy, for he was sure that his father hadfound them at last. 

The flickering light grew brighter. They heard the crackling of flamesand men's voices, and saw sparks. Very quietly they squirmed around ontheir stomachs until they could peep out of the opening of their cave. 

This is what they saw!

There on the ground a few feet in front of their hiding-place was afire, and two men were beside it. Their horses were tied to bushes notfar away. One of the men was broiling meat on the end of a stick. Thesmell of it made the children very hungry. The other man was drinkingsomething hot from a cup. They both had guns, and the guns were leaningagainst the rocks just below the cave where the children were hidden. 

The man who was standing up was tall and had a fierce black mustache. Hehad on a big sombrero, and under a fold of his serape Tonio could see acartridge-belt and the handle of a revolver. 

"It's the Tall Man that Father and Pedro were talking to in front of thepulque shop, " whispered Tonio. 

Tita was so frightened that she shook like a leaf and her teethchattered. 

Pretty soon the Tall Man spoke. "The others ought to be here soon, " hesaid. "They'll see the fire. Put on a few more sticks and make it flameup more. "

The other man gave a last turn to the meat, handed it stick and all tothe Tall Man, and disappeared behind the bushes to search for wood. 

[Illustration]

He had not yet come back, when there was the sound of horses' feet, anda man rode into sight, dismounted, hitched his horse, and joined theTall Man by the fire. 

One by one others came, until there were ten men standing about andtalking together in low tones. Last of all there was the thud-thud oftwo more horses and who should come riding into the firelight butPancho on Pinto, and Pedro on another horse!

When they joined the circle, Tonio almost sprang up and shouted. He didmake a little jump, but Tita clutched him and held him back. He looseneda pebble at the mouth of the cave by his motion and it clattered downover the rock. The man who had gone for the wood was just putting hisload down by the fire when the pebble came rattling down beside him. 

"What's that?" he said, and sprang for his rifle. 

Tonio hastily drew in his head. The men all listened intently for a fewminutes, and looked cautiously about them. 

"It's nothing but a pebble, " said the Tall Man at last. "No one willdisturb us here. And if they should, "--he tapped the handle of hisrevolver and smiled, --"we'd give them such a warm welcome they would beglad to stay with us--quietly--oh, very quietly!"

The other men grinned a little, as if they saw a joke in this, and thenthey all sat down in a circle around the fire. 

II

Pancho and Pedro sat where the children could look right at them. TheTall Man was the only one who did not sit down. He stood up and began totalk. 

"Well, men, " he said. "I knew I could count on you! Brave fellows likeyou know well when a blow must be struck, and where is the true Mexicanwho was ever afraid to strike a blow when he knew that it was needed?

"We came of a race of fighters! And once Mexico belonged to them! OurIndian forefathers did not serve a race of foreign tyrants as we, theirsons, do! Look about you on Mexico! Where in the whole world can befound such a land? The soil so rich that it yields crops that burden theearth, and mountains full of gold and silver and precious stones! And itis for this reason we are enslaved!

"If our land were less rich and less beautiful, if it bore no suchcrops, if its sunshine were not so bright, and its mountains yielded nosuch treasure, we should be free men to-day. 

"But the world envied our possessions. You know how Cortez, long ago, came from Spain and when our forefathers met him with friendliness heslew men, women, and children, tore down their ancient temples, and setthe churches of Spain in their places!

"The Spaniards turned our fathers from free and brave men into aconquered and enslaved people, and worst of all they mixed their hatedblood with ours. From the days of Cortez until now in one way or anotherwe have submitted to oppression, until the spirit of our brave Indianancestors is almost dead within us!

"And for what do we serve these aristocrats? For the privilege ofremaining ignorant! For the privilege of tilling _their_ fields, whichwere once ours! For the privilege of digging _our_ gold and silver andprecious stones out of _their_ mines to make them rich! For theprivilege of living in huts while they live in palaces! For the_privilege_ of being robbed and beaten in the name of laws we neverheard of and which we had no part in making, though this country iscalled a Republic! A Republic!--Bah!--A Republic where more than halfthe people cannot read! A Republic of cattle! A Republic where men likeyou work for a few pence a day, barely enough to keep your body and soultogether--and even that pittance you must spend in stores owned by themen for whom you work!

"The little that you earn goes straight back into the pockets of yourmasters! Do you not see it? Do you not see if they own the land and thesupplies they own you too? They _call_ you free men--but are you free?What are you free to do? Free to starve if you will not work on theirterms, or if you will not strike a blow for freedom. Are not my wordstrue? Speak up and answer me! Are you satisfied? Are you free?"

III

The Tall Man stopped and waited for an answer. The fire flickered overthe dark faces of angry men, and Pedro stirred uneasily as if he wouldlike to say something. 

"Speak out, Pedro. Tell us your story, " said the Tall Man. 

Pedro stood up and shook his fist at the fire. "Every word you speak istrue, " he said. "Who should know better than I? I had a small farm somemiles from here, left me by my father. It was my own, and I tilled myland and was content. My father could not read, neither could I. No onetold me of the laws. 

"At last one day a rural[20] rode to my house, and said, 'Pedro, whyhave you not obeyed the law? The law says that if you did not have yourproperty recorded before a magistrate by the first of last month itshould be taken from you and given to the State. '

[Illustration]

"'But I have never heard of such a law, ' I said to him. He answered, 'Ignorance excuses no man. Your farm belongs to the state. ' And I and myfamily were turned out of the house in which I and my father before mehad been born. All our neighbors were treated in the same way. Indespair we went away to the hacienda of Señor Fernandez, and there wework for a pittance as you say. And our homes! That whole region wasturned over by the President, not long after, to a rich friend of his, who now owns it as a great estate!

"Many of my old neighbors are now his peons--working for him on landthat was once their own and that was taken from them by a trick--by atrick, I say, "--his voice grew thick, and he sat down heavily in hisplace. 

Another man, a stranger to Tonio, sprang to his feet. "Ah, if that wereall!" he said; "but even in peonage we are not left undisturbed! It wasonly a year ago that I was riding into town on my donkey with somechickens to sell, when an officer stopped me and brought me before theJefe Politico. [21]

"'Why have you not obeyed the law?' said the magistrate. 'I know of nolaw that I have not obeyed, ' I said. 'You may tell me that, ' said thescoundrel, 'but to make me believe it is another matter. You must knowvery well that a law was passed not long ago that every peon must weardark trousers if he wishes to enter a town. '

"'I have no dark trousers, ' said I, 'and I have no money to buy them. Ihave worn such white trousers as these since I was a boy, as have allthe men in this region. ' 'That makes no difference to me, ' he said; 'lawis law. ' I was put in prison and made to work every day on a bridge thatthe Government was building! I never saw my donkey or the chickensagain. My wife did not know where I was for two weeks. 

"While I was working on the bridge five other men whom I knew wereseized and treated in the same way. It is my belief that there is nosuch law. They wanted workmen for that bridge and that was the cheapestway to get them!"

"Where are those other five men who were imprisoned, too? Have they nospirit?" It was the Tall Man who spoke. 

"They have spirit, " the man answered, "but they also have largefamilies. They fear to leave them lest they starve. They are helpless. "

"Say rather they are fools, " said the Tall Man when the stranger satdown. "Why had they not the spirit like you to take things in their ownhands--to revenge their wrongs? As for myself, " he went on, "every oneknows my story. 

"The blood of my Indian ancestors was too hot in my veins for suchslavery--by whatever name you call it. I broke away, and my name is nowa terror in the region that I call mine. 

"It is no worse to take by violence than by fraud. My land was takenfrom me by fraud. Very well, I take back what I can by violence. Therich call us bandits, but there is already an army of one thousand menwaiting for you to join them, and we call ourselves Soldiers of theRevolution. We have risen up to get for ourselves some portion of whatwe have lost. 

"Will you not join us? Our general is a peon like yourselves. He feelsour wrongs because he has suffered them, and he fights like a demon toavenge them. Ride away to-night with me! You shall see something besidesdriving other people's cattle--and being driven like cattle yourselves!"

The Tall Man stopped talking and waited for an answer. No one spoke. Themen gazed silently into the fire as if they were trying to think outsomething that was very puzzling. 

The Tall Man spoke again. "Sons of brave ancestors, do you know whereyou are?" he said. "Do you know what this great pyramid is?" He pointeddirectly up toward the cave, and Tonio and Tita, who had listened toevery word, instantly popped their heads out of sight like frightenedrabbits. 

"This stone mountain was built by your Indian ancestors hundreds ofyears ago. It is the burial-place of their dead. It is called thePyramid of the Moon. Look at it! Have the Spaniards built anythinggreater? Mexico has many mighty monuments which show the glory which wasours before the Spaniards came. 

"I have seen the ruins of great cities--cities full of stone buildingscovered with wonderful carvings, all speaking of the magnificence of thedays of Cuauhtemoc. [22] Here in this place the souls of those braveancestors listen for your answer. There are many people who do notknow--who do not feel--who are content to be like the sheep on thehillside; but you, you know your wrongs, --come with us and avenge them!"

IV

The man who had gone for the wood now spoke. He took up one of therifles. "See!" he said, "we have guns enough for you, and you havehorses. It is time to start. The morning will soon be here. "

The men rose slowly from their places around the fire. Tonio saw some ofthem glance fearfully around at the great Pyramid of the Moon in whichthey were hidden and furtively cross themselves. Then he heard hisfather's voice. It was the first time Pancho had spoken. 

"I will go with you, " said Pancho. "I am no sheep. I, too, have sufferedmany things. My wife is a strong woman. She will look after the childrenwhile I am gone. I have no fear for them. "

When Tita heard her father say these dreadful words she almost screamed, but now Tonio clapped his hand over her mouth. 

"Keep still, " he whispered in her ear. "Those other men might kill us ifthey knew we were here and had heard everything. "

Tita hid her face on her arms, and her whole body shook with sobs, butshe did not make a sound--not even when she saw Pancho and Pedro rideaway with the two men whom they had first seen by the fire. 

Four of the other men went with them too. The ones who had made the signof the cross did not go. 

The children could catch only a few words of what they said when Panchoand Pedro and the others rode away, but it sounded like this: "--Ourwives--our children--we shall not forget--by and by--perhaps in thespring--" And then they heard the voice of the Tall Man speaking verysharply. 

"If you will not go with us, see that you keep silence, " he said. "Ifany news of this gets about in this region we shall know whom to blameand to punish! We shall come back and we shall know, " and then "Ádios[23]--á dios--á dios--" and the hoof-beats of horses as they rodeaway, then silence again, and the moon sailing away toward the west, with only the glow of the dying coals to show that any one had beenthere at all. 

[Illustration]

When they were gone, the children wept together as if their hearts wouldbreak, but soon the birds began to sing, and the sky grew brighter andbrighter in the east, and the coming of the sunshine comforted them. 

When it was quite light they let themselves down out of their nest andwarmed themselves over the coals. They had nothing to eat, of course, and they did not know which way to go. But Tonio had an idea. 

"Father and Pedro came from this direction, " he said, pointing towardthe south, "and so the hacienda must be somewhere over that way. "

V

They started bravely toward the south and had not gone far when theystruck a rough road. Tonio stooped down and found the fresh prints ofPinto's hoofs in the mud. 

"This is the way, " he cried joyfully. "I'm sure of it. "

They walked on and on, but they were too hungry to go very fast. By andby they sat down on a stone to rest. They had been there only a shorttime when they heard the beat of horses' hoofs, and galloping down ahill they saw two people on horseback. One was a lady. The other was aman. 

The children watched them eagerly, and in a moment Tita sprang up andbegan to run towards them, shouting joyfully, "It's the SeñoritaCarmen!"

Then Tonio ran too. When Carmen saw the two wild little figures sheshouted and waved her hand to them, and she and the mozo, [24] orservant, who was on the other horse, galloped as fast as they could upthe hill to meet them. 

When they reached the children, Carmen sprang down from her horse andthrew her bridle-rein to the mozo. Then she quickly opened a littlebundle which he handed her, and gave the children each a drink of milk, and some food, and all the while she murmured comforting things to them. 

"Poor little ones--poor little souls!" she said, patting them. "We havebeen looking for you, the mozo and I, since daybreak! Where have youbeen, my poor pigeons? Your mother is nearly wild with grief! Tell me, have you seen anything of your father or Pedro? They have not been homeeither. We thought perhaps they might be searching for you too. "

[Illustration]

Tonio and Tita both had their hungry mouths so full they could notanswer just then, but when the mozo had lifted Tita up on the horsebehind Carmen, and had taken Tonio up on his own horse, and they were ontheir way home, they told Carmen and the mozo just how they got lost, only neither one said a single word about their father or Pedro, or theTall Man, or the group they had seen around the fire. 

They remembered what the Tall Man had said about coming back to punishany one who should tell of the secret meeting, and they remembered howfierce his voice sounded as he said it. 

When at last they rode into the gate of the hacienda every one was soglad to see them that the Twins felt like heroes. 

José waved his hat and shouted when he saw them coming, and Jasmin cametearing out to meet them with his tongue hanging out and his tail stuckstraight out behind him like the smoke behind a fast locomotive. 

The news spread quickly through the village, and all the boys and girlsand the mothers came swarming out of their huts to greet them and toask a thousand questions about where they had been. 

[Illustration]

The first one to reach them was Doña Teresa. She came running out of thechapel, with her rebozo flying out behind her almost like Jasmin's tail, and she clasped them in her arms and kissed them again and again andcalled them her lambs, her angels, her precious doves. 

She kissed the hands of Carmen and thanked her, and then she ran backwith the Twins to the chapel and made them say a prayer of thankfulnesswith her before the image of the Virgin. 

VI

It was not until she had them all to herself in their little adobe hutthat she made them tell her every word about their adventure. Of coursethey told their mother everything--about the fire and the Tall Man, andthe guns, and what he said about coming back to punish any one who told. 

Doña Teresa rocked back and forth on her knees and wiped her eyes on herapron as she listened to them, while at the same time she made them hotchocolate on the brasero. 

As they were drinking it she said to them: "Listen, my children. I willtell you a secret. Promise me first that you will never, never tell whatI am going to tell you now!"

The children promised. 

Then Doña Teresa went on: "I am not wholly surprised at your father'sdisappearance. I knew he had seen the Tall Man. I knew it after JudasIscariot's Day. The Tall Man talked then with him and Pedro and someothers, and asked them to join the Revolution. I begged him on my kneesnot to go, but he said: 'If I go it is only to make things better for usall. I'm tired of this life. Peons might just as well be slaves. '"

"What is the Revolution?" asked Tonio. 

"Oh, I don't know, " sobbed Doña Teresa. "Your father says it is risingup to fight against wrongs and oppression. He says the Government is inleague with the rich and powerful and even with the Church"--here DoñaTeresa crossed herself--"to keep the poor people down, and to take awaytheir land. He says the Revolution is going to give back the land to thepeople and give them a better chance. 

"That's what the Tall Man told him. But to me it looks like just addingto our poverty. Here at least we have a roof over our heads, and food, such as it is, and I could be content. What good it will do any one togo out and get shot I cannot see, --but then, of course, I am only awoman. " She finished with a sob. 

[Illustration]

"Father told the Tall Man that you were a strong woman and that he hadno fear for us because you would look after us while he is gone, " saidTita. 

"And so I will, my lamb, " said Doña Teresa. "It is not for nothing thatI am the best ironer and the best cook on the hacienda. You shall notsuffer, my pigeons. But you must help me. You must never, _never_, NEVERtell any one where your father has gone. Señor Fernandez would be angry. It might injure your father very much. We must be silent, and work hardto make up for his absence. I shall tell Pedro's wife. She knows aboutthe Tall Man, and it was the first thing we both thought of when yourfather and Pedro did not come home last night. But Pablo doesn't know athing about it, and he must not know. I'm afraid Pablo couldn't keep asecret!"

This made the Twins feel very grown up and important. Perhaps after alltheir father would come back and things would be better for them all, they thought. He probably knew best, for was he not a man? And so theylay down on their hard beds, warmed and fed and comforted, and slept, while Doña Teresa went over and told Pedro's wife all that the Twins hadtold her. 

 [20] Roo-rahl´. 

 [21] Hay´fay pō-lee´tī-co. 

 [22] Kwow´tē-mōk. 

 [23] Ah dee-ōs´. 

 [24] Mō´sō. 

[Illustration]

IX

CHRISTMAS AT THE HACIENDA

[Illustration]

IX

CHRISTMAS AT THE HACIENDA

I

Days and weeks and months went by and still there was no news of thewanderers. Doña Teresa worked hard at her washing and cooking, and withthe goat's milk and the eggs managed to get enough to feed the Twins andherself. But the time seemed long and lonely, and she spent many hoursbefore the image of the Virgin in the chapel, praying for Pancho's safereturn. She even paid the priest for special prayers, and out of herscanty earnings bought candles to burn upon the altar. At last theChristmas season drew near. 

The celebration of Christmas lasts for more than a whole week in Mexico. Every evening for eight evenings before Christmas all the people in thevillage met together and marched in a procession all round thehacienda. This procession is called the Pasada. [25]

Everybody marched in it, and when on the first evening they came to thepriest's house, he came out and stood beside his door and gave to eachperson a lighted candle, which his fat housekeeper handed out to him. 

Then while all the people stood there with the candles shining likelittle stars, he told them this story, to remind them of the meaning ofthe procession:--

"Listen, my children, " he said. "Long years ago, just before our Saviourwas born, Mary, his mother, went with Joseph, her husband, from thelittle town of Nazareth, where they lived, into Judæa. They had to makethis journey because a decree had been passed that every one must betaxed. 

"Joseph and the Blessed Mother of our Lord were always obedient to thelaw, so they went at once to Bethlehem in Judæa, which was the placewhere their names had to be enrolled. My children, you also should obeyin all things, as they did. Discontent and rebellion should have noplace in your lives, --as it had no place in theirs. 

"When Joseph and Mary reached Bethlehem they found the town so full ofpeople, who had come from far and near for this purpose, that there wasno room for them in the inn. For eight days they wandered about seekinga place to rest and finding none. 

"At last, on the ninth day, they were so weary that they took shelter ina stable with the cattle, and there on that night our Blessed Saviourwas born. They were poorer than you, my children, for they had no placeto lay their heads, and the Queen of Heaven had only a manger in whichto cradle her newborn son. It is to commemorate their wanderings thatyou make your Pasada. "

When the priest had finished the story the people all marched awaycarrying their candles and singing. Each night they marched and sang inthis way until at last it was Christmas Eve. 

Doña Teresa and the twins went to bed early that night because there wasto be high mass in the little chapel at midnight. Doña Teresa slept withone eye open, fearing she might be late, and a few minutes before twelveshe was up again. 

She washed the Twins' faces to wake them, and then they all three walkedin the starlight to the little chapel near the Big House. The altar wasblazing with lights, and the floor was covered with the dark figures ofkneeling men and women, as the mother and children went in out of thedarkness and found a place for themselves in a corner near the door. 

When the service was over, Doña Teresa hurried home to set the house inorder and to prepare the Christmas dinner for the Twins. She had made upher mind that the red rooster must surely be caught and cooked, becauseshe wanted to keep the turkey until Pancho should be at home to sharein the feast. 

She had planned it all carefully. "It will be quite easy to creep upunder the fig tree while the red rooster is asleep and seize him by thelegs, " she said to the Twins as they walked home from the chapel. "Onlyyou must be very quiet indeed or he will wake up and crow. You know heis a light sleeper!"

They slipped through the gate and into the yard as quietly as theycould. They reached the fig tree without making a single sound and DoñaTeresa peered cautiously into the dark branches. 

She saw a large shadow at the end of the limb where the red roosteralways slept and, stretching her hand very stealthily up through thebranches, she suddenly grabbed him by the legs--or she thought she did. 

But the owner of the legs gobbled loud enough to wake every one in thevillage, if they hadn't been awake already!

"It's the turkey, after all, " gasped Doña Teresa. Just then there was aloud crow from the roof, and they saw the silhouette of the red roostermaking all haste to reach the ridge-pole and fly down on the other side. 

Doña Teresa was in despair, but she held on to the turkey. "That roosteris bewitched, " she said. 

Just then the turkey stopped gobbling long enough to peck vigorously atTonio, who came to help his mother, and Doña Teresa said, "Well, then, we'll eat the turkey, anyway, though I had hoped to wait until yourfather gets home. But we must have something for our Christmas dinner, and there's no telling when we shall see the red rooster again. "

"I shouldn't want to eat the red rooster, anyway, " said Tita. "He seemsjust like a member of the family. "

And so the Christmas dinner was settled that way. 

The turkey wasn't the only thing they had. There was rice soup first, then turkey, and they had frijoles, and tortillas, of course, andbananas beside, and all the sweet potatoes cooked in syrup that theycould possibly hold. It took Doña Teresa so long to cook it all on herlittle brasero that she didn't go back to bed at all, though the Twinshad another nap before morning. 

They had their dinner early, and when they had finished eating, Titasaid, "We must give a Christmas dinner to the animals too. "

So Tonio brought alfalfa in from the field on purpose for Tonto, and thered rooster appeared in time to share with the hens twice as much cornas was usually given them. The cat had a saucer of goat's milk, andTonio even found some bones for Jasmin, so every single one of them hada happy Christmas Day. 

At dusk when candles began to glimmer about the village and all thepeople were getting ready for the Christmas Pasada, Doña Teresa said tothe Twins, "You take your candles and run along with Pablo. I am goingto the chapel. " And while all the other people marched round among thecabins, singing, she stayed on her knees before the image of theVirgin, praying once more for Pancho's safe return. 

When they reached the priest's house, the priest himself joined theprocession and marched at the head of it, bearing in his hands large waximages of the Holy Family. Behind him came Lupito, the young vaquero whohad taken Pancho's place on the hacienda, with his new wife, andfollowing them, if you had been there, you might have seen Pedro's wifeand baby, and Rafael and José and Doña Josefa, and Pablo and the Twinswith Juan and Ignacio and a crowd of other children and grown peoplewhose names I cannot tell you because I do not know them all. 

As they passed the chapel, Doña Teresa came out and slipped into linebehind the Twins. If she had been looking in the right direction just atthat minute she might have seen two dark figures come out from behindsome bushes near the priest's house, and though they had no candles, fall in at the end of the procession and march with them to theentrance of the Big House. But she kept her eyes on her candle, whichshe was afraid might be blown out by the wind. 

[Illustration]

When they reached the doorway every one stopped while Lupito and his newwife sang a song saying that the night was cold and dark and the windwas blowing, and asking for shelter, just as if they were Joseph andMary, and the Big House were the inn in Bethlehem. 

Then a voice came from the inside of the Big House as if it were theinnkeeper himself answering Joseph and Mary. It was really the mozo'svoice, and it said, No, they could not come in, that there was no moreroom in the inn. 

Then Lupito and his wife sang again and told the innkeeper that she whobegged admittance and had not where to lay her head, was indeed theQueen of Heaven. 

At this name the door was flung wide open, and the priest, bearing theimages of the Virgin and Child and Joseph, entered with Lupito and allthe others singing behind him. 

The priest led the procession through the entrance arch to the patio, and there he placed the images in a shrine, all banked with palms andflowering plants, which had been placed in the patio on purpose toreceive them. 

Then he lifted his hand and prayed, and blessed the people, and thewhole procession passed in front of the images, each one kneeling beforethem long enough to leave his lighted candle stuck in a little frameworkbefore the shrine. Señor Fernandez and his wife Carmen watched the scenefrom one end of the patio. 

[Illustration]

Doña Teresa and the Twins were among the first ones to leave theircandles, and afterward they stood under the gallery which ran around thepatio, to watch the rest of the procession. 

Everything was quiet until this was done, because this part of Christmaswas just like a church service. One by one the people knelt before theimages, crossed themselves, and joined the group under the gallery. Lastof all came the two dark figures without any candles. 

Up to that moment they had lingered behind the others in the background, and had kept as much as possible in the shadow, but now they stood rightin front of the Holy Family with all the candles shining directly intotheir brown faces--and who should they be but Pancho and Pedro come backfrom the war?

II

The moment she saw Pancho, Doña Teresa gave a loud scream of joy, andthen she rushed right by every one--almost stepping on the toes of thepriest himself--and threw her arms around his neck, while the Twins, whogot there almost as soon as she did, clasped an arm or a leg, orwhatever part of their father they could get hold of. 

At the same time Pedro's wife, with her baby on her arm and Pablo besideher, made a dash for Pedro, but Pablo got there first because, youremember, his mother was fat. And Pedro was so glad to see them he triedto hug her and the baby both at once, while Pablo hung round his neck, only as he was a small man he couldn't begin to reach round, and had totake them one at a time after all. 

Everybody was so glad to see Pancho and Pedro, and so glad for thehappiness that had come to their wives and children on Christmas Daythat everybody shook hands with everybody else, and talked and askedquestions without waiting for anybody to answer them, until it soundedalmost like the animals on San Ramon's Day. 

After Pancho and Pedro had greeted their families, and had said howPablo and the Twins had grown, and Pedro's wife had told him that thebaby had six teeth, and the baby had bitten Pedro's finger to prove it, he and Pancho broke away from them and went to pay their respects toSeñor Fernandez and the priest, who were standing together, talking inlow tones and watching the crowd round the wanderers. 

[Illustration]

Pancho and Pedro had reason to dread what Señor Fernandez and the priestmight say to them. They thought the priest might say, "Is thisobedience, my sons?" and they thought very possibly Señor Fernandezmight say something like this: "Well, my men, do you think you can playfast and loose with your job like that? You'll have to learn a haciendacan't be run that way. There's plenty of other help, so you may see ifyou can find work elsewhere. "

But as they came before Señor Fernandez and bowed humbly with theirsombreros in their hands, the priest glanced at their ragged clothes andtheir thin faces and said something in a low tone to Señor Fernandez, and although Pancho and Pedro listened they couldn't hear a word of itexcept "Christmas Day. "

Señor Fernandez gazed at them rather sternly for a moment withoutspeaking and then he said: "Well, Pancho and Pedro, I suppose you'vebeen out seeing the world, and would like to have your old jobs backagain, eh? You don't deserve it, you rascals, but I think I can use themen who have taken your places elsewhere on the hacienda, so if you likeyou can take your boat again the first of the year, Pedro; and Pancho, you can begin your rounds next week. Now, go and enjoy yourselves withyour families!"

And if you'll believe me, he never even asked them where they had been!Pancho and Pedro went back to their wives, who were watching theinterview anxiously from the other side of the patio, and the wives knewthe moment they saw the men's faces that everything was all right andthey could be happy once more. 

The rest of the people had already gone into the dining-room of the BigHouse and were eagerly watching a great earthenware boat that hung fromthe middle of the ceiling. They knew that the boat was full of goodthings to eat. Beside the boat stood pretty Carmen with a long stick inone hand and a white cloth in the other. 

[Illustration]

As Pancho and Pedro with their wives and Pedro's baby came into theroom, she was saying: "Now, I'll blindfold each of you, one at a time, and you must whack the piñata[26] real hard or nothing at all willhappen! I'll begin!"

She tied the cloth about her own eyes, turned round three times, andthen struck out with the stick. But she didn't come anywhere near thepiñata. Instead she nearly cracked José's head!

Everybody laughed, and then it was Lupito's turn. Lupito was a great manat roping bulls, or breaking wild horses, but he couldn't hit the boatwith his eyes covered any better than Carmen had. 

Then José tried. He struck the piñata--but it was only a love-pat. Theboat swung back and forth a little, but not a thing dropped overboard. 

At last Carmen cried out, "Come, Tonio, see if you have not a better aimthan the rest of us. "

Tonio stepped boldly into the middle of the room and Carmen bandaged hiseyes, turned him round and gave him the stick. Tonio knew what was inthat boat, and he was bound to get it out if he could, so he struck outwith a kind of sideways sweep and struck the ship whack on the prow!

It was made of earthenware on purpose so it would break easily, and themoment Tonio struck it there was a crashing sound, and then a perfectrain of cakes and candies, and bananas, and oranges, and peanuts, andother goodies which fell all over the floor, and it wasn't two minutesbefore every one in the room had his mouth full and both hands sticky. 

Doña Teresa and Pancho watched the fun for a while, and then Doña Teresawhispered to Pancho: "My angel, when did you eat last? You look hungry. "

Pancho at that very moment had his mouth full of banana, but he managedto say: "Last night I had some tortillas. I have had nothing since untilnow. "

"Bless my soul!" cried Doña Teresa. "Come home with me at once. Thanksbe to the Holy Virgin, you'll share the turkey with us after all! I hadto cook him because we couldn't catch the rooster! Tell the Twins andcome right along. "

[Illustration]

III

So while the guitars were tinkling and the rest of the people were stillsinging and dancing and having the merriest kind of a merry Christmas, Pancho and his family said good-night politely to Señor Fernandez andhis wife and slipped quietly away to the little adobe hut under the figtree. 

When they were inside their little home once more, Doña Teresa made afire in the brasero and heated some of the turkey for Pancho, and whilehe ate, Tonio and Tita stood on each side of their one chair, in whichhe sat, and listened with their eyes and mouths both while their fathertold about his adventures as a Soldier of the Revolution. And then theytold him all about the night they were lost, and the secret meeting, andhe was so astonished that he could hardly believe they had not dreamedit until Tita told him just what the Tall Man had said, and what Pedrohad said, and about the pebble that rolled down. 

Then he said, "Have you told any one about this?"

And Doña Teresa answered proudly, "Not a soul. Not even the priest. "

"You've done well, then, " Pancho said. "The Tall Man punishes those whospoil his plans by talking of them. He has raised an army of twothousand men in such ways. We enlisted for only four months, and in thattime we turned the region to the south of us altogether into the handsof the Revolutionists. I intended to return home at the end of the fourmonths, but finally stayed a month more to finish the campaign. "

"I knew you would come some time, my angel, " cried Doña Teresa. "I haveprayed every day before the Virgin for your safe return. "

"As God wills it, " Pancho answered soberly. "I meant at any rate tostrike my blow for freedom, and to try to make things better for usall. "

"Well, have you?" asked Doña Teresa. 

Pancho scratched his head with the old puzzled expression on his face. "I don't know, " he said at last. "Things are not right as they are, --Iknow that, --and they never will be right if no one ever complains orprotests or makes any fuss about it. And I know, too, that theseuprisings never will stop until Mexico is better governed, and poorpeople have the chance they long for and do not know how to get forthemselves. It is something just to keep things stirred up. Perhaps sometime Tonio here can think out what ought to be done. He may even be agreat general some day. "

"Heaven forbid!" cried Doña Teresa. She almost upset Pancho's dish, shewas so emphatic. "There has been enough of going to war in this family!"

"Well, " said Pancho, "war isn't very pleasant. I've seen enough of it toknow that: but peace isn't very pleasant either, when your life iswithout hope and you must live like the animals--if you live at all. "

"Now that I have you at home again, I, for one, am quite content, " saidDoña Teresa; and then she went to unroll the mats and put the childrento bed. 

They were so tired that they went to sleep in their corner in no time atall, and when she had snuffed the candles before the Virgin, Doña Teresacame back to Pancho and sat with him beside the embers still glowing inthe brasero. 

She told him everything that had happened on the hacienda while he wasaway, and Pancho told her all the strange sights he had seen, and thenew things he had learned, and at last he said:--

"Anyway, I've made up my mind that Tonio shall have more learning thanhe can get on this hacienda, though I don't know yet how it can bebrought about. Somehow children must know more than their parents ifthings are ever to be better for the poor people of Mexico. "

And Doña Teresa answered, "Well, anyway, we have each other and theTwins, so let's take comfort in that, right now, even if there are manythings in the world that can't be set right yet awhile. "

Just then the first streak of dawn showed red over the eastern hills. Out in the fig tree the red rooster shook himself and crowed, and toPancho, as he stretched himself on his own hard bed in his own poorlittle home once more, it sounded exactly as if he said, "Cock-a-doodle-do-oo. We're glad to see you-oo-oo. "

 [25] Pah-sah´dah. 

 [26] Pin-yah´tah. 

[Illustration]

 +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | Transcriber's note: | | | | Inconsistent hyphenation (beehives/bee-hives, gatekeeper/ | | gate-keeper) has been retained. The marker for footnote [9] | | is not present in the original and its location has been | | inferred. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+