The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-12-13

to Lima to the prison, for we can have
no fighting here, nor men of trouble "
A slender, big-eyed Spanish boy
coming out few moments later from
the great castle arch of the manor
house saw four poems Juggling away
between them the long hulk of the
prisoner and stopped to ask the
trouble.
"Ah! That bad Coco. That he
may never come back from Lima, !"
said the young Spaniard named
Felipe, earnestly. sHe is terror to
all, and now L fear he will kill Don
Melito, for Coco never forgets.
shall ask my father to see the prefect,
that they keep him away. And the
sugar?"
Felipe, never tired of following all
the processes with grave air, as if il
all rested upon his small shoulders. A
boy who never felt that he was "help-
ing If such a very helpless boy ever
existed-has lost one of the best things
in all boyhood, and Felipe could not
have understood such boy at all. He
went on now and joined Don Melito
and the two stood together watching
the vat with professional eyes while
the two negroes piled their plashing
hoes. It was very hot work even to
watch it, but good administrator
would never trust this to tho laborers
"Now you watch it little" said
Don Melito, with roguish gravity,
looking at the boys preoccupied face.
Gas for me, 1 must see how are the
pailas," and he climbed the steps to
the platform where the caldrons were
Kissing with their new supply of sap.
Felipe thus left alone with the
heaviest responsibility he had ever
borne, knit his smooth brows very
hard and peered into the vat as if the
fate of nations hung on his eyes. For
the first time he began to doubt them.
He wondered if it were not worked
enough-if he had not better stop the
hoes and get the molders to work. If
only Don Melito was not here, and
there were no signs of his coming
Perhaps he was leaving Felipe to find
out the difference between knowing
how some one else does thing and
how to do it ones SELF The boy fidget-
ed up and down and looked at the vat
first from one end and then from the
other, and grew more doubtful the
more he looked.
81 don't know and / don't know"
he cried to himself. "But sure it is
that must do something, for he left
me in charge and perhaps is busy with
other matters, thinking L would not
let it be spoiled. Put it in the
molds !"
The men leaned their candied hoes
against the WALL The molders began
ladling their buckets full and, in turn,
filling the shallow molds. The color
there darkened again as sudden crys-
tallization set in; but Felipe felt
great load lifted off his shoulders He
was very sure now that it was good
color-not hint of the hateful I'M
dertone black, but soft, rich brown,
shading to gold at the thin edges.
Now he was free-the laborers could
attend to the rest, as usual-and he
would go and hunt for Don Melito.
He ran up the steps and along the
platform, and half way stopped short,
as if he had run against II wall.
The rusty irons should never have
been trusted with that giants strength !!
They might do for common men, but
for Coco AS soon as consciousness
came back to him, and with it the old
rage, he had snapped them, and,
wrenching out the iron bars from the
window of the calaboz, had come for
his revenge. Even now he was shak-
ing his wrists, one still hooped with
the iron band, before the old admin
istrador's face and kissing: "You!
You did me this. And now L will boil
you'll"
Don Melito stood still and gray as
stone, looking up into Coco's eyes.
His hat was in his hand on account of
the heat; but now he put it on as If
scorning to stand uncovered before
the tellow-put it steadily upon the
curling gray hair that reached barely
to the level of those great naked chest