The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-03-16
( copyright. 1887. by w. To C. Beard.]
PART i.

To his roundup. which, with the sports
that followed, was the great fiesta OF
the opening summer season, Chiquita
was going, and Chiquita, therefore,
was as excited and happy as only
girl can be when on the eve of her first
great social event. She had risen long
before daylight, and sang to herself a
little Spanish hymn of Thanksgiving
as she polished her silver beads. taken
from their hiding place in the old veg
etable can, and laid out the brightly
colored handkerchief for her necl;,
cnd the white stockings, which were
the first stockings that Chiquita had
ever possessed, and were TO be worn
for the first time to-day.
Chiquita was particularly anxious to
look well on this occasion. 1t was only
last night that Manuel had spoken to
her and had received his answer. She
had always known that Manuel would
speak i'm this way TO her, sooner or
later; had known il for ages, ever
since she was old enough to understand
anything about such things. and that
was a very long time ago, for Chiquita
was nearly seventeen. But Manuel
waited, for he knew that neither Chi
quita's father nor the padre, who was
as a second father TO all of shis little
flock, would give their consents until
Manuel could makesome show of world
" prosperity. For two years he had
been trying to gather together a herd
of his own, working in the meanwhile
as a vaquero and Buying cattle with
what money he could save, and at last
he had registered the brand of a goodly
beginning. The brand had been devised
by Chiquita herself. Manuel had asked
her to, in order, as he said, to bring
luck TO the herd, and Chiquita at last
had hit upon the device that was the
distinguishing mark of Monuels cat
.hle--the crossbow.
i Chiquita dressed herself and hurried
ho the door of the little adobe house just
as the sun shot up over the level edge
of the desert, bringing the scene at
once from darkness into broad day, for
there is little or no twilight in Arizona,
near the Mexican border line. 1t paled
the camp fires that glowed along the
trail that lay white streak along the
desert of yellow sand; and from around
the fires there came q hum Of voices
and an occasional shout as the campers
made ready their morning meal, or
gathered their horses and saddled them,
ready to start for the fiesta where all
were bound.
Never before, NJ one time, had Chi
qu;ta aeon 80 many people. The trail
was covered by horsemen and cattle
and great six-horse wagons that were
already under way. Around the well
near the house men we're clustered
like bees as they struggled TO get water
from its shallow spring, which they
muddied and then swore at. The great
sities, of which Chiquita had heard
vague accounts, must be something
like this, she thought, only there would
probably be more houses in a city
ten or twenty, or possibly even fifty.
A call from inside the house fell un-
Needed on Chiquita's ear. 1t was re-
peated several times; then old Mar
gcrita, who had attended TO Chiquita
since the death Of the mother she
could not remember, hobbled out OF
the house and laid her hand on the
girls shoulder.
''The frijolas are ready, and you must
eat quickly or the Sonora will be here"
she said in the soft Mexican Spanish,
"and the Sonora, one must not keep
waiting" Chiquita did not wish for
any breakfast, ard said so, but Mar
garita must be obeyed, and Chiquita
danced into the house to struggle with
the stewed beans that never before had
seemed so persistentfy and uneatably
hot. She ate alone, for her father and
men at the herding. She had just
struggled with the last scalding spoon
ful of her beans. being forced TO the Bit
ter end of them by the ever watchfut
eye OF Marcarita, when there was a
crealSing and halloing outside that an
aounced the coming of the Sonora VAL
des. who was TO take Chiquita TO the
fiesta and act as her duenna. 1t was
great honor for the little Mexican girl,
this passing even for day, under the
protection of the Sonora. for the Sonora
vns power in the land. She was great
ady in every way. She filed TO over
dcwing the seat OF the carriage in
which she sat- Never before had
Chiquta ridden in carriage-had never
seen any, except this one from the
hacienda, from which IL was only
taken on state occasions. and she re-
garded II with owe as the symbol OF all
that was great in the household from
which il came. Indeed, IL would have
attracted attention anywhere, Chiquita
thought. and she was not far wrong,
for it's solid wheels. canopy top with
festooned curtains OF faded green and
the four trotting oxen that drew il by
means Of yokes tied TO their horns were
risfcrent from things one ordinarily
secs.
Even before Chiquita had climbed
into the place that the Sonora with
an effort made on the seat beside her,
the gayly dressed driver began prod
ding al his cattle with the long thick