Evening star., 1898-11-19
THANKSGIVING OF
MANUEL AND ANTONIO
Written for The Evening Star by Ellen Knight
Bradford.

Written for The Evening Star by Ellen Knight
Bradford,
You might not have thought it a Thanks
giving day at all, for there no snow,
nor even a rustic Of. falling leaves, and
what was worse, there was turkey.
cranberry sauce or pie-even November was
wanting. . -'A
Instead of this 1t was a hot day in July,
ard away down in Santiago, two little
boys-Manuel and Antonio-sat under an
old mahogany tree which raised it's lofty
branches fifty feet above them, and made
them look very tiny in its great shadow.
They had been frightened little boys only
a few days before, for they had heard the
big guns from the American warships shake
the very earth with their terrible roaring,
and there was no father or mother to care
for Manuel Antonio: they had died in
the trochas weeks before. Now they were
alone and very, very hungry, for it was
many hours since they had tasted food
The little boys knew that the Americans
were their friends, and now that the noise
from the great guns was over, they loved
to see the battle ships far out on the blue
water of the bay resting after their noisy
work, and if they had not been so very
hungry they would have loved to hear the
tlrds singing in the mango trees, or to have
chased the bright butterflies that fitted
about among the cactus blooms at the road
side. Nothing seemed to interest them
much just now, however. yet if you had
been looking at them you might have no.
ticed that Antonio held in his thin hand
little faded American flag. 1t was tiny
thing, but 1t was the only thing in all the
world that he owned, and whenever 1t
would slip from his hand he would move
about in the most excited nervous manner
until he secured it again, sometimes tucking
it into the front of his little short cotton
shirt-the only garment thai he Wore, and
sometimes trying to fasten it in the ragged
crown of his palm hat, which had lost its
rim long ago, and only partly covered the
glossy black hair that lay in wet locks
above his shining eyes.
How he got the little faded cotton flag
no one knows. 1 hardly think he could
have told himself, for 1t seemed like a
part of him, worn and small and tired
looking.
They had beer quiet for several minutes,
when suddenly Manuel started to his feet,
saying to his little comrade in the softest,
sweetest Spanish "Oh, look Tonic, what
are all the people running for down by the
water? Diego said a ship was coming
some day from America to bring food. Per-
haps 1t came yesterday, when We were up
in the corn fields. Let's go and see-it
won't hurt, If 1t doesn't make any noise.'
Antonio ciutched his little flag and clasp
ing each others hands, together they start
ed for the bay.
The sun was hot, the air was heavy; a
sharp kissing noise sounded in their ears.
and bright spots danced before their eyes
they were so weak and so very hungry.
Their little shirts, already ragged, caught
in the prickly cactus and often held them
back, but at last they reached the water.
and, sure enough, there lay beautiful
great ship and from a store house not far
away men were giving cut food to hungry
people who would be patient and wait their
turn to get it.
But what could two such little boys do In
such crowd! They had to wait their turn.
had been neighbor. a kind-hearted man,
helped them along, and almost before they
knew 1t each had as much as he could hold
In his two little hands. and when that had
quickly disappeared and the hands that
could hold so little were again filled, they
started on their way back to the shade of
the mahogany tree. They felt stronger all
ready, and how fast the pretty Spanish
words fell from their.lipsi The very birds
stopped to listen to their musical chatter!
When at last they reached their old place.
and were nestled close together again. An
tonic took off what was left of his ragged
hat and placed it on the grass in front OF
him. Inside Of 1t he placed three pieces Of
hardtack, and a bit Of corned meat, which
the kind neighbor had given him and
which he had hugged, to his little brown
breast all the way from the store house.
Then beside the old hat he planted his little
fas-the stars and stripes-and with
sweet sense Of the fitness of things, he
clapped his little hands and said to his
companion:
Manuel Americana ,Amercana!"
This seemed to suggest something to
Manuel. who. as well asr Antonio, was a
devout little Roman Catholic. and spread
ing his portion out upon the ground he
broke off a small branch frcm a bamboo
tree near by and quickly made a little
cross, the arms of which were held in
place by tying the crosspiece on with some
blades Of the strong. coarse grass which
grew all about them. This. too, was plant
ed near Manuels rations- and when all was
done, the two little children dropped upon
their knees. and as they bowed their dark
heads and crossed themselves fervently the
birds in the mango trees (and they were
not the only ones) heard the words re-
peated, over and over. Maria, Americana,
Maria. Americana" and if you ever go to
Cuba you may be shown the spot where the
cross and the stars and stripes were first
planted together, and where Thanksgiving
day was observed for the first time in July.
In Cochin China the parties desiring d.
vorce break a pair of chopsticks in the
presence of witnesses and the thing Is done.
Thousands of situations have been OBJ