Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-01-26

to console her.
"'In July the nights are short, mis-
tress. 1t will soon be over
"And | quickly built Il large fire to
dry her feet and dress, which were
drenched with the water Of the Sorgue.
Then l brought her some cheeses and
milk, but the poor little thing gave no
thought to warming herself or eating,
and when l saw the great tears rise In
her eyes / wanted to cry myself.
Gin the meantime darkness had come
completely. Only a glow was left on
the crest of the mountains, a luminous
mist on the side which faced the set
ting sun. l persuaded our young mis-
tress to go into the fold to rest. After
spreading a fine new skin on the fresh
straw l babe her good night and went
out to sit before the door. God is my
witness that not one wicked thought
came into my heart, despite the fire Of
love which was burning my blood.
There was nothing but pride in think
ing that in the corner Of the sheepfold,
next the curious flock which gazed at
her as she slept, lay the daughter Of my
master, intrusted to my care-a whittier,
more precious lamb than all the others.
Never had the heavens seemed to me SO
deep, the stars so brilliant.
Suddenly the little door Of the sheep
fold opened, and the lovely Stephenette
appeared. She could not sleep. The ami
mails ratified the straw in their restless
ness or bleated in their dreams. She
wanted to be near the fire. Seeing that,
/ threw my sheepskin over her shout
ders, stirred the fire, and we sat down
side by side without a word.
IF you have ever passed a night out
under the stars, you know that in the
hours when we sleep a mysterious
world awakens in the silent solitude.
Then the springs sing more clearly, the
ponds kindle tiny fires on their sur
faces, the mountain sprites come and
go without fear, and there are r~ustlings
and an imperceptible commotion in the
air, which seem like the growing Of
branches Or the springing Of young
plants. Day is the life Of beings, night
the life of things.
"All this is even terrifying to one
who is not in the habit OF seeing it.
Our young lady was trembling from
head to foot, and she chung to me at
the slightest noise. Once a long, mourn
full cry floated toward us from the
cleaning pond below. At the same in
slant a superb shooting star glided over
our heads in the same direction, as il
this moan we had just heard were the
bearer Of a light.
"'What. was that? St~ephenette asked
me in a low voice.
GA soul entering paradise, mis-
tress. And I made the sign Of the cross.
"She, too, crossed herself and staid
for a moment in meditation, with her
face turned toward heaven. Then, is
it true that all you shepherds are wiz
ards?' she asked.
"'Not at all, my lady, but we live
nearer the stars here than the people in
the valley, and so we know better than
they what is going on
"She was still looking up, with her
head on her hand. She was like a little
celestial ~shepherdess, sitting there with
the sheepskin around her.
elbow far it goes! How beautiful it
is! I have seen anything like it.
Do you know their names, shepherd
Eyes, mistress. Here, just over us,
is st. James road (the milky way. 1t
goes from France straight into Spain.
st. James Of Calico laid it out to show
the way to the brave Charlemagne
when he was waging war with the
Saracens. Farther along you see the
chariot of souls (Ursa Major with its
four dazzling axles. The three stars in
front are the three animals, and that
quite small II opposite the third is the
charioteer. Do you see that rain Of
stars all around it? They are the souls
which the good God does not want in
his house. A little lower is the rake,
or the three kings (Orion). 1t serves
as a clock to us. BY looking at it l
know now that 1t is past midnight.
Lower toward the south is John Of Mi
Ian, the torch Of the stars (Sirius). The
shepherds have this legend about it
John Of Milan was invited one night
with the three kings and the Pleiades
to the wedding Of n Of their star
friends. The Pleiades were in a greater
hurry than the others. SO they left first
and took the highroad. See it up there
at the very top Of the heavens. The
three kings cut across lower and over
took them, but that lazy John of Milan,
who had overslept, was left far behind.
In a rage he threw his stick to stop
them. That is why the three kings are
also called John Of Milan's stick. But
the most beautiful Of all the stars, mis-
tress, is ours, the shepherds star,
which lights us at dawn as we take out
the 1ooks and at evening when we bring
them home. We call it Maguelonne,
too, the beautiful Maguelonne who rum
utter Peter Of Provence (Saturn) and
marries him every seven years
What, shepherd Are there really
marriages among the stars?'
"aOh, yes, mistress
And as ! was trying to explain
what these unions are like ! felt some.
thing fresh and delicate weighing gen.
thy on my shoulder. It was her head,
heavy with sleep. which leaned against
me with a pretty rumpling Of ribbons,
laces and curly hair. She lay 90 with
out stirring until the stars paled-ef-
faced by the rising day. watched her
q little moved in the depths Of my be.
ing-but sweetly guarded by this clear
night, which has never given me any
thing but noble thought. Around us
the stars continued their silent march,
docile as a great flock-and ct moments
! fancied that one, the most delicate,
the most brilliant Of them all, had lost
her Way and rested nnon nv ahouldAY