Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-06-20
JUAN|T TO-.
by Edith Wagner.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.


The sun would soon set, Already
there was cool feeling in the air 1t
had been market day in Puebla and
now the little family was going home
to one of the Indian villages near Cho-
lula. Hundreds of such groups were
scattered along the road. Maria was
running in little dog trot. carrying
in her rebozo, on her back, Jesus. jose,
the father, was solemnly seated on
pile of garden stuff on the back Of the
little burro Tagging little behind
the mother came Juanito.
They all had heavy burdens On the
mothers back, beside the baby. was
load of corn. and her arms were full OF
oddly shaped and painted earthen jars
and baskets. There was no outward and
visible evidence Of the fathers load,
but to do him justice it was so great he
was unable to walk with it. Maria
wore for skirt length OF dark blue
cloth that came to her ankles, wrapped
tightly about her back and hips, with
a few folds in front Twisted around
her waist was the usual red cotton sash
Partly covering the upper half OF her
body was white chemise, the yoke
and short sleeves ornamented with
beads of red and black. On her head she
had the tall straw hat that the Indian
women wear; about her throat was
coral necklace All the Indian women
| are clothed the same, the difference be-
ing in quality of material and degree
of cleanliness
The country people in Mexico have
no children s modes. The little people
look like grown up people seen through
| the wrong end of an opera glass Juan
| ito, with round, fat. brown face, white
teeth. big mouth and eyes which shone
starlike from out mop of black hair,
was dressed exactly like his father in
shirt and long trousers Of unbleached
cotton, with a red sash to hold his
clothes MP A leather band went round
his forehead and supported the pack he
car1ied-a large enough burden for so
wee boy. In one little hand he car
ried his conical hat of coarse straw;
with the other, as he trotted along, he
tried to shift his load bit and so re-
lieve himself He did it slyly, for he
did not ant his father to think he was
not big man Indeed he was-he
would be in few days-and he was
going to have present on his saints
dav, which was also his birthday. He
could do as he wished with it. A CEN
tavo-a whole cent to spent on himself
What would he buy with his cent
He had turned it over and over many
times in his rudimentary brain he
hesitated between an earthen goose with
q whistle in the neck and a dulce-llke
our rock candy The goose would be an
ephemrrgl thing at best, although the
whistle-aye. Dios, but that whistle
could he heard kilometerl A turn OF
the hand, however, and it was gone.
There are kites which sing when they
get M in the air, but, Dios de mi alma,
what riches are necessary Four cen
tayos for the kite and one for the string
He had thought carefully He could
buy the string at once and get the kite
in four more saints days, for surely he
would go on having them, and it was
likely bona Ynes would always remem
Der them Mol Mol After all. the dulc'
was best.
His face grew brooding as he bull
his castle-founded on a cent. Hi
mother should have suck-two sucks
in fact. The baby could lick it. ant
Nito the burro; but his father, no
For only yesterday had he beaten hin
for getting too much water on the ella.
to make the ollas. He closed his eyes il
ecstasy; properly managed, the candy
which was of the durability of old ret
sandstone or the quartz it greatly re
sembled. should last. by licking deli
cately and sucking with moderation
until another birthday.
The sun was throwing .ong colder
lances across the plain Of Choula. wit
its scores Of church towers The famil
} had finished the supper of friJoles an
tortillas. risen from the spring by tn
wavside and resumed its journey A
before, the father LED, Jogging along o
, the burro, the mother running beside
, bending forward from her load Juanl
to, as his short legs grew more weary
| fell farther behind, The mother locke
over her shoulder several times, but sh
felt no uneasiness, for it had happene
before that being too tired to go OF
D Tic Pedrito had taken him to his Jaci
> on his burro and brought him home
. the morning,
+ The road made a sudden dip. On or
t hand was deep barranca (steep ravlne
e the sides covered with shrubs and clos
e prowths. Juanito, boylike. was seem
r how near he could trot along the vers
l. without losing his balance. He was
sure footed as mule, but long Sc
pentine root, the same ash color as u
, soil, caught his foot in loop, and IN
!. moment he was twisted off his feet al
= rolling down the barranca 1t SO ma
It pened no one saw him, and, little lndlf
r, stole that he was, he made no sound
r When he reached the bottom, brnls'
y and ont of breath. savage hand caug