Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1899-04-27
THE sun would soon set. Already

THE sun would soon set. Already
there was a 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 a little dog trot, carrying
in her rebozo, on her back, Jesus. Jose,
the father, was solemnly seated on a
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 a
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 1t. Maria
wore for a skirt length of dark blue
cloth that came to her ankles, wrapped
tightly about her back and hips, with
few folds in front. Twisted around her
waist was the usual red cotton sash.
Partly covering the upper half of her
body was n 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 wom-
en- wear; about her throat was coral
necklace. All the Indian women are
clothed the same, the difference being
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.
Juanito, with round. fat, brown face,
white teeth, big mouth, and eyes
which shone star-like from out a mop
of black hair, was dressed exactly like
his father in shirt and long trousers of
unbleached cotton, with red sash to
hold his clothes up. A leather band
went round his forehead and supported
the pack he carried-a large enough
burden for so wee boy. In one little
hand he carried his conical hat of coarse
straw; with the other as he trotted
along. he tried to Shift his load bit,
and so relieve himself. He did 1t slyly,
for he did not want his father to think
he was not a big man. Indeed he was
he would be five in q few days-nnd he
was going to have present on his
saints day, which was also his birthday.
He could do as he wished with it. "A
centavo-a whole cent to spend on HIM
self.
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 whistle in the neck, and dulce
like our rock candy. The goose
would be an ephemeral thing at best,
although the whistle-ay, Dios! but
that whistle could be heard kilometer.
A turn of the hand, however, and 1t
was gone. There are kites which sing
when they get up in the air, but, Dios
de mi alma! what riches are necessary.
Four centavos for the kite and one for
the string! lie 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 Dona Ynes would al
ways remember them. Mol No!
After all, the dulce was best.
His face grew brooding as he built
his castle-founded on cent. His
mother should have suck-two sucks,
in fact. The baby could lick it, and
Nito, the burro, but his father, no!
For only yesterday had he beaten him
for getting too much water on the clay
to make the ollas. lie closed his eyes
in ecstasy; properly managed, the
candy, which was of the durability of
old red sandstone or the quartz it great
ly resembled, should last, by licking
delicately and sucking with modera'
ton, until another birthday.
The sun was throwing its long, gold
en- lances across the plain of Cholula,
with its scores of church towers. The
family had finished the supper Of FRI:
ioles and tortillas, risen from the
spring, by the wayside, and resumed
its Journey. AS before, the father led,
logging along on the burro; the
mother running beside, bending for
ward from her load. Juanito, rs his
short legs grew more weary, fell farther
behind. The mother looked over her
shoulder several times, but she felt no
uneasiness, for it had happened before
that, being too tired to go on, Tic
Pedrito had taken him to his jacal
on his burro and brought him home in
the morning.
The road made a sudden dip. On one
hand was u deep barranca (steep ra-
vine} the sides covered with shrubs
and close growth. Juanito, boy-like,
was seeing how far he could trot along
the verge without losing his balance.
He was as sure-footed as a mule, but
long serpentine root, the same ash
color as the soil, caught his foot In
loop, and in moment he was twisted
off his feet and rolling down the bar
ranca. 1t so happened no one saw him,
and, little Indian stole that he was' he
made no sound.
When he reached the bottom, bruised
and out of breath, a savage hand caught
his throat and savage eyes met his. a
few muttered words and the butt end OF
a heavy revolver came down on the
shaggy little head, and then to one
side was brutally tossed the senseless
heap. There were three of them
crouched under an overhanging ledge
three sinister-looling bandits wear,