Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1899-07-26
JUANITO.
ny Edith wagner.

~tN%eseN - - - - = - - 4d4a&AAA&
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 a
pile of garden stuff on the back of the
little burro. Lagging 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 We're full Of
oddly shaped and painted earthen lars
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 10 walk with it. Maria
wore for a skirt n length OF dark blue
cloth that came 20 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
h'Nl NdN a MnlAt NlltnllNt. lnt Woke
and short sleeves ornamented with
beads of red and black. On her head she
had the tall straw hat that the Indian
women wear; ahout her throat was a
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 5 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 ont 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 mp. a leather band went round
his forehead and supported the pack he
carIied-a large enough burden for so
wee a boy. In one little hand he car
ried his conical hat of coaIse straw;
with the other. as he trotted along. he
tried TO shift his load bit and so re-
lieve himself. He did il slyly for he
did not ant his father to think he was
not big man. Indeed he was-he
would be D in few days-and he was
going To have a present on his saints
day, which was also his birthday. He
could DO as be wished with il. A cen
tavO-a whole cent TO spent on himself
What would he buy with his cent
He had turned il over and over many
times in his rudimentary brain. He
hesitated between an earthen goose with
a xvh tt, a nn.l- 4 IN, I'LL,
our rock candy. The goose would be an
ephemeral thing at best. although the
whistle-aye. Dios. but that whistle
could be heard kilometerl A turn of
the hand, however and it was gone
There are kites which sing when they
get up in the air. but, Dios de mi alma,
what riches are necessary Four cen
tavOs 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 il was
likely DOna Ynes would always remem-
ber them. Mol mol After all, the dulce
was best.
His face grew breeding as he built
his castle-founded on cent His
CiONlO nave a ANO ouChSs
in fact The baby could lick it. and
Nito, the buTro; but his father. mol
For only yesterday had he beaten him
for getting too much water on the clay
to make the ollas He closed his eyes IN
ecstasy; properly managed. the candy
which was of the durability of oldTed
sandstone or the quartz II greatly re-
sembled, should last, by licking deli
cately and sucking with moderation.
until another birthday.
The sun was throwing long golden
lances across the plain of Cholula, with
its scores of church towers. The family
had finished the supper of frijoles and
tortillas, risen from the spring by the
wayside and resumed its journey. AS
before, the father led jogging along on
the burro, the mother running beside,
bending forward from her load. Juani-
to, as 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 sudden dip. On one
hand was deep barranca (steep ravine),
the sides covered with shrubs and close
growtbs. .Juanito. boylike, was seeing
how near he could trot along the verge
without losing his balance. He was as
sure footed az a mule. but long SER
pentine root, the same ash color as the
soil. caught his foot in a loop, and in
moment he was twisted off his feet and
rolling down the barranca. 1t SO hap
pened 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