The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1899-09-07
THE LITTLE SON :.
:. :. OF ANITA.

iora of the country for the Smithsonian
institute and never expecting to see
so deliciously perfect as that
specimen of Mexican beauty
IS she stood winnowing beans in the
shade of her adobe hut. She wore only
the camisole, ihe single garment of her
people, but her brown, bare arms were
strung with bracelets; silver beads and
rings and earrings set off her rich, ripe
beauty and accentuated her charms, and
corals made the dull black of her I'M
bound hair take on the soft effect of
velvet against the rosy red of her oval
cheek Her perfect chin was dimpled,
a rare type gin New Mexico, but ex-
planned by other traces of Castilian
blood. And she was married to Nava-
jo Indian-poor Anital
Why the girl should have selected
him from among number Of more de-
sirable and richer suitors no one could
tell. He was an inferior man even
among his own people, Of squat figure
and most disagreeable features She
was already a widow when she married
Jesus Martin when she was 5. He had
lied when she was 90. leaving her mon
~ enough to say masses for the repose
If his soul and boy of years. who
vas ais beautiful as his mother-and
;bat is saying great DEAL
We saw them often and never tired
If feasting oar eyes on the wonderful
bodily graces of the two-the boy like
some wild thing, his perfect limbs I'M
clad, save on fiesta days. his great
Dreamy eyes always full of slunber.
his red pouting lips ever warm with
his mothers kisses. She loved him as
such Won en- love one human thing out
Of the whole world, and she cared not
at all for her husband or any other
man. Only little Jean, the rosy roguel
One day we found the little fellow
tumbling in; the sand with small va
grant dog that had been beaten and
starved, but which was at once chosen
by little Jean to be his comrade.
"Wait me- little, thou" expostu-
lated his mother. II thee will make to
have a 'bijuela, my sen. and thou
canst play the SO sweet moosic.
Anita was as good as her word. She
let the Americanos watch her long
brown fingers fashion the native jews
harp from a weed stalk and linen
thread, and then che taught the boy to
put 1t between his small white teeth
and fan it so that sweet strains would
come Even the battles Of that wonder
full land can learn the tempo.
But Jean was soon displeased with
his "bijuela' and wanted the brown
dog that was like a skeleton dog. but
very good and loving and, after he had
eaten several "frijoles, could play like
a little brother. And we, coming from
a land where the dog is always the hon
ored guest of the family, prevailed
upon her to keep the cur and give it a
trial. If it should prove troublesome,
we showed Manuel, before we left, how
he could easily dispose of it. And there
by the Americanos became participa tors
in very strange tragedy.
Anita gave US some idea Of why she
made such an unequal marriage She
chose Manuel Ascham ecaCse he had
the cunning to make love to her little
son. He had taken him to the fiesta pick
aback. he had danced for him and
sung GEL Carbonero" and taught him
to ride a burro like a cavalier and
brought him sweets from the shops in
the city. So. as it was lonesome with
no man to come home from the orchard
or the herding. she married Manuel
and gave Jean father, for it pleased
her that the two were so fond of each
other. Besides she trusted Manuel. But
whoever trusts a Navajo Indian must
keep both eyes watching. He will not
mistreat His wife. for the laws or MS
people forbid that women should be
treated as interiors, and he will not Or
der her to saddle his burro or do any
mental work for him, but he thinks,
and an Indian of that country who
thinks is dangerous and INSCRIPTIONS
When Manuel began life, he had
only spade, but he was going to show
the other lovers of Anita that she did
well to marry him, and he worked hard
and now had goats and chickens, GA is
growing six feet high and a fine herd
of the email, lean sheep of the country
that have long horns and whose flesh is
sweet and juicy.
Manuel hated little Jean, whose ia.
Their was dead and could not help him.
He was jealous to the death of the poor
baby. and each kiss Anita gave to the
boy planted fresh sting in that Indian
heart.
But outwardly he was as kind as
usual to Jean, and when the pretty boy
would cling to his treacherous hand
and coax to walk half way up the slope
among the cedars with him on his way
to the goat herding Manuel would fon-
die and earess the little brown hand,
and all the time he was thinking his
Indian thoughts.
One day when Manuel went, Jean
wanted to stay at home and play with
Teja, the half starved cur that was
now as round and plump as jeans self.
$50, thou, then. dear little one"
said his mother. land take thou the
poor Teja; thou lowest him so. -
She kissed the rosy boy until he
glowed like a red rose. but he hung
back and fretted for Teja. who would
the adobe hut, ungrateful beast that he
wasi
"Thou must stay with Manuel until
shutdown; then come thou home to-
gether. Thou wilt come then, milo
amigo3' This to her husband.
eff naught should happen" he re-
piled indifferently in his Mexican
speech, and she answered. "Bueno,"
and went about her work.
Up, up, the Indian climbed over the
long slope that led to the herding, up
to where the mesa breaks into a cliff
and in the deep trough filled with soft
sweet grass to where the sheep and
goats were herded. The last were
browsing on the very edge of the cliffs
among the rocks of many colored clay,
which are so beautiful that some one
has said of them that, like the dearest
woman fhpv can novor ho odao-o %ol~,