The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-09-09

| | flfSt met MN tOddllnS uO"H an
empty street in the little sun-baked
| Spanish town. lie had been market
| ing, evidently, for he carried basket
over his arm-one of those boat
shaped wicker things such as the peas
| ants use-and it was all trimming
over with gay red tomatoes and shape
| ly punches of purple grapes. On his
feet he wore a smart little pair of
| leather shoes and bright plaid socks;
these and the basket completed his
| costume. "Good-morrow, Don Cupid"
said l.
He stopped short and stared at me
wonderngly, this naked brown baby
| AT first | thought that he was afraid
afraid of my foreign face, My
strange dress, my hard northern
| speech, or embarrassed perhaps, at
! the exceeding limitedness of his own
| attire. But no. he was far too young
| far too old, to think of such things
When was Cupid disconnected by a
girl?
"Good-morrow, Senorita," he said at
| last gravely. A dandy at the Escorial
| might have enyied him his composure
| He stood there waiting for me to
| speak further.
And where are thy bow and ar
rows, Don Cupid?" / asked Hast
| thou then bartered them for these
fruits of the earth, little shameless
one?' The fancy pleased me and |
| had gone on heedlessly, but the brown
baby was clearly puzzled. He had
| set down his basket, but now he
stopped for it, if it can be called stoop-
| ing to bend such a little way. lie
| evidently considered there had been
| sufficient conversation with an inCOm-
prehensible foreign female.
Adde'S Senorta," he said, and he
! turned to go. His little, naked tleX-
| ion had a touch of hauteur.
But this | could not bear. | was
| lonely, so lonely and sad in this gay
| Castilan town. The very sunshine
hurt with IT'S bright mockery of hap
| pness. 1t seemed hard and pitiless,
| like all the world beside. For | was
| sick, sick in body and sick at heart
| with the thought of the might have
been. Truly | had turned my back
on Cupid in the cold northern land,
| but now in the sunshine was he to
| turn his back on me? Don Cupid.
| do not leave me, thou must not leave
me-" | cried. THE basket is very
heavy; let me bear it little way"
| had noticed the semicircle OF pres
sure on the fat, brown arm.
So he stayed, and together we bore
| the basket, little Don Cupid and /.
| And as we walked he told me of many
| things in the strange language that
| | was just beginning to understand;
| he told me of mother and of moth
| er's love and the warm softness of her
| circling arms; and he told me of his
father, so mighty and tall, who could
! toss a baby up into the air almost
to the clouds, it seemed; also there
! was an aunt, Il certain Juauita, not so
| entirely satisfactory. But you shall
see them ALL" quoth he.
So went to the brown baby's
l,
and | grew to know tall Jose and
| sweetfaced Maria and even the lively
! young aunt, Juanita Jose was a car
| penter by trade, "one Of the best in
| Malagon,' his wife told me proudly,
| and it was in the shop among the
cleanscented shavings that the brown
! baby would be found at play. 81
| shall be Il carpenter too when | grow
big" he told me one day, "or else a
| general with a plumed hat, grand,
| oh, so grand and weapons that shine
by my side. And when | go forth to
| shoot, then men shall fall for fear of
| me, for | shall be the great lord
| of all"
"Oh, Don Cupid, thou hast no need
| to grow big" said I. art thou not
| already the great lord of all?'
but have nothing to shoot with"
| said he.
So | got him little bow and ar
| rows and his JOY in their possession
! was alone enough to prove his identi-
| ty. Indeed, the nino will surely be
a master archer; he even sleeps with
| them by his pillow" his mother would
| tell me.
One day | explained to these simple
| folk the reason of my gift and spoke
| to them of our northern deity, But
| pretty Juanita only laughed at me for
my pains. "Ah, Senorita' she cried,
ito us also of Spain he is not I'M
known, ell fuertissimo hidalgo don Gu.
! pido." From the window we were
watching the brown baby AT play in
the street with the wonderful new toy,
| but suddenly Juanita bushed and ran
away. Was it because Lorenzo had
| stopped derneath-LorenZo, the gay
muleteer?
at seems almost unfair SenOrita, -
the mother was saying, that Cupid
should come to us women in the shape
of "a little child. For how can girl j
heart be barred so close, so firm that
nino shall not find hole?" Her
own little Cupid ran into the room and
| she picked him up and began kissing
| him thoughtfully. you see. Scnorita
| | know that my Jose is one in a thou.
sand" she explained. But had turned
away, for my eyes were full Of tears
at the thought of all that had thrown
aside.
Sometimes when the sun shone
warm and the sky was blue Cand. in
deed, that was nearly every day little
| Don Cupid would be lent to me and