The Comrade. (Winnfield, La.) 1890-1914, 1910-03-25

accepts flowers or green tAeeo.A
felt until they are absent.
Then came the morning when the
baby. was not to be seen in che Kitten
en- or on the porch. where IS re-
pita?" / asked Cayetano. "she has a
fever this morning." he replied. \
left her at home with her mother" l
knew how dangerous these troplcal
fevers are to young children ana'
bringing some medicine, told him 10
go home and give it to her. y VIII
20 over this afternoon" said, "and
if she is sick we will send for a doc
tor"
But that afternoon guests came
and was occupied until late in the
evening. When asked Cayetano now
Pepita seemed he replied that the
medicine had helped her and she was
sleeping. So did not go to the
house.
Early the next morning ! heard
knock at my door. When opened II
Cayetano stood before me. Sonora,
he said, speaking slowly and with
some hesitation, "the ninita is dead.
May / stay at home with her today"
Shocked beyond words and amazed at
the calmness of the man, ! STAN
mered, Eyes" / felt half.enreged at
the parent who could quietly say.
"The ninita is dead,
All morning I wandered about the
house, restless, with a pricklng con.
science. I tried to occupy myself
with other things. But there kept
rising before me the small. dusky fig
ure playing in the sand with the poor
toys, mutely following me with her
big, black eyes.
In the afternoon heard the music
of stringed instruments in the street
below. Looking from the window, ]
saw little procession passing by
Following the musicians were four
bareheaded, barefooted Filipinos.
They carried between them, on two
/ bamboo poles, small wooden box. It.
was gaily painted and decorated with
!. fanciful figures in silver paper. At
the head hung q long bow Of pink
4 ribbon.
i Behind the box came several Won.
!. ca clad in black, stolid and silent,
=zfpufing at long cigars. In the rear
4 was one man, his transparent just
shirt hanging long and loose over his
black trousers. He walked in trem.
bling, aimless way, his eyes fixed on
the ground.
The next morning Cayetano was In
. his place, just as quiet, Just IS
I. humble and faithful as ever. He went
on with his work, showing no out
]; ward sign Of grief. I Stunned thu
kitchen, where the silence and Cage
!, tano's calmness oppressed me. wa
3 almost angry with the man that h
/. said nothing and shed no tears, Will
] my own throat was swelling an
/ aching.
stepped out on the porch. Their
8 stood the box Of white sand. In
s. was a little garden made Of stick
E and feathers and from the cente
Y waved a small, faded f1ag-all Just q
= It had been left two days befor'
t .Cayetano," ] cried, irritably, "wh
i don't you take this box downstairs
::'Ye s, senora," he said, and Quiet
e carried it away.
t. AS the days wore on there can
s. into Cayetano's eyes a look thu
a. haunted me. 1t was an expression
IL dumb longing and despair. His fat
3, became thin and haggard. hen !
1T spoke it was with an effort, as If b
a thoughts were with difficulty wit
is drawn from a region far away. Z
s seldom left the house, except to l
t. home at night When not at Wo
IS The sat on the porch where the Sb'
Of sand had been--so silent so III
ofs an inanimate thing that even t
te servants rarely spoke to him.
N The sight Of this dumb grief beg
y. to wear on me. IL only the. nj
er would weep, or make some sound
ID said to myself any thing but T
9, !, silence and that look III his eye
ut After a time i began to be neryo,
ne 4 Often as I sat In the sala at sseem
VI Il to me / could hear the sound OF t
voices floating through open doors,
as 4 the patter Of little feet on the ha
lis floor
"a At.last I could endure 1t no long
,c- Cayetano, I said, q want you q
M SAdriana to go back to Sual for
1T time. "a rest and q visit among "
en- friends III your old home will do5y
se.s God You have not been well fol
he long tine. 3
lis I thought strange look pas:
no over his face. But in q moment
az was d gone and he said: gu B;
all right, sonora; II IS best that we
for 4 time. will tell AZ RAMA TO
lads The next afternoon they started
lite followed him to the window TO ",
he Ia good by but he did not see me.
nix went to the gate and opened Il. sTh
ory he paused as if thinking then turl
ur wal ked qliickl into the seryal
", X s Is. q IS. .s, +s