The Snowflake herald., 1917-11-16

them, confidently. ''If somebody comes
I'll send them away. oh, / can lie with
the best of them."
The Garcias were not ordinary peO-
pie, and they lived in rather good cir
cumstances for country folk. There
were three rooms to their little house,
all of which were reasonably clean.
The food that Inez set before her
guests. too, was excellent if scanty.
Juanito, taking cue from his parents,
flung himself whole-heartedly into the
task of entertainment, and since Alaire
met his advances halfway he began,
before long, to look upon her with par
ticular favor. Once they had thorough
ly made friends, he shoWered her with
the most flattering attentions. His
shyness, it seemed, was but pretense
at heart he was bold and enterpris-
ing fellOw-and so, as mark OF his
admiration, he presented her with all
his personal treasures. First he
fetched and laid in her lap a cigar-box
WdSOA Will NOONCl WA1CC1o OFAONAlAJ
the handiwork of his father. Then he
gave her, one by one, highly priced
blue bottle, a rusty Mexican spur, and
the ruins of what had been a splendid
clasp-knife. There were no blades i'll
the knife, but he showed her how to
peep through a tiny hole in the handle,
where was concealed the picture of
dashing Spanish bull-fighter. The ap
probation which these gifts evoked in
tOXicated the little man and reused him
to a very madness of generosity. He
pattered away and returned shortly,
staggering and grunting under the
weight of another and a still greater
offering. 1t was a dog-a patient,
hungry dog with very little hair. The
animal was alive with feas-it
scratched absent-mindedly with one
hind paw, even while JuanitO strangled
it against his naked breast-but it was
the apple of its owners eye, and when
Inez unfeelingly banished it from the
house Juanito began to squall Justify.
Nor could he be conciliated until Alaire
took him upon her knee and told him
about another boy, of precisely his own
age and size, who planted a magic bean
in his mothers dooryard, which grew
up and up until it reached clear to the
sky, where a giant lived. Juanito Gar
cia had never heard the like. He was
spellbound with delight; he held his
breath in ecstasy; only his toes moved,
and they wriggled like ten fat, brown
tadpoles.
In the midst of this recital Garcia
senior appeared in the door with a
warning.
Conceal yourselves" he said, quick
ly. "Some of our neighbors are com
ing this way" Inez led her guests in
to the bedchamber, a bare room with a
dirt floor, from the window of which
they watched Juan go to meet a group
of horsemen. Inez went out, too, and
Joined in the parley. Then, after
time, the riders galloped away.
When Alaire, having watched the
party out of sight, turned from the
window she found that Dave had col
lapsed upon chair and was sleeping,
his limbs relaxed his body sagging.
"Poor fellow, he's done up," Father
O'Malley exclaimed.
Eyes; he hasn't slept for days." she
whispered. Help me-" With the as
sistance of Dolores they succeeded in
lifting Dave to the bed, but he half
reused himself. 'Lie down, DEAR"
Alaire told him. "Close your eyes for
a few minutes. We're safe now.'
Somebody has to keep watch" he
muttered, thiclzly, and tried to fight off
his fatigue. But he was like a drunken
man.
"I'm not sleepy; I'll stand guard"
the priest volunteered, and, disregard.
ing further protest, he helped Alaire
remove Dawes coat.
Seeing that the bed was nothing
more than a board platform covered