Part 10 (2/2)
”The other tree answered, 'Yes, it is because she has no one to play with Little Niebla by the river refused to play with her because she is not beautifully dressed'
”Then the first tree said, 'Ah, she ought to go and ask the fox for soreat store of pretty things in her hole'
”Alma had listened to every word of this conversation She remembered that a fox lived on the hillside not far off; for she had often seen it sitting in the sunshi+ne with its little ones playing round it and pulling their ot up and ran till she found the hole, and, putting her head down it, she cried out, 'Fox!
Fox!' But the fox see out, 'Go away, Al dinner for my children and have no time to talk to you now'
”Then Alma cried, 'Oh, Fox, Niebla will not play with s to wear Oh, Fox, will you giveof beads?'
”After a little while the fox ca bundle done up in a red cotton handkerchief and said, 'Here are the things, Alma, and I hope they will fit you But you know, Alht not to co the dinner--an ares steith rice, and a little os, of course; I never touch turkeys' eggs'
”Alive so much trouble
”'Oh, never randmother?'
”'She is very well, thank you,' said Alma, 'but she has a bad headache'
”'I am very sorry to hear it,' said the fox 'Tell her to stick two fresh dock-leaves on her terass, and on no account to go out in the hot sun I should like to go and see her, only I do not like the dogs being always about the house Give her s, and when you are passing this way you can bring me back the handkerchief, as I always tie my face up in it when I have the toothache'
”Alma thanked the fox very much and ran home as fast as she could, and when the bundle was opened she found in it a beautiful white dress, embroidered with purple flowers, a pair of scarlet shoes, silk stockings, and a string of great golden beads They all fitted her very well; and next day when the white mist was on the Yi she dressed herself in her beautiful clothes and went down to the river By and by little Niebla ca, and when she saw Alma she ca they played and talked together, gathering flowers and running races over the green sward: and at last Niebla bade her good-bye and fleay, for all the whiteoff down the river But every day after that Alma found her little companion by the Yi, and was very happy, for now she had someone to talk to and to play with”
After I had finished the story Anita continued gazing into e, wistful eyes She seehted at what she had heard; but presently, before the little thing had said a word, Monica, who had been directing shy and wondering glances towards us for so her by the hand, led her away to bed I was getting sleepy then, and, as the clatter of talk and warlike preparation showed no signs of abating, I was glad to be shown into another roos, and a couple of _ponchos_ were given to ht all the , when I went into the kitchen, I only found the old wo bitter _mate_ The child, they informed me, had disappeared froone out to look for her
Alday's as highly indignant at the little one's escapade, for it was high ti _ towards the Yi, veiled in a silverythe culprit home by the hand, and went to meet them
Poor little Anita! her face stained with tears, her little legs and feet covered with clay and scratched by sharp reeds in fifty places, her dress soaking ith the heavy mist, looked a most pitiful object
”Where did you find her?” I asked the girl, beginning to fear that I had been the indirect cause of the poor child'sfor little Niebla I knew she would be there when I ”
”How did you know that?” I asked ”You did not hear the story I told her”
”I ht,” said Monica
After that little Anita was scolded, shaken, washed and dried, then fed, and finally lifted on to the back of her pony and sent to take care of the sheep While undergoing this treatment she maintained a profound silence, her little face puckered up into an expression that boded tears They were not for the public, however, and only after she was on the pony, with the reins in her little ive way to her grief and disappoint failed to find the beautiful child of the mist
I was astonished to find that she had taken the fantastic little tale invented to amuse her as truth; but the poor babe had never read books or heard stories, and the fairy tale had been too ination I remember that once on another occasion I told a pathetic story of a little child, lost in a great wilderness, to a girl about Anita's age, and just as unaccusto her mother inforht sobbing and begging to be allowed to go and look for that lost child I had told her about
Hearing that Alday would not return till evening or till the following day, I asked his wife to lend or give me a horse to proceed on my journey This, however, she could not do; then she added, very graciously, that while all the men were away my presence in the house would be a coreat protection The arrangeeous to myself, but, as I could not journey very well to Montevideo on foot, I was compelled to sit still and wait for Alday's return
It was dull work talking to those toreat talkers, and had evidently coreement to share their one listener fairly between thewords--_eleation, justification,_ and _disproportion_ One of these she so into every sentence, and so in two
Whenever this happened the achievement made her so proud that she would in the ain, word for word The strength of the old woman lay in dates Not an occurrence did she reat public event or to soiving the year, the month, and the day The duet between these two confounded barrel-organs, one grinding out rhetoric, the other chronology, went on all the , in hopes of a different tune from her more melodious instrument, but in vain, for never a word dropped from those silent lips Occasionally her dark, luain when they encounteredthe river, where I spent several hours hunting for flowers and fossils, and aions of duck, coot, rosy spoonbills, and black-necked swans disporting theun with me, and so was not tempted to startle theuish wounded aood swim, I set out to walk back to the _estancia_
When still about a ing aloud in lightness of heart, I passed a clu up, saw Monica under the perfectly ht of her, cast her eyes demurely down, apparently to contereen turf In one hand she held a cluster of stalks of the large, criing ceased suddenly, and I stood for soly at the shy, rustic beauty
”What a distance you have walked to gather lilies, Monica!” I said, approaching her ”Will you give me one of your stalks?”