Under the cactus flag; a story of life in Mexico
Nora Archibald Smith
Paperback
(RareBooksClub.com, July 4, 2012)
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 edition. Excerpt: ...things before long. The candy was made, however, in spite of this interruption, and proved so good that much of it was consumed after luncheon, while Mr. Vazquez read them a Christmas story of Francois Coppee's. Upon this literary circle descended, after an hour or so, a band of desperadoes, headed by Placido Lopez, who took "Mees Mariquita" captive, and carried her off to haunts among the hills. She had promised for a week to take a walk with them, they said, and this mild afternoon was just the time. They wandered to the top of the high mesa back of the town, and sitting on a heap of stones, while the sun sank behind the Cerro de la Ventana, Mary told them the sweet Christmas story she had just heard,--" Les Sabots du petit Wolff." Though the translation from French into Spanish was doubtless as full of mistakes as a pudding of plums, yet the children were breathless and absorbed, and if Mary's forget-me-not eyes were veiled with moisture, when she told of the wondrous miracle that rewarded Wolff's tender charity, you may be sure that answering tears stood thick in every dark eye in the group, while Carmencita crossed herself devoutly, and murmured, "Bendito sea Dios." 1 The story over, children and teacher ran races down the hill, and coming breathless home discovered, as a delightful close to the excursion, that the weekly mail had come in. There was a huge two-story box for Mary, which on being opened disclosed, above, a wreath of real English holly, under which were a dozen blue-jay's wings, carefully stretched and cured, while in the lower compartment was a heap of delicious sugarplums and a card in Jack Martin's hand, "Arizona to Mexico, Christmas Greeting." Mary thought the writing looked rather...