s and they are accustomed to see tears.

Sisa instinctively raised her eyes toward the sky, that sky which
smiled with brilliance indescribable, and in whose transparent
blue floated some little fleecy clouds. She stopped to control the
trembling that had seized her whole body. The soldiers were leaving
the house and were alone, as they had arrested nothing more than the
hen which Sisa had been fattening. She breathed more freely and took
heart again. "How good they are and what kind hearts they have!" she
murmured, almost weeping with joy. Had the soldiers burned her house
but left her sons at liberty she would have heaped blessings upon
them! She again looked gratefully toward the sky through which a
flock of herons, those light clouds in the skies of the Philippines,
were cutting their path, and with restored confidence she continued on
her way. As she approached those fearful men she threw her glances in
every direction as if unconcerned and pretended not to see her hen,
which was cackling for help. Scarcely had she passed them when she
wanted to run, but prudence restrained her steps.

She had not gone far when she heard herself called by an imperious
voice. Shuddering, she pretended not to hear, and continued on her
way. They called her again, this time with a yell and an insulting
epithet. She turned toward them, pale and trembling in spite of
herself. One of them beckoned to her. Mechanically Sisa approached
them, her tongue paralyzed with fear and her throat parched.

"Tell us the truth or we'll tie you to that tree and shoot you,"
said one of them in a threatening tone.

The woman stared at the tree.

"You're the mother of the thieves, aren't you?" asked the other.

"Mother of the thieves!" repeated Sisa mechanically.

"Where's the money your sons brought you last night?"

"Ah! The money--"

"Don't deny it or it'll be the worse for you," added the other. "We've
come to arrest your sons, and the older has escaped from us. Where
have you hidden the younger?"

Upon hearing this Sisa breathed more freely and answered, "Sir, it
has been many days since I've seen Crispin. I expected to see him
this morning at the convento, but there they only told me--"

The two soldiers exchanged significant glances. "All right!" exclaimed
one of them. "Give us the money and we'll leave you alone."

"Sir," begged the unfortunate woman, "my sons wouldn't steal
even though they were starving, for we are used to that kin