nd, what is this?" asked the boy. "Hush,
child, the red is the blood of your mother whose life was given for
yours, and the white is the milk which she desired to give to you,
her child," said the Lord.

At last they came to a great house having seven stories, and there on
a table they saw many candles, some long, some short, some burned
out. Said Juan, "Friend, what are all these candles?" "Hush,
child, those are the lives of your friends." "What are those
empty candlesticks?" "Those are your mother and your uncle, who are
dead." "Who is this long one?" "That is your father, who has long to
live." "Who is this very short one?" "That is your master, who will
die soon." "May I put in another?" "Yes, child, if you wish." So he
changed it for a long one, and with his heavenly companion he returned
to earth.

There he told his master, the padre, all that he had seen and heard and
how he had changed the candles; and he and his master lived together
a very long time. And in the fulness of time the padre died, but Juan
went to heaven one day with his Lord and never returned.

CHAPTER 11

The Sad Story of Juan and Maria.

Juan and Maria were orphans. When Juan was about eight years old and
Maria was about four their father died. The mother went into the hemp
fields to earn a living for her family by stripping the fibre from
the hemp, which is very hard work, so hard that she died worn out in
a month or two afterward.

Juan and Maria were then taken into the family of an uncle, their
mother's brother, and little Juan began to work for his little
sister's and his own living, by transplanting the tender shoots of
the banana. Maria often accompanied him, as the children were much
attached to each other. One day when they were out in the field Maria
saw a beautiful bird which seemed very tame and tried to catch it,
but the bird ran into the woods, and although she could come very
close to it she could not catch it. On and on she went until she
was almost ready to drop, her tiny feet leaving no trace, but still
she followed the bird. Just at night she saw an old man with a very
kind face, who came toward her, and putting the bird under one arm
and taking Maria on his shoulder, he set off toward his house, which
did not seem to be very far off. Arriving there he said to his wife,
"See, wife, what good fortune I have had today." Seeing the child,
his wife threw up her hands in thanksgiving and cried, "Thanks be to
God, we ha