ry year: the
remainder of the winter they spent at Santiago, and in the spring they
went to a very picturesque little village, where they amused themselves
in their own way, running like fawns across country, climbing trees to
get cherries and figs and apples, drinking water from their hands,
making excursions on mule-back to neighboring villages (what fun! what a
good time they did have, _madre mia_!), and taking part in farm work,
and drinking milk just brought in by the man from the milking.

"This sister Carolina of ours becomes unendurable as soon as we get
there. She sets out early in the morning, and no one knows anything
about her till dinner time; and before dinner is fairly over, she is off
again, and does not get back till night!"

"How you do talk, Lola! I go out with the other girls to hunt for nests
or wash clothes down by the river.... But you spend your mortal hours
exchanging small talk with some silly gallant who dances attendance on
you...."

"Heavens! what a cruel thing to say. I must hope, Senor Rivera, that you
will not put any credence in such nonsense, without any foundation in
fact.... Just imagine! all the gallants in that place are farm hands!"

"That makes no difference," replied Miguel. "Farm hands also have hearts
and can love beautiful objects. I have no doubt that you have many a
suitor among them."

"As to that," replied Lola, with a blush, "if I must tell the
truth--yes, sir, they are very fond of me. Every year, as soon as it is
known that we have come, the young men make their arrangement to give me
a serenade, and they even cut down a little tree so as to get in front
of my window."

"The serenade was not for you alone," interrupted Carolina, warmly....
"It is for all of us."

"But the tree was mine," replied Lola, with some show of ill-temper.

"The tree! very good; but not the serenade," replied the other, somewhat
piqued.

Lola gave her a sharp look, and went on: "Judge for yourself, Senor
Rivera, whether it does not show that they are in love with me: when the
engineers came to build a bridge, I said that I did not like the place
where they had made their arrangements to put it, but I wanted it
farther back, ... and as soon as the young men of the village heard what
I had said, they made a formal visit to the engineers and told them that
the bridge must be put where the senorita wanted it, and that no other
site for it must be thought of, because they would put a stop