Page 13 - ramona-text

RAMONA 5

out homeless on the world some day; and what sort of a deed
would that be, Juan Canito, for one Christian to do to an-
other? I fear the Father will give you penance, when he
hears what you have said."
"Sefiora, it is not to harm the lad," Juan began, every fibre
of his faithful frame thrilling with a sense of the injustice
of her reproach.
But the Seiiora had turned her back. Evidently she would
hear no more from him then. He stood watching her as she
walked away, at her usual slow pace, her head slightly bent
forward, her rosary lifted in her left hand, and the fingers of
the right hand mechanically slipping the beads.
"Prayers, always prayers!" thought Juan to himself, as his
eyes followed her. "If they'll take one to heaven, the Seiiora'll
go by the straight road, that's sure! I'm sorry I vexed her.
But what's a man to do, if he's the interest of the place at
heart, I'd like to know. Is he to stand by, and see a lot of
idle mooning louts run away with everything? Ah, but it
was an ill day for the estate when the General died,—an ill
day! an ill day! And they may scold me as much as they
please, and set me to confessing my sins to the Father; it's
very well for them, they've got me to look after matters.
Senor Felipe will do well enough when he's a man, maybe;
but a boy like him! Bah!" And the old man stamped his foot
with a not wholly unreasonable irritation, at the false posi-
tion in which he felt himself put.
"Confess to Father Salvierderra, indeed!" he muttered
aloud. "Ay, that will I. He's a man of sense, if he is a priest,"
—
—at which slip of the tongue the pious Juan hastily crossed
himself, "and I'll ask him to give me some good advice as
to how I'm to manage between this young boy at the head of
everything, and a doting mother who thinks he has the wis-
dom of a dozen grown men. The Father knew the place in
the olden time. He knows it's no child's play to look after
the estate even now, much smaller as it is! An ill day when
the old General died, an ill day indeed, the saints rest his
soul!" Saying this, Juan shrugged his shoulders, and whis-
tling to Capitan, walked towards the sunny veranda of the
south side of the kitchen wing of the house, where it had