iest had said, but neither one was
willing to wait another minute, so they ran together in the rain to the
other huts and told the news, and the men formed a searching-party at
once.

They put on their grass coats to protect them from the rain, and started
off in the darkness and wet, carrying lighted pine torches, and calling
loudly, "Pancho--Pedro--Tonio--Tita," every few minutes.

[Illustration]

While they were gone Pedro's wife left the baby and Pablo with a
neighbor and asked her to send Pablo to the chapel if there should be
any news. Then she and Dona Teresa went there to pray.

The chapel door was open and candles were burning on the little altar,
as the two women crept in and knelt before the image of the Virgin and
Child.

"O Holy Mother," sobbed Dona Teresa, "help us who are mothers, too!"

All night long they knelt on the chapel floor before the images, sobbing
and praying, listening for footsteps that did not come, and promising
many candles to be placed upon the altar, if only their dear ones could
be restored to them.

It was long after the rain was over and the moon shining again that the
weary search party returned to the village without any news of the
wanderers.

VIII

THE SECRET MEETING

[Illustration]

VIII

THE SECRET MEETING

I

The children, meanwhile, were sleeping soundly in their hard bed. They
were so tired that they did not wake up even when a tiny stream of water
broke through a crevice in the rocks and splashed down on Tonio's head.
It ran off his hair just as the rain ran off the thatched roof of their
little adobe hut.

About nine o'clock the rain stopped and the moon shone out from behind
the clouds. An owl hooted; a fox ran right over the roof of their cave,
making a soft pat-pat with his paws that would have frightened them if
they had heard it, but they slept on.

At last, however, something did wake Tita. She sat up in terror. A
flickering light that wasn't moonlight was dancing about the cave! It
was so bright that she could see everything about them as plain as day.

She clutched Tonio, shook him gently, and whispered in his ear, "Tonio,
Tonio, wake up."

Tonio stirred and opened his mouth, but Tita clapped her hand over it.
She was so afraid he would make a noise. When he saw the flickering
light Tonio almost shouted for joy, for he was sure that his father had
found them at last.

The flickering light grew brighter. They heard the crack