nd there was a sudden bound on the
veranda. The door opened; for an instant the entrance appeared to be
filled with a mass of dazzling white flounces, and a figure which from
waist to crown was impenetrably wrapped and swathed in black lace.
Somewhere beneath its folds a soft Spanish, yet somewhat childish voice
cried, "Tente. Hol' on," turned and vanished. This was succeeded by the
apparition of a silent, swarthy Mexican, who dropped a small trunk at
their feet and vanished also. Then the white-flounced and black-laced
figure reappeared as the departing wagon rattled away, glided to
the centre of the room, placed on the trunk a small foot, whose
low-quartered black satin slipper seemed to be held only by the toe,
threw back with both hands the black lace mantilla, which was pinned by
a rose over her little right ear, and with her hands slightly extended
and waving softly said, "Mira caballeros! 'Ere we are again, boys! Viva!
Aow ees your mother? Aow ees that for high? Behold me! just from Pike!"

Parks and Brace, who had partly risen, fell back hopelessly in their
chairs again and gazed at the figure with a feeble smile of vacuous
pain and politeness. At which it advanced, lowered its black eyes
mischievously over the table and the men who sat there, poured out a
glass of the liquor, and said: "I look towards you, boys! Don't errise.
You are just a leetle weary, eh? A leetle. Oh yes! a leetle tired of
crookin' your elbow--eh? Don't care if the school keep!--eh? Don't want
any pie! Want to go 'ome, eh?"

But here Mr. Parks rose with slight difficulty, but unflinching dignity,
and leaned impressively over the table, "May I ashk--may I be
permitted to arsk, madam, to what we may owe the pleasure of thish--of
this--visit?"

Her face and attitude instantly changed. Her arms dropped and caught up
the mantilla with a quick but not ungraceful sweep, and in apparently a
single movement she was draped, wrapped, and muffled from waist to crown
as before. With a slight inclination of her head, she said in quite
another voice: "Si, senor. I have arrive here because in your whole
great town of Booki there is not so much as one"--she held up a small
brown finger--"as much as ONE leetle light or fire like thees; be-cause
in this grand pueblo there is not one peoples who have not already sleep
in his bed but thees! Bueno! I have arrive all the same like a leetle
bird, like the small fly arrive to the light! not to YOU--only to THE
L