NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOURS.
IT was a beautiful Sunday morning. The birds were singing gaily
outside. Maria opened her eyes. Perhaps she would have slept longer if
she had not been wakened by a sound in the next room. It was Ramon who
was calling.
"Say, Maria, what shall we do to-day while father and mother are gone
to church? Let's go over to the plantation. You know we've been invited
ever so many times, and it is such fun watching the men at work."
"All right," said Maria, "but there's no hurry. We will wait till after
the folks have gone before we start."
Just beyond the home of the Diaz children was an immense sugar
plantation. It covered at least a square mile of land. The rich planter
who owned it employed more than a hundred black men. It was cutting
season now, and the work was carried on day and night, both Sundays
and week-days. Sunday afternoon, however, was a half-holiday, even
in the busiest time, and the black people then gave themselves up to
merrymaking, no matter how tired they were.
[Illustration: "THEY SAT BACK IN THE LOW, BROAD SEAT"]
By nine o'clock Señor Diaz and his wife had left home in the
oddest-looking carriage you ever heard of. It was a _volante_. There
is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. It looked somewhat like
an old-fashioned chaise. It had immense wheels, and the shafts were at
least sixteen feet long.
We think at once, how clumsily one must move along in such a carriage.
But it is not so. It is the best thing possible for travelling over the
rough roads of Cuba. It swings along from side to side so easily
that a person is not bumped or jostled as he would be in any other kind
of carriage. But one does not see many new volantes in Cuba now. They
are going out of fashion.
Señor Diaz was very proud of this carriage when it was new. It was
trimmed with bands of silver. It had beautiful silk cushions. Even now,
the good man and his wife looked quite elegant as they sat back in the
low, broad seat. Isabella sat between them.
Miguel rode on the horse's back as driver. He wore a scarlet jacket
trimmed with gold braid. He had on high boots with spurs at his heels.
He felt very proud. It made very little difference to him that his coat
was badly torn and the braid was tarnished. These were war-times and
one could not expect new clothes.
"If the people at the great house invite you to stay till evening, you
may do so," said Señor Diaz to his two older children just as he was
driving away. "I know you will be gentlemanly, Ramon; and Maria dear,
my little daughter will certainly be quiet and ladylike."
Away swung the volante down the road, while Ramon and Maria put on
their wide straw hats and started across the fields for the rich sugar
planter's home. They looked very pretty as they moved along under the
shade-trees. Both were barefooted; Maria wore a simple white dress, and
Ramon a linen shirt and trousers.
They reached their neighbour's grounds in a few minutes. They soon
found themselves in front of a large, low house with beautiful gardens
and shade-trees around it. But of what was the house made? It was of
the same material as Maria's home, yet we see nothing like it in our
own country. It was neither brick, nor wood, nor stone. Maria would say
to us:
"Why, this is 'adobe,' and it keeps out the sun's hot rays nicely.
Don't you know what adobe is? It is a mixture of clay and sand dried by
the sun. Some people call it unburnt brick. It was nearly white when
the house was new, but now you see it is quite yellow."
There was no glass in the window-cases. In such a warm land as Cuba
glass would keep out the air too much, and the people inside would
suffer from the heat. But there were iron bars across the casements;
there were also shutters to protect the house from the sun and rain.
The children went in at the door, opened by a black servant. She looked
kind and pleasant, and showed two rows of white teeth as she smiled at
the young visitors. A gorgeous yellow bandanna was wound around her
head.
"Come right in, little dears. Massa and missus will be glad to see
you; little Miss Lucia has been wishing for company to-day."
She led Ramon and Maria into a large sitting-room with two rows of
rocking-chairs opposite each other. They stretched nearly from one end
of the room to the other. There was scarcely any other furniture.
A minute afterward, Lucia opened the door. She was about Maria's age
and very pretty. But she was dressed like a grown-up young lady. She
carried in her hand a dainty little fan, which she moved gracefully as
she talked.
"Oh, I am so glad to see you," she cried. "But let us go out into the
garden; it is much pleasanter there; don't you think so? I want to show
you my sensitive plant. Did you ever have one?"
Maria and Ramon had heard their father speak of this plant, but they
had never happened to see one themselves. They followed Lucia out on
the balcony. A morning-glory vine was trailing up the trelliswork. It
was bright with its delicate blossoms, pink and blue and purple. Close
beside it was the sensitive plant.
"It came up of itself," said Lucia. "That is, you know, it was not
planted by any one. You see its leaves are wide open now. It is keeping
the morning-glory blossoms company. Perhaps they are talking together.
Who knows? But when night comes it will close up in the same way as the
petals of its next-door neighbour."
"Now, Ramon, just touch the leaves gently."
"Why, it acts as if afraid of me, doesn't it?" said the boy. "See how
it shrinks away, even before I take hold of it. I declare, it knows
more than some animals."
"Would you like to ride around the plantation? We have three ponies; so
each one of us can have one," said their little hostess.
Her visitors were delighted at the idea. While a servant was sent for
the ponies the children sat down under a royal palm-tree. It stood at
least sixty feet high. Its trunk was perfectly straight. Far up at the
top was the wide-spreading plume of leaves. There were no branches at
the sides.
"I just love this tree," said Lucia. "It seems so strong as well as
beautiful. Isn't it queer that the trunk of such a big tree should be
hollow?"
"I think it queerer still that the roots should be so small and fine,"
answered Ramon. "Did you ever eat what is found at the top of the royal
palm? Everybody says it is delicious."
"Yes, we had it boiled once for a dinner-party," said Lucia. "It was
delicious, but you know it kills the tree to take it off; so father
says it is almost wicked to get it. I think he is right."