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The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, February 12, 1910, Image 6

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6
WHEN CRUZITA AND LUPE CAME TO OUR SCHOOL
Tlioy were two of the queerest little V,
tilings that over come to our school.
That Is, they wore the first day, but \;
now they are Just like all the others.
Sometimes when I look at Cruxlta now,
I remember that first day, and it makes
me feel old. Hut then, I am getting
old. I shall be It next month, yon .'
graduation day, and it's six months
slnee I paw Liipo, holding Oruzita by .'\u25a0"
the ".hand, como in Jhrough the big
Bate, right into- the middle of the
\u25a0yard, crowded with- girls, six months
is really a long time.
.: They stood in ttfe middle of the. ynrd
and the first thing I' noticed about
thorn was their eyes. I believe that
Cruzita ' ,and... L«P(j>!iave the biggest
• eyes of any \u0084 children in . the world.
Lupe's: are black. Just like great, big,*
soft' blackberries, but Cruzltn's . are
gray. When she (smiles they twinlclo
all over with little lights. Some peo
ple, have ; miserly smiles, that just
twitch up ,'•' the- corners of. their
mouths, but . Cruz ; laughs all over * her
face. You see, sometimes wo call her > \u25a0
Cruz, 1 which- means cross, and some- j
times Cruzita, little cross. »They stood ;
therein the -.middle of the yard, with
eyes *as big as- plates, looking
. scared to death, holding each other's -
hands.- ./-._• \u25a0•'-_\u25a0 ;-.; \u25a0•\u25a0/' *, ';'• \u25a0• .•;•\u25a0•;. ,
It was rope season, and the- yard
was full of turning ropes, for all the
\u25a0 world 'like -dozens of windmills, flying „
about. ; But in a moment everybody
had caught, sight of the two little '
jthings,' The-' ropes stopped and we aJI
\u25a0 crowded close. about them. .; Really, -they
were;the very' funniest looking children
.•.we^had .ever seen. Cruzita' had on : a
little Hubbard, made of black
\u25a0 silk., so old and shiny, and a pair- of
; shoes that must; have bee/i her mother's.
She had.'a yelJowK straw > hat, that is.,
part '•' of one,' .because the crown was
\u25a0\u25a0'-. out, fall- "covered" with .'.bright, red^rpses;
; : and . her ; hair, -braided . so ' tight that' it
stuck, out on y each l side of her head,,
like two ! . little wire, ropes, was, tied ;
with pieces of rpink calico. .Lupe had*
long trousers,;althoughlie wasn't\more
than 8. , , His «coat; had once , '.been -
a; skirt, and his? cap— l; remember,' I
wqndered'if It feir to pieces every time
\u25a0 hejtoOk it off.'V They really, > did look ;
\u25a0;f unny,>' especially/ in our :school," where
".nearly , all .the children • are rich and
dress beautifully. :>'\u25a0\u25a0'\u25a0]'-'. :
Thereithey stood. looking at us with
those ;big. eyes, .till / suddenly ; Paula
White- burst -out- laughing. She just v
ilaughed' and .laughed. \u25a0• "'
" t"Dld " you ever /see such -frights?
Where on earth dld'they come from?" .
r-'i "The; clothes > bag, - 1 { guess.'.' Tf any
one had ;told me Freda would have said
a thing 'like that I wouldn't have be-
Jllevedit.vv" ' '-.;\u25a0 \u25a0 .':';- ..- \u25a0\u25a0/\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0;\u25a0\u25a0 '•'. •-.\u25a0•\u25a0\u25a0 ..-'\u25a0 '. .:
"Pure silk— our, mark on every yard."
Marjorie'sS .father keeps the biggest
dry goods •-. store in .'. town, and they're
"awfully {rich. Perhaps' she only, meant ..',
to.be -funny, but she reached out and ; ,
took) the '\u25a0: corner of * Cruzlta's j old, silk ;-;,v'.
dress; -in her fingers. I -don't "\ know ,
1 what i' next she '; would > have donei . but
she didn't have, s time : to, do : anything. '".-._:,
\u25a0Lupe 'just -'dropped U : , Cruz's . hand and '•
;came at ' her, like a! little tiger.' He;
pushed ..at herewith, his arms and , his
'\u25a0' 'head without saying a word. 'The girls,
tumbled over themselves to get; away v
from him,, and when he had cleared a
'.space ; he; stood (in front of his sister
with, his, fists doubled.' . , • ; ;'.
;,-;\u25a0 VWell, ; of . ;'all ; the .: little wildcats."
Marjorle' tossed : her, head : and* walked
away. "Come, girls. He'll, bite if you .
hook , at ; hlm.'V But" none i, of \u25a0:; the , girls
; wenti . only Thelma. 1 Thelma ••: follows
/Marjorle around like -a shadow -and
does everything "she's 1 told to- do. •', .;'• '•\u25a0 ;
:- Then .the funny little thing. to the
; I black wrapper began to cry. * She dldn' t*
noise, \but 'just: let the ; tears
; : roll ? down j her, face . if ; she had n'oth- "
ing, to do, with them. Lupe turned round
i and 'saw*; her. OHe gave one long,; slow >
look at ';\u25a0 vs > that ? made ' me ; feel ' burn! ng
all .over I 'was so' ashamed. \u25a0' Then ; ho
took 'his t sister's hand and turned
toward the gate;* ' \V;
"Little boy— little boy— come \u25a0..'bade."
Tiioy were .almost at! the, gate, before
I reached , them., "What do you want?
Coma back. , Nobody'll hurt you."
'.lie stopped .. and turned round. '" . Of
course he dldn'tunderstand what I
; was saying,, but I didn't know that
then,' so I knelt down on, the floor in
.front of them and began asking all
kinds of questions. They were such
tiny, little things I didn't feel as If I
'could talk to them standing up.
mustn't cry," I said. "Sho
didn't. really mean to; bo mean."
."Look-out,, he'll "scratch*" -,-.\u25a0'. it was
one of Marjorle's frienda,>but the Other
girls looked, nt her so she turned • as
red as a beet and slipped back Into
the crowd,
"Won't you "tell me your names and
why you, came? What Is it you
wanted?"
Cruzita stopped crying and began to
emlle, It.. was ; Just as if somebody
turned a light -on inside her head, nil
the twinkles In herflyes.; Lupe smiled
too, and then He began to talk. And I
couldn't understand a single, word he
said, I Just knelt there and looked at
them and wondered whatever we could
" Uo, because I could tell by Lupa's face
tlmt It was something very serious he
was telling mo, and I knew he was
nuking me a question by the way his
voice lifted up at the end.
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1010.— THE JUNIOR CALL
"Why, ' they're not Americans." L
guess none; of ', us.' had ever been so.
close to anybody that wasn't American
before. Anyway we were just as sur
prised as Sadie. "Why, we can't talk
to them." ; .
It was ' like, meeting some -of-- the
strange people iifthe "geography.
\u25a0 I. tried to, think of what Indian ex
plorers ,do when they ' can't talk to
tho tribes-,' but' l couldn't think of any
thing except making signs, and I'Uldn't
know, what siprns to make, because- 1
didn't know what Lupewas trying to
say. •• He had'begun talking again, and
I. was sure; he was asking me the same
thing'because he kept saying the same
words over ; . and over. ( Suddenly his
eyesiall filled'iup and he took Cruzita's
hand again.'and I know that he thought
we do. whatever it; was ; he
wanted, and that he was going away. :
Just then I 1I 1 remembered Carmen. When
Carmen first came to 'school her nurse
used to. bring her every davand I had;
heard them talking something that
wasn't English. Perhaps she could find
out ; what these -. strange little things '
wanted. . . ; , \u25a0
"Some one go and get Carmen. Tell
Carmen to come here." ;
: : But : when I turned I saw Carmen
walking away toward the ; building. \u25a0 At
the: bottom of the steps she stopped
and said," so all thegirls heard:
, "They're servants; I don't talk to
servants." ' .' '. : .
I was so. surprised I just sat down
where I.was and looked at her until:
she went into the, hair and closed" the
door. ;: Perhaps I should have been sit
ting, there yet, if Miss' Pierce (that's
Relic of/ Prehistoric Man
Yale university, is to have, as a gift
from the fUniversity of. Heidelberg, a
plaster copy of the famous "Heidelberg
man." l > . ,'...- . ; \u25a0 '•; \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0•*\u25a0_'• .: V . - : . .' ' ; •. '; y
The "man" is not a man at all, but a
jawbone. Possibly It was a woman's
Jaw. It was found burled deep in a
sand pit near Heidelberg, Germany,
and is regarded as the very oldest hu
man "relic ever found.' Some scientists
have estimated 'its ago at more than
100,000 years.
It belongs to what geologists call tho
lower quarternary period. The teeth
are well preserved. The bone Is twice the
size, of the ordinary human jawbone
of the present day and differs from it
In other ways. Those who believe In
the Darwinian theory think this is a
relic of the "missing link" — that imag
ined creature that stood half way be
tween apo and man, and which, accord
ing to the Darwinians, ages ago ceased
to • exist. n
He was telling a thrilling story of a
thousand and one hairbreadth escapes,
and his pretty listener was leaning
anxiously toward him, eagerly drinking
in his every wold.
"The wolves wero upon us," he said,
"bellowing and roaring, as I have bo
often heard them. We fled for our
lives! I don't deny it. Hut every »ec»
ond wo knew the ravenoun pack wan
gaining on us. At last they were ho
near that we could feel their muzzles
ugamst our legs — "
"Ah!" gasped out the lady. "How
glad you must have been they had
their muzzles on!"
the principal) hadn't come out to ring
the bell*
"Well, what on earth?" I never
heard Miss Pierce say anything like
that before, but. I gruess si\e was so
surprised ~-she forgot we .were there,
-"What on earth have we got here?"
. I really do. like Miss-Pierce, but she
does look awfully cross when she isn't
a bit. .It's her nose, I think. It's so
longand. sharp, like a knife, and her
glasses seem to, grow out of the top
of it. She tame up to Cruzita ana
put her hand ;on' her shoulder,
"What is it, little girl?" But Liipe
just took her hand; in his and lifted it
off Cruzita.
"Well of all the rude . little boys!
Do you think I'm going to eat you
both?" ' *».
"I don't think he understands, Miss
Pierce."
She turned around so sharp I almost
felt; it was my fault. - ~
"What's the matter with them; lost
\u25a0 their^wits?". Sometimes Miss Pierce
talks as if she were cutting things
out with a pair, of .scissors. She. al
most clicks. "Why shouldn't they un
derstand?"
: "They don't talk English. They talk
something else." . '
"Why, bless me, what can we do?
Can't. any one talk to them?" ,
"Carmen can, but—"
"Go and get Carmen." It was Alma
Miss Pierce happened to look at, : so
Alma went. '^
It >felt like hours before Alma and
Carmen; came down the steps. We' had
almost forgotten Cruzita and Lupe,
wondering whether . Carmen would
"Come, Worry, let us walk abroad to
day;
Let's take a little run along the way;
I know a sunny path that leads from
Fear
Up to the lovely fields of Wholesome
j Cheer. . .
I'll race you there— l'm feeling fit and
strong. \u2666
So, Worry, come along!"
We started on our way, I and my Care.
I set the pace on through the spring
time alf.
But ere we'd gone a mile poor- "Worry
stopped,
Tried hard to catch his breath, and then
he dropped,
Whilst I went on— iV: '
An easy winner of that Marathon,
And since that day when vexed. by any
s fear,
When Worry's come again with visage
drear.
I've challenged him to Join me in that
race,
And found each time he could not stand
the pace,
—John Kondrlck Hantftj In Alnslle's,
Muzzled !
"More than 8,000 elephants a year
ffo to make our piano keys," remarked
the student beurder, who hud Jieen
i-Mudiritf the fteientirio notea from a pat
ent medicine almanac,
"My word!" exclaimed tho landlady,
"Ain't it wonderful what some animals
can be trained to do?" — Harper's Mug
azlrie.
A Challenge
Ain't It
come. Kho can got madder than any
girl I ever knew and she'll never do
anything nlie doesn't want to. Hut I
guess no one over disobeys Mlas
"Ask these chlldrep what their
names are, Carmen, where they como
from and what they want?"
Carmen spoke ict them, very low, an
If she was ashamed. We couldn't hear,
but we all saw what. Lupe did. Mo let
go of Cru/.iUi's band; slopped right up
to Carmen and took off his raKgfod cap.
And he didn't put it on again all the •
tirtla ho wasi talking to her. I guess
that pleased Oarmen,-liccauw her face
changed nnd after a minute sho began
to smile. Cruzita and Lupe smiieM too,
and thore they were all three laugh
ing away together.
*\Vell, Carmen, what Is it? Let us
laugh too." Even Miss Pierce was
smiling to watch them.
"Why he's only 8 und she's not
6 yet, and they want to get work.
He says he knows a boy who works
after school and on. Saturdays and
makes a lot of money, but when he
triod to get -a place nobody would tako
him because he can't speak English;
Some man told him to como to school
and learn first and then ho would give
him somo errands to run. So he came
and brought his sister because he
thinks maybe there's something she '
can do too."
"For — the — land's sake — alive!"
Mother says she's sure Miss Pierce
never said that. lUit sho did. I was
right in front and. l heard it. "Where
do they come from? And why is he in
such a -hurry. to go to work?"
Carmen talked to them again. They
didn't laugh now, and pretty soon I
thought Carmen was going to cry.
"Oh, they're awfully poor." I don't
believe she stopped to think whether
the girls were looking or not. "Their
father's sick in bed and they haven't
had anything to eat but .beans for tho
longest; time. " And they didn't have
any. dinner last night, nor any break
fast this morning and there isn't any
thing in the house .when they go home.
They have a little, tiny baby brother
that cries every time their mother goes
out, so she has to stay with him all
day. Their father got sick because he
used to go out every morning, whether
it was raining or not, to look for work,
but .-.he couldn't get any, because he
can't speak English, cither. Thoycame
from Mexico, and they can only talk
Spanish. He says — "
"Bring them into the office, Carmen" ;
Miss 'Pierce was almost crying. She
took off her'glasses, twisted them round
and put them on again,, and I saw her
eyes were wet./ '
A few minutes later the* bell rang
and we bad to go In. At noon wo tried
to get Carmen to tell us what Miss/
Pierce had done, but she Just looked
Important and smiled and wouldn't say
a word. Early in the afternoon we
saw her go out with Miss Pierce and
they; didn't come back till it was al
most time to go home. Then Miss '•'
Pierce called a meeting and. told usall
about it. There were Cruz and Lunn
and: the -baby and the £ t he? and
mother/They had just one bed and a
stove and some boxes to sit on, and
nothing to eat In the house at all
_They had come all : the wav 'from
®m couldn't speak 'English ftnc T'thev
couldn't find any. And now the father
was B ck and if we didn't do sometl ing
for him right away he would die «
would be Just the same as if 'we had
killed him. Then B he asked "us Tf each
of us wouldn't be willing to g ye so rfi
of our wket money. But before s he
had finished speaking, every one of us
boys and girls, was pushing up to th e
desk carmen got there first and em p!
tied her purse; every one of us handed
overall wo had. Then Miß« Pierce
counted it. When she got through^ she
took off her glasses, and this time the
whole school- saw .'her eyes were wet
bhe- came down to the front of the
platform and you could have heard a
needle drop, it was so quiet. She didn*
cay much It was the way sne looked*
I don't believe any of us will ever for '
got a word. 1
"Girls and boys" she said, "r m proud
of you, far prouder than if every one
of you had passed, a perfect examina
tion. That would only have shown that
your. heads nro good, but this shows
that something far better than your
heads — your hearts— are good. You've
made a family very, very happy and
you've done something for your country
besides. You've Bhown a stranger that
he is welcome in our land; that out
doors are never shut night or day to a
mun because ho Is poor."
Miss Pierce stopped for a moment
and thon she- said — and whenever sho
lookM croHg again I'm going to remem
ber that smile:
"I'm going to trust every one of you
girls to look out for Cruzita, and you '
boys must take cure of Lupe. u e kind
and very gentle with them, becauso
•they don't know our ways and can't
ppeak our language yet, D'on't forget
you're helping to train two future citi
zens. No matter what happens later
they'll always think of this school and
of us as the first place and tho -first
people they knew in the JUnitei] {States.
We are to Rive them 9lr \u25a0 welcome.
Let it be the very kindest we caii

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