Juan's shop was on the Street of the Serpents, a wriggling ribbon of a street with booths and shops and cafés--a street of ragged people, of staring people, of chanting, selling people. But no automobiles or wagons were allowed upon the Street of the Serpents.
Pilar met Juan Sanchez at the door of his tiny shop.
"Good morning, Señorita (s[=a]´ny[=o]-r[=e]´-tä) Pilar," he smiled.
He was glad to see Pilar. Everyone in Spain is always glad to see children. This is a good thing, because Spain is overflowing with children.
"Good morning, Señor (s[=a]-ny[=o]r´) Juan," said the little girl. Then, timidly she held up the faded old cape. "Will you buy this from me?" she asked. "My grandfather is ill, and I must have money to pay for food and medicine."
Juan looked at the cape. He said nothing, but his mouth twitched as though it wanted to smile. He turned the cape inside out and stared at something he saw.
"The name 'Tony' is printed in ink on the inside of this cape," he said.
But Pilar was not interested. She only looked up at him and repeated earnestly, "Will you buy it, señor? Will you?"
Juan shook his head. "No, Pilar," he answered. "I cannot buy it because it is worth nothing to me."
Then as he saw the cloud cover her smile, he added, "But it may be worth a great deal to you if you will send it away!"
"If I will send it away, señor?" Pilar thought that the good Juan must be teasing her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," he said, "that you must send it to America to the one whose name is written here."
He pointed to the name Tony. It meant nothing until Juan explained.
"Years ago," he said, "Tony was a little boy who played in the streets of Seville. He liked to play bullfight. This is the cape with which he angered the make-believe bull. I was that bull."
"You, Juan? You were the bull?" laughed Pilar.
"Yes, and a fierce one with great horns which I held proudly to my head," answered Juan. "But today," he went on, "today this Tony--ah, he is a very rich man. He has made many American dollars."
"But how did his cape come to be among my mother's souvenirs?" asked Pilar.
"When Tony went away to seek his fortune in America," said Juan, "he must have given it to your mother. They lived next door to each other when they were children. They were very good friends."