“That is but the beginning of our good fortune,” answered the child.
As they passed the Lake of the Tuleis, the moon and stars were shining pleasantly, casting a flood of soft golden light upon the graves of the father and mother. Here the children stopped for a moment, and the little maiden laid her head upon the green grave of the mother, crying--“Oh, mamma, mamma! We loved you so dearly, and are so lonely now. We are going out into the wide world alone, mamma! dear, sweet mamma!”
She buried her head in the long grass, and there would have wept herself to sleep, as she had often done before, but the brother took her by the hand, saying, “We must hasten, sister, or the señora will come after us.”
So they ran on as fast as they could, and every waving shrub or tree their fear and the darkness changed into the form of the angry step-mother.
At last they came to a thick wood, and began to feel quite safe as they entered it. It seemed so large, and so far out into the wide world, that they were sure the step-mother could never find them there.
The gray twilight of the morning was coming on, and, as they were very tired and hungry, they sat down under the trees to eat their tortillas and strawberries. In the bottom of the basket Zoie found a nut, about the size of an almond. “This must be the talisman that makes wishing ‘having,’” said the little girl.
They wished all sorts of things, but nothing came to them, and the boy said, “It is a poor talisman--throw it away.”
“No, brother,” answered the child; “the old woman was so kind to me, for her sake I will keep it always, and who knows what may come of it yet?”
So she wrapped it in a leaf, and placed it in her bosom. Then they said their prayers, and, covering themselves with the shawl, they slept soundly till morning.
When they awoke, the sun was shining through the leaves of a rich banana tree, and the ripe golden fruit was hanging in thick bunches just above their heads.
“See, brother,” said the little girl, “the good God has given us our breakfast;” and they gathered from the ground as much of the delicious fruit as they wished.
“I hear something that sounds like running water,” replied Zoie.
So they looked around, until they found a brook, with a clear spring of water bubbling up in the midst of the shining stones.