Good-Night
(BUENAS NOCHES)
BY
Eleanor Gates
AUTHOR OF
"The Plow-Woman"
ILLUSTRATED BY
Arthur Rackham
New York
Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
Publishers
Copyright, 1906,
By Charles Scribner’s Sons
Copyright, 1907,
By Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A.
To MABEL
Illustrations
| PAGE | |
| "Good-day to thyself," retorted the padre | Frontispiece |
| He carried a canary at his shoulder | 16 |
| Advancing by soft steps came Tomasso the cat | 38 |
| Fanning her wings in one lightning stroke | 44 |
| Another frown and he passed on | 50 |
Good-Night
I
Scarlet fuchsias on a swayingbranch freckled the ’dobe wallbehind Loretta’s perch. The parrot,her claws wide apart, her brilliantrudder tilting to balance hergray body, industriously snappedat the blossoms. One securedat last, she turned slowly aboutand, with infinite care, let it dropupon the open pages of PadreAlonzo’s book.
The padre brushed the floweraway and glanced up.
“Buenos días, señor!” clackedLoretta; “buenos días! buenos días!buenos días!”
“Good-day to thyself,” retortedthe padre. He spoke in Spanish,shaking a stout finger. “And tearnot the flowers again. They be thelast of the kind till after the NewYear. So take warning, I say, lestthou find thy