The Children of Cupa

by Mary Ellen Mannix

The children, eager to explore the neighborhood, scarcely took time to unpack their belongings before they asked to be allowed to go out for a walk. Permission being given, their father said he would go along. "Oh, yes, do come, papa," said Nellie. "You can show us everything."

"We are now on the outskirts of Cupa," he said merrily as, after descending the declivity which led to their camping place, they stood at the head of a street, or road, with houses straggling on either side to the number of forty or fifty. In the distance could be seen flourishing vineyards and green patches of land.

Here and there a man was lazily ploughing. To the left arose a great cloud of steam ascending slowly into the air, where it was soon lost in the clear blue.

"There are the springs," said Mr. Page. "Shall we go down?"

"Yes, yes, let us go!" cried both children. As they strolled along the dusty street Walter observed that he saw only white people.

"Where are the Indians?" he inquired anxiously. "Have they gone so far away from their homes that we can't see them at all?"

"Oh, no," replied the father. "On our return, if we take a short cut to the right, we shall probably see a good many of them living in those brush-houses."

And it so proved. After they had gone down to the springs, surveyed the boiling pools bursting from the solid granite and taken a drink from one of them, they returned by the back road, and found that every brush-house they passed was inhabited by Indians, in various stages of comfort or discomfort. These houses generally stood from fifty to a hundred feet in the rear of the adobe dwelling, rented for the season at a good price to the visitors in search of health or recreation.

The people manifested no curiosity at the appearance of the strangers; even the Indian children were stolid and indifferent. Later the Pages were to learn that the reserve could be broken when they came to look upon the strangers as friends. Making a détour, the trio advanced toward the church, which stood on a slight knoll overlooking the village.