The radiance of the sunset fell upon the poor dumb girl, and shed its shining beauty upon her face. When Catrina arose, Gracia looked at her with eyes full of eager wonder.
“How God loves you, Catrina,” she whispered. “He threw his glory all around you when you prayed.” Catrina smiled and kissed the child, and giving her a tortilla, they began to descend the mountain, but the twilight came on so fast that very soon they could hardly see their way.
Gracia clasped Catrina’s hand very closely, saying: “I should be afraid in the dark, only God loves you so much, and heaven is so near.”
Thus they went on as long as they could see, and then sat down in the darkness, and by and by slept again.
Catrina woke early in the morning, and seeing a lime-tree not far distant, covered with fruit, left Gracia sleeping, and ran to gather some. “It will be so nice with our dry tortillas,” she thought; “and dear Gracia will be pleased with the juicy fruit.”
She made great haste, fearing lest the child might wake, and be frightened at her absence, and in a short time she returned with her apron filled with the delicious fruit. Her face lighted with the smile of grateful love, as she saw the little girl still sleeping sweetly. A moment more and the happy smile was turned to an expression of intense horror.
Only a few feet from the child crouched the huge form of an immense cougar, his fierce eyes gloating with hungry fire upon his helpless prey.
Catrina remained transfixed for a moment, watching the wild beast, until he crouched to spring upon her darling; she then threw her arms over her head, rushed forward, and by what means, God knows, her intense terror burst the prison-bonds of sound, and the dumb girl gave one wild, shrill cry, that made the mountains echo.
Just at that moment came a sharp flash of light, and the cougar lay weltering in his blood.
The startled Gracia woke to find Catrina lying as one dead upon the ground, and a handsome young boy coming forward to help them. The little girl was much frightened, and, weeping bitterly, she threw her arms around Catrina and called piteously,—