Catalina clutched his arm tightly, and in a fit of childish glee, said: “See, Juan; I am Catalina, a big, healthy child. I was a spirit once, but now I am flesh and blood. Come on, Juan, take me upstairs; then get me a bowl of milk. I am hungry. Come on, Juan; I am not a ghost. I am poor Catalina. I am tired and hungry, Juan. Carry me.” She raised her arms up to him. Without a word he lifted her in his arms, and hurried with her to the little room adjoining the housekeeper’s; which was on her arrival furnished with every article for childish comfort and pleasure that could be found in Chihuahua. Strange to say, the house which only a few moments ago was filled with violators of the law whose intent was murder, was now so still, that a person stepping into the home of the Governor, could hardly imagine that such a state of affairs ever could have existed in such a quiet and magnificently appointed home. Catalina fell asleep in Juan’s arms, and the slumber of the healthy child whose breath fell gently on his cheek, was the one demonstrated fact that she was a child of flesh and blood and very human, notwithstanding she might be a novice in spiritual attainments. He was convinced of the human part, however, and smiled to himself, as he laid her on the bed, at the fright she had given him. Her head had no sooner touched the bed than she opened her eyes, and said: “Juan, bring me a bowl of warm milk, please. I am hungry—hungry—hungry.”
Juan replied, at the same moment turning his head to hide a smile: “Muchacha mia, Juan will bring you a bowl, muy grande, at that, de leche caliente.”
“Stay, Juan,” she cried, as he stepped into the hall. “You are not afraid of me now, are you?”
“No, no, child. You are a very, very lively little girl and no spirit. Of that fact I am fully satisfied. I am going now for the milk. Good-bye, sweet child. Juan is your friend.”
“Juan is a strange old fellow,” said Catalina, as she cuddled down on her little bed. “He was afraid of me because he thought me a spirit. I wish my dear papa was here. I will go and find him as soon as it is very light. If all these people could only remember, there never would be a bloody war. I must find Miss Helen Hinckley and Miss Marriet Motuble. She befriended me in the other life and built a very large, nice tomb for me when I died. She was very, very good to me, but she is queer; silly, I think now. I heard papa and Señor Guillermo Gonzales and Julio Murillo say she pretended to die and be buried in the Motuble tomb, where I was placed, and when they went there to see the body, they found in the coffin—only a waxen figure. I wonder why she pretended to die and didn’t. I wonder if she thought some one would cry—my papa, I suspect—and she would only make believe she was dead, to see who cared or would cry. Papa would cry, I know, if I were dead. I believe I will die and see. I will wait, though, till Juan gets my warm milk; for I am awful hungry. It is thinking about the ugly war and those wicked men who were just here, that made me want my hot milk this early in the morning.” At that moment Juan entered the room, bringing a howl of hot milk and a plate of shredded graham bread, and placed it on a little table by the side of her bed.
She drank part of the milk, and laying her head back on the pillow, said: “Juan, would you cry if I were to die now?”
Juan was startled, and replied: “Now you are going to scare me again. Because you remember, and say you lived here once before, it’s no sign that if you die now and ever live again, that you will remember. You would better hold on as long as you can, now that you are here. You are a little girl, and young; you have no business talking about dying. God did not make you to kill yourself. You drink the rest of the milk before it gets cold, and go to sleep.”
“Juan,” continued Catalina, “if you would be sorry, then how much more sorry my papa and Miss Hinckley would be.”
“I suppose your mamma would be very sorry too; and his Honor would be most distracted if you died so young. He has taken the greatest fancy to you of anyone since I came into his service; and that was when I was a very young man. You don’t know what a good place you have, little girl, and my advice is to stay close to it while you can,” concluded Juan, with a bob of his head.
“Listen, Juan,” continued the child. “I feel like I must die. I will die at once. Come close to me. Sit in this chair, and you can see how I do it.”