Clarence King 



mother, who extended her hand to 

 receive it. 



" What are you waiting for, child ? " 

 said the woman. 



" It is mine. You gave it to me," 

 said the boy bashfully. 



" My lad," said Salazar, "we shall 

 give you two silver duros for it." 



The boy at once brightened and 

 consented. His mother seized the 

 basin in one hand, a wet rag in the 

 other, and with her toe scraped out 

 some ashes from the fire, and was 

 about to fall upon it with housewifely 

 fury, and in a trice, had I not stopped 

 her, would have scraped away the 

 mellow green film, the very writing 

 and sign-manual of the artist Time. 



A few silver duros in the smiling 

 lad's palm, a bit of gold to the mother, 

 a shudder of long unknown joy in the 

 widow's heart, a tear, a quiver of the 

 lip, then a smile, — and the bargain 

 was made. 



29 



