Hallowe'en to Candlemas 
small offerings, which they laid before the altar, bowing as 
they did so. They were followed by three elders of the 
village, dressed as the Magi Kings, and mounted on hand- 
some horses and attended by their train. They were 
greeted with loud acclamations, and a shining star was 
borne before them. As soon as they arrived at the church 
they dismounted. The first who entered was an old 
white-haired man with a long beard. This was Baltasar. 
He knelt before the new-born Child, and making his 
offering, said : “ I bring thee Frankincense as God . 55 The 
second, representing Gaspar, said, as he put down his 
offering : “ I bring thee Myrrh as Priest.” Lastly, the 
black king Melchior offered gold, saying : “ I bring thee 
Gold as King.” Then, while they knelt before the altar, a 
litany was sung in which everybody joined. Afterwards 
Father Anselmo gave a short address, and the function 
came to an end. Then the procession of the kings departed 
as it had come, whilst all the people gathered at the church 
door and discussed the show. Luisito went back with the 
widow to the priest’s house, that she might take off his 
angelic garments, and was given the half-peseta, and in 
addition a Twelfth Night cake. 
“ There are two beans in it,” said the widow, as she gave 
it to him. “ Share it with thy little sister, child.” Luisito 
promised and departed overjoyed. When he and Aunt 
Ana and Serafina ate the cake, they found in it the beans, 
and they were made of china, and had little faces on 
them. Ah, how pleased Serafina was ! “ I will keep 
them for ever,” she said, u in memory that you were an 
Angelito, Luisito mio.” But the half-peseta was kept by 
Tia Ana. 
Boy is very anxious to give the birds a Christmas-tree. 
I have a pretty little Christmas-card of a barefooted Love 
in a little blue shirt decking a tiny fir-tree in the midst of 
a snowy glade for the birds. I think it is still the old 
custom in Scandinavia to hang out at Christmas-time in 
the barn-yard a sheaf of corn at the top of a long pole for 
the birds, as their share of Christmas good cheer. It 
65 E 
