Our Little Cuban Cousin. Wade Mary Hazelton Blanchard

      The children were so tired from the day's excitement that by eight o'clock they were quite ready to go to dreamland. Isabella started first. She went up to her father and, placing her tiny hands across her breast, looked up into his eyes with a sweet, solemn look. He knew at once what it meant. She was asking an evening blessing before leaving him for the night. Every one in the room stopped talking; all bowed their heads while the kind father said:

      "May God bless my darling child, and all others of this household."

      Maria and Ramon followed Isabella's example, and soon the children were sound asleep. Isabella dreamed that she taught her loved parrot to say "Liberty," and was delighted at her success.

      CHAPTER III.

      LEGENDS

      The next morning it rained quite hard, so the children had to stay in the house.

      "What shall we do with ourselves?" said Maria. "Oh, I know. We'll ask father to tell us stories."

      "What shall it be to-day?" he asked. "Do you want a tale of old Spain, or shall it be the life of Columbus; or maybe you would like a fairy story?"

      "A fairy story! A fairy story!" all cried together.

      "Very well, then, this shall be a tale that our people heard in Europe a thousand years ago.

      "It was long before Columbus dreamed of his wonderful voyages across the Atlantic. It was before people had even thought of the idea of the roundness of the earth. They had such queer fancies in those days. Few men dared to sail far into the West. They believed that if they did so they would come into a place of perfect darkness.

      "Still they had one legend of a land across the Atlantic that was very beautiful. Many of our greatest men believed in it. It was called the Island of Youth, and people who reached it could live for ever, and never grow old."