|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 18
Remigia, naked from the waist up, stretched her thin
muscular arms over the corn grinder, pounding the corn
with a stone bar she held in her hands.
"Oh, I don't know; they might not like it," she an-
swered, breathing heavily as she continued her rude task.
"They've got their own doctor, you know, so--"
"Hallo, there, Remigia," another neighbor said as she
came in, bowing her bony back to pass through the open-
ing, "haven't you any laurel leaves? We want to make a
potion for Maria Antonia who's not so well today,
what with her bellyache."
In reality, her errand was but a pretext for asking
questions and passing the time of day in gossip, so she
turned her eyes to the corner where the patient lay and,
winking, sought information as to his health.
Remigia lowered her eyes to indicate that Demetrio
was sleeping.
"Oh, I didn't see you when I came in. And you're
here too, Panchita? Well, how are you?"
"Good morning to you, Fortunata. How are you?"
"All right. But Maria Antonia's got the curse today
and her belly's aching something fierce."
She sat Indian-fashion, with bent knees, huddling hip
to hip against Panchita.
"I've got no laurel leaves, honey," Remigia answered,
pausing a moment in her work to push a mop of hair
back from over her sweaty forehead. Then, plunging
her two hands into a mass of corn, she removed a hand-
ful of it dripping with muddy yellowish water. "I've none
at all; you'd better go to Dolores, she's always got herbs,
you know."
"But Dolores went to Cofradia last night. I don't
know, but they say they came to fetch her to help Uncle
Matias' girl who's big with child."
"You don't say, Panchita?"
The three old women came together forming an ani-
mated group, and speaking in low tones, began to gossip
with great gusto.
"Certainly, I swear it, by God up there in heaven."
"Well, well, I was the first one to say that Marcelina
was big with child, wasn't I? But of course no one would
believe me."
"Poor girl. It's going to be terrible if the kid is her
uncle's, you know!"
"God forbid!"
"Of course it's not her uncle: Nazario had nothing to
do with it, I know. It was them damned soldiers, that's
who done it."
"God, what a bloody mess! Another unhappy woman!"
The cackle of the old hens finally awakened Demetrio.
They kept silent for a moment; then Panchita, taking
out of the bosom of her blouse a young pigeon which
opened its beak in suffocation, said:
"To tell you the truth, I brought this medicine for
the gentleman here, but they say he's got a doctor, so
I suppose--"
"That makes no difference, Panchita, that's no medi-
cine anyhow, it's simply something to rub on his body."
"Forgive this poor gift from a poor woman, senor,"
said the wrinkled old woman, drawing close to Demetrio,
"but there's nothing like it in the world for hemorrhages
and suchlike."
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|