Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - X. San Antonio
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
210 DAYS IN THE SUN
coming soon? I am freezing!’ But it is little one this
and little one that; Beppa upstairs and Beppa down-
stairs. They are all howling and screaming for Beppa
every minute, now for this thing, now for that thing;
and in addition I am expected to lie in bed with them
all day long in broad daylight.” She was quite indig-
nant.
“Just look at the old fool!” she suddenly burst out
in malicious laughter. “He is stumbling over his own
legs, so offended he is.” Suddenly she weeps: “And
yet he loves me, wicked woman! Oh, Madonna,
Mother of Pain, how he does love me! Alas!”
Pedro did not return for a whole week and Beppa
walked about engaged in loud conversation with Saint
Anthony. She discussed with him all the affairs of the
house; but her general solicitations were confided to
the Madonna. Often I sat on the stairs and listened
stealthily, thus gradually attaining some understand-
ing of the multitudinous duties of San Antonio.
In the afternoon, and more particularly in the eve-
ning, the women of the quarter gathered in Beppa’s
kitchen. At times some old man joined them, and their
conversation flowed on at a great rate, the subjects
being the lottery, the miracles of the Saints, love, mil-
lion-dollar bequests from South America, dragons and
evil juices.
One of the women had nearly been taken sick the
night before, for having drunk water without first
shaking it to wake it up. For by night water sleeps
like a human being and if it wakes up and finds itself
in strange surroundings, it often attempts to go back
to the place it came from. For this reason no one
should take any medicine at any other time of day than
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
