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A CHILD OF SORROW

and havoc upon all crops and farm life and on the streets, inundating everything and carrying away the nipa houses literally levelling things to the ground. - "What a rotten road!" observed Lucio.

"Yes, they are the worst I ever passed," answered Camilo.

"Why so?"

"They represent the broken and unfulfilled promises of the Governor of the Province of the Plains, who like a Jew pockets every centavo he gets from the people and the Government. There's politics in it, you know."

"But what has politics got to do with roads and the shelter of these destitute people?"

"Yes, what has it got to do? But it has taken root already in this section of the country. So you see that a foolish leader leads his people to destruction and retrogression instead of to civilization."

But the country scenes they saw-the local bits of color-were just as fine as could be. There were the brooklets by the roadside, and some paths crossing here and there, like small streams meandering their ways into the bosom of the sea. These grassy paths led their ways into the hearts of the meadows green, thickly grown with wild fragrant flowers and made joyful by the merry tunes of the hopping birdies.

At twilight the whole town changed its aspect.- all the varied expanse of rich fields of corn and rice was bathed with the last bright glow of the tropical

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