But in the confusion, all the things belonging to the village
were thrown into wagons together, and no one knew where
anything was. But all the people knew my father's chairs and the
books of the music. If the Americans did not steal them,
everything will be safe. My people do not steal. There was never
but one thief in our village, and my father had him so whipped, he
ran away and never came back. I heard he was living in San
Jacinto, and was a thief yet, spite of all that whipping he had. I
think if it is in the blood to be a thief, not even whipping will take
it out, Majella,"
"Like the Americans," she said, half laughing, but with tears in the
voice. "Whipping would not cure them."
It wanted yet more than an hour of dawn when they reached the
crest of the hill from which they looked down on the San Pasquale
valley. Two such crests and valleys they had passed; this was the
broadest of the three valleys, and the hills walling it were softer
and rounder of contour than any they had yet seen. To the east and
northeast lay ranges of high mountains, their tops lost in the
clouds.
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