Page:How and Why Library 032.jpg

 big Spanish islands belongs to us, today. It is called Porto Rico. It is near Cuba, and very much like it, but smaller.

Cuba, "The Pearl" of all the big islands, is free today, and our country watches over it so no big nation can steal it. You can go to Havana in a fast steamship. The castle-like forts are still there, guarding the harbor. The harbor is full of ships that come for sugar, tobacco and coffee berries, oranges, bananas and pineapples and many other good things to eat. The president of Cuba lives now in the palace of the old royal governors. In the cath-e-dral you must take off your hats. It is a church, and besides Columbus is buried there. His bones were brought from Spain to the New World he discovered. Don't you think that was right? White people and negroes, and even a few Indians live in Cuba. They are all free, now, and they all speak Spanish. The low houses under the palm trees are roofed with red tiles; the walls are painted pink and blue and lemon yellow. The little children eat their breakfast in the patio. If you admire anything that belongs to them they will bow politely and say:

"Take it, señor; it is yours." If the gift should be a little cage full of fire-flies I would take it. It would make a pretty lantern to flash and glow in the orange tree in the patio. See, page 485, and , page 847.