As they finished, Maria heard from the slight figure beside her a sigh that was almost a sob and she turned quickly to find Guacha's eyes filled with tears, fixed upon her. "What is it?" she whispered. "Are you ill?" "Oh no," said Guacha. "But you all love each other so dearly and I have no one to love, only Chiquita," as the cockatoo rubbed his fluffy head against her cheek. "You have me," said Maria. "But you are going away from me," she answered mournfully. "No, my child." Maria's father laid his hand kindly upon the little Indian's dark head. "You may come with us if you will." "Oh, papa!" cried Maria, her face alight with eager delight. "Will you really take Guacha back with us?" "I thought that you might like to have her go back with us and play that she was your sister," he said pleasantly. "Your aunt says she will take care of you both during the rest of the year, and the old people who have cared for your little friend are ready to give her to us if she wants to come. How about it, Guacha? Will you go far off to Para and be Guacha's sister?" She looked from him to Maria, from Maria to the Senhora, who smiled at her kindly. "May I take Chiquita?" she asked. "He hasn't a friend in all the world but me." "Of course you may take your birdie, you dear little girl," said the Senhora, "and we shall all hope to have you very happy with us." Guacha gave a contented little sigh, and slipped her hand into Maria's. "You are all so good," she said. "I could never be anything but happy with you." "It will be ever so jolly," broke out Affonzo, the irrepressible. "Yes," said Martim. "I'll have another girl cousin to tease, but she won't treat me as unkindly as you treat your Brazilian cousins, Maria." "Well, maybe not," laughed Maria, "but you know Guacha is the only one of you all who is really and truly my Little Brazilian Cousin." THE END. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 19: Homesickness.] [Footnote 20: Written by Goncalves Dias, who perished by shipwreck in sight of his native shores.] Selections from The Page Company's Books for Young People THE BLUE BONNET SERIES _Each large 12mo, cloth decorative, illustrated, per volume_ $1.75 =A TEXAS BLUE BONNET= By CAROLINE E. JACOBS. "The book's heroine, Blue Bonnet, has the very finest kind of wholesome, honest, lively girlishness."--_Chicago Inter-Ocean._ =BLUE BONNET'S RANCH PARTY= By CAROLINE E. JACOBS AND EDYTH ELLERBECK READ. "A healthy, natural atmosphere breathes from every chapter."--_Boston Transcript._ =BLUE BONNET IN BOSTON= By CAROLINE E. JACOBS AND LELA HORN RICHARDS. "It is bound to become popular because of its wholesomeness and its many human touches."--_Boston Globe._ =BLUE BONNET KEEPS HOUSE= By CAROLINE E. JACOBS AND LELA HORN RICHARDS. "It cannot fail to prove fascinating to girls in their teens."--_New York Sun._ =BLUE BONNET--DÉBUTANTE= By LELA HORN RICHARDS. An interesting picture of the unfolding of life for Blue Bonnet.