"
The little girl found she could gain no knowledge from this
source, and she feared to question her stern and bigoted old
father. So she sought her favorite brother Pedro--a bright little
fellow of seven, who adored and thoroughly believed in his sister
Theresa.
To Pedro, then, Theresa confided her belief that, if forever was
so long a time as "always," it would be most unpleasant to suffer
"always," if by any chance they should do any thing wrong. It
would be far better, so argued this little logician, to die now
and end the problem, than to live and run so great a risk. She
told him, too, that, as they knew from their mother's tales, the
most beautiful, the most glorious way to die was as a martyr
among the infidel Moors. So she proposed to Pedro that she and he
should not say a word to any one, but just start off at once as
crusaders on their own accounts, and lose their lives but save
their souls as martyrs among the Moors.
The suggestion had all the effect of novelty to the little Pedro,
and while he did not altogether relish the idea of losing his
life among the Moors, still the possibility of a change presented
itself with all the attractions that the thought of trying
something new always has for children.
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