Lucy Fitch Perkins

Introduction to the Twins and Their Home

This is a picture of the little farm-house where the Filipino Twins live. It stands right on the shore of Manila Bay. A river runs by it and empties itself into the bay. There are fish and turtles and crabs in the river. There are more and bigger fish in the bay.

Back of the house there is a pasture and a rice-field. Across the river are swamps where there are mangrove trees and nipa palms, and, if you will believe it, bananas and coconuts grow right in the yard!

This is a fishing-raft which once belonged to Twins' father. He kept it tied to a coconut tree at the river's edge. You can see the place on the map.

There was a little tiny house like a tent in the middle of the raft. It was covered with nipa thatch like the roof of the farm-house. Once the Twins and their mother went fishing with their father and stayed out all night. It was a very exciting night, as you will see when you read the story.

Here are the Twins who live in the little farm-house on the bay. Their names are Ramon  (pronounced Rah-mon′) and Rita  (pronounced Ree′-ta). They are on their way home from school. They are hungry. Ramon is telling Rita what he hopes their mother will cook for supper. He says he hopes she will cook a great deal of it, whatever it is.

This is the Twins' mother. Her name is Petra   (pronounced Pā′tra). She is sitting out of doors embroidering pretty white leaves on a piece of white cloth. She is thinking about what she will cook for supper. She knows it is almost supper-time because the shadow of the bamboo trees is long on the grass.

This is the father of Ramon and Rita. His name is Felix Santos  (pronounced Fā′-leex Sahn′-tōs). He is tired, for he has just come back from plowing in the hot rice-field. He has unhitched old Bobtail, the carabao, from the plow and shut him up in the pasture. Now he is going out to feed the pigs and milk the goat. In the basket on his arm there is rice-dust for the pigs.

This is old Bobtail, the carabao, with his friend the white heron on his back. When she is not with old Bobtail the heron flies away to the mangrove swamp across the river, but no one has ever yet found her nest. She likes to ride on Bobtail's back. Bobtail likes to have her, because she catches the flies and bugs that always swarm about him. Bobtail is tired from the plowing, too, so he has broken out of his pasture and is going to the river to rest himself by wallowing in the mud.

This is Dingo, the Twins' dog. Their teacher named him Dingo when he was a puppy. Dingo is a yellow dog. The teacher said that was why she named him Dingo. Ramon and Rita could not see why that was a reason, but they called him Dingo just the same. Dingo hears the Twins coming home from school; so he is running to meet them, barking and wagging his tail.

This is Fatty, the pig, with her six little pigs. They belong to the Twins' father. They are running because they hear him coming and they know it is supper-time. They are all squealing like everything.

This is the goat, and her little kid. The Twins call her "Maah" because that is the sound she makes. She is saying it now in the picture. The kid hasn't any name because it is so very new that the Twins have not thought of a name yet.

Here are the ducks. They are hungry, too. They are going down to the river to hunt for bugs and little frogs for their supper.