Arcadio Read Online Free PDF Page B

is God’s world and he hath made it, this white book has told me so and in Mescan so He made the Mescans too and He made the combinations and mixtures, mestizos of a dark and secret kind. Why not the Dwarfts? You got a better thing, said Eddy. Of course you can praise God and read out of the Bible. I drag my butt on the ground when I walk and have a fish’s fin for a goddam hand. And my friend Josie Ella was igualmente not interested. She was a plain woman—when she took off the silvery wig—that sewed at night in the kitchen tent after the Show, drinking black coffee. She did not want to go to sleep for fear that her hands would harden. Besides she said Flora the lady cook that shared her wagon smelt of Irish potatoes. But once when she put too much brandy in the black coffee she told me that the reason she would not sleep was because she was afraid to die. She slept in cat sleeps in the kitchen sittin up. As long as I knew Josie Ella she had not finished somethin she was sewing on, she made so many mistakes and had to unravel. But she told us that she had to keep her hands movin all the time could not let them harden, for the xylophone of the Show; yet she made many a mistake and Shanks cursed at her and said twas because of all the black coffee and no sleep on her back, pore Josie Ella had her problems, too, like the rest of all of us.
    Some of the wondrous things that I read out was about the big lions standing back from Daniel and did not bite or eat him, can you believe it, amigo? God sent an angel that shut the lions’ mouths. The feroz lions was so impressed with the angel that they looked upon him with gentleness. Look there in the book and you will read it, Oyente , listener, you will see. La Biblia dice que sí . I said this to Emperor Colombo the “Lion Tamer” (ha! I have to laugh) that worked in the Show with old Heracles I told this wondrous story to him and Emperor Colombo said I don’t give a shit. And oh of the proud King that ate grass for seven years. Says that his body was wet with dew of the grass and his hair grew long as eagle’s feathers and his nails, the King’s nails, was like birds’ claws. El rey orgulloso , the proud King become a beast of the field and ate grass with the oxen, for his nasty pride. If you don believe me look in there, in La Biblia and you’ll see it, what I’m tellin, you’ll read it, amigo, La Biblia dice que sí . The Bible says so. Pero some do not believe. Unless, they say, I can see in his hands the print of the nails, I will not believe, see los manos perforados con clavos and put my finger into the print of the nails, I will not believe, and thrust my hand into his side, into el costado perforado con lanzas , with the swords his side was cut open, I will not believe (John 20:24). Well, then, behold my hands, says Jesucristo; reach out your finger and touch my hands; and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side, he said in the book. Because you’ve seen me, now you believe. But blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe, Mire los manos perforados con clavos, mire los pies perforados con clavos, mire el costado perforado con lanzas, mire el frente perforado con espinas. Mire el cuerpo de Jesucristo . Here is the body of Jesus Christ.
    And says that there was once upon a time a stranger that nobody knew come into a rich town and nobody would give him any hospitalidad , closed their door on him when he knocked and asked for hospitality. Finalmente some poor people that were thrown out by the rich and selfish town that would not give welcome to strange visitors, por ultimo these poor outcasts of the barrio took him in and give him shelter. And in the middle of the night twas a terrible earthquake and storm of fire and when the poor people run to where the strange guest was sleeping they saw that he was a beautiful angel and the angel said do not have fear but follow me out of this damned town of