Mountain Boys

Title

Mountain Boys

Year

1941

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

THE YOUNG CITIZEN ]VNI, 1941 UTILE STORIES FOR LITTLE PEOPLE MOUNTAIN BOYS IN THE LOWLAND By SALUD AMOR Their home was in the Mountain Province. NANDING AND Acoy are two brothers who have always lived in the Mountain Province. N anding is ten years old and Acoy is twelve. These boys had never been to the lowland- that is, until this year. Their parents live on a small farm near Bagufo, where their father raises vegetables which he sells. Nanding and Acoy help their father care for the beans, carrots, peas, lettuce, cabbage, onions, radishes, pechay, and camotes which they sell in the farge, well-kept market at Baguio. The boys also look after a bed of strawberries from which ·t!iey p.ick many delicious berries. These they also sell in the market. One day in April, shortly after the close of school, the boys' father received a letter from· his brother who is a foreman on a large hacie11da in N egros. The uncle invited the boys and their mother to spend a month on the hacienda. · "Oh, father! May we go?" both boys asked as soon as the letter had been read. "We would like to see a sugar central and a large coconut grove. We have studied about them in our class, but we have never seen them because we have ·never been out of the ·Mountain Province." "I will. think about it," said the boys' father, . · In a few days he told them that they and their mother would start to Negros in a week. How happy the boys were! And such preparations! There was much planning to be done and many things had to be made ready. But before the week was. up, everything was prepared. In a few days they were at the hacienda ·in N egros where their uncle is a foreman.' There were several boys living on the plantation. They were of the same age as N anding and Acoy. These boys took the visitors all over the big farm. N anding and Acoy were interested in seeing the coconut groves and the big cartloads of ripe coconuts. They 'liked to look at the coconuts as they were carried along the chute by the rapidly moving water. They liked to watch the· workers as they cut open the coconuts, removed the meat, and placed it in the sun to dry. Then it would be called copra, and the oil pressed from it would bC: used in many ways. The boys enjoyed seeing the laborers cut the sugar-cane. They liked to see the (Pltast turn to page 216.) 216 THE YOUNG CITIZEN ]UNE, 1941 MOUNTAIN BOYS 4. :What things did he TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE (Continued from page 196) grow? (Continued from page 201) sap squeezed out of the 5. What fruit did he Why? cane. When it was being grow? 15. What did the keeper boiled into brown sugar, 6. Can those things grow say after the men told their in the hot lowland? Why story? ~~e~h~o7:i~~%o~:~se:. taste no~? Is sugar-cane grown E1a~~ ~f~:a:::rm~lf st~~~~~ The month went by all in the Mountain Province? have you read? too soon, and it was time for Aco and Nanding to re- Why not? . 17. Can you tell wha_t each y h · h · h 8. Are coconuts grown in was about? turn to t eir ome in t e . . 8 · ? M . p . Th the Mountain Province? 1 . Do you enioy them ountain rovince. ey 9 said good by to their boy Why not? . . l . Do you wan~ more to f . d d . h . 9. Do pine-trees grow in be published in THE nen s, an in a s art time h M . p · ? YOUNG CITIZEN? were back in Baguio. t e ountain rovince "Wh d'd l'k Why? 20. Have you learned ,, at . 1 you 1 e ·JO. Do pine-trees grow in things from .these stories? best? their father asked the lowland? Why? . 21. Why are many large them when they rerurned. l I. Where. did the boys wild animals found in East "I liked to drink the go to visit?- Africa? milk from a young coco- 12. What things inter- 22. Make a list of the nut," said Nanding. ested them on the hacienda? large wild animals found "I liked to eat molasses Why? there. made from sugar-cane sap," 13. Have you ever been 23. Write a paragraph or said Acoy. in the Mountain Province? tell as much as you can "Did you enjoy your stay 14. If not, would things about each one. in the lowlands?" there interest you? 24. Which of these wild "Yes," replied the boys, 15. Have you ever visited animals are found in other "but· N egros is very differ- an hacienda? parts of the world? ent from our home in the 16. If not, would things 25. Which are found only Mountain Province. It is there interest you? in East Africa? very hot in N egros-not 17. Did you like this 26. Have you ever seen cool like Baguio. And just story?· Why? pictures in the movies of think! We didn't se.e a 18. Do you know the ele- any of the wild animals of single pine-tree!" vation above sea level of East Africa? Baguio and other parts of 27. Did such pictures inthe Mountain Province? terest you? Did you learn QUESTIONS TO ANSWER (Baguio, 5,000 feet. Other anything from them? l. Where did N anding parts of the province from 28 .. Where are some of and Acoy live? 5,000 to 8,000 feet.) these wild animals kept in 2. Is it cciol or hot in Baguio? 19. What are the differ- captivity? (In the "circus" ent Filipinos of the Moun- and in the "zob.") tain Province called? 29. Does the East African 3. What father do? did the boys' 20. What can you tell of government protect any of the Mountain Province? these animals? Why?

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