A FEtIPE AbVENTU^E sfORV
Florance W. Taylor
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A FEtIPE AbVENTU^E sfORV
Florance W. Taylor
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The Corn
Festival
A FELIPE ADVENTURE STORY
The Corn
Festival
Florance W. Taylor Pictures
by George Overlie
Lerner Publications
Company
Minneapolis, Minnesota
With gratitude
to the canning
company
offi-
Migrant Council, and the public schools, especially to Mr. W.E. Schellhardt, Mr. N.E. Duchette, Mr. Leland Bergstrom, Mrs. Mary Messner, Mrs. Dorothy Whitehouse, and Mrs. Helen Kaufman. cials involved, the
Copyright
©
1971 by Lerner Publications
Company
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Manufactured in the
United States of America. Published simultaneously in Canade by J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., Don Mills, Ontario. International Standard Book Number: 0-8225-0146-5 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 78-165320
Felipe Fuentes
waved good-bye
and watched the truck turn out start
down
the highway.
to his father
of the
camp and
Papa was going
Wisconsin with several other harvest the pea crop there.
men
to
to
help
After the truck had disappeared from sight, Felipe turned to his mother.
Papa be gone?" he asked
"How
long will
in Spanish.
"Until the sweet corn and tomatoes ripen
here in Illinois,"
Mama answered.
"That should
be about six weeks." The Fuentes were a family of migrant farm workers who had come from Texas to work in Illinois.
They were
living
with
many
other
Midwest Canning Company. There was no work for them in the Illinois fields right now, and the company had arranged to send the men to Wisconsin. This way they would have enough work to families in large buildings near the
support their families.
"Six weeks "Yes,"
is
Mama
a long time," Felipe said sadly. agreed, "we will
all
miss Papa
But you're going to summer school in the mornings, and that will help the time pass." Felipe and Mama spoke in Spanish because Mama, like most of the grown-ups in the a
lot.
migrant camp, did not speak English. Felipe and the other children used both languages, because they had learned English at school.
One reason Felipe was attending summer school was to improve his reading in English. Also, he enjoyed seeing the friends he had made since coming to Illinois. The classes were held nearby town of Lockton. Felipe had one class in reading and another in leather working. As the summer days went by FeHpe's reading got better and better. And he made a belt for in a church in the
himself and a fine purse for
Mama.
Sometimes Karen King came to the summer classes. Karen was one of the new friends FeHpe had made since coming to lUinois. She was Hving in Lockton with her grandmother while her parents were in Central America for a few months.
Karen did not come to school every day. When he asked her why, she explained, "Sometimes I have to go with Grandmother. She has a dress business." "You mean she has a store," Felipe said. "No," replied Karen, "she has an agency for dresses. She shows them to women in their homes and takes orders for the ones they want." "Oh!" Felipe had never heard of selling things Felipe noticed that
in this
way.
"Grandmother drives to towns nearby too," Karen continued, "and she likes me to go with her. I can't come here on those days." "I see," Felipe said.
"Felipe,"
say
Karen asked suddenly, "how do you
be seeing you' in Spanish?" "I think you'd say hasta la vista, Karen," answered Felipe. "That means 'until we meet 'I'll
again.'"
''Hasta la vista,''
sound
of it."
Karen repeated.
"I like the
The weeks afternoons
of July
passed quickly.
On many
Mama took all of the children to the
park and bought them
ice
cream cones. In
August Papa finally returned with the other workers, and they all went back to the fields to pick the sweet corn.
Soon the chugging noise of the cannery filled the migrant camp. Day after day, trucks pulling wagons of sweet corn rumbled from the farms to the canning factory.
Finally September arrived, and everybody
began looking forward to the Sweet Corn Festival. There would be a big parade, a horse show, a carnival, and a free meal for everyone. Felipe heard about it one day at school. "Papa, can we go to the parade next Monday?" Felipe asked that evening. "Yes, we'll go," said Papa, "and maybe to the dinner and show at night. I heard that they will give us all the corn on the cob we can eat." Felipe could hardly wait for the important
day
to come.
The parade was to begin at noon. Early on Monday morning the migrant families started toward town. The Fuentes, dressed in their brightest clothes, gaily joined the crowd. carried
Maria Luisa. Papa pushed
And
little
Mama Luis in
Roberto and Juanito, the five-year-old twins, by the hand. Streamers of yellow and green crepe paper
the stroller.
hung from the Golden ears
of
held
Felipe
on Main Street. corn, painted on large posters, street lights
decorated every building. Signs reading "Wel-
come to the National Sweet Corn Festival" were strung across the streets.
Here and there men were
selling green
and
yellow balloons. "I
want a balloon,"
cried Roberto
and Juanito
together.
"Hush," Papa later."
He was
street to
some balloons a good place on the
said. "We'll get
looking for
watch the parade.
Near the center of town he saw a newly built grandstand. "Next to that stand is a good place for us," he said. "If we sit on the curb there, maybe we will have some shade." The Fuentes made their way to the grandstand. Already people were lining the curb on
Main
Street.
"Here's a place, Papa." Felipe pointed to a
small space beside the stand.
"Good, Felipe." Papa pushed the stroller into the space. "Sit here on the curb, Mama."
Mama
and the children sat down. Papa squeezed his fat body down beside them. They all watched the people going by. After about an hour, Roberto said, "I'm hungry." "I'm hungry too," echoed Juanito.
Papa
go over to one of those refreshment stands and get us each a hot dog and a coke." Felipe worked his way through the crowd and bought six wieners and some soda pop. After the family had eaten every crumb and swallowed every drop, Roberto and Juanito settled back for the parade. Maria Luisa and Luis went "I could eat too,"
to sleep.
said. "Felipe,
Suddenly, as Felipe was looking across the street,
he saw Karen King and her grandmother
coming toward him. Grandmother King shoved her way to the curb. She had two canvas stools under her arm. She set them up, sat on one, and motioned Karen to sit on the other. Felipe knew Karen had not seen him. But he was sure that she could hear the angry murmur of the people— the ones they had crowded with their stools.
"Grandmother," Karen said, "don't you think we should move back?" "Why?" asked Mrs. King. "These people are just some of the Mexican migrants from the canning company." Felipe was glad that only he and some of the other children could understand what she said. He was sorry that Mrs. King disliked the migrants, and he wondered if anything could ever change her mind. Soon the grandstand was filled with the officials of the canning company. And then there was the sound of a band coming toward them.
Karen hopped up on her stool to see better. FeHpe saw Grandmother King pull the hem of Karen's dress.
He heard
her say, "Sit
minute, Karen. That stool
may
down
this
collapse with
you."
"No it won't. Grandmother. I'm standing on the wooden frame," Karen replied. "Karen,
I
said to sit down." This time Mrs.
King spoke more firmly. Karen sat down slowly and looked toward the sound of the band.
Two men
riding fine black horses led the
The Lockton High School Band marched immediately behind them. Then several beautiful floats rolled by. The one Fehpe hked best was a giant can of corn made of red and white parade.
flowers.
From
the top of the can, red and white
ribbons streamed
down to a
They held the ribbons and corn.
ring of
young
real ears of
girls.
sweet
Twelve new automobiles glided past. Each carried a beautiful girl who hoped to be chosen the National Sweet Corn Sweetheart. The Boy Scout Drum and Bugle Corps followed the cars. And some clowns from the carnival came along
amuse the children. Then there was a long gap in the parade. Once again Karen stood up on her stool. She leaned over very far in order to see up the street. to
"I see
something
she said. "This
is
else
coming, Grandmother,"
fun, just like a circus parade."
now
some very large horses. They were stepping high and moving quickly Felipe could
see
in time to the music.
The horses were almost in front of Karen. Suddenly Felipe saw Karen's stool collapse and tumble her out into the street. Those big horses would surely step on her. Quick as a flash, Felipe ran out toward Karen. He pushed her out of the horses' path and shielded her with his thin, wiry body.
One
of the horses, frightened
by the sudden His hoof came
movement, shied to the right. down on FeHpe's ankle, crushing it. The parade was quickly stopped, and a policeman came over to help. Karen was too frightened to talk. But she was not hurt, thanks to Felipe. His face was drawn with pain, but he did not
make
a sound.
Papa Fuentes pushed
He bent over Felipe,
his
way
into the street.
talking in Spanish. Grand-
mother King held on to Karen and looked anxiously at Felipe.
Soon an ambulance appeared. It took Felipe and Papa to a first aid shelter. There a doctor looked at Felipe's foot.
"My
boy,
it
could have been
much
worse,"
the doctor said. "But you do have some broken bones, I'm sure. We'll go to the hospital and
have your foot X-rayed."
Papa looked
worried.
"What
is
the doctor
saying?" he asked.
have to go to the hospital for an X ray," Felipe replied. "The doctor will take care of me. Papa." Papa nodded. "I'll find Mama now, and then we'll go home. Be a brave boy, Felipe." "I
At the
FeHpe learned that he had broken his ankle and two small bones in his foot. He fought to keep the tears back as the doctor took care of him and bandaged his foot and leg.
When
hospital
the doctor finished, he said, "FeHpe,
want you to stay in bed until Wednesday, and then have someone bring you to my office that afternoon. Perhaps by that time I can put a walking cast on your leg. Now I'll take you I
home
my
in
"Yes, to smile.
sir.
car."
Thank you,"
Felipe replied, trying
When the migrants returned from the parade, they hurried into the Fuentes' room to see FeHpe. Several people brought him some of the free
sweet corn. They crowded around his bunk
and called him a hero. They said that the whole town knew how he had saved the King girl. As the last neighbor was leaving, Grandmother King and Karen arrived at the Fuentes' door. Mrs. King was carrying a basket. "I came to thank you, Felipe," Grandmother King said warmly. "You were very brave to save Karen from those horses." Felipe looked at Karen and then at her grandmother. "I would do it again for her, ma'am."
Mrs. King looked surprised. "Felipe, I am not rich. I work for my living, just as your parents do. But I want to pay your medical
your parents to send it to me, please." Felipe smiled and told Mama and Papa what she had said. They shook their heads no, but thanked her many times in Spanish. "We'll see about it later," Mrs. King said. Then she took a big carton of ice cream and a chocolate cake from her basket. "This is for your dessert." "Cake! Ice cream!" cried Roberto and Juanito. "Come, Karen, we must go," said Mrs. King. "I don't like to drive after dark." She started out to her car, followed by Papa and Mama. They were still thanking her for her generous offer and explaining that they could not accept it. Karen stayed by Felipe. In a low voice she said, "I can never thank you enough, Felipe. You are a very special friend to me." "Come, Karen," Mrs. King called from outbill.
Tell
side.
Karen smiled. ''Hasta friend."
la vista,
Felipe,
my
Felipe
Adventure Stories From Texas
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Is a
to Illinois
Migrant?
Two!
The School Picnic Where's Luis?
The Corn
A
Festival
Plane Ride
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