PITA

Spanish New Mexico, not to be confused with Elliot Arnold's reported later, part of an area the author knows (see Broken Arrow, an Indian story published last year) is the setting of a present day story of the Lopez family. Small farmers, they live in a village where Papa Lopez is head man for the management of the ditch water that regulates their crops. He has a long standing frud with relatives from another village and among the complications that arise are his daughter Pita's invitation to a dance from Carlos, a boy who lives in the rival town. The outcome is a happy one but along the way, the many trials, as seen through Pita's eyes, present a substantial picture of the life of the district. Slow moving at times but warm and sincere.