One Hundred Years of Solitude

return home, having sold the
silver candlesticks and the
heraldic chamberpot-which at
the moment of truth turned
out to have only a little gold
plating on the crest-in order
to eat, the only distraction of
José Arcadio was to pick up
children in town so that they
could play in the house. He
would appear with them at
siesta time and have them
skip rope in the garden, sing
on the porch, and do