The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-13

come, all hands, from Oldest to youngest
wrap themselves in rebosos or serapes and
| possess their souls in patience; for never hav-
| ing known of any other mode of life, they do
not dream of the possibility of making them
| selves more comfortable by knocking out a
chimney.
| The first sight of those barred windows
strikes the stranger in Mexico unpleasantly,
and he is apt to fancy himself in prison be-
| hind them, with his stone floor and iron
bedstead for suitable Accomplishments. In
| time, however, he sees not only the con-
| venience but the necessity of them, and by
| and by comes to feel sense of insecurity if
| by rare chance he finds himself not thus pro-
| tected. 1t must be remembered that the
| greater portion OF Mexico is a land of per-
petual summer, where widows must be open
| both night and day, and these gratings can
| not be pick like locks or noislessly cut
| like panes OF glass. Though one may sleep
in perfect security, it is well to remove ones
effects from too close proximity to the bars,
| for the ladrones have a cheerful habit of
| throwing in ropes with hooks attached and
dexterously drawing out even your gar
ments, from which perhaps originated
the slang word hooking" for stealing! l
! wish l could paint you, right here, picture
| of the room which for many weeks has been
my own especial sanctun. As the Mexican
| bedroom is a fair sample of the majority,
| permit me to describe it. Its ancient doors,
| carved by hands that were dust more than a
| century ago, have been gultless of paint
since their making, and are garnished with
| enormous iron hinges and staples like the
fastenings of barn. One of them opens into
the sala de recibo, and the other into the
hall, D." if we may so call the main entrance
to the casa through which carts guests and
donkeys alike find ingress. My one wide
| window looks out into the fowery court,
and is, indeed, "a thing of beauty" The
| pale gray OF its wooden bars frightened by
| few vines clambering up outside, and fine
| leaved mesquit branch swaying its blossoms
across one corner, the broad adobe ledge
serving me for bookcase, writing-desk and
curiosity shop in general. l am blessed with
the rare luxury of two yards of wool carpet
and tiny goat-skin rug, which my sole APP
preciates, | assure you between it aud this
| pretty pink floor, whose bricks feel like
| tombstones Here are chairs enough to seat
| the entire Mexican army, ranged in funeral
| rows against the walls, the usual triangular
tables loaded with lamps and vases, and
! quaint articles Of furniture in solid mahog-
| any which would delight the heart of an anti
quarian. But the chief treasure, which would
| adorn any collection of ceramics in any land,
| is the great water jar and bowl, of native
| pottery from Guadalajara, dark red, with
| strange figures painted upon them, which it
would be no sin to worship,
they being not sin the likeness of
| any thing in the heavens above or the earth
| beneath, or the waters under the earth" My
| little brass bedstead. whose slender frame
work is polished to the glitter of gold, is ruff
| fled and canopied like French woman's.
| We have no springs in Mexieo-only So
! called mattresses, to which good, soft boards
would be hlessing-and no quilts" or
! blankets. Each bed is gorgeously decked
with a single spread of Powered damask,
| crimson and green or scarlet and yellow,
| fringed like a window-curtain, and carefully
/ disposed so as not to conceal the fine linen
sheets trailing far below IL on all sides. Mex
| lean pillows are not soft, fiat and square, like
| those of Hoosierdom, but are fat and mar
| row, each exactly as long as the bed is wide,
| like our holsters. Their crimson ticks are
stuffed hard as rocks with cotton, and the
| cases are the especial pride OF the housewife,
of finest linen, with broad strips of crocheted
or lace insertion set in at the sides and run
ming the length of them, and much dainty
needle-work and lace ruffling at the ends.
Over the various species of animals who oc-
| eupy that couch coniointlY with myself. dis
| putting its possession. and often gaining the
| day-or the night, rather-it is discreet to
draw the veil" merely remarking. in scrip
| tural language, that other creatures than 1.-The
| wicked flea" abound when no man pur-
suetn." In this tropical climate trunks are
| never placed fiat upon the floor and left to
| the tender mercies of mice and cockroaches,
| but, very sensibly, are elevated upon racks
made for the purpose. Every room 10 every
[ casa has its reminders, more or less numer-
Gus, of the all-preyailing faith. in crosses and
pictured saints, aud generally somewhere
! about the premises is family altar contain
I ing an image of the Virgin and a blood
stained Christ in perpetual cruci6xion, before
which young and old daily tell their beads
and whisper their prayers. The chief beauty of
| this Home, sweet home" and of thousands
of similar ones in Mexico, is in it's gardens
| though one would never mStFust its exist
| ence without guide to first find it out
| kitohoD and DIM (Xv lliph Vvo will
| visit later) and numberless other rooms for
storage and heaven knows what-through an
arched passage and barred door-we emerge
from the court into the corral This latter
big barren space, which answers all the
| purposes of an Indiana barn, is surrounded
by wall as high as the house itself, and is in
reality contin uatior OF the casa. Here are
kept the goats which supply the family dairy;
stalls are arched into the wall in one side
wherein donkeys feed; swine walfow in pools
of greenish aud, and colonies of chickens
/ turkeys, doves, and other domestic ami
mals'' abide together in vociferous content.
No sign OF our beautiful garden here; but
| climb some high abode steps. open a couple
| of heavy doors, wander through an arched
passage, and-prestoi the scene is changed as
by magiel Here are acres OF roses in per
| petual bloom, the greenest OF verdure, ana
old apple-trees like those at home, under
| whose branches one might almost forget the
weary leagues that lie between, did not
growing oranges, FIGS, ct eetera, remind
of stern realities" Within these cool and
silent shades one is com pletely isolated from
| the world, and finds il hard to believe that
| all around lies city which was hoary with
age before Uncle Samuers 1usty infant the
United States. was born. No sound of
human life or labor penetrates here-ohly
the ringing of cathedral bells falls softly
upon the ear. Between the branches
one catches glimpses of various church
| towere each pOintiup with uplifted cross the
Catholic route to heaven; and the mountains
on every hand present their ever.vaFying
pictures of light and shade. In one corner
OF the garden is large circular tank, Of pink
tinted adobe whose polished sides shine like
marble 1t is about five feet deep, fed from