Sharp County record., 1885-07-02
MEXICAN COURTSHIP.
Romance in the Land of the Mon
tezumas.
The Untold Agonies Experienced by
Smitten Romeos and Patient Ju-
Hets-The Grooms Duties
and Obligations.

When Mexican gallant fixes his at
tention upon girl he has generally
greater probation and tribulation to un-
dergo before he can win her than the
Bible-lover who served seven years.
He has no special acquaintance
with her, and may not 60 boldly
to the paternal casa to call upon her,
so he meanders back and forth before
her windows, day after day and night
after night, until he has succeeded in
attracting her attention-naturally at
tracing the attention of the whole
neighborhood as well, if not that of the
police, the family bulldog and pater-
familias' pistol. If the damsers affec-
tons are not otherwise bestowed you
may be sure she is not slow to respond,
for to her dreams and monotonous ex-
istence romance comes as boon
from Heaven. When she commences
to smile but ever so coyly upon him, he
bolder grows, and tosseS bouquets be-
tween her easement bars (when the old
folks are not looking) with bii,ets-dour
hidden in their hearts like Glove among
the roses" This is called "making the
bear, why, l do not know, except that
those restless quadrupeds are supposed
to be constantly pacing to and fro.
Sometimes it is kept up for years, the
faithful Romeo being nightly found be-
meath his Juliet's window She, secure
behind the cruel bars or aloft upon her
balcony, leans forth in the moonlight,
smiling sweet responses to his sere-
nades, or renders him rapturous by i'm
provising lovers telegraph from a
spool of thread, by means of which i'm
passioned messages may travel between
them, or bouquets and other cages
glamour be hauled up. TO him that
fragile line is like Jacobs ladder lead
ing straight to Heaven, and an angel is
at the other end of it.
One couple of my acquaintance have
been doing this sort of thing for six
long years. The wedding-day is no
nearer than ever, for this Romeo has
never yet spoken to his Juliet or touched
her tiny hand. Call these not wasted
years, but rather the happiest season of
life, the spring-time of love whose ideal
joys have no returning! Why should he
haste to brush the bloom from his
peach, when it is beyond the power of
earth or Heaven to restore it again?
Their sentimental raptures, when
merged into matrimony, would soon
degenerate to the commonplace. Per-
haps, as Byron philosophically opines:
When linked together for every weather,
They pluck loves feather from out his
wing.
He'll stay forever, but sadly shiver
Without his plumage, when past the spring
During these spooning days it is as
tonishing how devoutly religious the
lovers become, attending church con-
stantly, and their precious health like
wise demands vast amount of exercise
in the plazas, for these are the only
places where, by any possibility, they
NAV meet. 1t is the custom among
these good Catholics to attend mass very
early in the morning, in fact 90 to
church at all times and all seasons. and
the 5fo;isi11g J foo;;isi11g peoples routes thereto in
variably lie through the plazas. Day by
day, from the first glimmer of dawning
young men may be seen lettering ir
these flowery trysting places awaiting
the arrival of their Dulcineas. They
glance and smile, but may not speak tc
one another, and silently each devoted
swain follows the maiden Of his choice