Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-04-23

HOTEL LIFE IN MEXICO.
JOAQUIN MiLLER's OBSERVATIONS m
THE MEXICAN CAPITAL.

JOAQUIN MilLER'S OBSERVATIONS IN
THE MEXICAN CAPITAL.
Strange and C ntradietory sishts-Trag-
edy and Comedy-Picturssqus water
Carriers-Children Going to school-A
Dirty Den-How Butter Was Brought
The best Of good order and good nature
meet us here at the depot Not even loud
word The same sense OF Sunday and OF
rest over all things prevailed in the city o
We entered, which was constantly encoun-
tered in the long ride throughout the length
Of the country The carriages come up in
line, two hanson cabs and carriages, per-
haps, precisely as II We were at the door OF
the opera-house and on our way home from
the entertainment. Not . beggar, not a
runner" not . single loud-lunged and red,
horrid descendant Of kings across the SEQ
All was as orderly as in Paris
Outside Of the railway station, waiting
for you, here you find many brown men in
sandals and white clothes, with little ropes
In hand They wear tag about the neck
TO which is attached a brass number. These
are @carcodarves,' and will gladly carry to
any part Of the city almost any burden you
please. Ny travelling companion gave one
Of them his trunk, then his tool chest, and
then his grip-sack, al of which the patient
little Aztec in sandals took at once on his
back And I think detected o Sign Of dis
appointment in his face when he found that
also had not trunk or tool chest to add.
STRANGE AND CONTRADICTORY SIGHTS
And the sight, the strange and contradic-
tory sights one encounters in the streets! In
the first place the people, that Is the men, seem
to live entirely on horseback Color Of dress!
Grace of movement, Perfection Of manners,
It would take a hook to tell you what saw
in q single block And yet right down un-
der the heels Of these horses, close up against
the massive walls Of some Spanish castle,
some little old leather-colored women would
be sitting with q pint Of cloreme, fist full
Of dough, like putty, few peppers, a Thin
blefull Of grease-cooking 'tortillas' To
see a cavalier in gold and silver and silk
all the last years rainbows blowing about
his shoulders lean from his prancing and
plunging steed, take from the withered old
witch one Of her cakes and one Of her red
peppers, toss her q copper coin and then
gallop away,
/ am sure this perpetual tragedy and
comedy would make you want to laugh and
weep at the same breath And then the
little bits Of brown babies selling lottery
tickets as we walked on; the cripples selling
lottery tickets; the blind people selling
lottery tickets; the priests with handfuls Of
lottery tickets to sell for the benefit Of the
church
The picturesque water carriera Sandals
and silver. They have leather clothes.
They are very graceful They are proud,
too There is not man In New York
dresses as gaily and as costly, il you count
the silver that is on him, As one Of these
grim-looking fellows with two leather hands
about his head, a leather pocket, and leather
knee brooches. He would drive my friend
Oscar Wilde to despair with his superior
dress and grace am told he earns at
least Is cents day, and may, on rare occa-
dons, aspire even to % cents
The policemen, the postmen, the people
with things to sell from the country; all
things, in fact. seem to bs somehow upside
down; or so different from what have seen
in nearly all other countries that constantly
stop and recall quarter Of century ago,
before had seen other cities And like
this all here above all other places Of the
world, because it is prettiest And l am
very glad to see it all again.
Children are going to school, carrying
their books and states, in great numbers
They keep close together, hug the huge old
walls, and walk mostly in the sun They
seem very affectionate. and hold each others
hands as they trudge away to school May
be il is the soft, sweet air and sun that
makes them kindlier than Saxon children
Anyhow they are very quiet and very kind.
AMERICANS HUDDLED IN A HEAP.
1 found the dark and dirty little hotel
crowded-only one room to be had, and that
one so dark that l could not see to dress
And yet so much sun, and to spare, on the
outside, The place was filled with Ameri-
cans. Why the American people will per-
sist in sticking like wax together when thsy
travel to ses and to learn, ! do not know
But here were these Americans all huddled
together in heap And all roundly abus-
ing Mexico and the Mexicans Yet they
saw little Of either. paid e2 q day here;
but had to 60 into the plaza to do my
work, my room was so dark The food was
fairly good, but very dirty: the attendance
vile Yet I am told that this is the best
hotel Americans can find here
But even this dismal, fat and dirty two
story den was not without color and Incl.
dent / asked for some butter with nv
bread and coffee one morning. was told
that was too early and must wait till the
butter came in from the country waited
half an hour; for this is land you can
wait in At last a barefoot and almost en-
tirely naked Indian came running in, max
ing enormous tracks with his muddy feet
over the dirty floor. He took from dirty
bag three rolls Of cabbage leaves tied up
tightly with grasses The proprietor Of the
hotel, behind his marble desk. united one of
the rolls, took of the cabbage leaves. which
be threw on the floor at his feet and then
began to turn and twist and smell OF the lit
tie ball. almost as big as your two fists
At last, after much haggling and
bartering, he gave the Indian some
money Then he came to me with the
roll in his hand, greatly delighted that he
could le: me have some fresh butter from
the country, and proceeded with great
ceremony to place it before me But there
were still more strings to cut He went
back to his marble counter, took knife.
came back, cut some grass strings, then
taking off the strings and throwing them
on the floor he began to take off coat after
coat OF corn-husks, all OF which he threw on
the floor When the last of about dozen
corn husks were removed, mine host took
his knife, with renewed fourisbes, and
cutting off tough, hard, dry piece, a sort
Of cross between "smearcase and lard, he
laid some fresh butter before me
And this in the so-called best hotel in
city which has the audacity to sometimes
boast Of a population of half millionl-
Joaquin Miller in Chicago Times