The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-25
IPrnses By Special Arrangement Copyrighted 1885,
ANATOLIA
A STORY, By Y. ii. Adds.
Author Of Wandering Joe" and Other Stories.

stuff they cook up like q sort of plum pudding
With-Heaven save the mark!-cheesep
Yes, and soupcon of garlic, too" aver,
vieiously, 'and it is good"
'.Ahl is that quite the sort of regimen for an
invalid2"
Tt won't hurt her If she wants it," declares
Chan. with masculine superiority; and. going to
the door, he halls our old choreman. Dye Ben
itoi kDowest thou of one who makes capirotadai"
The old fellow slowly puts down his ak, heaves
o great sigh of relsxation-he had been chopping
wood at the rate of two cubic feet to the hour
pushes back the red handkerchief bound about
his rascaly old head, and replies with the en-
gaging indefniteness of his kind:
"Capirotadaq Well, don't know. Do they
make it here7 Quien sabeg He shrugs his
shoulders and makes feint of taking up the ak
again.
Superior in my seniority, I shoulder Chan
aside and take up the word Nov, Benito.
that's all nonsenseI I say Tor the equivalent of
this in vigorous Spanish Don't tell me that of
all the good-for- nothings in chihuahua not a
woman of them all can make capirotada! Have
they forgotten their nationality Do they live
on fried pork and molasses pie with lardy crustF'
demand. waxing sarcastic beyond his compre-
hension; now capirotada want and capirotada
will have. if 1 teach you how to make it. Bah!
30 much difficulty about thing one can buy on
every corner, by every brazier, in Nero MEXICO!
Dost thou tell me there Is not in all the pueblo
woman Mexican bornl"
Bento eyes me, filed with CONSERVATION by
the aggressive tone. Presently--sAh! si-si-si!
senorita!7 he vociferates, expression of lively
and benevolent interest overspreading his sly
old face but of truth, then, what chance it
is that Marcial Pacheco, the fetero, has but now
received cousin from Hermosillo or therea-
ways Sharp, too. is the viejita! And 1t is said
that she is cook of the rarest Ayl senorta!
thanks be to all the saints that to me it occurred
That's all right" ] ungraciously curtail his
enthusiasm and go back to commonplace
American breakfast, hankerins all the while for
the flesh pots of Egypt, as typifed by the savory
messes that old Estafana, our whilom Mexican
cook was won't to serve up Benito babbles on
in admiration, questionably sincere, of the
young lady who knows Spanish-ay, Dios! but
how WE'LL is Chan very, very sure indeed, that
his sister is not at the very least meztiza! Chan
regards that imputaton but doubtful COM
R e comes sn0 in we feIei t ourselves
upon subduing the arrant old rogue,
who neglects half our orders, but who
dscerns our little weaknesses and pampers our
vanity, at considerable profit to himself But
our gentle mother reproyes our obduracy, and
beneath her mildly ironical reproaches Chan aud
smile with sickly, sheepish chances, and finally
Clip away with some mumbled pretext OF seek
ing Pachecos cousin.
hAll the same, that is the only way to manage
that sort of people; they'll overrun you COM
pletely with the least encouragement" Chan as
severates, as we go across lots with delightful
zunconcern
Sometimes we stop to peer down into deep,
rock hewn we'll, or else to pluck with gngerly
touch the great white spiny thistle blooms that
rank as Mexican poppies' In the inaccurate
botany of the section. Now we spring up to
walk upon one of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. wa lis
Of less or greater height built around the houses
as defense agains the summer floods that so
often fill the narrow, rocky streets in furious
rush-down from Bear mountain or Chloride fat
Then we leap across water-worn gulch, pass by
the great adobe-waled livery corral, and through
the bars cali loving, homesick names to the fifty
horses just brought from California. We turn
around one more corner, and-ecce "Chihua-
hua" the Mexican quarter of the camp.
Terrible way these people live!" says the boy
in accents of disgust; 'just one little room for
the whole family, don't you know! o mud floor
and no window but little piece of glass-not
half pane-plastered into the mud wall Now,
there's old Silas that brings us milk He is
freighter, too. like Pacheco; he owns six wagons
and teams, and they are always loaded and yet
he lives Ill hut like that. and sleeps on a rope
mattress outside the door,
''Oh, WE'LL" say philosophically, ''that is the
result Of an acquired miserliness. You know
these New Mexico mongrels are quite different
from the true Mexican. This lot adopt our worst
traits to add to what they inherit"
At the moment woman passes, and, cycling
US askant, salutes US with the courtesy that
iuhn in he uar faoa
brightens when we respond; evidently she has
doubted either our comprehension or our COM
plaisance.
.She's going into Pacheco's." says my brother
II shouldn't wonder if that were the capirotada
woman" And indeed she is dimly visible in the
dark interior when we pass the door to call old
Pacheco from the corral For the Mexican mas
culine is lord of his CASTLE and it will be useless
to negotiate without his sanction.
Old Pacheco demurs when we make known
our errand. Anatolia is not his cousin, he de-
clares she Is his foster-sister at least his
mother nursed her. an infant, when he was
twelve years old. He is very explicit in avow
Ing that she is not of his rank or caste, but
senorita-de.gente How. then. shall she
became servant, and cook for us9 The old
man wakes eloquent but we, being versed
In the wiles of his class, have q shrewd
suspicion that all this fine indignation Is as
sumed, to enhance the value of the service we
require. While We parley, the woman herself
comes forward Slim and shapely, her tall figure
is poised with a free. deer-like grace her dark
eyes have soft fire beneath their humid Ian
guor, but her clear olive skin is limned with
myriad tiny wrinkles, and the thick plaits of hair
that hang from under her coarse blue rebozo are
well nigh as white as my thistle blooms
''Por Dios!' what brings you here, Anatolia2'
cries the man, and we observe that he uses the
respectful listed in place of the familiar tn of
equality; "this business is not for you. Come
now you go back within the house. But no,
she will not Who is she, then-[this with hu-
naught of work. And she can make capirotada,
yes. Not very well, perhaps, but she can make
it. And II the sick young lady has craving for
such thing, the saints forbid that it should be
denied her! Pacheco protests and grumbles,
but Anatolia persists and finally her gentle firm
ness overcomes him.
Thus it comes to pass that all the bright
spring weather, until the rains come, Anatolia
nrasants harsalf daily. bringing canirntada and