Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-08-22
WHO AT BUENA VISTA.
A Small Place I'm Size, but Great In
History.

Buena Vista Is a small place, scarce
ly larger than good sized hacienda,
but it has proved fruitful source OF
conversation between the little woman
and myself. i want to take horses for
the remainder of our trip until we reach
railroads again, where this one has to
leave off, but she feels sure that We
would be waylaid by Indians, scalped,
| tortured and massacred, and she Is in
favor of the dillgenca, and l always get
| headache when riding in one- How
| IL will end l don't know yet, but she
| usually has her way. We may posi-
| bly, get a private conveyance, with
| driver, outriders and all, for they do
| that sort of thing here very much. 1t
Is customary, too, and find she is be-
ginning TO realize that you must follow
the law here,
We made ar excursion out TO the
battle ground thai made this sleepy
little spot celebrated, and found moth
ing that could recall the bloody scenes
which must have passed here The
whole face OF nature is as placid and
smooth as II cannon balls had not p!ow-
ell up the soil. The town (what there
is of 1t is laid out regularly with low
adobe huts, almost all of them present.
II
many of them having no opening what
ever except doors to the rooms which
| open off the little pOrches- The place
we are now stopping at is kept by
Frenchman, but it is very much worse
than any other place we have seen,
with the exception that they cook in
French fashion, which is rather a pleas
Il ant change.
4 Here we made a critical examination
of the maguey plant which Is as useful
as the Arabs camel, as il supplies food,
/ drink, needles thread and fiber for
ropes and coarse bags 1t resembles
| what we call the century plant, and
the little woman got a good smell at the
/ flowers and declared unhesitatingly
that she knew it must be the same, for
the flowers smelt certainly century
old, and with lingering look of admir-
alton for their beauty, and look OF
i disgust at the ancient odor, she threw
| them away. The Mexicans make
very pleasant preserve out of the thick
part of the plant, and drink called
pulque from the stem, which they pierce
and insert tube in The juice Will
| flow by the aid of a Mexican on the
other end OF the tube. As soon as he
has got a good mouthful he spits il in
TO bottle held for the purpose, and
keeps on until he has absorbed all the
sap. This then is placed in large tubs
| with more gathered in the same way
| and left to ferment, when il IS Mt Tor
| drink 1t is said TO be pungent, like
acrid buttermilk or vinegar, but neith-
er the disgusted little American nor
myself seemed to banker after it. The
needle and thread is made by taking
the thorns and stripping them up, when
strong piece of fiber remains attached
to the thorn, and it affords means of
sewing all ordinary material. The
fiber of the plant, after the pulp has
been dried out or absorbed, is used like
fax, and is very strong and flexible
The whole country above a certain belt
Is covered by this plant and mesquite
There Is another plant which Is very
valuable to the natives of this country,
and this grows on the low plains and
the table lands, and is called yulgarly
soap root. The root Is dubious and in
layers like an onion 1t Is white and
about six inches long and has white
flower upon a long stalk, with only one
or two spike shaped leaves at the bot
tom This root is gathered and used
like ordinary soap, making a fine lather
and washing clothes beautifully white.
ground beside their tubs to wash their
linen, and use only cold water, never
boiling il. The little woman is quite
adrift about this, for her eyes prove
that these women wash their clothes as
white as the texture can be made, and
yet she always was brought up TO be-
lieve that TO make them white required
the regulation soaking, two warm
sudses, q boiling and then another sud
sing rinsing and blueIng." And these
women have no washboards, either,
doing all their washing between the
hands.
1he little woman asked me to insert
here that the Mexican women are the
| most Industrious people she ever saw,
| for they were always working at their
| interminable needle work, their wash
| ing or ironing or making toTtillas. 1t
| Is only because they sit down to their
| work that makes them appear idle, and
she wants TO add that she thinks them
very gentle and cOns.derate and hospi-
table TO strangers
While in this place 1 met n gentle
man who showed me some native coffee
which was grown just over on the other
side of the mountains, in tract of land
we'll watered and among groves of ban
anas. The berries were of several sizes
and appearance, which, he said, were
all of one tree, or bush, the small
round ones from hetips of the branches
and the larger, coarser ones from near
est the main body of the tree. lie had
specimens in all stages OF ripeness and
preparation for the market, and assert
ed, doubtless with truth, that Mexico
could supply this whole country with
excellent coffee If there was any spirit
of enterprise among the people. They
grow cotton also, though the fibre is
not 50 delicate and long as our own, and
sugar cane is one of the natural pro-
ducts of the country, though ii is cheap
er to buy imported sugar than to make
their own, which they have not YET
learned how to refine.
At this iuncture the little woman
came flying in, looking wonderfully
pretty in her excitement. which tact
hope will excuse my weakness of will,
to say
"Oh, Edward, do come out and hold
this beautiful little burro until sketch
him. 1 have him tied to n post, but
every time L go near he puts his ears
back and stands on his front feet and
kicks the others so fast that 1 am afraid
OF them. can't get within six yards
of him, and he looks so mischievous.
The owner is fast asleep, so / couldn't
60 and wake him, and you know that
artists all like these pretty little Great.
ures, and besides, he looks like a cum.
ming little mouse; and, oh, come. y
And 1 so.