The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-06-13
THE GIRLS ARE PRETTY.
BUT MOTHERS ARE A TERROR
DOWN IN SANTA TECLA.

Our HOung men TO Appreciate Ihelr
Own Country, Where the Parlor Can Be
Engaged for Sunday Evening.
wonder what engaged couples in
this part of the world would do if they
were restricted to the same rules and
regulations that are in force in Cen
trail and South America.
The oft repeated warning to the
other members of the family. Nov,
don't any of you come into the parlor
tonight, for George is coming" would
there be received with nc less indigna-
ton than establishment.
/ had occasion, a few years since, to
visit Santa Tecla, a beautiful city
neal the capital of San Salvador.
had some few acquaintance there,
notably the family of a rich coffee
planter. The family was a large one,
consisting of a large number OF small
children and two grown up daughters.
OF the latter, hereafter.
The father, a regular old Spanish
Don, did not understand q word of
English. The mother could speak
fairly good English and Gertrude and
Juanita, who had been educated at
the Sacred Heart Convent, New
York, could, of course, flu
entity in that tongue.
| visited the plantation with a letter
of introduction from a San Francisco
merchant, a friend of the Don's, and
was received with such hospitality as
only these Spanish-Americans IAN
show.
The house and all that was in it was
placed at my immediate disposal
And what a house.
Imagine a house covering a whole
block of ground, the interior a vast
court yard, with a profusion of ferns
and flowers, and fountains playing,
presenting on the whole, a scene of be-
wildering beauty that could be found
nowhere but in the tropics.
Mamma | found to be a very capri
cious woman. She was about thirty
five years of age, but looked, as most
tries, at least sixty.
She had been beautiful, and was
still extravagantly fond of admiration
long to discover, either, that mamma
would prove to be jealous of any at
tentions shown to her lovely daugh-
tiers.
And the daughters.
Two lovely girls, with large lustrous
black eyes, delicate figures, and a
way of looking at one that would make
a man thrill to his very finger tips.
OF course, in just about two days, l
fell desperately and hopelessly in love
with-both. / loved them collectively
and individually.
The rides to the coffee fields, the
process of gathering and drying coffee,
the many odd and strange sights | saw
awakened no interest in me. | could
think of nothing else but those lovely
black eyes, and was in despair as to
which it would be, for | was going to
have one of those young ladies If 1t
was the last act of my life.
The Senoritas played and sang for
me, and, hearing their beautiful
Spanish love songs, / became more
hopelessly smitten than ever.
Just here is where Sonora, the
mamma, played an important part.
That internal old woman, ! mean,
we'll, let it go at that, stuck to those
daughters of hers like a leech. I
couldn't see one of them alone for the
fractional part of a second.
But | had an idea. | would be Dip
lomatic. AS Hudibras says
He who would the daughter win,
With the mother must begin.
I would make love to the mother.
Madame" said | one day land SON
| found her, there was never any diff
Guilty in seeing her alone II am about
to ask you a very impudent question.
| Your daughters seem to be at least
| sixteen they looked all of twenty;
how is it possible that such a young
and lovely woman as yourself can be
| their mother?"
"Ah, Senior, you Americans do fiat
ter SO. | married very young, you
see, and"
you couldn't have been more than
| twelve | broke in.
The look that that ancient old dame
! gave me then! Ill never forget it.
All my hopes of love-making with the
| daughters ceased from that moment.
| She hung to me until life became a
| burden.
Gertrude and Juanita looked at me
| with reproachful eyes, but Us / was SO
chang herr, they would not interfere
| with my happiness
Madame gave a brilliant reception
in my honor shortly after this, and the
loneliness l saw gathered there in
those great parlors fairly staggered
ME. Madame was late in putting in
an appearance.
But when she did show up? Have
you ever seen the fairy in Nat Good
wins ''Hobbiesf"
Sho was the most ~resplendent crea-
| ture, from the standpoint of color,
| that the human eye ever rested upon.
| Blue, green, yellow, pink, colors in
and out of the rainbow - those
scrawny bare arms and neck, wheugh!
And as for jewels. l wondered
whether | could take her out and
strangle her, and fly the country. /
would have had a fortune In her dia-
monds alone.
l went up to Miss Gertrude. Now
was my opportunity. a waltz. Oh,
the bliss of this anticipation; but that
old harpy saw me, pounced upon me,
and | was hers.
"Senor," she began, giving me a
look that fairly froze the blood in my
veins, See" holding up her card,
II will dance every dance with You,
and you are to take me to supper
1t was my death warrant. Senora's
word was law in that house.
"Oh, you sad fiirt,n | said, in desper-
alton.
Sudden business called me away
from Santa Tecla the day following.