Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-26

which comprised Carnoe and were hospita-
bly, taken in by the poor Mexican at the
second. l shall always remember Ramon
Arrera, the first Mexican in whose house 1
began to understand the universal hospital
| ity of these simple folk-both for his cour-
tesy and for q very funny acquaintance 1
found there. You may be sure Shadow and
we're rsvenous by this time; and the pros
pect Of appeasing our appetltes looked to
me very slender. This fear was confirmed
| when Senior Arrera led me to the kitchen
for supper. Upon the lionel y-looking table
was only cup of coffee, dry tortilla CHE
everlasting unleavened cakes, cooked on s
hot stone, and smoking platter of appsT-
ent stewed tomatoes.
Now If there is anything which does not
appeal to my stomach it is stewed tomatoes,
but was too hungry to be fastidious. There
was nothing wherewith to eat except an
enormous iron spoon, and with starving and
unseemly haste 1 ladled a liberal supply
from tine platter to my plate and swallowed
the first big spoonful at gulp. And then
I sprang up with a howl of pain and terror;
fully convinced that these "treaeherous
Mexicans" had assassinated me by quick
poison-for 1 had very ignorant and silly
notions in those DAYS about Mexicans as
most of us are taught by superficial travel
ers who do not know one of the kindliest
races In the world
Thought He Had Swallowed Fire.
NY mouth and throat was consumed with
living fire, and my stomach was pit Of
boiling torture. l snatched the cup of hot
coffee and swallowed half its contents
which aggravated nv distress ten-fold, as
any or you will understand who may try
the experiment. 1 rushed from the house
and plunged into a snow bank, biting the
snow to quench that horrible inner fire.
Poor Arrera followed me in astonishment,
but smothered his laughter. What was the
matter with the senior? came very near an
swering with my six-shooter, but his SINGER
ny was ,lain, and listened to him.
Poison7 No, indeed, senior That was
only chile colorado, chile con carne, which
Fixed to the Mexican mucho-and to many
Americanos tambien. And so it was-only
the universal red pepper of the Southwest,
red pepper ground coarse and stewed with
lite bits of meat, an ounce or SO of meat to
pint Of the reddest, iercest, most ouench-
less red pepper you ever dreamed oil let
him lead me back to the house, but with no
more thought of eating. l felt inwardly
raw from lips to waist. and great tears rolled
down my cheeks for hours. Shadow ate
greediIy of the dreadful stuff, but L slept
that night on a stomach which was empty,
but certainly did not feel lonely, and a SOL
emn VOW never again to look upon the chile
when it was colorado
Piued, Then Embraced.
But the next morning when came out to
breakfast very faint and weak, there was
only the platter of blood-red stew and the
tortilla and the coffee. l gulped down the
leaden tortiIla, with frequent gulps of coffee,
and sighed. L was very hungry. The chile
con carne smelt very good, at least. Per-
haps-and 1 took a bare drop upon the
spoon and put il to quaking lips Hml Not
so badl Still l remembered last night, and
took two drops. Rather goodl A spoonful
"a plateful-another-in fine, when 1 was
done, not bit was left of that infammatory
two quarts upon the platter, and actually
wished for morel The chile "habit" is
curious thing. Simply agonizing at first
taste, the fiery mess soon oonquers such an