The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-03-14
IT MELTEr IN his MOUTH.
The HorssI Set Before Husgry America.
By Brasillan Planter.


1T was two or three years ago. In
an upper province Of Brazil, that had
the pleasure OF breakfasting with one
of the most genial old estancieros It
was ever my lot to meet" writes G. H.
Pratt. "The houses in that part of the
country are not sumptuously furnished.
and IL one were to judge the wealth Of
his various entertainers by the amount
Of 1t on display he would commit some
disastrous blunders. Plantation own
ers worth millions but who have never
learned to enjoy the use Of Injuries,
will live all their lives In one-room
house whose furniture consists OF n
table and two chairs. i once met m
electric door-bell peddler who had tried
that country and found Il poor field.
He said that he had invariably to ex.
plain to house-owners. first. the nature
OF electricity; second. the nature of u
doer-bell, and, third. what possible use
they could make of the two when com.
bined. The last was too much for him
and he left in despair.
II found the aforementioned genial
estanciero sitting on his front doorstep
in the shade Of large palm tree; which
same employment by the way, engages
the time OF most farmers in tropical
America. l had been tramping along
the dusty roadway since daybreak.
and was tired; the place looked
rather clean and inviting so accepted
the cordial Invitation which Southern
gentleman will always extend 10 d
stranger to come In and rest.
s,As L oaf onI ohatfat IN tho .nn4
shade Of the palm tree found that my
friend was not Brazilian, but native
of Spain. He had crossed the sea to
this country with $75 in his pocket
when a young man. and had been
pretty successful cultivator OF sugar
cane from that day TO this. He seemed
quite proud of his house. 1t was suf
ficiently large. he said. to enable him
to entertain with that bounteOIs hos
pitality which he so much enjoyed. and
was rendered still more commodious
by the convenient nature of the beds,
which. in common with all in that part
of the country, consisted simply OF
mats of straw which could easily be
rolled up or kicked into corner when
not in use. These woven mats. spread
upon the earth floor. are much cooler
during summer nights than mattresses
would be. This is very desirable, but,
what is of vastly greater Importance.
they can be put bodily into tub of
scalding water. There are heas in
Brazil.
Eleven o'clock. the Spanish break
fast hour, having arrived, Twas invited
to sit down ut the table. The meal
was more sumptuous than / had ex-
pected to find. After soup their fol-
lowed, instead of pechero.a dish whose
nature was puzzled to make out. 1t
seemed TO be small animal little
larger than rabbit; the meat was dark
aud rich and had. as l remembered af-
terward. that rare delectable quality
which enables a thing to melt in the
mouth Such being the case, ! ate
without stint. enjoying it exceedingly.
Sometimes thought that could detect
a slight and rather peculiar gamy
flavor. but rs there was ne game Of
that size within hundreds of miles this
seemed hardly possible. tried in
vain to imagine what the animal could
be-.
"After the meal was over thanked
my host in my po,itest Spanish for his
hospitality aud asked that as il parting
favor he would tell me what it was that
l had so much enjoyed. He looked at
me queerly for moment and then led
me out through the back door of his
cottage. He said nothing, but merely
pointed to the grounG
1T may or may not have been OAR
winianism, bnt as my eye followed the
direction of the old mans gesture
there came over my conscience a feel
ing of guilt so strong that 1t even ex-
tended to my stomach. For there on
the ground before me. in the serene
and silent dignity Of death, lay the head
of one of those pests of Brazil-a black
monkey"