Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-08-30
ON THE PAYSTREAK

That may seem n curious occupation, but
here in New Mexico nine-tenths of the
people have to pound their soap-the fat
root of the palmilla "a sort of aloe), whose
fibrous substance they crush to pulp for
use in tub or basin. This curious nat
ural soap is called amole, and an excel
lent article it is. The poor little jacal
"a rooted palisade of pinon trunks,
chinked and covered with adobe mud
looked as if it were like to contain very
little worthy of washing, but the amole
and u huge copper caldron simmering
over fire of chips indicated plainly that
there was something to be scrubbed.
Just then brown, thin faced woman
stood in the low doorway holding in her
arms curious, brilliant robo like a
blanket. Strangely enough, the most
beautiful and tho most durable blankets
in the world arc made, not i'll civilized
looms, but by half savage Indians with no
better appliances than rude combina-
ton of sticks and cords suspended from
the branch of tree. This one was of the
best Navajo makc-a blanket of crimson
bollctta, with blue and white hghtnings
playing across it; Il blanket which it re-
quired a solid twelvemOnth to weave
and in which ono could carry water as in
bag of rubber.
"Is the amole ready" asked Maria.
"Ay de mi! My heart is heavy for the
scrape that Don Francisco gave to thy
father. That only we have saved when
all was lost, and now it, too, has to be
| sold. Last year the governor in Santa
| Fe offered $50 pesos (dollars) for it, and
now when it is washed thou shalt take
it thither to see if he still will buy.
Lastilnal 1t is the last we have of thy
father, and-ay? Inc tienes?"
For Rodolfo had jumped to his feet
with loud cry. Mira, nana!" Cook
mother) he said laying something in her
palm. 1t was wee, yellow scale, not
so broad as Rodolfo's little finger nail
nor quite so thick. But how heavy it
was! And what color-that exquisite
waxy luster of the gold of the New
PlacCrs.
"Oro grande!" Coarse gold) cried
Maria her big. tired eyes lighting up
"Whcrc didst thou find it,"
"Poundiug this last big piece of amolc,
mana, found it in an elbow of the root.
'Spcratc, till pan the dirt-pcrhaps
there is more"
In moment he was out of the house
|
scooping up the few handfuls of sandy
earth fallen from the pile of roots, he
put it in the bowl and poured on water
from an OLA (carthcn jar) till tho bowl
was nearly full. Grasping it by tho
edges he gave it Il slow, fitting, rotary
motion. Directly the water began to
run around and around in miniature
whirlpool, and the sand began to follow
81. h.,
Rodolfo stopped to run his hands through
the sand and loosen it up; and again sci
it to rcvolving-for he had learned tC
pan out gold as we'll as any one when he
and his father used to work side by side
in the placcrs at Dolores. Now the pool
old man-nevcr fully recovered from
that last awful wound received in {
: fight with the ApachCS-was dead, anC
4 they were very poor. There was nc
moro money to be made in the placers
. for it was too expensive to haul water
:, for washing that washed Dut gravel, ant
c the beautiful scrapc must be sold o,
~ their poor little home would be takel
3 from them.
When the sand was thoroughly we
up Rodolfo began to give the bowl
stronger motion sideways, till it seemed
rs though he would spill the whole con
tents a lot of water and sand splashet
out from side to side, till presently Their
was left but Il handful i'll the bottom O
the bowl. As he kept rotating it NOR
slowly and gently this drew out in
thin semicircle at the bottom of tn
:. bowl, as far from the center as it coul
get-a sandy procession in which tn
usual parade order of the dignitarie
was quite reversed. For ahead of a.
was tho worthless, unstable, reddis
- sand; at it's heels the black iron dus
which always is found in very rich con
pany, and tagging at the rear of all cam
few wee, yellow lecks no bigger tina
n pinhead.
or "Pcrow cried Rodolfo to his mothe,
to who was llneeling beside him, sit is yer
richl There will be cuatro reales Gift
cents) from so little dirt"
y Now he was holding the bowl so title
. that the water had all run out; and I'll
. procession" trying to follow it, We
headed down to the very edge, whel
some of the foremost sand fell off. Di]
q ping his hand in the OLA, Rodoli
~ dropped n very little water upon IL
sand, to accelerate its exit. Then
tipped the bowl back to level, an
poured in fresh dipper of water.
little more gentle rotating and the pr
cession was formed again, smaller tina
before, but in the same order. Aga
he ran off tho foremost sand; and S
over and over, working moro dainti
all the time, till not bit of sand VI
left, and but little of the iron dus
. Only short black patch of the latt
remained, guarding the precious yello
1t its back-from the impalpable gold'
flour" that was nearest, and ev
mingled with it, back to fat little fax
His mother had brought out a SIN
bottle; and pushing out all the black dl
he could with deft forefnger, he tipp
the edge of the bowl to the bottles mou
and, with tiny stream from his finge
kcoaxed the gold slowly into Its new hon