The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-02-22
AN AMERICAN HUSBAND.

Don Juan Nepomuceno Mata was
giving, as he did every year, paoUemo
of poSadas. They had now reached
the last celebration of the nine-the
oath of December. To northern eye,
this would seem a strange eve of
Christmas. In the great courtyard of
Don Juan Nepomuceno's house cocoa
palm was rustling; banana trees
dropped their long, silky leaves, with
edges whipped to ribbon fringes; the
intense tropical moon rays brought
out, almost as sharply as would cleo
tric illumination, the vivid scarlet
great whorls of bracts of tall poinset-
tias, the "fower of the nativity;" pink
crepe myrtles made little clouds of
pallor against the darker herbage;
clarin-the "bugle bird" of tropical
Mexico-from his cage, hung on a
column of the long-arched corridor, was
pealing his jubilant call, clear as
trumpet blast, sweet and tender as the
tones of nightingale.
In the splendid salon of Don Juan
Nepomuceno were assem- bled many
persons; most of an extensive paren-
tezco-his kindred-had come, besides
numerous friends. They sat, in decor
Gus stiff rows, on the sofas and chairs
ranged around the wall, after the
fashion of the country. Without leav-
ing their seats, each talked softly to
his neighbor.
At the farther end of the long sala
was constructed the Nccimiento, de-
sired at this season by every house.
holder, whether high or low, of the
faithful. Don Juan Nepomuceno, con-
servative in all things, was most con-
sistent churchman.
In this house it was a luxurious dis
play, this objective allegory of the
birth of the Savior of mankind. Here
was an artificial hiilock, a terraced
mound covered with moss, with twigs
and branches that stand for trees,
banked on a firm foundation against
the wall; there were the figures of the
three kings, the magl, the shepherds,
with their fiocks and herds; there, in
the little grotto at the apex, were the
Virgin Mary and the reverent, reverend
Joseph; as yet the NGfao, the image Of
the sweet babe divine, was not visible
it would be added on this, the last
of opulent Don Juan Nepomuceno, the
with flour, but with flashing diamond
dust; for bits of crystal, embedded in
the moss, to initiate lakes and pools,
here were flakes of rich plate mirror;
instead of lighted shreds of wick, float
ing in clay pannikins of rank oil and
shining through colored water in
Coarse glass bottles, the lights here
were scented tapers, shaded by softly
tinted globes; the tigurines of angels
and men, and all the lower creatures
come to the Alteration, were not OF
cheap, common clay or wood, but OF
costly wax and porcelain; the canopy
of the vault overhead was of rich azure
silk, and the stars, sparkling among
it's yelling clouds of sheen, fine tulle,
were all of precious gems. Yet, rich
as it was, beautiful as it was, costly as
| it was, only in cost and finish did this
shrine of Don Nepomuceno differ from
the Nacinaie1atos built in thousands oi
homes of the abjectly poor, where the
porters, hucksters, washerwemen,
water-carriers, aye, beggars them
selves! sought by direct appeal to the
responsive eye of the flesh to revive
and deepen in their hearts the impress
sion of the Divine Passion. And, re-
mem mbering the hum BILE ollgin and
lowly surroundings of Him whose birth
they thus commemorate, who shall say
that the poorer showing is not the
nearer to His likeness?"
"But how the Senor Mata must
lavish money!" said Pablo Melendez
one of the guests, to another, Jose
Quintana. at is easy to see that he
has no children for whom to save
Yet-stay-do | mistake? | seem tC
remem ber-is it not so that he has s
daugAter?"
"Hombre! man! pray speak not OF
that!" cried Senor Quintana, who wal
a resident of the seaport town, know
ing all about their host, wherea
Melendez was from the plateau up nea
Durango; it is easy, amigo 11al0, to SCI
that you are a stranger here, and know
not whereof you speak. VatgGnle dos
if Juan Nepomuceno had heard you
Why, this subject of his daughter i
the sorest of all topics. Even his con
fessor dares not mention her to him!
"Virge1e Santisinaa! what an escape!
calculated Melendez; and, indeed
such breach of social tact is a yer,
serious matter among the Mexican
aristocracy. "But, my dear friend-i
is natural curiosity-we will speal
very low-what, then, of the daughter
Is it question of dishonorP"
"Of disgrace black enough in tn
eyes of Juan Nepomuceno-yes!
gurgled fat Quintana; "of dishonor, nc
Dishonor runs not in the blood of tn
Matas. The thing is that Elenita mai
ried griago."
on R1t hOyH
then! / fain would marry to one M
own Rosita-they make excellent hus
bands for our maidens. Was this on
ill-bred-a pauper? or naGIa ger'te-
bad lot?"
"No! no! Nothing of that! He
. tngemiero-a civil engineer-you kno1
how we'll that profession succeeds i
Mexico in these days. And he ha
money of his own, moreover Blu
Juan Nepomuceno hates all Amer
cans. His father and brothers fell i
the war of '46-he himself fougE
against the stormers of Chapultepec-
he had just been entered as cade
there. He will not see that it was tn
fortune of war-he makes it persona
wrong-Juan 'Cheno always was terc
pig headed! Well, when this youn
Meestair Leencone-a pGrtido all
the most able-asked for Elenitt
her father ragged like re1aegron,
black jaguar of the jungle, and covere
the young man with insults. Bu
, Elena has of her fathers resolution
she invoked the law of appeal for lo7
ers, and had herself given in care
General Valle's family, pending inve
tigation of the character of her pr