Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1893-10-19


along side of each town and at distance
OF from one mile to mile and half aw az
from it. This was done to make it nee
essary for the passengers to use Camacho's
street railways, of which he built one from
every important city to the nearest rail
way station.
Thus the railway runs not closer to
the outermost bounds of Zacatecas and
| chihuahua than about mile, and II Is very
much the same in the case Of every Other
| city along the line. OF course the engi.
neers probably explain this In some Other
way, necessity of having a straight line, ;
difficulties of grade" etc. But nobody
| in Mexico believes that. II was very
shrewd dodge and 1t is success, for the
| street railways and the hackmen.
| Beggars at the street corners toy with a
| cigarette, rolling 1t In dextrous fashion
and daintily lighting 1t with a wax match,
as they extend to you their ragged hats
for aims, with civil request that you will
remember them and their needs for the
sake of Mary the mother OF God, and the
holy Saint Joseph, and the holy Saint
Peter" and lengthy list OF other worthless.
Now and then woman OF the peon ciaS-
approaches you, as you stroll along the
streets. and with her cigarette in hand she
politely asks you for "a light from your
cigar, senor, If you please" You are
amused but you grant the favor. thankful
that she does not serve you as the Paris
gamin did the gentleman OF whom he
asked light; when the latter handed the
boy his costly cigar the urchin lighted his
cigarette by It, and then in an absent
minded way put the cigar into his own
mouth, and then seeing his mistake ~
after pull or two handed 1t back to its
owner. who told him to keep It. The
gamin, having accomplished just what he
aimed at, went away happy in the possess
sion Of 4 good cigar.
Walking along the by streets we have
many chances to study the domestic occu-
pstions OF the Mexicans The doors Of
the humber homes usually stand wide
open and the occupants are at their work
in plain view from the sidewalk halted
one morning in front of an open doorway
and watched the women in small room.
the floor OF which was OF pounded clay
One OF the women was grinding. or rather
pounding, the corn in q stone mortar with
stone pestle, just as the people Of Pales-
tine used to do Il, as related in the Bible
and as many Of the Oriental races still do
II seemed TO me q slow process.
Then another woman took the -four thus
made and with water and some other in
gradients (not quite clear to me- turned il
into dough which she mixed In stone
trough. Another patted it into large Hat
cakes. about twice the size of our griddle-
cakes and nearly as thin. Another girl
baked the cakes on stone with deep in
dentation In its upper surface and which
seems to be heated from beneath, though
no fire was visible. This stone oven
looked very much like stout htching
post with depression In the top. Il was
peculiar-looking oven.
Such cakes are peddled about the streets
by old women who carry them In baskets
the cakes being covered with cloths TO re-
tain the warmth as long as possible, and
are sold for q mere trifie. As near as
now remember about six such cakes sre
sold for one cent.
Il smuses US Americans to study the
night policemen and their mode OF guard
ing the city. After a certain hour Of the
night the policemen place their lanterns
in the exact centre Of the highway where
two streets cross each other. ami then
they curl themselves in their serapes
>blankets) and go calmly to sleep in the
doorway of the nearest house.
Many a time when going homeward af-
ter 10 P. m, have | seen the vigilant po-
licemen OF the City OF Mexico thus peace
fully dreaming the happy hours away as
they slumbered against the house fronts,
whilst their little lanterns out 10 the road
way were keeping guard over the sleeping
citizens and preserving public order. This
is another brilliant Mexican Invention.
Also at night 1t is interesting to watch
the lover standing on the sidewalk close
up 10 the iron grating that shields every
window on the ground floor Of city
house in Mexico. aud holding the hand Of
his sweetheart who sits In the window seat
behind the bars. Many time have been
an involuntary witness 70 some very ten
der passages between Mexican lovers as
walked through the side streets on my
way to the hotel late at night.
This seems to be perfectly safe method
of courting, as there are no gates to be
broken OF their hinges by lovers swinging
on them. also as the lover cannot get
inside, and the loveress cannos get outside
the house, elopements are practically i'm
possible.
Doing the bear" is great fun in Mexico
When man sees girl on the street or at
the theatre, whom he admires and thinks
he would like to have for keeps" he fol-
lows her and her parents or chaperonc to
the girls home, always preserving a re-
spectful demeanor and reasonable dis
tance between the follower and the fol-
lowed The girl is rather apt to know
that she is being followed and when she
gets home she goes up to the second story
and looks out of the window.
The lover places himself on the opposite
side of the street against the house front,
and there makes love at long range, indi-
eating by his grmaces, such as pressing
his hands to his heart, clasping and wiring
ing them in the agony Of his affection,
and by other semi-diotic performances
that unless the fair one shall return his
ardent passion or give hers in return he is
surely "a goner," and with no delay on
| account of weather.
When the girl has ''sized him up" suffi-
ciently, and if her parents deem him a
| suitable candidate for the position of son.
in-law in that family. some male relative
calls On the young fellow at his home and
| makes arrangements for meeting between
the lover and the family. From that
moment the affair moves smoothly along,
usually. This form of courting a girl on
the highway in front of her own home is
| tprmed nv Meyicaps ksdoipn tho baarD