The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-01-24

been saving from their beggarly earn
ings to acquire an amount OF money
sufficient to enable them TO cat, drink,
gamble and see the bull fights; all ele-
ments of the holiday feasting.
The morning Of the 9th dawns, and
in sombreros of stray or felt, high
crowned and wide brimmed, some
heavy with silver braid; wrapped in
blankets of brilliant hues, for at this
season the air is chill to their sun
parched bodies, the men gather at
Cuidad Juarez from all the country
round about. Some are on horses,
some in numbering carts, but the
greater number are on foot. The
women, with their black locks
smoothed close down to their heads,
and with shawls of black, purple or
yellow surmounting the folds of calico
dresses, straggle into the city behind
the men. In their ears hang gypsy
like hoops of brass, and dark eyes
sparkle from sometimes pretty faces,
artifcially whitened with cosmetics.
As they pass the air is redolent with
musk and often the blue smoke OF a
tiny papelito curls from full, red lips.
There is little noise, few sounds Of
laughter, but tension of nerves, a
glitter of eyes, denotes anticipation OF
excitements to come.
At all the street corners are stands,
presided over by wrinkled, brown, old
men and women, where sweet cakes,
sugared pastries, fruits and confec-
tions are for sale. Within low door
ways there are glimpses to be caught
of crude barrooms, where are displayed
temptingly rows of bottles containing
frey iquors-taquila, aquardiente
and pulque. At the doors of butch
ers hang dark red cuts of meat, the
color betraying long exposure. Inthe
grocers' shops there is lively trade in
cornmeal and chile, the basis of the
National dishes, euchiladas, fryoles,
tamales and chile-con- -carne. Garlic,
too, is ready in abundance to lend ad-
ditional flavor to the highly seasoned
mixtures.
It is not in the shops of the mer-
chants that excitement runs highest.
Up beyond the plaza, where stands
bust of General Juarez, is the square
cornered, fat-roofed, cross-sur-
mounted church; SO close by as to
seem under the protection OF its sane
tity are the gambling booths and the
bull ring.
As the hill on which the church
stands is climbed, strains of music are
heard. and the csdences are soft and
sweet, but with a movement that in
spires the feet of the Mexicans to pat
the time, as if ready at any moment to
swing into dance of wild abandon.
Through the undulations OF the
melody hoarse cries are heard and an
undertone of excited conversation.
The sounds come from the groups
about many gambling tables standing
in the very shade of the church. Here
q dealer calls off the names of strange
ly decorated cards as he pays them
out one by one from the pack he holds
to rows of three on the table. The
players place buttons on fac similis OF
the figures on the cards until the win
ner gets three in a row. 1t is Mexi-
can modification, surrounded with a
Spanish color scheme of green and
red, of the game of keno. Just be-
yond this is Il long line of tables
where the jingl1ng of little brass bells
fastened to leather cups, wherein are
three dice, indicates the progress OF
monte, the National gambling game.
Piles of silver, paper and copper
money are before the dealers, black
browed, vicious-featured men, for the