The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-03-07
MEXICAN LOVE.

WV Hull WIZ, III tue SpUCe OIL n lew days,
experienced pretty nearly all of the vaga-
r1es of love.
The woman's name was Bridget. She
was Mexican, and she pronounced her
name Brehceda For living she helped
her mother wash and iron shirts, collars
and cuffs.
She wasn't in the least beautiful and
any jury in the country would have ac-
Quilted her of being even passable. She
had had the smallpox, and her face was
badly pitted. But there was something
about her that attracted the men, and she
had half the eligible Mexican men around
her all the time
bridget accepted the attentions Of every
man In the city who chose to lay them at
her feet. The men all liked her because
she never trampled upon them, and for
another reason which will appear. She
treated them all with the greatest consid-
Grafton and respect, but never for one mo-
ment did she permit herself ever to enter
tain warmer feeling for any one of the
young men.
Bridget was II years old. Her mother
told her it was quite time she was think
Ing of marriage. She had frittered away n
whole year already and had had any num-
Der of good offers. The proud girl said to
her mother in Spanish: "D-n all men
anyway. They IRE only good to chop wood
and sleep in the sunshine.' The mother
threw n piece of kindling wood at her
daughter, swore Mt her, and said:
" You will do rs tell you. There is
Manuel He is young. he has five burros,
and he can make 40 cents q day. lie has
an adobe house of his own with two rooms
In 1t. lie is not jealous, and he is II fool
You will marry him, chr'
The girl rose from the ground on which
she had been seated throwing mud Mt
little spaniel, which snapped at the pei
lets as If they were flies. She stretched
herself, took Il fresh piece of chewing to-
bacco and said:
well, Manuel is rs good rs any of them
suppose | will marry him.
Manuel was sent for, the engagement
was announced and the day set for tho
ceremony which would make her and
Manuel enemies for life. Manuel received
the congratulations of his friends placdly
He did not seem to care one way or the
other
His unsuccessful rivals congratulated
him warmly and showed not the least sigE
OF the hot Spanish jealousy one hears so
much about. Manuel went about his
business rs if nothing out of the way had
happened. He drove his burros out to tbs
mountains and foothills at night and re-
turned the next day with his wood which
he pcddlcd about the city. The discarded
rivals, rs they lay i'll the sunshine, shud-
dered rs they watched him ut work and
congratulated themselves that they had
escaped.
"Ah, poor Manuel" they said one to
another, 'soc how he has to work!'
Manuel began about n week after ho
became engaged to Bridget to get his
house in order for his bride He lived in
an adobe house in San Miguel street. near
the Old church. 1t was one of the old time
houses. The new style houses have doors,
through which Il tall man, if he stoops.
may pass into the house.
The old houses, and Manuel had one of
them, have no doors on the ground floor.
Near the roof, which is made of logs OF
wood ccmented together with mud and
laid across the top of the walls, is a win
DOW just large enough for n man to crawl
through. a ladderrcaches from the ground
to the window, and after the household
has climbed in the ladder is pulled in also.
Manuel purchased n new sewing ma
chine, bought magnificent large bed
stead, some red blankets and lot of 9th
er things. lie also went to Father Roman
and engaged him to build an oven i'm the
yard. The old man built the oven Of mud.
He made it round and very strong, so that
bread could be baked in it, and the dog
could sleep in it, and the chickens 20 to
roost in it,
Manuel's neighbors looked upon this as
extravaganza. They baked their bread in
their adobe houses, and the dog slept in
their house with them, and the chickens
went to roost on the roof, or in cold wealth
er inside of the house.
Manuel must have spent Mt the least
$40, when suddenly his happiness was cut
short. One evening, about week before
the day set for the wedding, when he call
ed to see Bridget he found her in the COM
pany of young man.
Bridget calmly informed Manuel that
she had changed her mind and had decid-
ed not to marry him, but had accepted the
young mar in whose company he then
saw her Manuel did not become Mt all
excited. lie walked out into the yard and
began talk;ns with the girls mother
Her father had found it more conven-
lent to lo.r:tr in some other part of the ter
ritcry hcri;;,' cf Il slight discussion in
wLca ..;t l.i,ii taken part.
TIE rl! ..iiu. however, had left behind
him !or i'.sgi.l,;c portion for Bridget
three WOW, ave lu,rros. worth Mt least So
apiece Z" s. must bt admitted that it
was .; get t;iut Manuel and the 9th
ers Loves. 'i i.;'Ne three strong, So bur
ros.
Manl:cl us.>,,l the mother why he had
been discarded, and the old woman replied
that bridget. who WAS Very self willed,
had decided that If she had to marry she
might as ,Yri! marry handsome man
while she was about it. The mother de-
clared that she had beat and belaborcd the
girl until she was completely worn ont,
but could not make her change her mind
The old woman said that she was very
sorry, but that Manuel need not despair.
He would easily find another girl--he was
young and had n good income. The truth