The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-01-09
UNEXPECTEDLY uNogRsToop.

UNEXPECTEDLY UNDERSTOOD.
A Telegraph Operator IA Mexico Tries
TO Hire i Horse.
''It's strange how contrary things go
sometimes says 81 telegraph operator
who has travelled and seen many things,
to a representative of the Washington
Star '.SOme years back, when / was
roaming around in the southwest, I
went down to Old Mexico with man
named Clements. We didn't have any
particular business down there, but it
was not difficult to get job at tele-
graphing in those days, and we worked
our way around from one place to an
other to see the country. We found
the climate agreeable and everything
lovely except the eatables. The fact is,
the eatables were all right, too, but we
couldn't get them. 'Tamales' was the
only thing we could say in greaser
language when we wanted something
to eat, and tamales was all we could
get. These tamales that the MeXicans
make, you know, are One-eighth corn
husk, One-eighth meat and corn-meal,
and the remainder red pepper that
tastes like concentrated extract of fu-
ture damnation. Now, tamales are
good things by way of relish in small
quantities, but as a steady diet they
pail on persons appetite, more or less.
But, as I remarked, the only thing we
could call for was 'tamales.' That's
just to show that we couldn't be under
stood when it was desirable. Well,
one day we proposed taking ride, and
went to a stable to engage some horses.
There were horses in plenty, but the
fool people couldn't understand that we
wanted to hire them. Clements had q
little red book with some common ex-
pressions in the greaser language for
ready reference, but it either wasn't
printed correctly or Clements didn't
have the correct pronunciation, for the
stable folks didn't sabe his talk worth a
cent. Clements then tried a sort of
sign language, and they became sus-
picious that he was crazy, and when he
attempted to saddle a horse they
threatened to shoot him.
while Clements was in the midst
Of these demonstrations man dressed
in the height of Mexican style rode in.
His sombrero and saddle carried enough
silver to buy mine He entered the
court yard, said few words in Spanish
to an attendant, and, seating himself
near us, began rolling cigarette. It
vexed Clements to see how readily this
greaseP could communicate with the
people, while he couldn't make himself
understood. Look at that yellOW-faced
rustler! See how easy it is for him to
talk! said Clements His experience
had shown him that there was no dam
ger of being understood by any one but
me, and he spoke freely. Perhaps that
blamed bow-legged horse thief can I'M
derstand me- he said. Then turning
to the stranger and bowling differently,
Clements pulled out his little red book,
and, following the text with his finger,
began to read in Spanish that he wanted
a horse. He had only begun when the
man who looked like a greaser said in
good English:
S6Su0Af A4OAu Whcst yVn AetsO O0OA
saying to your friend that you desire
to hire two horses. Am I correct?'
''He was correct, but Clements was SO
frightened that some time elapsed be-
fore he could answer and make q few
necessary explanations TO the hidalgo,
who proved to be a Mexicanized Ameri-
can, who owned a mine down there.
''That was an instance where we
were understood when we didn't expect
it,