The National tribune., 1896-12-17
Amado was pointed out to me as man

Amado was pointed out to me as man
with history.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Go ask him." was told.
1t was a bright, sunshiny January day in
Santa Fe. the city of the Holy Faith of st.
Francis. The military band from Fort
Marcy was playing in the plaza and every
body was out with everybody else's sister.
1t was indeed a gay scene. The boys and
girls marched up and down the board walk
in front of the old palace or occasionally
ventured out into the plaza, but as 1t was colo
out there they soon retreated to the sheltered
board walk, where the winds from the north
west cut no figure at all and where the sun
was bright and hot In the center OF the
plaza, Just in front of the soldiers monu-
ment, was the band stand with an old faded
harp on top ofit.
The band, deep in the mysteries OF After
the Ball. formed the centerpiece of this pic
ture: in the background a dozen men
lounged up against the walls of the gambling
saloon. Young girls on horseback galloped
around the plaza, raising great clouds of
dust; few carriages behind jaded and de-
ceitful ponies stood in the road between the
old adobe palace and the fenced-in plaza.
A couple of young bucks fresh from West
Point with immense boots and blue capes,
smoked cigarets in front Of the postofiice,
and ogled the girls as they marched up and
down the board walk. Hundreds of Mexi-
can men lounged up against the whitewashed
walls of the palace and lined the outer
edge of the walk. The men were In all
stages of filthiness and raggedness, But 1t
| takes more than good clothes and soap and
water to make man appreciate music.
"Sta-ca-ca-ca," sang one as the band be-
gan to murder "Cavalleria.n He waved his
hands about his head, his feet could not
keep still, his eyes became very bright and
excited. The others kept time with their
tongues, making peculiar little ehuckling
| noise, and the girls and the young men
walked as if they were treading on air,
swaying their bodies TO and fro, breathing
heavily, eyes flashing, cheeks all aflame.
| And in the midst of it all, unobserved,
unseen except By Bob Stillilgs and myself,
sat Amado, the man with history. He
| sat on the edge of the board walk with his
| feet in the roadway, with his eyes half
closed, his head leaning up against post,
| the sun beating hotly down upon his up
turned face. On the other side of the post
sat Mexican lad selling pinon nuts and
| oranges. which he had in little green alfalfa
/, basket. The lad was deeply interested in
the music, and Amado was taking advantage
of his abstraction. 1t was the easiest thing
| in the world for Amado to reach around in
| front of the post and help himself to a hand
| full Of the nuts.
Amado liked music, but of the two he
preferred pinons. Amado's mouth resembled
| q thrashins machine Into the right hand
-. L. L.. -. oh nm
| of nuts and out of the left hand side of his
mouth came as continuous stream of pinon
| shells. Anybody who has ever enjoyed
/ pinons will tell you that they are about as
troublesome if not more so than pecans
| Amado was little dried-up Mexican, oi
no age in particular, with a parchment-like,
/ wrinkled face, very small, beady, black eyes,
| griZzled hair all over his face and chest
| which an old torn shirt made no attempt to
| hide; in few words an unsavory collection
ofdirt, bad whisky, cunning, broken-dOwnold
age, though he was hardly 30 years old, and
| moth-eaten (if not worse) rags. He was not
picturesque unless filth and degradation are
picturesque He looked like anything but
man with history, unless it was q history
| of crime.
Bob Stillings told me to 60 over and talk
| to him and get him to tell me his history.
went over to the old Neck and taking off my
hat to him 1 addressed him politely as Senor
and said good afternoon to him in Spanish.
Barely looking up at me, he closed his eyes
and, with . sneer on his face, he spat upon
the ground and hurled disgustingly In
decent and obscene remark at me- / wa,
surprised, to say the least. Turning around
saw Bob weeping with laughter.
see, +" he said to me when he finally gol
his breath, 81 see you do not understand
Amado and his class. The decent Mexicans
and there are lots Of them, are the mos
courteous people in the world, but Amadt
and his crowd-well, that's not the way t.
treat them. Watch met"
Stillings walked over to the fellow, ani
with great deal of energy inserted the to-
of his boot into the space between the boart
walk and the seat of the Mexican's trousers
The Mexican went sprawling into the dust,
roadway.
"Come here you dirty, skulking scoun
drel,n cried Bob, "quick, now, or I'll blow
you full Of holes"
The Mexican came smirking. hat in hand
towards US.
aYou come along with u.s." said Bob "g
on ahead. If you look around I'll vim
you; now march"
1 Lie HltAiCdu cucskCu d3OuS ilkGa WulppCs
cur in front of us until we reached a saloon
There Stllings called oat to him to halt, an,
took him into the place and bought som
, whisky for him. Amado swallowed il greed
. lily and then rolled for himself cigaret
, "Do you think he looks like gay Le
thario." exclaimed Bob, as he pushed tn
: man away with his foot. Amado smiled.
: "The Senior will have his joke" he saii
with bow.
"Shut up, you dog, and tell this gentle
man about your love experiences. Whatd
> you think of him as a lover, eh? That's hi
: | history, love, and l tell you it's great on<
| It's known all over the Territory; in fact, a
, over the Southwest His wife was the hani
: soonest girl in New Mexico. But let hiI
$ tell it to you. Go on, you dog"
!. Amado at this command Strengthened hin
self up, pulled his rags about his shoulder
!, and with something like little pride in b
voice said:
"They called her Nipita, sir. She w
8 the prettiest girl in Santa Fe; indeed, in IL
| whole Southwest. That was five years ag,
Bah. i saw her yesterday. She locke
like burro. She had gypsum on her fac
0 She looked like white-faced burro, wril
q kled and-eh-bah!"
f The whisky had had its effect on the MAJ
:, and now he seemed quite young again; b
eyes were very bright As he told his sto,
in excellent Spanish he acted it for us with
:, great deal of spirit. He threw his who
Y soul into il, and when il came to repeat an,
= thing that had been said by other persons