The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1896-02-27
uNgxpEcrEDly UNDERSTOOD.


QNENFhOi 6gGt QNbEuotOOhs
"A Telegraph Operator IN Mexico Tries 70
Hire Horss.
tits strange how contrary things 60
sometimes" said telegraph operator
who has travelled and seen many things.
Some years back, when was roaming
around in the southwest, / went down
to Old Mexico with man named Glenn
ents. We didn't have any particular
business down there, but it was not
difficult to get a job at telegraphing in
those days, and we worked our way
around from one place to another 70 see
the country.
I'VE found the climate agreeable and
everything lovely except the eatables.
The fact is, the eatables were all right.
too, butwecouldn't get them. 'Tamales'
was the only thing we could say IN the
greaserlanguage when we wanted some
thing to eat, and tamales was all we
could get. Those tamalas that the Mex
leans 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
future damnation. Now, tamales are
good things by way Of relish in small
quantities, but as . steady diet they
pail on a persons appetite, more or less.
But, as / 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.
We'll, one day we proposed taking n
ride, and went to stable to engage
some horses. There were horses in
plenty. but the fool people couldn't un-
derstand that we wanted to hire them,
Clements had little red book with
some common expressions in the greas.
er language for ready reference, but it
either wasn't printed correctly or Glenn
ents didn't have the correct pronuncia-
ton, for the stable folks didn't sabe his
talk worth cent. Clements then tried
sort of sign language, and they be-
came suspicious that he was crazy, and
when he attempted to saddle 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 sill
yer obuy mine. He entered the court
yard, said few words in Spanish to an
attendant, and, seating himself near us,
began rolling cigarette. 1t vexed
Glementsto see how readily this greaser
country districts, acted as his secre-
tary. The mayor was seated one fine
afternoon in one Of the rooms of the
town hall with his new secretary, when
the schoolmaster entered the building
atealthily and noiselessly turned the
Key of the door, locking up the pair.
1t was some time ere the mayor and.
his secretary realized the strange posi-
ton in which they had been placed,
and then for two mortal hours they
cried and shouted, implored and threat
ened, but in vain, for the vindictive
schoolmaster remained deaf to their
appeals. Finally, the prisoners were
released by the gendarmes, who, horror
stricken at this act Of profanity, drew
Up flaming report Of the affair. The
schoolmaster, however, had not yet
done with the mayor. Revenge is
sweet, and his thirst for it having been
stimulated by one success he resolved
on going in for another. Having
locked in the mayor, he resolved on
locking him out, and at the present
moment the door of the town hall is so
securely fastened that the unlucky
functionary is unable to effect an en-
trance.
The baffied mayor telegraphed to the
minister of public instruction, lodging
u formal complaint against the school:
master. II wish to inform you," he
said, that /, as well as the new secre-
tary, have been sequestrated by him for
two hours in the hall of the Marie;
that he refused to open the apartment
in spite of numerous injunctions; and
that the Intervention of the gendar-
merle was required TO enable US to
nffectan exit at ten O'Clock in the even
ing, / beg you to arrive at prompt
decision, as it is impossible for me to
enter the town hall, where the archives
are" This is pretty state of things,
and the interference of minister is
needed to enable the mayor to return
to his town hall and his archives, Kan
sas City Star.