The record-union., 1896-11-29
LORENZO PINEDA'S RIVAL.

old Francis)
| On the eastern coast of Mexico, about
half way between Vera Cruz and the
Rio Grande, and near the mouth of the
Rio Panuca, one of the noblest rivers
Of Old Mexico, stands the little city of
Tampico At this place the bold Italian
navigator, Americus Vespucius, after
whom this continent was named, first
landed. Four centuries have passed
| since that memorable discovery, and
generations have come and gone.
Where once was a wild, uncultivated
country, with nothing but the blue sky,
| the placid waters, the long stretch of
sand and mayhap a dense population
of Indians, now f1ourishes the town of
| Tampico.
! 1t is sleepy little place, but far more
lively than most Mexican cities of it's
size, having about 5000 inhabitants.
! The style of architecture is not alto
gether Mexican and Spanish, but has
been greatly influenced and trans
formed by the foreign element. 1t is
in close communication with New Or
| leans and certain European ports. and
exports many of the products of the
country.
| The climate is tropical and the
| change in the seasons is SO slight that
| to foreigners it seems like one endless
| summer day. During the day when it
| is quite warm, the streets are almost
deserted, but as soon as the sun sets
| and it begins to become cool, the peo-
| pie come forth from all parts of the city
and congregate at the little plaza,
| where they promenade and listen to
the discoursing of sweet music. The
park is densely shaded and offers
tempting retreat to gay. young lovers.
About the square are built the homes
of the elite of Tampico. The Pickering
oil lamps here and there, the rythmatic
music from stringed instruments, the
clicking of castanets and the saucy
laughter of Mexican maidens, lends to
the scene fascination which is indie
scribable.
| The streets are all granite paved and
| each residence seems to vie with its
neighbor in. the variety of potted plants
displayed at the windows and the blue
and yellow tints with which the houses
are washed. In the outskirts dwell the
lower classes and the poems. In a
| little adobe house in this quarter Of
Tampico lived Juanita Mendoza with
her two little children. a boy, Ramon,
just 10, and her little daughter, Concha,
about 6. She had lost her husband
| but recently and was struggling to
make living for her little ones. Old
Domingo had not been a good provider
and had left her destitute. She had
managed by great economy to purchase
her little home from the profits of veg
etables which she sold daily at the
market place.
| Each morning found her up early
gathering from her little garden the
few vegetables she raised. With these
and an ola filled with cakes she would
repair to the market with her two little
ones dangling at her heels. Here she
would spread out her things upon a
plated palm mat and squat beside it.,
smoking pipe and coaxing purchasers
| to buy. Each day she went through
the same routine and in time began to
prosper. She allowed the little ones to
play with the other dirty little urchins
Of the market place, who rolled about
| in the dirt, coming to their mothers s
stall only when hunger drove them
there On Sunday they were decked in
their best and sent to church and old
Juanita felt that she was doing all in
her power to bring them up properly.
One day the monotony Of their exist
ence was broken by the disappearance
Of little Ramon. He had assisted his
mother with her vegetables to market,
adjusted her rude umbrella to protect
~, .,v,1 ,f,fh har.
| tie child had wandered off. Juanita did
not miss him till night, and when he did
not put in an appearance by morning
| she began to grow uneasy and made
inquiries about him. But her search
was in vain. All she could find out was
| that the last seen Of him was on the
dock talking to some sailors who had
| come ashore for supplies. He disap-
peared as mysteriously as If the earth
had swallowed him up.
Days passed into weeks, and still no
news of little Ramon. In due time
| however, Juanita became reconciled and
| contented herself by showering all the
| love she had upon little Concha. No
| more was she allowed to roam at will
| with the other youngsters, but helped
her mother, and being unusually bright
| gradually absorbed the weighty princi-
pies of bartering and obtaining the
| largest possible amount for the small
est quantity.
Juanita prospered, but was too ambi-
| tious. She wanted to make lady out
of Concha, and in an evil hour consented
to marry Santo Ortega, dealer in
honey, whom she thought was rich. All
went well for time, but she soon
| learned that all his false promises wer,.
bubbles which soon burst when she
learned to know him. A year later q
swarthy little boy was born, and from
that time on life with Santos was al
| most unbearable. He neglected her
allowed his business to run down and
often indulged in prolonged sprees. He
| made her life miserable, but. as in
everything else, she was indulgen.. She
allowed him to try her patience beyond
all endurance. But twelve years of un-
ceaslng toll had taught her lesson or
| two, and when she saw no other course
open to her she promptly brought things
TO a crisis by ejecting him from the
house and forbidding him to come near
her As a climax to all this, she gave
full swing to her tongue in the market
place and so thoroughly boycotted San
tos that he folded his tents like the
Arabs and silently stole away"
But fortune did not favor poor Juan
ita. She was a victim of rheumatism
ana at times suffered such pain that she
would cry out in agony. She grew
worse. until finally she was forced to re-
main at nome Altogether with little Ed
ouardo and allow Concha to earn their
bread.