Evening star., 1896-09-30
HAPPY MEXICANS,
Their Simplicity and Economy Are
Picturesque.

The1r simplicity and Economy Are
Picturesque.
From the st. Louis Globe-D Democrat.
A Mexican boy of fifteen, with a quick
blithe air about him. stopped at a corner
Of the plaza. With critical eyes he inspect.
ed the twenty or thirty peaches which were
the whole stock in trade Of the fruit mer.
chant who sat on the curbstone. 1t was
Saturday night. The weeks wages were
burning holes in the pocket under the bit
of red sash with which the youth had
smarteued his white shirt and black trous-
ers. There was a short, sharp discussion
between the boy and the fruit seller The
boy stopped down and fingered the peaches
He selected one. and. with who-cares-for-
expenses air. handed the fruit man 8
cent Mexican silver piece. The merchant
drew forth leather bag. divided into two
pockets, one for silver, the other for cop
per. From the copper side he counted into
the hand Of the boy four Mexican copper
cents, centavos. The boy verified the count
and dropped the coin in his pocket. He be-
gan on the peach. and ate slowly until
three-fourths of the pit was uncovered.
Then he turned to old man, not a beg
gar. but clad in the garb of the working
class. and handed him the remaining fourth
of the peach. With quiet dignity and q
murmur Of thanks the old man accepted
the gift. In the same deliberate manner
he proceeded to clean the stone making the
most of each morsel. And when the stone
vas clean the old man turned 1t over, to
be certain, tossed 1t into the street and re-
sumed his serious contemplation of things
passing. The boy was half a square away,
whistling merrily as he went, before the
peach pit left the old mans reluctant fin
gers. Such is life among the plain people
CT Mexico. This is called land of free
silver. 1t is more than that: 1t is land
of the centavo. worth half a cent in Amer
ican money.
On Saturday afternoons, when the sun
casts long shadows on the eastern side of
the Laredo market house, the Mexican
women bring tables and benches. little bum
dies of wood. two or three pots, a few
dishes and buckets of water. They light
little fires on the ground, and put the pots
on them. They array the tables to the
bowls and plates. Some of them go SO
far as to cover the table with a white
spread. Mexican men. singly and by twos
and threes. sit down TO the tables Of these
out-of-door eating places. They get a bowl
of the mysterious contents of one of the
black pots for &c, Mexican centavos. A
cup of black coffee with sugar to sweeten
to the taste and just enough milk to slight
ly change the color costs another centavo
A slice of bread or cake made from the
crushed corn, fiattened thin and cooked
in hot lard, goes with the supper. This is
sumptuous living for the Mexican who
earns his tortilla by the sweat Of his brow
Well contented Is the senior who has the
centavos to sup thus. And when he has
sat for half an hour at this banquet. M
slowly rolls a cigarette and. lighting 1t by
the senora'S little bed of Goals, whiffs and
talks. and talks and whiffs. until long after
the crimson has faded from the western
sky and the stars have come out bright and
strong. If contentment fs better than rich
es then the Mexican has the best of the
millionaire.