Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-12-02

j555.t%S5SxS sJ=S girls, who or
Zg,,2Il, ,SssZs{SSz9SS dered out their
Sa.y keN& MSEE\ carriages if they
had a block to
go, used to look upon her with amaze
ment as she tramped down their steep
streets with fine, swinging, heel
and-toe gait.
She was picking her way one day
among the vendors in the plaza, stop
ping once in while to give some
whining beggar or tattered monstrosity
a centayo, when she felt her skirt
pulled. Looking, she saw tiny hand
held out, and childish voice piped
the usual formula for aims. The little
creature was no taller than child of
four But the face! 1t was old and
withered. The eyes were sunken and
so oldl Miss Stanley pulled back the
rebozo-the hair was gray,
ga dwarf, she thought, with lit
tie feeling of Propulsion. Glow old are
you?"
"Fifty-four," piped up the wee
thing. Then, true to her sex, 'The
priest will tell you tifty-eight, but [
am not; L am only fifty four. " She said
her name was Rosita.
Rosita, it appeared did nearly any
thing for living, begging preferably,
although that is a somewhat over
crowded profession in Mexico. Some
times she sold chickens or vegetables
on a commission. She had another
source OF income, being pensioner on
the bounty of young mana centavo
week-but she confessed sadly he
made her jump for the coin, and if he
held his arm out straight she might
jump in vain, she could not reach it,
"The brute!" said Miss Stanley
Rosita did not know the meaning, but
she looked up, pleased. That was
good, the English lady was taking an
interest in her, for the expletive
sounded profane. and profanity from a
feminine source indicated strong emo
ton, which she construed favorably.
The poor in Mexico are always hun
CRY, and Miss Stanley, knowing this
failing, took Rosita to a little one
room restaurant. The menu was CON
fined strictly to Mexican dishes.
Miss Stanley noticed that Rosita put
half her dinner to one side, wrapping
the carne and frijoles in tortillas
When she came to dulce of some
tropic fruit, boiled in syrup of cane
sugar, her little wrinkled eyes looked
wistful.
GLOW can I take some to my little
brother?" she asked.
Miss Stanley asked another ques-
ton; 'Is this food you have put away
for your brother?"
Yes" answered Rosita, in her
squeaky voice, 81 take all the care of
him. We are alone, and L work for
him. He is locked in the room now,
see, and she held up the massive key
peculiar to Mexican doors.
"Why is he locked in?" asked Miss
Stanley, as she directed the mozo to
put the dinner in couple of ollas for
Rosita to take to her brother.
He has combats with the children
in the street, and l am afraid some one
will get hurt, she answered.
Miss Stanley watched her trot away,
laden with the dinner for her brother.
So little and so old, unlike many
dwarfs not bulky-indeed, pitifully
thin. 1t was not until she reached
her home that Miss Stanley remem-
bered she had not asked how old the
"little brother" was.
She often met Rosita after that.
sometimes in the Jardin, where the
roses nodded overhead, and violets
bloomed underfoot, and the band
played softly and sweetly, as Mexican
bands do. Rosita would dart from
the circling stream of pelado into the
inner circle, where the quality walked
under the trees or sat on the iron
benches. Miss Stanley could seldom
resist the little, dirty, badly worked
square of drawn-work held out by the
tiny hand
Constance Stanley had no father or
mother, and, living with brother
who was endeavoring to effect the
drainage of ''the richest silver mine
in the world" she wandered un-
checked through the crowded, narrow
streets of the old town with young
erlada her only safeguard.
She had often longed to explore a
dark street that plunged downward
from the paved and civilized one. 1t
was damp and murky. A staircase of
stone, with crumbling adobe walls,
two and three stories high. Across the
streets narrow width futtered strings
OF washing The women, with their
red petticoats and blue rebozos, made
bright blots of color. The men loaf,d
about, lean and ragged. 1t reminded
her OF Naples. The doorways swarmed