The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1898-02-17
Written for The Prison Mirror.
HOW WE MET,
A Matter-of-Fact Romance of the
"Sunset Route"

She had boarded our train at Ell Paso,
coming from north bound Mexican
Central, and was seated in the section
Immediately ahead of the one l occu-
pied. In the complexion, in her raven
black hair, lustrous dark eyes and ele-
giant, easy carriage, l recognized at
once, Mexican senorita of the upper
| class.
began wondering what must have
beer the circumstances that necessi-
tated a Mexican lady of her appar-
ent rank and position, travelling alone
and unattended. Musing thus inter-
estedly for some time, felt my inter-
est increasing and in turn wondered
why !, a bachelor of many years stand
ing, knight of the grip, thought to
be proof against the charms of the fair
ones, should be devoting so much of
thought to her, a stranger. But as
time passed my mind would continu
ally wander from the book | was read
ing, to the pretty senorita just ahead,
until / was filed with longing to
know her, to speak to her and from
her learn perhaps her story.
But could she speak English? All!
could she speak English? That was
the question, now. And how should
l know; how was l to break the vast
stratum of social ice that protects these
daughters of the South from the great
world outside?
1t is said, that ''everything comes to
him who waits,' and 50 l waited pa
tiently, waited till a curve in the road
bed threw the glaring rays of the sun
through the windows on our side of
the car. Here was to be my opportu-
nifty. She would attempt to draw the
shade and fail and ] would volunteer
to assist her and she would speak to
me. Yes, here was what | had waited
for and so it happened. Summoning
up all my courage and adding to it a
chivalric mien, l proffered my service
to be rewarded by gracious smile.
And as | drew the shade, heard her say
in splendid English, "You are so kind,
sir. thank you many times: l shall
remember the favor"
| Oh! that wOndrous smile and the
great dark eyes that looked into mine
as they seemed to discover my whole
inner self! And | was glad when l
saw in them look of assurance, as if
she had weighed me and found me not
wanting.
'Are you going to Frisco" l ven.
tured." ''No, not now, though l had
hoped to; but you seeI had only money
enough to purchase a ticket to Los
Angeles, so l will stop there for the
present and may even decide to re-
MAN,"
But what had become of the social
ice? 1t had disappeared entirely, per-
haps melted under the glare of
that summer sun; at any rate we were
seated tete-a-tete and she was really
telling me her story. How her mother
had died when she was but an infant;
how her father had educated her and
hedged her about in the exclusiveness
of his Mexican home; how in a recent
insurrection, her father and two broth
ers had given aid to the insurgents, and
in consequence had all been shot, their
entire property being confiscated, leav.
ing her destitute and alone.
This in briet was the story she told
me, the story of Wanda Hidalgo,
punctuated as it was by an occasional
tear or flash of her black eyes that be-
spoke the hatred she felt for the mur.
derers of her kim
"And now," said she, 81 have come
to the States, to this great country of
yours, to be an American girl. No
have no friends here, but shall hope
to teach and thus support myself"
Who but knows the awful fatigue of