The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-08-10
IN ECUADOR.
A BEAUTIFUL CLIMATE AND
PHEASANT SURROUNDINGS

Make AmbatO. Ecuador, an Ideal Home
Fruit very Cheap, but of Fine Quality
Modes of Living very Primative in many
Ways-Trouble with the Catholic Priests.
We publish last week and this, letters
from South America, written by former
Wellington girl, graduate Of our high
school and of 0berlin College, Mrs. Mary
Slade Reed.
You see we have accomplished our trip
up the mountains. This is a healthy
town about sixty miles from Quito and
whose altitude is not so high. 1t is
spring-like all the year round, the sun
being quite warm in the middle Of the
day, and nights and mornings cool.
There are many things to remind us Of
the United States in the line of its pro-
ducts, as corn, potatoes, squash, peas,
beans, cabbage, onions, etc, grow plent-
fully, but the place is especially noted
for its fruits. OF those which begin to
ripen In January are cherries, peaches,
ounces, pears, plums, grapes, apples
and all selling very cheap, hundred
peaches for ten cents. Strawberries on
the market in December are ten cents
for three pints. Blackberries are begin
ming to come in. Monday is the great
market day, and several thousand OF
people gather in the plaza or public
square, which has fountain in the
center, to buy and sell their wares.
1t is as bustling as the markets in
Cleveland, but you can buy anything
from dry-gOOds and dye stuffs to meat
and vegetables, wood, etc. The COM
mon people all wear such gay clothing:
while the upper class dress almost en-
tirely in black. The houses are of adobe
or stone and plastered and often painted.
on the outside. They are built around
an open court there being a veranda all
around filling the court, with doors
opening off from it into different rooms.
These rooms are papered much as they
are at home, but nearly all the floors are
of brick. The house we rented had WOW
Ell ma ting on all the rooms and | use
my art squares and rugs over that. The
little stove that brought is great con-
venieDce as the people here use charcoal
fires, and brick ovens. Here are some OF
the most beautiful gardens; all kinds of
tea roses sweet peas, carnations grow
luxuriantly, and nearly every kind OF
flower that are seen in the States. Re-
turning from walk up the mountain
we stopped to look at one of these gar
dens and were invited in and given a
bOquet picked for us.
In the afternoon comes our Spanish
class, and while it is not so very hard,
yet it takes work to be able to converse
in new language, Our trip cup Coun-
try" was interesting as well as tiresOme.
We gradually rose from tropical veg
citation to temperate and then to where
only sheep were grazing on the stunted
growth of grass. Here were fiOcks OF the
most beautiful merinO sheep. There
were little towns all along the way al
which we stopped for meals, and to rest
and we were continually crossing anC
re-crOssing the mountain stream which
in some places was tiny and in others q
rushing torrent.
There were four of us besides Albert
who took turns riding with his father
and Jerome Altig, young man from
Awoca; and the forenoon Of the days W.
all enjoyed very much, but by Afternoon
we would get pretty tired of the saddle
We rode horses and while Miss B.
had ridden a good deal | stood it as wei
as she. We made the trip in five days
much quicker than we expected. There
is quite good road most OF the way
The fourth day we came in sight of thu
snow capped peak of ChimborazO and
shall never forget the sight as it rOst
like crystal dome above the clouds
We went around the summit of thi!
mountain and then began to decend th'
valley of AmbatO. About noon of thO
last day when we were getting hot anC
tired, little girl came running out Il
the road side with about four quarts o
large red strawberries, which she saiC
she would sell for twenty centavOs or tel
cents in gold. We took them quickly
asking her to fetch some cold water, anC
dismOunted our horses and soon haC
quite feast. never tasted such deli
ciOus fruit. At another place we stopped
on our second day, a man sent out ant
got us some large oranges to eat. Thes,
people though strangers to you are al
ways very polite and can't do enough fo
one. About the second day we wer
here the landlady sent us cheese and
large dish of berries, and later cam
parched corn which was fine. 1t is some
thing like our field corn only large kern
els and very soft when roasted.
Yesterday the bishop or priest who ha
charge Of this province, and is yer,
wealthy came to see our landlady. Hei
her brOther-in-laW. He was very cOrdia