El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-07-21
A TYPICAL BALE.
One Of The Means Resorted To To
Make MexiCans Work.

One OF The Means Resorted To To
Make MexiCans Work.
Employers of Mexican labor have to
employ queer means sometimes in ord
err TO keep their men satisfied. One of
the most necessary things in dealing
with Mexicans is to keep them amused.
If you do not do this, the fellows
will soon quit and 60 where
they can have more pleasure
mixed up with their pains. Floyd
Payne has q ranch down the valley
that is at present valuable principally
The principal trouble in conducting
| the ranch so as to make it return good
profits is the difficulty of keeping
enough Mexicans at work to supply
the demand for wood.
A week ago Mr.. Payne went down to
the ranch to see how things we're get
ting on. He found that help was scarce,
and Charley Peacock, who is in charge
of the ranch, told Mr.. Payne that he
the men to work, to promise to give
| the Mexicans bale. The people
were all most enthusiastic at this sug-
gestion and several men who had
threatened to quit changed their minds
and came back.
So the bale was decided upon. In
vitations were carefully written out in
| Spanish and delivered by special mes
senger. One man was given plenary
powers to invite all the ladies in Qua
dslupe, town of some five thousand
| inhabitants across the river from the
ranch. This man sent word on Satur-
day that he would need two large wa
CONS for the girls. Only one could be
spared, and it was filled to the brim :;
there was another wagon load left be-
hind, of the worst disappointed girls
ever seen.
Two fellows said they intended to
bring the prettiest girl in the country.
One however intended to get his in
Guadalupe, while the other found his
on the Island. Both promised to let
Mr.. Payne have the first dance.
The house where the bale was held
is an adobe about thirty-fve feet long.
In front is covered porch having
smooth rammed earth floor. This porch
is only nine feet wide, so the boys wild
ened 1t to eighteen feet and covered
the addition with canvas. The dirt was
leveled up and rammed down hard.
just before the dance commenced the
whole space was sprinkled and then
covered with wagon load of pure
river sand. The gravel was swept off
and the floor was left smooth and in
About seven the girls began to ar
rive. They came in their ordinary
clothes and carried their party clothes
with them. AS soon as they arrived
they sent to the store for hairpins and
vaseline. They went to the homes of
the Mexican laborers and began to
make ready for the ball. The prepare
tion was a tedious job, especially to
those who awaited the appearance of
the ladies.
The time was utilized to get every
thing in first class shape for the dance.
Wooden csndlesticks were made and
hung up onlthe wall of the house and .on
the pillars of the porch. Seats lad
been placed all around the space.
At last, about $50, the ladies appear
ed, and the bale began in earnest. The
at first and the ladies seemed to have
but after little the men got warmed
up to the thing and then they stayed
with it.
The music consisted of q violin, gui-
tar, and cornet. They really made
very good music. Besides the orches-
trail numbers there were four vocal
selections. by both men and women.
The dancing was kept up until one
O'Clock. Then the refreshment room
was thrown open and the company we're
fed in relays. Besides the regular
Mexican dishes Mr.. Payne had ship
ped down ten watermelOns weighing
something over three hundred pounds,
to help out. The refreshment room
was then kept open until the end.
The dancing continued after that
with no intermission longer than five
The candles tiickered in the early
hnt
dancers still sailed on. AZ
ter the sun was we'll up and time
had to be called for breakfast. accord
ing to the precedent set by Dewey at
Manila, the merry jewellers begged
that they might be allowed to keep it
up longer. If such marvellous endu-
rance were applied in some more pro-
fitable direction it would be worth
money.
When the dance was finally over
the men engaged the musicians to go
over the river and give another bale
that Sunday night. The ladies would
all 60 too, without having gone to bed
at all. Mr.. Payne found it hard to re-
sist the temptation to accept the ur-
gent invitation to attend that bale.
He declined to go on the ground that
his life insurance policy didn't cover
foreign countries.
On the way back it was found that
the river had risen so high that it was
impossible for the wagons to cross.
Accordingly the ladies had to be taken
over on horseback and on the
shoulders of men, and sent on to
Guadalupe by wagon.
The ladies' costumes were as a rule
very elaborate. Many of the gowns
were of silk. All the girls had their
hair fixed very prettily, and all wore
many ornaments. Several of the older
women took no part in the dancing but
acted as chaperOns.
1t was q very orderly baile No
drinks of any kind were allowed, not
even beer. The result of the bale
seems to have been entirely satisfacto-
ry. But it established precedent
that may prove embarrassing.
Greatest Park In The World.
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