The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-01

proper that / should show a little inter-
est myself So L asked my friend in a
whisper and in a half apologize tone.
if that were Judas Iscariot. He looked
at me for minute with a supplicating
look that l shall never forget. Then he
sat down on the stone steps of the We
randa like one who had lost all interest
in life.
Just then every one began to laugh. 1
looked around and saw one of the young
ladies with a handkerchief over her eyes
and a broomstick in her hand. Then one
of the other ladies took her by the hand
and led her up and down the patio two
or three times and turned her around
until | thought that she must be dizzzy.
Then she turned her loose. The young
lady made a step or two forward, and
every one shouted at her. and gave her
directions, and laughed at her, until |
thought they We're all trying to outshout
one another. At last the young lady got
directly under the image of the old man.
Then every one shouted "Pegale" So /
supposed that was the old fellows name.
Then the lady made a swipe and missed
the figure, and they all laughed.
After this a number of ladies and gen.
tlemen went through the same perform
ance. Every one seemed to be very anx-
ious to have the old man hit. so l do not
understand why they put handkerchief
over the eyes of those who tried to do the
hitting.
After awhile a little fellow with nose
like a Jew was blndfolded. I felt that If
any one was capable of doing up that hor-
rible old figure he was that man. And l
was not mistaken. They led him around
and around the room, and finally they left
him near the figure. He felt his way along
the sides of the wall with is stick until
he came to one of the pillars. Then he
felt for another that was across the way.
he fiertIp hat
When he had calculated his distance very
accurately he raised his stick and struck
deliberately out. He hit the old fellow fan
in all his length, and he flew into thou
sand pieces (the old man, not the Jew).
Suddenly, no one knows where they
came from, the place was filed with a
struggling mass of children, all scramblng
for something on the floor of the patio. 1
asked some one what was the matter ana
he said, 'cacahuates."
I did not know what that was. But l
did not like to show my ignorance, so l
said nothing.
After a few minutes one of the boys,
who had been doing the biggest fighting
in the scramble, came up to me and gave
me a handful of peanuts. / asked him
where he got them, and he told me that
they had been inside the old man. Then
l understood why the Jew was so anxious
to do him up AS the boy seemed TO be
I very lIleIluly, L Thought tHdI TINS was a
good chance to get some information, so l
asked MIN what they called the old man.
He said they called him 'Pinata." l
asked him why they all seemed to have a
grudge against Pinata, and he said il was
because he had peanuts in him. Then
asked him If they had a grudge against
every one who had peanuts in him. He
said he did not know
After we had all eaten the peanuts for
which the children had fought we went in
side. Then we began to dance NV friend
took me over and presented me to the SEN
orita, and told her that / was anxious to
have the pleasure of a dance with her. 1t
was a waltz. AS we whirled around the
room we talked about the posadas, and l
told her my experience with the peanut
man, and she laughed. When she laugh
ed I looked at the stupid fellow who used
to hang outside her window, and | could
see that he looked as black as a thunder
cloud. The dancing went on until the early
hours of the morning. It was unnecessary
to say that the senorita and myself became
great friends, and under the influence of
the dancing and the good cheer we be-
came very confidential. l told her how |
had stood across the way and watched the
other fellow play the bear to her She
laughed as though it were all good joke
But | must comics sthat j could not see
exactly where the joke came In. / went to
the posadas all last week; and now l have
a date to play the bear al the window of
the senorita.
On the last night of the posadas every
one in the entire assembly asked me what
thought of the posadas and the Mexican
customs, and told them that 1 thought
they were Al. And meant it. too.