The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1899-02-04
TIE MEXICAN SEN0RITA'

may uance every dance together-the
senortta, by the by, is in no way. the
equal Of the senior or of the American
girl in the terpsicorean art-or they may
sit them all out together. in rapt oblivion
of alla but each others selves. From
which it may be seen that making ones
self conspicuous is differently viewed in
different lands.
But it Is when, as for the most part the
case, there is neither opera nor ball. that
the national pastime of playing the
bear holds fullest sway. The noVio plays
the bear when he stands upon the narrow
sidewalk of the silent night streets, in
terrupted only by the passing Of late
groups with their jeers, and Of the
shrouded gendarmes with their lanterns.
and OF the mounted inspector with his
whistle. ks ltosshis noHia-7ip- her
balcony many feet above. He is uncov-
cred the while, for he Is in the presence
of a lady. and his neck is bent back at
an appalling angle. One who knows ex-
planned. it thus to me:
1T go under the balcony of my novia'
(his novia. by the way. has no chin and
queer eyes,: but he does not know it) II
cd under the balcony of my novia, and
say to hair, I lofe you. She say to me.
'E-eh?' L say, I lofe you and she say,
'E-e-eh?', I say anozer time, I lofe you
Aie!' I weel haf-how you call it-spinal
menengetis Che is a doctor) from my
neck"
If man is not engaged to, a senorita-
If he is only her pretendiente, and not
her novlo. that is-ne may call upon her
occasionally in the presence of her fam
lily. This is the rule. But couple of
excellent families have tnfringed upon
1t. and the novios Of their daughters may
also call.
One Of the local beauties said the other
day, with all the franknees that goes with
such themes here, that, she had renewed
her broken engagement. She had been
for seven years in the States so she was
asked if she was not allowed to receive
her novio. No, she answered she was
rot. Seven years had instilled no such
ltberality in her father. .. "And so.' she
said, "as I am ashamed to talk to Natcho
when papa is around, / must wait until he
gees to bed. It is sometimes very late"
She showed the little telephone, like a
child's "twinegram," that she dropped
from her balcony to her lover in the
street below
Nothing can equal the frankness of the
treatment of love affairs by the Mexican
girl. Her chief topic Of conversation
and, as has been said, in four-and twenty
hours, nay. IT. :our- and-twenty times
twenty-four hours, it is not worn QUITS
Of what her novio said to her and she to
him. If he Is faithless she pines openly.
TIE mother Of two really charming
daughters said to me not long ago. when
the opinion .was:expressed. that her Cata-
lima was by far the prettiest girl in town.
though the native taste exalts blond Of
regular, meaningless features as such,
Eyes, she has pretty face, but it is the
face Of one who suffers 1t was true.
Suffering showed in her great, heavy
lidded eyes. and in her pathetic little
smile and in the droop of her head. For
her novio is faithless. They have been
engaged since she was seventeen-five
years & In that five years ssShe has been
miserable most of the time. IT know"
she says, in her dear little voice, "that
Jorge does not love me very much. And
I know, too, that he talks badly about
ne (Which, if the American gentleman
can believe it of light of Mexican So
ciety, is quite true), and I know that he
is unkind to me. But" she turns out the
palms Of her little hands, II cannot help
loving him. It is stronger than l." And
tears and fasting and prayers anu makes
herself and all who are around her
wretched
A few nights ago there wers gay doings
at a certain public garden because of the
feast of the Mexican Virgin of Guada-
loupe. Catalina came, but only to say
that she could not come She was all in
black, and was going home to sit alone
In the dark; for upon that night six
years before Jorges father had died.
And Jorge? He was in the catinas-the
barrooms that take the place of a club
Tor the gentlemen-amusing himself as is
his gay won't And Catalinas sister Vir-
ginia did not come, because her novio
was confined to his house with a cold
and she therefore went to bed. And thus
it is that the senorita loves.
But In most cases she exacts all that
she gives. You are not to dance with
fha onHrio nd 1ov rio
obeys, be it ever so good friend. If he
does not, she gives him calabasas, which
Is the name Of a kind of squash, and in
this use means the mitten. It is we'll for
her to exercise the power before the day
arrives when she accepts her trousseau
from him and dons the wedding gown
ne has sent, and becomes his wife. For,
once married. she settles down to care
for her many children, to bemoan the in
difference of her lord, and to wearing the
black shawl, which covers multitude of
uncombed hairs and buttonless buttou-
holes. -. = - b.
Such are the pleasures and the pains Of
the senorita. As for her occupations.
they are few. She rarely reads, and
when she does It is only the frothiest Of
novels and love poems. Her novio does
not like women who read. Sometimes she
plays on the piano fairly we'll. She can
DO church embroidery and cross7stitch
things. for her novio. She can keep her
servants in order, and she goes regularly
to mass. But for the greater part she
sits In groups and talks, and talks, and
talks. And her most ardent admirer cam
not say of her that she Is dainty or even
tidy as to her lingerie or her appearance
about the house - y - t>'t: -
A study of the life of the Mexican
senorita In various lights brings the un-
alterable conclusion that one would rath-
er work hard for ones bread in the states
than dream away ones life in the per-
fumed beauty, sweet with the song Of
birds, Of the typical Mexican patio.