The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-11-14

is perhaps addressed to the fair one. I
must not forget to mention that it is
a very usual thing for the gentleman to
ask the lady for some token by which
he may know that she desires to coun-
tenance his suit. Perhaps he requests
her to wear a red rose in her hair or
perhaps it may be that he earnestly
begs the senorita to throw him some
particular flower from her window
when he comes to learn his fate.
There are many and numerous other
ways of starting a love affair, and the
ingenuity sometimes displayed is very
amusing. There is one factor in par
fcular which is favorable to lovers in
this country, and that is the cleverness
of the servants. There is no man who
understands the fine points of an in
tTlgue better than your real. genuine
Mexican mozo, and he viii throw him
self in perfectly whole-hearted man
ner into your plots and help YOU out OF
the most unexpected difficulties. All
praise TO the mOzo! He never 1ntrudess
but at the same time he is muy simpa-
t1co. and watches developments.
can not refrain from referring to
one particular episode of which I have
no doubt a few have some knowledge.
There is a certain street in this ancient
and historic Ciudad de Mexico which IS
the nightly scene of q most cOmical and
certainly very original courtship. Creep
softly out at the watching hour. not
midnight, but the proper time. and per-
adventure Crowded you look in the
right place. you may come across a
youth leaning in studiOUslx careless
position against a wall. Above MIN at
some considerable height is q small
stone balcony, and the occupant Of this
is a pretty young lady closely yelled in
a black tapalO. The first thing to strike
the observer as somewhat curious is the
fact that the man does not seem to be
interested in the balcony at all. Neither
does the girl appear to be leaning over
the baluStrade on the lookout for any
one But pause a moment, and present
~ you Will discern a faint black lins
wandering up the eXpanse of white
stucco wall, and then the whole puzzle
is sOlvedl These two charming lovers
are communicating with each other by
means OF a hand telephone. 1neV eacM
have one end of the instrument, and
if you pass by sufficiently near YOU
might possibly catch an indistinct. mur-
muir of voices He is certainly very
constant. / had occasion to pass that
way one miserable evening during the
rains; Mexico was then simply fnun-
dated with water, and the rain on thar
particular evening was simply coming
down in Sheets That however. did
not daunt the knight of the telephone.
There he was, as usual, sheltered in a
SerViceable looking waterproof The
rain water off the street had come up
over the pavement. and he stood pa
tiently, but no doubt quite cheerfuHy. in
a formidable puddle. Such herolsm
surely deserved equal sacrifices on the
part of the balcony, too, bat not bit
of 1T. The young lady was inVisibles
though it was noticeable that the tell
tale speaking cord passed up over the
rail- of the balcony and in between the
half-clOsed windows of the room. I pic
tured the senorita to myself sitting
comfortably ensconced in an armchair
in a nice dry place, and I have no
doubt I was pretty near the truth.
What infatuation He. poor man, was
sublimely happy down below in his pud-
die of water and wet macintosh. One
would think that it must be a sufficiently
hard task to whisper sweet nothlugs''
over telephone without additional dis
advantages of a pouring wet night. How
ever. dare say they managed to keep
the interest up
Imagine yourself all this going or in a
public thoroughbred But then we are
in Mexico, and there's the difference one
must not forget to add that gendarEs
stands in the middle of the road a little
further away with his night lantern shin
ing brightly He stands muffled up in his
cape and watches with stolid Indifference
Probably that gendarme and the young
man know each other well by sight.