Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-28
THE APRICOT CUTTERS
A STRIKING SCENE IN A CALIFORNIA
VALLEY.
Work That Must BE Rushed while the
SUN Shines-At the End
of the Day.



There is an upland valley I'm California
where at a certain season of the wear the
bare ground is golden as far as the eye
can Sea blaze Of yellow and tawuy color.
like that OF vast field OF peoples. But
this yellow carpet is composed not ~ flow
ers. but OF apricots drying. The va ley
which IL so high in the mountains and so
bare that almost no dew falls there. is the
focus Of the apricot hsrvesters for a score
OF miles about For all but a few weeks
during the year the place is lonely and
quiet. Then of a sudden a small army in
vades TIA polyglot crew OF laborers. Mexi-
cans, Swedes. Chinese. A village OF tents
and huts springs up. Flat cars run all day
up and down the mountain. bringing the
ripe apricots And these are slid on trays
into the long sheds where the people stand
at work-men, women and children. each
with a tag bearing a number about the
neck. and a sharp knife in the hand. A
single turn Of this knife by a practiced
hand halves the apricot and drops the
stone on the ground. while the fruit falls
into a second tray. When this is filled Il 5
slid out into the open, checked of to the
workman's credit and set on the ground ta
help I'LL up another of the endless rows.
If ii is hot out there where the indigo
sky burns in fierce rivalry OF color with
the spreading orange. II is hotter in the
sheds. and the smell of the apriCots and
Of the piles of stones Is overpowering The
workpeople wear as few clothes as allow
ed: their necks are bare and their sleeves
rolled to the shoulder. The white. thick
muscled arm of a Scandinavian laborer
moves In unison with the thin, swarthy,
hairy arm of the Mexican next him: next
Is an arm shruuk to yellow skin and bone.
tattooed, with green jade bracelet slid
ing up and down 1t. 1t looks scarcely hui
man-in fact. 1t is the arm OF Chinaman.
There are perhaps a dozen ''chinks" scat
tered among the superior breeds: they
work silently. with lowered eyes and ex-
rraSSinn1pSS @ no themselves "a
far as possible. They labor here as in the
gold fields. risking their lives daily TO
scrape together a little hoard of money
which Is an added risk; constantly on the
watch for danger which they have no
means of resisting, for the law in that
country deals not with the white man who
rObs a "chink' sends a knife into the
yellow mans feeble body. And there are
white and brown desperadoes in the busy
crowd-men who Will do anything. even
work. for a little money. but who much
prefer the easier method OF looting a
weaker brother.
There is scarcely a pause for eating at
midday; work must go on while the sun
shines. But at night the apricot cutters
are paid of, filing in long lines past the
paymasters and showing their checks. And
that there may be no reason lacking for
merriment for fighting, there plenty
of women in the lines-blonde white girls.
Indian girls. black-browed MeXicans. They
all stream out into the sunset. chattering.
laughing. A long breath of the fresh air
ends in a shout at the beginning of the
nights freedom and license. There is no
twilight; the sun has dropped below the
rocky rim OF the valley. the great stars
flash out in the dark sky, and answering
fires twinkle In the valley.
Each tent, each hut. sheltering family
perhaps. or perhaps only solitary china
man. has its fire and its hanging kettle,
where the evening meal is to be prepared.
Here an American is frying bacon and boil
Ing coffee. At the next fire pretty Mex
lean woman is making stew OF Jerked beef
rr-l4 10 l.aV~
band lies on blanket rolling cigarette.
And down at the end of the row poor
John" bends over his little fire. stirring
something in a kettle which may have more
than a fanciful resemblance to the Weird
Sisters brew-for he eats worse things
than eye of newt and toe of frog
There are pungent and appetizing smells
abroad. and presently everybody Is eating
and after that everybody apparently is
happy. There is talk and laughter and
shouting from one fire to another, and
neighborly visiting Then the guitars be
gin. and the simple. gay, sensuous Spanish
songs. big negro thumps a banjo. Men
and women saunter up and down the lane
between the Pickering fires. or wander OF
into the shadows together. Respectable
people smoke cigarettes or pipes. or chew
tobacco. and the "chink' lies on his blanket
and hits the pipe. which is difficult and
unholy thing TO do.
Where there are men and women there is
kissing and trouble. and where there are
men ana money there are dice and more
trouble. At every other campfire. lying
about blanket on the ground. men and
sometimes women are gambling, with dice
or cards. and little heaps of nickels and sill
Yer. bank bills being unknown. and gold. a
Thing 10 be buried in the ground. If possess
ed. Presently these things have their nat
ural outcome. A pistol shot rings out in the
wonderfully clear air shout follows and
some people leave off loyemaking or gam
bling and run to what has happened.
II is a white mans row. of course for Span
ish bloof prefers the knife. An American
has shot another for walking with his
girl He has reputation as a bad man.
and the crowd that gathers about his tent
has no thought of action. even if they could
see any reason for ii. The dead man f.
carried into his own tent and covered with
a blanket, hut the crowd fingers at a re
spectful distance from the tent Of the bad
man." Presently he comes out and stands
and eyes the crowd. which thereupon re-
treats little. The bad mans arms
folded. and each hand holds a revolver. He
wears his hat over one ear. and when he
finally .turns his back ON the people and
walks off he goes slowly with a steady
swagger- He disappears I'm the direction of
a trail down the mountain side. The crowd
mets away through the camp to tell the
news.
Two MeNicans playing mora beside a fire
get into a dispute. which flames hot in
instant The wife of the host sitting be
side him. slips his knife away. with the best
of feminine Intentions for she Is In love
with him But the result is that she is n
widow within quarter of an hour. No
time even to fetch the priest to the dying
man, whose last Stammered words are:
Tell Pedro-tell him to kill"
The wife understands. Pedro is the muir
dered mans brother. He is to kill the muir
derer. who by this time is flying for his life.
The Mexican's vengeance is swifter and
surer than the Yankees law.