The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-01-21
The Joy Of the Banquet
By Charles Fleming Embree.

s,,sa ON Nezahualcoyotl street.
, ,e of these were Indian aggrega- /
lions The buffers looked like ami
natod mummies. Indian patriarchs
1, tottered and dirty white cotton
."hoezilv inflated the melody with in
dnstrious lungs. They had wan
Jered in from mountain districts,
where the people live in .thatched
hnts and have pottery corn bins,
round like sugar bowls. lawyer
,yith a dirty collar got up in win
dow opposite the treasurer's house
and addressed the populace, rasping
ont adulations of the great Senior
ort;z treasurer of the state, whose
untiring industry had dragged prog
ress and civilization on to the point
of tramways.
Inst then six secondhand cars ire
Wanted and made Handsomely came
hurting out of the barns a block be-
yond. charged down the street, all
covered with green, white and red
bunting, the mules trying to run
straight away from the track. The
crowd gave forth "vivas" indolently
Cenobio, Senior Ortiz pet servant, a
lad of II, stood up in the door and
wrung his body and shrieked "Viva!'
till his throat failed him. The bands
all stopped playing and looked at him
in mild Aztec surprise.
Behold the cars all stopped; Senior
Ortiz window flung open; the great
man himself, Warwick of the govern
,nent. dictator, funny little jolly gem
4leman appearing. He was dressed in
n flannel shirt and had black mus
tache. He bowed and laughed, and
said a few iocund things. Some peo-
nile cried "Viva!" A desultory process
sion was formed, and round the cor
ner, following the giddy six cars and
three lawyers with flag, went the
four bands, packed in one mass, with
four tunes buried somewhere in the
density of discord that rose up united.
Senior Ortiz had retired within. &C.
nobio sat down in the zaguan, defect
ed. "Concha!" called he.
She did not hear. She was second
kitchen girl to Senior Ortiz, OF some
times waited at table.
Cenobio arose, adjusting his pink
sash, and passed through the stone
passage from the street. The walls
were decorated with paintings of
Popocatepetl and the death of Maxi
milan. He continued through the
large central court OF flowers and is,
sued at the kitchen. "Concha!" muir
INJURED Cenobio, 'come to the stable
and talk"
She caught up striped rebozo
wrapped it round her, and followed
A dark, yet pinkish, oval face, framed
thus so modesty by the rebozo, shone
out upon Cenobio. Large, soft, brown
eyes, with timid expression involv-
ing that mysterious Aztec sadness
beamed on after him.
N Having come to tile-covered shed
Il in bare lot, Cenobio said, speaking
with profound sincerity: "Concha,
want to drive a mule car"
Concha marked in the dirt with hel
toe.
n "Concha," said he, solemn and sac
81 and determined, "if cannot become
II the driver of one of these mule carr
81 shall die"
at would be the will of Cod" sai'
y Concha.
81 "I love you," continued Cenobio
N "T was going to marry you one time
4 and you have often reproached nj
N because never did it,"
"Yes," said Concha, raising fon'
81 eyes to him.
"Well, Concha, Conchita, you ar
# Don Mariana Ortiz favorite servant
Ell I will marry you if you get him
Ell let me drive one of his mule cars. Al
n to crack the whip and blow tn
81 horn!"
81 sand leave mel" cried she, with
III sudden spasm of grief, clasping he
# hands.
81 mo; to return nights" said he.
An sand if / succeeded, you would
N YOU would then really-marry mel"
~ Immediately"
W "rhen / shall try Tonight the
f% have the ball in honor of these mul
$# cars. Tomorrow Don Mariana give
# his banquet to the government her
W Don Mariana and Dona Maria hay
E# auarreled bitterly over the mole
~ guaiolote. The nina says the banqut
SKI shall be new, a la Americana, withol
g# this Indian dish of turkey. But tt
E# senior wants mole. Well, shall NAL
F8 it. ANYHOW. 1 myself shall carry
M in and set it before him. Then
" will give you mule car"
&# "Concha!" He caught her hand
H# blind enthusiasm.
Don Mariana had withdrawn into Il
81 presence of his wife. She stood in
M large bedroom whose brick floor r.
M and blue carpet concealed. The canv
' ceiling, decorated to match the paint
WEI walls, heaved gently up and down
S answer to breeze which filter
<S through unseen tiles above. hui
painting of Porfirio Diaz hung betwe
windows. A brass imported bedstea
vdraped, was even less beautiful tn;
n the counterpart of pink silk. Chairs
black Austrian bent wood impeded t
III somewhat boorish progress of t
treasurer. He halted in the room
middle, his arms half buried in trouse
pockets, his round head lowered pugl
81 ciously. "What, in the name of t
saints, is that?" growled he, burnt
the lady with his eye.
Dona Maria was almost a pure
dian, yet the slight strain of forei
W Hood bod haan annunb IN rpodify !