The St. Mary banner., 1901-08-10

The Viceroy's Snuf:Bol.
kStory Of Favors Deity Used.

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In the days wher his excellency the
Condo de Reyillagigedo represented :
Spanish king as viceroy Of "Old New
gSpain,' there existed in the City OF
Mexico certain woe-bcgone, lean, and
hungry.looking under-sccretary who
went by the euphonious cognomen OF
aDon Bonifacio Ortiz de la Huerta y
Legumbres. You may take exceptions
8uses ii advisedly. Poor Bonifacio had
at eighteen taken unto himself wife,
Sinsspite of the fact that his salary as
Sescribente, or under-secretary. in the
sviceroy's palace brought in barely
enough money to support him and buy
"a few clothes at rare intervals Nor
was this the least of his troubles, for
,%every succeeding year or so brought a
young Bonifacio, or Juan, Juana, Jcs-
uita, or Jesus Maria with it, until on
$the fifteenth anniversary of his marriage,
Don Bonifacio found himself the father
of twelve hungry, clamoring children,
!. and, above all, the husband of a peevish.
complaining wife, whose one cry was
Money money, money!! with which to
buy food and clothing and pay for the
charcoal, and whose one wish was that
Sshe had died before marrying such a
siuckless one as Bonifacio Ortiz de la
Huerta Legumbres. This unfortunate
family lived and moved and had their
being in humble tenement house on the
Calle Ancha not far from where the
old Paseo formerly was. Many other
families, equally unfortunate, lived in
this dreary place, the monotony of which
was broken only by the fighting and
quarreling of children, or the whining
of beggars in the patio. So that, take it
all in all, one is justified in saying that
Don Bonifacio existed" and that in a
most miserable fashion.
It must have been a relief to the poor
man to escape daily from such home
and repair instead to the palace where
he acted as under-secretary. Here, at
any rate, there was no squabbling chill
dren, no scolding, recriminating wife.
Here, seated at the same desk he had
occupied fol-" nearly eighteen years, he
could .at least dream dreams as to ths
gaining of quick riches, and what he
would do with them, once won. Perch
ed on his high stool, and dressed in a
-
Tar and cuffs-for one had to wear de-
scent clothes while serving his excel
lency the viceroy-Oritz de Ia Huerta
y Legumbres would ponder by the hour
on various schemes which would en-
able him to draw prize in the grand
lottery, hve-cent tickets in which he had
bought by the dozen, to no avail. For
no one could have called the poor man
lucky. Fortune, like the Levite of the
Bible, seemed to pass him by, on the
other side.
10 Be sure. one small prize of twenty
dollars fell to Bonifacio's lot one fine
Msfd day. He fingered it hungrily, and
wanted to invest it all in a small ''ha
eicnda de benehcio" just opened up By
some friends in the town of Pachuca.
put too well did he know his duty. The
twenty dollars found their way that
Sght into the pudgy, greedy hands of
oenora Ortiz de la Huerta Legumbrcs,
xnose only comment was grumble at
as mot being twice as much. Notwith-
sM0nding which, the dona proceeded to
osow IN the despised twenty in most
spproved style, buying with it several
afe gold breastpins for herself, and
esscrate cuff buttons for the. boys
Ahs, Dona Bonifacio purchased several
psifs OF high-hecled satin slippers
y. ..nen, grieve to say, she wore without |
- @e usual approved accompaniment of
- ssse--a new lace mdntilld or two, and
:nes for each member of the family. |
H1aFed in their new gewgaws, the thir-
20 then proceeded to feast upon a
"a deal of savory mole de guaja
with plenty of ''pulque compuesto'
many other things too numerous
saa toothsome to mention here. What
ald lnckless Don Bonifacio get out of
Vi melee? Nothing! He had to con-
himself with days of boring mac
unty in the palace and fault-fnding
/ with his family, the wife bjckcr-
and the children complaining. There
u VS. nowhere any peace for him.
there ca&,e morning, finally. when
]. .s scohiscio decided. as he drearily betook
& naseif u to the palace, that he could not
l. - ~ would NOT stand things any longer.
s wife had quarreled with him for
see me days because he could not beg,
n fgw, Or steal enough money to enable
- and the children to go to a fiesta,
q which they had intended to disport
! sssmselves in the new jewelry, bought
80 the twenty dollars Don Bonifacio
drawn in the lottery. He did not
S9N how Or where to get the money,
& 90 had informed his loudly scolding
gre. Then, fleeing from the wrath,
h esent and to come, he decided % think
aoosher last plan for making money,