The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-10

Charles Fleming Embree, in the San
Francisco Argonaut.
There are American colonies dotted all
over the face of Mexico, chiefly in the
cities Some are large and have social
festivities; others struggle, fact!ous;
others, in small places, are just being
born
Once there were very few Americans
in Jalapa. Mrs J. Farthington Wiley was
a pioneer Her husband bought coffee
lands down at Coatepec Her home was
near the cathedral. in a narrow street
steep as a mountain. She hung an Ar
mour beef calendar on the wall, had but
ter and ham shipped from Mexico, and
sat with disconnected hungry eye look
ing out for the birth of social life. She
never knew the Mexcans She was fat,
and wore silk waists.
Love, a new American family has
come to Jalapa," said Mr.. Wiley, tramp
ing in from Coatepec. who wants 'em,
anyhow
Are they the right sort, james,"
Huh! Missionaries. She had on a dress
with a train
One week OF yearning to know made
Mrs Wiley's eye hungry. Then the train
drew her away to make a call. Social
life was beginning to be born, and there
was the nucleus of an American colony.
She puffeG up the hills, a wonder to the
sad-eyed people of Jalapa, wearing a
green silk waist. so glad to see you!'
pealed she in Mrs Bard's front room,
gazing about on the walls to see what
pictures We're up, and then scrutinizing
the chairs. "Quite a bearable little home.
I viii come in when you need cheering
UP. Dear Mrs Bard-is the furniture sec
ond-hand?"
Mrs. Bard. slender, dark-eyed said in
her soul that she read this woman. You
caught me-" observed she "unawares,
with this old silk waist on. Silk is so
out Of style and common; but you will
forgive me"
Mrs. Wiley breathed hard, hand on
green silk bosom, a touch of purple on
her face. She arose. Il have been insult
ed in this houser' heaved forth She and
STROBE OUt like a terrible duchess.
They were enemies ever after, and said
to newcomers unpleasing things about
one another.
Round them flowed the unknown l'fe of
Mexico Here, on these wild high cliffs,
perched the ancient mysterious Jalapa-
the life and the city ignorant of style.
Mr.. Jones bought a house in Jalapa.
He was large with a black beard. Rub
Der culture is looking up" said he to
Wiley and Bard Now, I have on my
place one hundred thousand trees Now,
they are six years old. Now, you take
your trees thus; you tap them in this
manner I shouldn't be surprised at any
amount of money, now, that I might get
out of them. I do know, though, that
100000 wouldn't buy my rubber trees
Mr.. Bard. the missionary, looked visit
fully up and down the street-pale, medi-
tative. Mr.. Jones steamed off
"Haw! haw!' laughed Wiley to Bard.
''rve heard that head" kind of windy
talk airy and blaStV before
Jones turned blazing, to see Bard yet
looking up the street with wistful eye;
Wiley tramping in at his front door,
and Mrs. Wiley gazing out of the discon-
tented, secret scrutiny.
So the Joneses didn't like the J. Far
thingtOn Wleys; and the Wileys made
little, sneering references to both Mr..
and Mrs. Jones and their old rubber
trees; also, Mrs. Jones had her suspicious
of Mrs Bard
Below Jalapa, in those wondrous
gOrges, grew the savage luXuriance of
the tropics, ignorant of heady talk and
suspicious.
A little, fussy woman with compress
ed lips, was Mrs Fustgart She was
pretty, though, and men liked her. Mrs.
Fustgart opened a school of music She
met Mrs Bard. She met Mrs. Jones
and Mrs. Wiley. Says Mrs Fustgart to
the first two, decidedly, with pleased air:
Mrs. Wiley has been divorced from two
husbands I have a friend in Indiana
who met her In Seattle
Mrs Bard mentioned this to some new
corners. Mrs. Jones went to Mrs
Wiley's one day, and, sitting there tail
and angular. and excessively dressed up
in Minneapolis styles, said, looking at
the Armour-Besf calendar: "How happy
you are in dear Mr. Wiley. 1t must
almost compensate for the other two
Some wondered how Mrs Jones got
out of the house unscratched, with he
hat not stamped on-only a cruel CLEAN
IN her eye. But, anyhow, the thing
which Mrs. J. Farthington Wiley then
told about Mrs Fustgart shall not dis
turb this record. And of Mrs Jones.
Mrs. Wiley said to Mrs Bard: THE ple-
bian! Not even her grammar was righti'
A mile lower, bounding the great va
porous vista, and twenty-five leagues
away beat the sea-sea unconscious of
divorce and beef-calendars and gram
mar.
Some people came to visit the Bards.
Mr.. Bard was nearly wistful and dis
cOuraged. The heather were so in
tractable. But the Understanding,
shiny-toothed Mr. Whif1e and his wife
and five children-cheered Bard up.
The little house was crammed with peo-
pie chiefly the children, whose legs pro-
Mrs. Whiffie was meek.
Mrs. Fustgart became more dashing
every day. Whifle would walk with
her. 1t was merely that Whiffle was a
fool; but Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Wiley
said things.
AT length some members of the COLONY
came as an admonishing committee to
Mrs Bard's home, and stood. convicting
in the parlor.
It's disgracing the American colony
for Mr.. Whiffle to go walking I'D and
down all the time with Mrs. Fustgartr"
exploded Jones, of rubber-tree fame.
shaking his fist unnecessarily.
The shiny-to0thed Whiff1e only smiled
with insult. The five children ran halloo-
ms about slamming doors. Mrs. Bard
OF the dark eyes, went into sudden fright
tul Mysteries, Mrs. Wiley's eye disinteg-
rated her
- won't be dictated to by YOU" cried
Mrs. Fustgart. Zones, is it? Who saws
your name is Jones?"
Many defaulters have come down here
changed names and risen again. So al
lusions Of this kind are distressinglv easv
OF translation. Jones gasped.
And Mrs. Wiley judging mer' shifted
pretty Mrs. Fustgart. AS if we didn't
know her record
Mrs. Whifle, worn and humble sat
tagged.
Mr. lard cried out, preaehingly and dis
6aza sggssa
r. &5s ~ 81