The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1903-12-11
HANDBoWLS ARE SCARCE.
An American in Mexico Creates Sen.
satiOn by Calling for
Finger-BOwI.

b1tAOA w S"AAAe ~ -
Finger-BOwl.
II am glad to get back into the United
States" said DR.. Gordon Beedle. mo
more Mexico for me-"
DR.. Beedle had just returned from
trip to Parral with a party to inspect
some mines. It was his first tour OF the
southern republic and he has had enough
for the present, anyhow, states the
Kansas City Journal, OF recent date.
81 had some funny experiences there
said the doctor, "but think my funniest
was in the hotel at Parral. / sat down
to a sumptuous meal when our car ar
rived there, but at its conclusion no.
ticed that the waiter had not brought
finger bowl. OF course, do not know
any more Spanish than he does English,
so 1 had to make signs for what want
ed. AS my fingers were sticky, went
through the motion of washing them,
afterward drying them on my napkin.
the waiter nodded yes with a funny
grin, and went and talked to the head
waiter. That functionary came to me
and looked inquiringly. went through
my performance again and added 'Qu1en
ssbe?' which l think means Are you on?
or something of that sort. Anyhow,
said it. The headwaiter seemed consid-
erably puzzled, and made signs as If to
ask if / wanted the finger bowl there.
l nodded that l did, so he threw up his
hands as if not able to understand why
a man should wish to lave his hands at
table and nodded to the waiter. That
fellow vanished, and 1 thought it was
all off,
'The next minute in through the door
came three men led by my waiter. One
bore a white china wash bowl, one car
ried bar of soap, and the third had
regular Turkish bath towel. Gravely my
waiter took up my Dishes and then with
polite and profound bows these imple-
ments of the cleanliness which Mexico
cannot understand were placed before
me.
"And solemnly and with due regard l
washed my hands, while the rest of our
party shrieked with laughter.
81 don't suppose to this day that those
Mexicans have solved the problem of
why I wanted to wash my hands any
place, let alone at table, for seemingly
they never do. / reckon they laid it to
the freaks of the American travellers.
But I never asked for finger bowls any
more, they don't use them there.
Il had another experience in Parral.
The center of the town is plaza, and
about this the young men and women
walk after nightfall. But they don't
walk together, for that would be highly
improper. The senoritas walk with their
mothers, in one direction, and the men
walk in the other direction. Around and
around this square they mill, like so
many cattle in a stampede, passing each
other in long lines. If man sees a girl
in the throng that he fancies he smiles
at her when her duenna is not looking,
and If she smiles back he follows her
when she leaves, and serenades her be-
meath her window that night. Some of
the boldest may slip note to the girl,
but as only small number of Mexicans
can either read or write, this is a rare
exception. The girl, when she hears the
serenade, knows who is doing it, and if
she approves sue Will lOOh Out anu Sull6
if she is bold; if not, she will merely
open the shutter If she disapproves,
she keeps down the blind and that set
ties 1t.
MY wife and l joined with our party
in this milling about the Parral plaza,
and when one smart senior smiled at us,
we, not knowing the custom there,
smiled back. That night we had sere-
made, too. Needless to say we did not
open our blinds, as we had been in
| formed of the meaning of this move, and
feared that if we encouraged the chap
and he found that we were married,
might be needing an undertaken
Il found a great mining center in Par
raj. The operations there are tremen-
| dous. A popularity of the Mexican min
| ing laws is that one may not run lateral
works beyond the confines of his lease
on the surface. In other words, his lease
| hold extends down exactly on the same
| lines that it is surveyed and bounded on
| the surface. Thus if man finds a fine
vein OF gold he cannot pursue it beyond
| the confines of his own holdings, I'M
less he can lease the land through which
it runs. His neighbor, who never heard
of the vein, may thus profit by all his
| work"