The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1903-11-05
The BEAR
DOWN IN MEXICO
Romantic Method ii Paying
Court to Women OF the ri,
Country
MoDERN Y
They Constitute a Somewhat Distant
Method of courtsnipa, but End III
@ the Correct Way-Women
Devoted to Husbanda.T

Devoted 20 husbands.
Modern Mexico: Playing the bear"
In the current language of Mexico,
means to court q oma Although
there are so many social classes in this
country, especially here in the capital
city. where ten or more could be
counted, all Of them entirely different
in customs one from the other, there
are but two ways of playing the bear"
z When a young man OF the middle or
higher classes is attracted by a girl on
the street he begins byAffollowing her to
her home, though he may spend Ia
whole day without daring to speak 50
her. He remains on the street, looking
at her balconies or windows. If the
girl comes out or IL the beau observes
the slightest movement OF the curtains
or blinds, that is a sign that she is not
entirely Indifferent to him. and from
that day on he spends all his leisure
hours, and many that he should dedi-
cate to his occupation, under the bal
comics or in front Of his prospective
novta's residence.
After three or four days, when the
OOClEcAplS2lIS, LIE Sll1 6COIIlSS uI&Ok
her balcony, but just for a moment.
The following day h comes out again
and stays a little longer, but only after
tensor5tWelve days (never on o after
the thirteenth daS5sfor.fear of5tlle num-
Der 13l does she deign to look in the
direction of the patient beau, who sa-.
lutes her with a bow, taking off his hat
and beaming with his sweetest smile.
Flowers and Notes.
Thereafter salutes and smiles are
daily exchanged; hen comes the send.
ly delivered by the ~"aguador" (Water
CARRIER or the "carbenero' Charcoal
vender), till at the end of a month a
perfumed letter, written on rose-col-
ored paper in the young mans best
c~hirography, reaches the hands of his
beloved, carefully concealed among the.
flowers of the prettiest bouquet that the
novio was able to find at the flower
market near the cathedral.
One ignorant Of the country's GUS
toms would think that he had disguised
the mistress of his thoughts, because
for two or three days after the sending
of the letter she does not appear at
her window d she was in the habit Of
doing, and it is necessary to send an
other letter, wen more expressive than
the first, to make her come out and
smile again.
Neither is this letter answered. It is
necessary to send a third one, speaking
of nights of watchfulness, of despond-
ency, of projects of suicide, ETC., etc,
or, as they say in a well known Ear
zuela:
mi como. nj bcbo, nj vivo, nj duermo,
nj funo, hi NADIA" Il neither eat, nor
drink, nor live, nor sleep. nor smoke,
nor do many other things.)
AS a rule, this letter is answered
evasively, but from that m a
correspondence is established. The APP.
po1ntments come next, and the lover is
no longer obliged to spend entire days
awaiting the moment when the girl
will come out.
Balcony Scenes.
The correspondence having Deer es-
tablished, and the girl having accepted
and returned the love vows of the novio,
then begin he evening cooling through
the balcony grating, when all move
ment has ceased in the city and Moth
ing but the whistles of the policemen
at the corners or the footsteps OF a
n1ght-Watchman are heard. The moon
light nights, generally, are particularly
preferred by the lovers. for their bill
ings, and it is not rare when one is
going nome at midnight to find three
or four couples of lovers on every
street; he on the sidewalk, she at the
window, CT in the second-story balcony,
and the moon smiling on the pic
turesque scene.
The water carriers and charcoal VEN
ders, whose gentry of the colonial
epoch who, unfortunately, are already
disappearing from Mexico's life, per-
form a very important roie1in the his
tory Of the4love suits OF many Mexi-
cans There are numerous instances
Where the first flower and the first let
ter We're brought by the charcoal VEN
der, the latter continuing to carry let
tiers back n forth til. the marriage
was solemnized. Then he still delivers
the merchandise at the new home, and
is ready to resume his double role Of
charcoal vender and l~etter-carrier as
soon as the daughters of the couple
which he helped bring together reach
the age when they will have sweet
hearts themselves. The same might be
said Of the aguadores, those strange
personages dressed in leather, often
seen entertaining ever the richest
mansions with thir i%chochocol
on the back or grouped together at the
door Of the pulque shop awaiting the
maid servant to come with the GUS
toIlary maestro, me echa listed VI
viajecito?" a request hat he go to the
nearest water tank and fill his cho-
chocol and carry the precious liquid to
the house..
Loyalty Of The Women.
With regard to playing the bear
among the lowest class, little be
said. A soft push, a pulling of the
woman's rebozo, a few harsh words
from the lips of the latter, then a smile
and subsequently a few n1edidas
(drinks) at the nearest pulque shop,
and h contract is closed.
None would think, however, when
seeing how easily these poor people
conclude their engagements, that they
would be so devoted to each other. The
woman, particularly, will patiently
bear all kinds Of suffering rather than
to displease her man." She would die
before. she could be induced to depose
against the man when he is in trouble
with the authorities. And if he falls
sick, 1t is h who works from 4 or s
o'clock In the morning until 10 o'clock
at night to provide the daily food and
medicines. or IL he is not sick, but
does not want to work, to provide him
with money, that he may ofertar Din
yttet his friends to take a chica (the
biggest drink OF pulque that a man can
take at a time).
Chicago Tribune: Well said the