The National tribune., 1903-07-16


only redeeming feature as a ball room
For illumination, there stood upon small
table in corner very peculiar lamp,
peculiar in shape and construction. and
even more so through its astonishing ca
pacity of producing smoke and sending
forth an indescribable odor of rancid Oil
of a kind heretofore unknown to me.
About dozen tin holders, held each in
nosition against the bare whitewashed
walls. contained homemade tallow can
dies that required frequent renewing, the
candle wickS being altogether out OF pro
portion to the slender tallow sticks which
were constantly dripping and thus con
sumed very rapidly. The floor was bare
OF boards, but being well beaten down and
made hard answered well enough, pro-
yided it was sprinkled at frequent inter
walls. BY far the best part of the festive
occurrence was the orchestra or dance
music. which consisted of two femaie
harpists. one male guitarlst ana one Male
bass viol. Mexicans are born musicians;
like the gypsies of Hungary. Two small
rooms, one on either side of the halfway,
were used as receptacles of surplus cloth
ing for the respective sexes. that appTo-
priated to the men also containing large
table supplied with the ever-present mes
cal. imported French brand. and very
good cigars. Our friend Fernandez was
on hand there also with a bucket of milk,
several dozen fresh eggs, plentiful sup
ply of sugar and ground nutmeg, with
which materials he proceeded early In the
evening to concoct the royal drink of egg
nos. which had been introduced by us,
as previously related. The refreshments
for the ladies were gotten up in the ad-
Joining kitchen, and were served during
the pauses between dances in the ball
room, while the men helped themselves ad
libitum in their sanctum.
A MEXICAN DANCING PARTY.
Well the ladies began to arrive. do
not think that 1 overestimated the number
of chaperons if / reckon them at about
three times the number of the young la
dies. married, and unmarried, who were
supposed to represent the real dancing
contingent. But. then, many of these
ch.perons came there with malice IN
tent" j. e.. with their minds firmly made
up to be asked to dance, TO indulge in the
terpsichorean exercise and to be more
or less lenient toward possible adorers of
their charges. in proportion to the atten-
ton and courtesy extended to them, the
elderly contingent, by the youthful
swains.
The dances in vogue in the United
State at that time were all INDUCED in eX-
cept the there unknown 'Lancers.' The
yalse (waltz), when danced at all, was
gone through to very slow measure;
still slower was the '.danza" performed,
q sort of waltz with very slow and short
steps. The Mexican ladies are very grace
full dancers. and rather glide than step
along, so much so that glass full to the
brim placed upon a lady's head would
hardly spill a drop of its liquid while the
bearer would complete turn around the
room. The song La Paloma," now so
well and favorably known all over the
United States, had not then been either
written or composed as dance TIusic. 1t
is now 6 favorite "danza'' in every Mex
ican ball room.
1 saw there for the first time a very
good performance of the real "Fandango,"
danced by one of the Comaduran ladies
and a gentleman employed in the "adu-
ana" Custom House serviee). They faced
each other on the floor, which was given
up to them alone for the purpose. The
raison d'etre of this dance is the imita-
ton of two lovers who seek now to ap-
proach, now to eyade one another. The
movements of the feet and arms and the
undulations of the torso are made to fmi-
tate loving adorance, bashful or teasing
evasion or retreat, tender longing, or tenn
porary disdain, etc. At the conclusion the
maiden surrenders herself to the swain,
who takes her gently round the waist,
and, dancing, leads her to her seat.
Dancing aside, ball of that kind is in
our estimation about the 'fattest' amuse-
ment one may indulge in. The female part
of the company present invariably sat On
one side Of the room, the males on the
other. Conversation between the sexes is
thus rendered impossible. The highly -un-
successful process Of flirting with the eyes
end fans only soon pals upon one.
managed to dance twice with my adored
Eulalia, no less than six times was l in
duced to dance with the omnipresent
aunts. kven while dancing with her I
was prohibited from whispering into her
pink shell ear those sweet nothings an
ardent lover will indulge in; she herself
begged me to desist, because, as she said
such proceeding would be observed by
all, and would cause her speedy removal
from the ball room by her relatives.
As the dancing became more animated
In course of time new feature peculiar
to Mexican entertainments of that kind
was introduced. From time to time a
young lady or gentleman would rise from
his or her seat, walk toward and stop in
front of one of the opposite sex, and break
upon his or her head an ess shell filed
with innumerable small pieces of colored
paper, gold and silver tinsel. A shower
OF these tiny little squares and triangles
would fall upon the victins shoulders
the removal Of which was interdicted By
usage. This multi-colored rain was gener
ally begun by the ladies, as a gentleman
was not supposed to perform the opera
ton upon lady, until she herself by hel
own act upon him had thus given hin
permission. l was given to understand
that lady by this act desired to show
gentleman her particular liking for him
II that was so, l certainly was q yer,
much liked youngster, inasmuch as it tool
me nearly an hour on the following morn
Ing, before succeeded in freeing my hair
somewhat over-greased for the occasion
from the innumerable particles with whicl
had been distinguished as a well-like,
person.
MURDERED BY APACHEs.
About midnight when the festivity wa
at Its hight, sudden commotion becam
noticeable in tho back yard adjoining tn
ball room. Soon 1 distinguished severa
voices, some calling loudly for "Do
Juan" others for Wooster" Steppin
out 1 ran full tilt upon Pedro, the majo
domo, who was greatly excited, and i'm
mediately burst forth with: "Mr. Gold
tree and party were murdered by Apache
this morning in the Sonoita Valleyw
Mr.. Goldtree being well and favorabl
known by many persons present upon til
floor of the ball room, this sudden new
Of his violent death cast cloud of glooi