Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1904-07-30

What is there of interest at Aguas
Calientes?' the Capitalist asked Ian
guidly, as the train sped through q
country of mesquite and desolation.
The Girl shot glance at the Siren
nous Tourist. There's the smelter at
Aguas-the largest lead and copper
smelter in Mexico and there are the
famous hot springs. And then there's
the drawn work made on linen.
Aguas is the center of this industry.
The nuns of Spain first brought over
the art and taught it in their con-
vents and it's now part of the cur
riculum in the national schools. The
small Mexican girls learn to make
drawn work just as surely as they
learn that north of the Rio Grande lies
Los Estados Unidos. Drawn work is
made everywhere, but Aguas is the
center of the industry and the best is
made there, so the Mother and are
going to have a perfect orgie of shop
ping. We want to buy all sorts of
lovely lacey things and then besides
we are anxious to try the baths-such
lovely baths of tepid water"
Are you quite sure there is
smelter?' the Strenuous one asked.
He had never before found the Girl
60 nimbly handing out information.
and it reused some suspicion in his
mind.
"Ask the conductor" the Girl re-
piled. And sure enough, that official
declared that he could show them the
chimneys and smoke of the smelter as
the train approached Aguas from the
north
1t was evening when they alighted
at the Hotel Washington, so named
as delicate bait for the patriotism
of the Great American Tourist.
To enter the Washington at night is
like stepping into a small corner of
paradise. Around the outer patio is
corridor whose white columns are
half drowned in the purple luxury of
the Mexican clematis. The patio it
self is carpeted with vivid grass, with
here and there splash of geraniums
that are like heaps of rubies thrown
on green velvet. Statues CLEAN pale
in the light of an arc lamp hung high
in the center as a substitute for
sometime unobIiging moon and above
is glimpse of dusky sky set with the
brilliant stars of the south. It's like a
glimpse OF Fairyland.
However, if one goes to bed in
Fairylald the breakfast next morning
is warranted to bring one back to
earth with a sudden jolt. The coffee
that is served at the Washington is
guaranteed to speedily kill any germs
of poetry that may have grown over
night.
After that meal the Girl bore down
on the Capitalist just in time to pre-
vent him from buying an infants cap
made of lace wheels. She also freed
the Strenuous Tourist from the
clutches of an ancient woman who
was beguiling him into the purchase
of tray cloth. The Girl shouted:
'Fuera-fuera-!" and the vendors
smiled and melted into the shadows
of the corridor, not at all angry at
being separated from their prey.
Now, let us 90 to the smelter and
then to the hot baths" the Tourist
said, after his rescue.
mo, we must look at drawn work
md buy some first" the Girl said, as
they filed out into the hot sunlight
and turned toward the main plaza.
Here they found shops where the
Mother and the Girl bought the two
lunch cloths shown in the illustra-
tions. Then piloted them up a quiet
side street to the house of a woman
who took apprentices in the art of
drawn work and the making of lace
wheels and who also had a school in
summer for infant learners.
The Sonora herself answered their
knock on her heavy outer door that
opened on a gloomy stone paved patio.
She led the way to a large, bare room
at the front of the house, with three
barred windows, giving on the
street. Here in the cool glow of the
whitewashed chamber were gathered
the regular workers in drawn work,
and the small girls who came there
for summer instruction in the art of
pulling and weaving threads in fanci-
full patterns. In the middle of the
room, seated about large frame, like
an old-fashioned quilt frame on legs,
sat half dozen apprentices, all work
ing on a large cloth stretched taut.
In a small low chair near by sat tiny