The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-31


with no thought but for her supper.
Isl, senorita. but the judge says to
send it as it is and he'll send it back
again before it's cool"
So the judges wife sped the turkey
on it's way and within a few minutes
her husband appeared with his friends.
Il hope you didn't forget to cook
that turkey, Matilde,' he said, cheer
fully. II can almost forgive the ras-
cal that's got my watch for the sake
of mole de guajolote,'
Sobs choked Matilde's mortified re-
Spouse as she realized that she had
twice been victimized, and the party
supped frugally, though not without
mirth on the part of the guests.
Convivial spirits who go staggering
home in the wee sma' hours might re-
count some sad misadventures if they
could be persuaded to open their lips.
1t was a shorn lamb indeed that a
gendarme rescued not long ago from
ratero who was playing valet. The
man, too overcome to call a carriage,
had dropped into an obscure doorway
under the impression that he had
reached home. Then came the ratero
who aroused him from his stupor with
the respectful question whether he
would rather have his supper or go to
bed. OF course, the choice was for bed,
temporary master and was leaving
him to shiver in his nakedness when
the gendarme arrived and took hand.
The methods of the ratero who en-
ters your office to sell you something,
or to offer his services, are quiet and
seductive.
A merchant dealing in curios was at
, tracted by a tiger skin serape draped
over the shoulders of a stupid, low
nfrry Ind along
street. He called him into his office,
examined the skin, and began to dick
err for a trade.
"I'l give you S. for It,"
mo, senior, l do not wish to sell"
well, the thing isn't worth that;
too many tigers caught in traps for
the skins to be worth much anyway.
However, it's fine skin and I'll give
you ten for it, just double what you'll
get anywhere else"
"Pues, no, senior, do not want to sell.
/ wouldn't take a hundred for this skin.
It's all have to cover me at night.
Nov, what do you tell me such a lie
for You know you can buy three
serapes with the money. If you won't
be decent and make a trade, why then
get out of here and stop taking up
room and my time
So the meek and obedient native set
forth under the very eye and wrath of
the proprietor Nevertheless, as he
went he swept UP a fine, new type
writer from table that lay athwart
his path, covering the whole movement
by skillful readjusting swing of his
tigerskin, and he emerged into the
street with his prize folded to him UNI
der the all-enveloping cloak
He was never found. The fences"
of thieves are too numerous and too
much on to the game for pursuit to be
easy. The unfathomable serape, like
charity, covers gracefully a multitude
of sins which the haven of the pawn
shop afterwards forgives outright.
II would not be fair to say that every
common Mexican will thieve, but il is a
good rule never to trust one with an
opportunity. Many a servant will keep
straight under watchful eyes and then,
with confidence established and the
way clear. pilfer without conjunction.
An American woman, whose stock of
household linen had been steadily
dwindling, was driven at last to accuse
long trusted chambermaid, with un-
pleasant results. Within an hour after
the girl had left in a temper of indig
nant tears a group of American neigh
bors gathered at the house, believing
that the lady was desperately i'll, dying
or dead. II appeared that the outraged
damsel had made the rounds of the
woman TO fill "a prescription for her
suddenly stricken mistress, borrowing
sheets from another for the dead, and
articles of clothing for the burial-even
enough white silk to make the shroud.
But assuming that ones own serv-
ants are quite honest, there is the
daily swarm of peddlers at the door
to be reckoned with--a man with pot
terry, a girl with fresh flowers, a half
naked Indian woman with a tray of
vegetables. Those who come regu-
larry are somewhat to be trusted, but
the casual vendor is apt to count quite
as much upon what he can pick up as
upon what he sells.
The cargador who brings home
your packages may tuck several OBJ
jects into his blouse while you turn
your back to get bit of change for
his propina. A man i'm the street may
watch the French window open in
your bedroom for an hour, until you
chance to leave the room for a mo-
ment, then leap into the low balcony
may secure him your entire set of
toilet silver before you return. Even
bars at the window do not wholly pro-
tect ones belongings, for the ratero.
provided with little cane, can gen.
orally hook something out.
But in spite of all that can truth
fully be said of the ratero and his con-
freres, Mexico City Is by no means
a nest of thieves. 1t is the careless
and the easily duped who suffer, and
there are many Americans long resi-
dent there who have never missed
more than the few articles of clothing
a washerwoman might choose to pawn.
Meantime, the vigilance of the po-
lice is doing much to make the paths
of dishonesty less easy to tread. Any
common Mexican in the street carry
L. -.
belong to him is liable to be stopped
by a gendarme, and If he cannot salts
factorily account for his possession of
the article he is marched to the
comiseria, or station house, until the
matter can be Investigated. For this
reason it is customary to provide
cargador with a card explaining how