The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1906-03-30

II, 10 inc, was WONDERLAND from inc
start. Everything seemed strange
and interesting. The people, their
houses and their customs. We
found them Uniformly courteous and
pleasant to the stranger, of whatever
walk in life. Some of the interest
ing things we noticed.
We saw how they make doba
brick. A young Mexican becomes
enamored of black eyed maiden,
they all have large beautiful black
eyes. He has no house but that is
no obstacle, he goes out to a barren
spot on the mesa with an old
shovel and a few short pieces of
board. He soon digs up a little
dirt and pours some water into 1t.
Then, # he chance to posses such a
garment, he rolls up his pants and
with his bare feet tramps around in
the mud till it is of proper consist
ency and fashioning some rough
moulds from his board scoups in the
mud and pats it down with his
hands. While he is mixing up the
next batch, these are dry enough to
stand alone and he moves his mould
to another spot. In this way he soon
has the walls of his house provided
for. Five or six days in the sun
and the bricks are ready for use.
His floor costs him nothing as he
simply levels off small piece of
ground and sweeps it clean with a
brush and the floor IS complete.
The roof is of more Importance
He must have some heavy stringers
across the top on which he lays
small slivers about like a barrel
stave and piles on the dirt. Then
if he cares for an inside finish he
plasters the walls and stretches a
piece of muslin across the top which
is treated with preparation of some
kind of liquid glue which causes it
to shrink and renders it tight as a
drum and impervious to dirt and
any little rivulet of water that might
seep down. The whole is then
painted and the house is ready for
its occupants. A window has been
arranged for and an opening for a
door. The door is luxury that
can be dispensed with or not &C
cording to the taste of the builder.
Thus the poor Mexican has home,
homely though it may be, it is com
Portable and answers every pur-
pose.
The Mexican who owns pig,
instead of putting him in a pen,
turns him out to hustle and puts
some kind of fence around his
garden. Sometimes doba brick.
The Mexican woman, young OIL
old wears light shawl over hel
head and around her shoulders. II
is quite becoming to her, but nc
American woman has ever learned
to put it on with the same grace,
The shall is very convenient, it is
thrown back over the shoulder and
in its folds may be concealed any
article she wishes to carry, even to
the baby which is swung under the
left arm in its folds.
The Mexican In driving a five or
six mule team, rides the off tung
mule and drives the others abreas,
with rope lines. He also has rope
running back to the brake on his
wagon. The little burrow is the
beast of burden. The milk man
from the mountains straps can of
milk on each side of the burro and
mounting between trips. to the city
and delivers his milk at your door
Poor patient little burro, he carries
all kinds of loads. We saw him
bearing loads of doba brick, Of
wood and of dirt. They pile corn
fodder on his back and down his
sides till only his feet and nose are
visible and he trudges patiently
along. The Mexican without the
burro would be lost.
The laundry work of the city,