The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-01-09
MEXICAN WAYS SEEM QUEER.
How Their Manner Of Living and
Loving Differs From Ours.

Law" 1A>
Loving Differs From Ours.
Mexico is a land Of lace and lice
and love, of flowers and fights and
feas, of babies and b%ullfghts; a land,
according to Modern Mexico, where
pillow slips are open at both ends;
where passengers get off the front
end of street cars; where matches
are held up instead of down; where
door keys, often six inches in length,
invariably are turned backward and
fit in keyholes turned upside down;
where the tradespeople tell you the
price of a thing and in the same
breath ask what you will give for it;
where the lowest class of people have
a passionate love for music and flow
ers, and will stand for hours in front
of pictures displayed in windows;
where fleas have entree in the most
polite conversation; where outside
doors are locked at 10 o'clock, and
guarded strictly by a porter who has
to be awakened with a tip before he
lets any one enter; where the wealth
er forgets to change day after dayand
people sleep under the same bed COW
er the year around.
Here in Mexico City the markets
are numerous, and all equally dirty.
Much of the vegetable stuff is piled
in baskets on the floors, guarded by,
different members Of the family.
| Sometimes the baskets are disposed
Of, and the potatoes or tomatoes, ba-
| nanas or nuts are piled in neat little
piles of five each and sold to a Next
can for perhaps n centavo-a half
cent.
An American will be asked four
times as much, but by dint of much
Spanish and a determined look may
get the price down to two centaVos.
For this reason, and on account OF
the unappetizing appearance of the
market, most American women pre-
fer to send their servants to do all OF
| their marketing, despite the generous
rake off that the woman usually re-
CARDS as her right.
Naturally, in this tropical country,
the market affords a very large va
| riety OF fruits, all that we know at
home and many in addition. Partic-
ularly favored by Americans are the
aguacates, a pale green connection,
half vegetable, half fruit, used exclu-
sively for salads. Mangoes, granad-
as, apricots, bananas, in assorted
|. sizes, from two inches in length up,
pomegranates and %artichokes are
easily obtained.
In the fish line, red snapper and
sea bass, considered Injuries in many
parts of the United States, cal be
bought cheap ct all seasons. Frogs.
which are also common, cost from
two to four cents apiece.
Flowers. which, in addition to. a
large central flower market, are for
sale at all the smaller markets, are
delightfully."- cheap. In the States a
man has to love a girl some $40
worth to send her a bunch Of
that she can homes. ly care for. Here
he a love her almost the same
number Of cents.
Speaking of men, the ~aristocratic
| girl is properly c%haperoned always.
If she goes for a drive or a walk,
or to a theatre, she is always accom-
panied by some member of her fam
lily.
In fact, there is only one phase in
the life or in the love affairs Of a
Mexican senorita that appeals to the
American girl, and that is the old,
custom of playing bear"-where
the man stands in front of his be-
loved's house every night, in the
hopes that she will appear on the
balcony above him. If his attentions
are agreeable, in time he may be adj
mitted to the house, and may ulti-
mately win the girl. But the poor
fellow may have o"play bear every.
night for years.
Still, if the custom could be trans.
fererd to the United States, the
American girls would rise up and re-
joice. 1t might be a little hard on
! the man, particularly when the Their
mometer lowered around zero, but
the advantages for the girl are OBJ
yious.
An every evening call couldn't be
very extended. All the neighbors
would know when she had a man"
IAN advantage not to be lightly es-
| timated-as any girl is good looking
in the half light of a balcony, with
a big shawl wrapped gracefully
around her. Besides, shawls and
mantillas, like golf capes, hide a null
| titude of sins, and hair seen from
fifteen feet below is always artistic.