Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-04-14
Dear Iaat Madae:

Four weeks to-day, in San Antonio. Texas,
after night slightly disturbed by the mos
quitoes which had sailed in whenever our
screen door wiado~ wsso pened, We were try
ing to keep cool. The thermometer registered
20: knocking birds and cardinals were busy in
the palm trees on the hotel lawn, aud few
robins gathered around to take slight squirt
up at Us. hoping to recognize some friend Of
-the good old summer time.
To-day we are in the midst Of 8 blizzard.
and If some luckless redbreast has ventured
SO far north las the Minneapolis Journal
atti rms, he wou't be heard to peep.
This is the kind of q day when one longs for
ar open FIRE. congeuiai friend and bit of
plain knitting; the friend to read aloud
while you knit and watch the snowaakes.
You feel sure it lie positively the last appear
ance" % snow this year, and want to enjoy it
to the fullest.
Ernestine is to blame for this communica-
ton. shortly after our return from Mexico
City received the dearest letter from her, in
which she expressed wish that I'd write 3
letter for the NJ. B. column" II | wrote an
article each week for the next two months,
could not exhaust the object of our trip, il
was so strange and full of interest As sm
sending another article to the regular col
| umns. will touch upon certain things not
| taken up there. Many times thought If our
NJ. B. sisters back in New England caring for
their house plants aud protecting them from
severe night. How many times dear mother
used to move her pet cactus from near the
window frame lest Jack Fr,st take a nip at
them. And once in a while, as we passed some
especially fine plants, remarked to Mrs.
Howard DeLsittre lDora Coggins, of La
moiusl what treat it would be il we could
magicaily set one of those cactus plants down
in some farmhouse in Lamoine or Ellsworth!
Wouldn't taty call the neighbors in.' took
a few notes. a. the time, on purpose for the
NJ. B. sisters lin case got up courage to send
| them. and will copy them.
Feb 1s-From Fort Worth TO San Antonio
Left Fort Worth at a. III. We are now at
Waco. II is SO warm that people wear neither
wraps hats. Palm and banana trees are
green. Everywhere We see men plonghing
WITH three and four horses abreast. The
meadow lark aud quail begin to appear. and
all along the road the grass is g7eeu. Dora
and are greatly int rested in the Quantities
of mistletoe growing aii over the oak trees
One tree. little wy oacS. if its load could be
taken North at Christmas time, would bring
almost undreamed of iuxuries into the little
one-room cabin near. Charles says even the
cows are under the mistletoe" here. :.
Just passed bunch of cacti as large
as three bushel baskets"
Feb. 2l-on board sleeper "Cuernavaca"
crossing the Rio Grande. First sight of
adobe huts. Here are the customs officers for
our baggage. $50 p. m, the Sierra Madre
mountains with a real Mexican village at the
foot-hills Vegetation is rapidly changing.
Aonstrous century plants, or, as more COM
monty known in Mexico, the maguey, now
appear in profusion with palms and prickly
pear aud the spanish dagger. while trees with
a bright yellow blossom and shrubs with red
ones enliven the monotony. {.
Hills now vary the former level stretch that
has tired the eye. Flocks of goats, many
hundreds in flock, with their ginger bread
colored" herder-wander over these eacti-coy-
cred plains. We wonder what even the pro-
verbal ''can-eater" finds here for food
AT some OF the smaller stations we get good
views of the inhabitants and their huts
Here dirty-but sometimes picturesque
groups gather at gates and doorways while
the bare-legged, half-clothed. brown children
swarm along the track with outstretched
hands waiting for the passengers to toss them
''centavos". Old women and cripples join the
waiting children and call down blessings or
curses according to the generosity of passen-
gers.
At one station, my better half" twho has a
great tondness for real old ladies' purchased
some funny Mexican cakes from a grandma
and received her blessing. A few stations
further on ragged, pitiful looking old body
held up her apron most beseechingly for
some gift. Remembering the cakes hurried
back into the sleeper for them and gladly
! passed them along to one who could appre-
ciate their worth. As the train pulled out
she followed US some distance calling in Span
ish, THE Lord will bless the beautiful LADY,.
All the good qualities of Eiy's Cream Balm,
L solid are for1 nd in-I inuid nalr. 49, Z.