Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-12-26

| i was sent out by the house by which
| had been employed for ten years
/ from the time was sixteen till 1 was
! twenty-six-to establish a branch OF
! the business at the capital OF that
| country.
For awhile 1 was so busy getting a
store. unpackins goods and attending
TO the various requirements of opening
up a new business that the country.
the people. their customs. manners.
| appearance. did not engage my attes
| ton, but when all was running smooth
| ly l began TO take notice OF what was
going on about me. Being young and
a bachelor, it was natural that the
! first object TO interest me was the
| senoritas.
1t has been said that the women of
/ tropical climates are attractive in ap-
pearance when very young. but their
! beauty soon fades and is replaced by
extreme ugliness. But | found that
/ those of Mexico differed much as they
| do in other countries. Their beauty
and its continuance depended largely
on their sphere in life. Their long
lashes dropping over their liquid brown
eyes and their luxuriant hair were to
/ me their chief attractions.
/ The poor in Mexico are very poor.
/ and the most prosperous. except in
! few instances, are not what we in the
! United States would call rich. In
/ Mexico, as in other countries, there
( are ups and downs in families, some
! acquiring wealth, others sinking into
/ poverty.
! Directly opposite the house in which
| lived dwelt a family which. from
! appearances. 1 judged belonged to the
/ latter class. Not long after l came TO
live near them | saw piano moved
out, then 4 handsome mahogany desk.
! These were followed by other articles.
most of them OF a very antique pat
tern. in such rs yular succession that
it excited my riosity. l asked the
lady with whom lodged about 1t and
she replied:
"Oh, the Garcias! They have recent
ly lost a great deal of money. For
many years the family has owned
stock in mines OF this country, but !
since President Diaz has been deposed |
and our government has been unsta- |
bic their mines have not been worked. I,
They have been gradually selling of |
valuable articles that have been in the |
family many years. Some of them, |
they claim, were brought over by one |
Of the conquerors from whom they !
claim descent"
The world may envy prosperous per- |
sons during their prosperity, but 1t |
sympathiZes with them when their |
prosperity passes away from them. l |
was at an age to pity this unfortunate |
family. and my heart went out TO |
them, especially since my father had |
failed in business just as l was about |
to enter college and 1 felt obliged to |
go into business instead.
Concia Garcia was a typical beauty |
of the tropics. Her face was oval, her |
complexion olive. with tinge of red |
in her cheeks, while she possessed the
liquid eyes. long lashes and wealth of I
glossy hair of which 1 have spoken.
On several occasions when she had not /
taken the precaution to draw her win !
dow curtains l saw her standing be- /
fore a mirror combing her hair and |
noticed that it swept the floor.
l had the advantage of the young |
lady-so far as ! knew--in observing |
her, while she knew nothing about me,
for even If she had under ordinary |
circumstances taken an interest in a
young man opposite she now appeared
absorbed in her troubles. Though ]
saw her go and come often from and
to her home / never saw her smile.
One morning I happened to start for
my store just as Senorita Garcia left
her house. She was unconscious of
my presence on the street, though /
saw no one else but her. / walked
some distance behind her till, coming
to the business part of the city, she |
entered pawnshop An impulse
moved me to follow her inside. | was
not led by a desire to pry into her
affairs, but by an interest ir her. She
engaged the attention of the proprie-
tor while 1 kept in the background.
She produced a brooch with hand
some emerald setting and asked the
shopman if he would buy it or loan on
it. He said he would do whichever
she preferred. offering 10 buy it for a
much better price than he would loan.
The senorita, remarking despondently
that she would never be able to re.
deem it. concluded TO sell 1t.
AS she left the shop she glanced at
me. ! fancied, to see If the sale had
been observed by any one she knew.
At all events, she showed no further
interest in me- As soon as she had
left the shop | stepped forward and
asked the proprietor if he had any IN
claimed antique jewelry for sale He
brought out among other articles, the
emerald brooch. ! bought il, but was
obliged to pay him double what 1t had
cost him. Why l bought it or what !
would do with it / did not know. Per
haps it was in obedience to the same
kind of impulse that had induced me
TO follow Senorita Garcia into the shop. |
Now and again ! happened to leave
my lodging house at the same time as
the young lady left her home, but did |
not follow her again into store till |
one day I saw her enter a building |
from which hung sign, Manuel Cor