Bridgeton pioneer., 1914-01-22
My
Reimbursement
1t Was Not the Kind
That Was Expected
BY F. A. mitchell

Mexico that put Huerta in the saddle
i was sent out by the house by which
/ had been employed for ten years
from the time l was sixteen till l was
twenty-six-to establish a branch of
the business at the capital of that
country.
For awhile l was so busy getting d
store, unpacking 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 atten-
( ton, but when all was running smooth
iy / 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 l 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
4 I lived dwelt family which, from
appearances, | judged belonged to the
latter class. Not long after came to
live near them l saw a piano moved
out, then handsome mahogany desk.
These were followed by other articles,
most of them of a very antique pat
tern, in such regular succession that
1T excited my curiosity. / asked the
lady with whom lodged about it and
7 she replied:
"Oh, the Garcias! They have recent
1y lost 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-
Bile their mines have not been worked.
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
ID claim descent"
The world may envy prosperous pen
sons during their prosperity, but IL
.sympathizes with them when their
prosperity passes away from them. /
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
I Of the tropics Her face was oval. her
complexion olive, with a tinge of red
In her cheeks, while she possessed the
liquid eyes, long lashes and wealth of
glossy hair of which l have spoken.
On several occasions when she had not
taken the precaution to draw her win
dow curtains l saw her standing be-
noticed that it swept the floor.
1 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 I
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 I was
not led by desire to pry into her
affairs, but by an interest in her. She
engaged the attention of the proprie-
tor while l kept in the background.
She produced a brooch with q hand.
some emerald setting and asked the
shopman If he would buy it or loan on
1t. He said he would do whichever
she preferred, offering to buy it for
much better price than he would loan
The senorita, remarking despondently
that she would never be able to re
deem it, concluded to sell it.
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 un-
claimed antique jewelry for sale. He
brought out, among other articles, the
emerald brooch. l bought it, but was
obliged to pay him double what it had
cost him. Why | bought it or what
would do with it l did not know. Per
haps 1t was in obedience to the same
kind of impulse that had induced Ine