Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-10-02
CHAPTER XII.

hdu not DStH lultIIucu lOI lHe Use o
Mechanism fact, its rates were praC
tically prOhibitive for anyone not be
ing paid in gold-but, since most o
the Americans had left, and seven dol
: lars a day Mex was no deterrent to the
rich refugee land owners, it became
Of a sudden international, with a fine
mixture Of purse-proud Spaniards anC
race-proud American adventures.
Not a very pleasing combination for
the parents of romantic damsels des
tined for some prearranged marriage
of state, but very exciting for the dam.
sells and most provocative to the Amer,
leans.
After the promenade In the plaza
the mothers by common consent pre-
empted the upstairs reception-room,
gathering their precious charges in
close; while the Americans, after their
custom, foregathered in the lobby,
convenient to the bar. Hot argu,
ments about the revolution, and pre-,
dictions of events to come served to
pass the early evening, with many
scornful glances at the Mexican dan,
dies who went SO insolently UP the
stairs, And then, as the refugees re-
tired to their apartments and the spirit
Of adventure rose uppermOst, Phil De
Lancey made a dash out into the
darkness and came back with a Mexi,
a string band.
"A s%erenade, boys!' he announced,
IS the musicians filed sheepishly into
the hotel. Our guests, the fair seno.
ritas, you know! Well make those
young Mexican dudes look like two
spots before the war is over. Who's
game now for a song beneath the win
dows? You know the old stand.bys-
La Paloma' and "Teresita Mia'-and
you want to listen to me sing Me Gus
tan Todas' to Gracia, the fairest Of the
Come on fellows, out In the
plaza, and then listen to the old folks
They adjourned then, after q drink
for courage, to the moonlight and the
and there, beneath the shut.
tered windows and vacant balconies,
the guitars and violins took up La
Paloma," while Phil and a few brave
spirits sang.
A silence followed their first att
as we'll as their second and
third, and the comisario of police, a
mild creature owned and paid by the
company, came around and made a
few Intellectual protests.
But inside the company's conces-
where by common consen the
rurales kept their hands of,
he Americans knew they were safe,
Ind they soon jollied the comisario
INTO taking a drink and departing.
Then De Lancey took up the burden,
md the string band. hired by the hour,
'trummed on as If for eternity.
One by one the windows opened;
'retful fathers stepped out on the bal
'ony and, bound by the custom and
convention of the country. thanked
hem and babe them good night. But
he two windows behind which the
senior Aragon and his family reposed
lid not open and, though the dwin-
Hing band stood directly under their
balcony, and all knew that his daugh-
.er was the fairest of the fair, Don
did not wish them good night.
Perhaps he recognized the leading
enor-and the big voice of Bud
Hooker, trying to still the %riot-but,
1t was, he would not speak
o them, and De Lancey would not
luit.
Try EN- on American music!" he
'ried, as everyone but Bud went away
n disgust, the latest rag from Broad
va-ay, New York. Here, gimme that
hombre. and listen to this
low!"
He picked out a clever bit of syn-
'opation and pitched his voice to o
ready twang:
Down in the garden where the red roses
grow,
oh my. | long to go!
Pluck me like a flower. cuddle me an hour,
LOWE let me learn the Red Rose Ra-ag!"
There was some swing to that. and
t seemed to make IN impression, for
ust as he was well started on the
horus the Stats of one of the shut
es parted and a patch of white shone
through the spaces. 1t was the ladies',
hen. who were getting interested!
Phil walled on:
'Swee-eet honey bee. be sweet to mo,
My heart Is free. but here's the key!'
And then, positively, he could see
hat patch of white beat time. He
ook heart of grace at that and sang
N to the end, and at a suggestion OF
tapping in dumb-show he gave an en-
ore and ragged it over again.
"'Ey'rybody's dom 1t, dom it, doin'
he began, as the shadow dance
Honey, declare, it's a bear, it's a
year, it's a bear!'" he continued
emptingly, and was well on his way
o further extravagancies when the
lgure in white swiftly vanished and a
ioor slammed hard inside the house. !
several minutes later the form Of
Don Juan appeared at the lower door.
In no uncertain tones he requested
hem to cease.
The Senior Aragon informs me-" h.
said, that your music annovs him .