Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-08-18
Rosa Puente
A Story Of an American
In Mexico

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Malcolm Burch. having inherited
enough money to enable him to set
himself up In some sort Of business
and not fancying mercantile pursuits,
cast about for an out Of door method
Of investment. He visited the west,
looked over the sheep growing indus
try and concluded that under the con-
ditions 1t was not inviting. Going
down to Galveston. he sailed for Vera
Cruz, Mexico. and thence he went by
rail up to the capital.
Coffee raising appeared much more
attractive to him than sheep raising.
and he decided to spend some time on
a coffee plantation studying the cul-
ture Of the bean. Every morning he
mounted a horse, DOMINIC Mexican
riding costume, which consists OF tight
trousers with a row Of buttons run
ming the full length Of the leg. short
coat and q profusely decorated sugar
loaf sombrero. In this attire Mr..
Burch looked very handsome and, be-
Ing a young man in the twenties. was
especially fitted to capture the hearts
of Mexican maidens.
One morning he was riding along q
road lined with tropical verdure. The
sun shone brightly and would have
shone hot had not its rays been tenn
pered by the high altitude OF the Mex,
lean plateau, which is more than 1000
feet above the sea. The country com
bined the beauties Of the tropics with
the exhilarating air Of the mountains
Indeed, there were peaks all about
him. while In the distance an elongat
ed mountain presented the form OF a
woman resting on her bier. the sno"
forming her winding sheet.
Before Malcolm Burch tripped 1T
tie Mexican girl. Her jacket. covered
with spangles, reached barely to her
waist. Her skirt. bedecked In like
manner, fell not far below the knee
Not needing her robosa "a garment
Mexican women wear over their heads
and shoulders-she carried 1t on he'
arm.
"If anything were needed" said the
American to himself, Ito complete this
delicious landscape 1t would be the lit
tie figure sparkling In the rays OF the
SUM-"
When he reached the girl she turned
and cast a glance at him. She was
neither Spanish nor Indian. but mix
ture of the two races Her Spanish an
cestors must have once dwelt under the
Pyrenees, where the climate is mild
and many Of the people are fair, for hel
hair had a gold tinge in It, and hel
eyes, If not blue, were certainly not
black. She was apparently about six
teen years old.
Burch had picked up few words OF
Spanish for ordinary use. but not
enough to carry on conversation. But
man does not need words to express
admiration. Indeed. the word beside
the look would seem very tame. Burct
knew the words to express where are
YOU going?" but did not understand the
reply. He put out his hand and his
foot resting in the stirrup, meaning. III
you will give me your hand and put
your little foot on mine will lift you
nm behind me and carry you whitherso
ever you are going"
The girl hesitated, then advanced, die
as he indicated, and he swung her W
behind him on the horses back. Tc
keep her position she must put bel
arms about his waist, and whenever
bis hand touched hers there came tin
gle that ran by leaps and jumps to his
heart. He asked her her name, and she
said 1t was Rosa Puente with such q
musical voice that, pretty as 1t was
the name sounded much prettier.
They rode along. he mixing English
and Spanish. three parts English to one
of Spanish. she adheriDg to the musica
language which was the only one she
knew. She looked and acted unsophis
ticated, but when they approached {
| clump Of adobe houses she slid down
on the ground. knowing full well thai
she must not appear In company witt
man. Had she been Of the upper
class she could not have been more
particular in this respect, that class II
which girls are not permitted to con
verse with members Of the opposite
sex except through a barred window
or the man standing In the street while
the girl stands on balcony above him
Malcolm Burch said "Buena bye
mixing his languages as usual, and the
girl replied In the vernacular. He
| forced his horse to walk very slowly
| In order that he might keep her ahead
of him. partly that he might feast his
eyes on her graceful figure and partl,
| to observe where she went She stop
ped at an adobe house with matched
roof in the center of small yard IL
which chickens and vegetables and
flowers grew Unfortunately.
! The knowledge that Rosa Puente
was not one of the higher class Mexi
cans, while 1t brought shadow OF
disappointment. did not deter Burct
from following up an affair which he
should have dropped at once. When
he went to sleep that night he passed
from consciousness to slumber with O
tumble Of Rosa Puente and other
varieties of roses, adobe houses, chick
ems and such articles running and
| jumping before him, and during the
night he dreamed that he was trying
to catch Rosa Puente and the chickens
were always In his way.
What use to lay down the devices
practiced by these two to meet with
out their meetings being known to TN
girls relatives and friends? The Span
ish custom Of putting young womel
behind bars Is not conducive to keep
ing them from men when they are, 81
to speak, "Out Of jail" Rosa was fa
more adept in arranging meetings will
Rurch than an American girl Of he,
age would be, While she possessed
the native innocence Of youth, she hat
for several years been given to under
stand that she was not trusted, and 4
Is not easy for such persons to con
slider themselves on their honor. 81
this as it may, Burch met Rosa fire.