The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-08-14
Rosa Puente
A Storyof an American
In Mexico
By F. A. mitchell

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 it 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 hin than sheep raising.
and he decided to spend some time on
q coffee plantation studying the cul-
ture of the bean. Every morning he
mounted a horse. dOnning Mexican
riding costume. which consists Of tight
trousers with a row of buttons rum
ming the full length Of the leg. a short
coat and a %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 a
road lined with tropical verdure. The
shOne brightly and would have
shone hot had not it's rays been EN-
percd by the high altitude Of the Mex
feet above the sea. The country COM
hincd the beauties Of the tropics with
the exhiIarating 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 snow
forming her winding sheet.
Before Malcolm Burch tripped a IT.
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 OF her
arm. '.-r >e,~
"If anything were needed" said the
American to himself. "to complete this
delicious landscape 1t would be the lit
tie figure sparkling in the rays Of the
sun"
When he reached the girl she turned
and cast a glance at him. She was
neither Spanish nor Indian. but a mix
ture of the two races. Her Spanish n
cestors must have m dwelt under the
Pyrenees, where the climate is mild
and many Of the people are fair. for her
hair had a gold tinge in it. and her
eyes, If not blue, were certainly not
black. She was apparently about six
teen years old.
Burch had picked up a few words Of
Spanish for ordinary use. but not
enough to carry On a conversation. But
a man does not need words to express
admiration. Indeed. the word beside
the look would seem very tame. Burch
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
up behind me and carry you whitherso-
ever you are going" = -..- .
The girl hesitated. hen advanced, did
as he indicated. and he swung her up
behind him On the horses back. To
keep her position she must put her
arms about his waist, and whenever
his hand touched hers there came 4 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 a
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 adhering to the musical
language which was the only one she
knew. She looked and acted unsophis-
ticated, but when they approached a
clump Of adobe houses she slid down
on the ground. knowing full we'll that
she must not appear in company with
a man. Had she been of the upper
class she could not have been more
particular in this respect. that class in
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 OF a 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 partly
to observe where she went. She stop
ped at an adobe house with a matched
roof in the center of a small yard in
which chickens and vegetables and
flowers grew Unfortunately.
The knowledge that Rosa Puente
was not one Of the higher class Mexi-
cans. while it brought a shadow OF
disappointment. did not deter Birch
from following up an affair which be
should have dropped at once. When
he went to sleep that night he passed
from consciousness to slumber with a
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
= 1~v ~ {n kfS, srv.,s 81, Ar. 4HEA#-i