New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-28

farmers?
eve have no drinking here, senorita. No
gambling. No disorderly houses. Not even
a bale. Nothing but work-puro tra6a5o.
Now and then workman would come up to
the Jefe, take off his hat and wait respectfully
until Villa would say:
What now, friend?'s
Excuse me, mi general, but shall we put
the tomatoes in the small boxes or IN the
large?"
"In the small Pack them not too closely
and put one box over the other with sticks
between, in piles Of six.
"Esta bien, mi general"
Every time in tn. two days that any one
came to Villa for ar order-and they came to
him about everythng-he answered them i'm
mediately, without a moments hesitation,
clearly, directly, finally, as though he drew all
his orders from some swift, infalible source.
And began to understand something of his
power over men, for how surely and how
gratefully even the strong among us respond
to complete decisiveness.
WE WENT into the church-now
w house. 1t was swept clean and piled high
with boxes, crates and sacks. There was
counter half way along the front And scales.
But high on the sidewalks still hung the saints.
And the altar, big and gilt was untouched,
but uncandled, at the rooms end.
We had hardly entered when old peon
appeared at the door, hat in hand. He came
on the material errand of getting kilo of
rice, but the surroundings were too much for
his habit-traned, devout old soul. He asked
for kilo of rice, and then, one eye on the
scale and one eye on the altar, he crossed him.
self Just then he saw the Jefe, and sud-
denly feeling his devotion to have been mis-
placed he put on his hat. Then, realizing
that was breach to his general, he took it off
as quickly. Then he put it on to take his rice
and turning, faced the altar again, and anx-
iously took it off.
"Pobre viejito' (poor little old mani,
smiled Villa, taking it all in. $50 good, but
so ignorant" Then he was serious. THAT is
the trouble with all Of US, senorita. We
good people, but we are so ignorant Where is
the man with the power to lift UP my race?"
He sighed Again that overwhelming sad
ness. | knew that he had once dreamed Of
being that man.
A T DINNER we had another guest, General
Nicolas Fernandez. He had ridden over
with his small from his particular part Of
the ranch at San Isidro the River Florido
eighteen leagues distant He was another Of
those silent, sad, sinewy men.
The talk was ranch talk. General Fernan-
dez was having difficulty over some water
right. 1t was question of politics, very diff
fcult
"Who is your deputy from over there"
asked the Jefe.
II don't know"
"Those are things you should know, my
friend. We must occupy ourselves with these
questions
The talk was of crops and cattle. Villa said
he wanted to go to Juarez TO buy "Ginado.'
He asked advice Of General Fernandez, of
Don Eduardo and, yes, of me. Again that in
credible eagerness to be instructed, to be told
to be advised! And that strained, drinking in
expression with which he listens, like an
anxious child standing beside the teacher.
General Fernandez thought the Jefe would
do better to go to Matamoras than to Juarez
anywhere And preferred Herefords Why
did prefer Herefords? Why were they better
for him than Holsteins? And what about Jer
in the United States?
The talk drifted to great ranchers. Did
know the American of the Cadena Pelayt
ranch, Don Jacobo? (Jacob Sweet.) That one
was "puro hombrc." "Hace diuinidades
cGballo"! GA real man. He does divine thing
on horseback There was Gringo to be ad
mired
And General Scott. Of all the Americana
he had ever known he liked best (here h.
turned with courteous gesture to Dol
Eduardo" putting aside for the moment you
friendship, amigo" he had liked best Gen
eral Scott-"un verdadero solda'o" "a tru
soldier).
A 7 THE tine of siesta the sonora and I sa
together in the cool of the bedroom-sala
Sh, was sewing on bit Of thin pink silk.
What are you making, senora?'
She looked at me uneasy-"atn toalito."
But of such fine material, doily?"
She blushed and murmured something
about it being for a friend. We talked 0
other things. The servant problem. Yer
difficult to get good help ranch. She ha