Year: 1878

A traveller in Mexico writes as fol.
lows In their love-making Mexicans
are equally innocent of any suspicion
of the impropricty ofpublic dcmonstra.
tions. You see couples walking through
the crowded plaza with their arms
about each others necks, totally oblivi.
Gus of their surroundings Except
among foreigners such exhibitions ex-
cite no comment. Driving along the
Guadalupe road one afternoon we came
upon strapping fellow seated by the
roadside, with young girl lying be-
side him, her head resting in his lap.
As we passed she turned her face up
to his, reached upward, and, with a
shapely hand, patted the impassive
brute on his latern; n;jaw--he all the time
gazing stoidly at the passing carriage.
T" You dog roared the exasperated
Colonel. But the dog maintained his
equanimity all the same. At another
time, while riding out to the iron baths
on street car we encountered young
couple bedecked in gay holiday ribbons
and clean clothes, walking down the
broad roadway with theirarms lovingly
clasped about each others necks. She
was young and quite handsome, and
he was young and carried in his un-
occupied hand q pitcherofpulque, stray
drops of which were sprinkled along
the road. Evidently a couple Of lovers
returning from a pilgrimage to the
shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
slightly the worse for their potations.
Their arms were twined about each
others necks for mutual support as
well as to demonstrate their affection.
They walked pretty steadily, however,
though with that obliviousness of de.
meanor which we see in more civilized
drunkards when they try to play it on
the people, and think they are succeed
ing. We watched our two lovers from
the rear Of the car, and saw their steps
grow unsteady until they finally began
to totter and wave. After drinking a
half dozen glasses Of the eflervescent
water, fresh from the bubbling spring,
we took another street car for the city.
We had forgotten all about our two
lovers until we came upon them again,
lying prone upon tho ground by the
roadside.


i may as well state once more, how
ever, that helpless drunkenness is an
uncommon sight in Mexico, notwith-
standing the oceans ofpulque consumed
every day. Once | saw a halfnaked
Indian lying on his face in the street
in front of the plaza, dead drunk. The
coachmen considerably drove around
him, the herds Of panniered asses step
ped tenderly to one side, and no seemed
TO think the sight worthy of comment.
Onanothero occasion an old gray-headed
woman, bare-armed and baro-legged,
with u petticoat of blue stuff about her
body, tottered on the sidewalk in front
OF me, gave lurch, and pitched head
long into the street. She had few
little tIinkets wrapped up in handker-
chief, which were scattered in the fall.
Rising upon her knees, she began
cropping blindly about to recover them.
| have never seen more pathetic
sight, or one that left a deeper impress
sion, unless it was that OF poor fellow
whom | saw the morning after my ar
rival. He was thin OF limb and face,
and seemed less intelligent than the
average "greaser. His entire ward
robe consisted of what looked like q
piece Of worn-out rag carpet tied
around his trunk, and reinforced at the
hips with a bit of old leather tied on
with strings. Hat, shirt, coat, panta-
looms and shoes he had none. He had
little bundle of sticks, scarcely more
than you could grasp in one hand, tied
up with a cord, and was kneeling on
the pavement TO readjnst the fastenings
He looked so utterly and hopelessly
misera be-he was so shamefully and
squalidly poor--it made me sick at
heart. The poor fellow submitted
stolidly TO critical inspection, and
seemed stricken dumb when | gave him
a quarter. By and by he recovered
his tongue, and began an eloquent in
vocation of all the saints in my behalf,
which lasted until | got out of earshot,
and may be running yet for aught /
know.