Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 80, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 April 1910 — AH ARISTOCRATIC BEGGAR. [ARTICLE]

AH ARISTOCRATIC BEGGAR.

Even a beggar may have pride—at least in Mexico. At a railroad station in that country, says W. E. Carson in his book, "Mexico,” he noticed, standing a little removed from the motley throng of mendicants, a melancholylooking Mexican, wearing a rather battered brown felt sombrero, his limbs encased in skin-tight trousers of thin gray cloth, adorned with numerous patches. Over his shoulders was a bright red blanket. He was strumming away at an old-fashioned mandolin and singing some mournful Spanish song.

Catching sight of me, he stopped playing and lifted his sombrero. I went out on the car platform and handed him 5 cents. To my astonishment, he politely declined my humble ottering. "Senor,” said he, in choice Spanish, with some emotion, “you must pardon me for being unable to accept your gift, but I am a 10-cent beggar, senor, and never, never accept a smaller gratuity.” Drawing himself up with an air of pride, he continued, “I shall be honored to sing for your entertainment a song of old Spain or one of our noble Mexican airs, but always for a fee of TO cents, never for less, for I am a 10-cent beggar, senor, poor as I am.” It was impossible to resist this touching protest, so with an apology I handed the courtly vagrant his prop»r fee, which he acknowledged with “a thousand thanks” and a graceful bow. At the other end of the car the mob of beggars were scrambling for copper coins thrown to them by my fellow passengers. The melancholy minstrel glanced at them, shrugged his shoulders, and waved his hand deprccatlngly. “Ah, senor,” he observed, “those poor people! l They have to work hard to earn their bread; good folk, worthy lolk. well deserving of your charity;

but they give you a very bad impression of Mexico. Pray, senor, do not class them with poor musicians like myself." With these words he commenced twanging his discordant instrument again, and once more burst into a song so dismal that it seemed to make the gloomy weather even more depressing.