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Show I ipsa few Of1 mS ! fti I ; "Whnt Is thcro of Interest at Aguas Cnllcntt-s?" the Capitalist asked languidly, lan-guidly, as tho train sped through a country of mesnulte and desolation. Tho Olrl shot a glance nt tho Strenuous Stren-uous Tourist. "There's the smelter at Aguas the largest lead and copper smelter In Mexico and thers ar tho famous hot springs. And then there's tho drawn work mado on linen. Aguas Is the renter of this industry. Tho nuns of Spain first brought over tho art and taught It in their con-vonts con-vonts nnd it's now a part of tho curriculum cur-riculum In the national schools. Tho small Mcxlcnn girls learn to mako drawn work Just as surely as they learn that north of the Rio Grande lies Los Estndos Unldos. Drawn work Is made everywhere, but Aguas Ib tho center of tho Industry and tho best is mado there, so tho Mother and I aro going to hnvo a perfect orglo of shopping. shop-ping. We want to buy all sorts of lovely lacoy things and then besides wo aro anxious to try tho baths such lovoly baths of tepid wator." "Are you qulto sure there is a smolter?" tho Strenuous ono asked. Ho had novcr beforo found tho Girl so nimbly handing out information, and It roused somo suspicion in his mind. "AbU tho conductor," tho Girl replied. re-plied. And sure enough, that official declared that he could show them tho chimneys and smoke of tho smelter as tho train approached Aguas from tho north. It was evening when they alighted at tho Hotel Washington, so named as a delicate bait for tho patriotism of tho Great American Tourist.' To enter tho Washington at night Is Uko stopping Into a small cornor of paradise. Around tho outer patio Is a corridor whoso white columns are half drowned In tho purple luxury of tho Mexican clemntls. Tho patio itself it-self Is carpeted with vivid grass, with here and there a splash of goranlums that aro Uko heaps of rubles thrown on green velvet. Statues gleam pale In the light of an arc lamp hung high In the center ns a substitute for a sometime unobliging moon and above Is a glimpse of dusky sky set with tho brilliant stars of tho south. It's like a gllmpso of Fnlryland. However, if one goes to bed In Fairyland tho breakfast next morning Is warranted to bring ono back to earth with a sudden Jolt. Tho coffee that Is served at tho Washington is guaranteod to speedily kill any germs of poetry that may havo grown over Wbt After that rr.eal tbo Girl bore down on tho Capitalist Just in time to prevent pre-vent him from buying an infant's cap mado of lace wheels. Sbo also freed tho Strenuous Tourist from tho clutches of nn ancient woman who was' beguiling him Into tho purchase of tray cloth. The Girl shouted: "Fuora fuera I" and the vendors smiled, and molted into tho shadows of the corridor, not at all angry at being separated from their prey. "Now, lot us go to tho smelter and thon to tho hot baths," tho Tourist said, after his rescue. "No, wo must look at drawn work and buy some first," tho G'rl said, as they filed out Into tho hot sunlight and turned toward tho main plnza. Hero they found Bhops whero tho Mother and tho Girl bought tho two lunch cloths shown in tho illustrations. illustra-tions. Then piloted them up a quiet sldo street to tho houso of a woman who took apprentices in tho nrt of drawn work nnd tho making of lace wheels and who nlso had a school in summer for infant learners. Tho Sonora horself answered their knock on her heavy outer door that pponcd on a gloomy stono paved pa'lo. Eho led tho way to a largo, baro room at tho front of the houso, with three barred windows, giving on tho street. Hero In tho cool glow of tho whitowashod chamber wero gathored the rogulnr workers In drawn work, nnd tho small girls who camo theo for summer Instruction in tho nrt of pulling and weaving threads in fanciful fanci-ful r"""""' In tho mlddlo of tho room, seated about a Ir-rgo frnmo, like an ol-Jjfmhlol id qull' framo on legs, nt halt a diuci upprr iMces, all work 1. 1; on n larp' cloth stretched taut. In a nuall low thnlr near b; sat tiny PMMK Manticla, her clumsy little fingers drawing threads irom a coarso bit of cotton. Sho was tho least scholar and was Just learning to pull threads and to hem stitch tho very first stage of tho art. Close to her wero Paz nnd Guadclupa, both Betting round laco wheels Into tho center of a lunch cloth with many flno stitches. Juana, with a strong Indian profile and tho hands and feet of a lost princess, was tho most proficient of tho older girls. Sho was engaged In making tho "redas" or laco wheels that set together to-gether with various stitches, mako tho most beautiful specimens of tho Mexican Mex-ican handicraft. Sho worked jo rap-Idiy rap-Idiy that her hand was like a brown bird hovering over her work. Sho held In her left hnnd a llttlo circlet of tin about tho slzo of a napkin ring. About tho upper edge of this ring wns a series of points turned outward like hooks. Over these sho looped thread until sho had mado a wheel with Bpokcs radiating from tho center to every ono of tho hooks. Then In and out, over nnd under, theso spokes of thread she 'wove with her needle a design of vino leaves. Sho finished tho whool by putting a doublo rim near the outer edge to hold tho spokes together, Just as an Iron tire holds a wagon wheel together. This done Bhe slippod tho loops of thread from off the hooks and In her dusky hand lay a whoel of laco that looked as If it might have fallen from tho chariot of a frost fairy. Around the big pleco of llnon in tho center o! tho room each girl worked on a certain bit of territory that was her own from tho tlmo the design was begun until it was completed. com-pleted. Each had cut and pullod threads and was now busy weaving with flno thread tho "cross and crown" design, ono of tho most intricate of tho patterns brought so long ago from Spain. At Intervals tho Senorn passed around tho room, scrutinizing each bit of llnon or laco wheel, Just as a mnstor-pnlntcr goes about amongst his pupils. And It Is tho samo with theso 'workers In thread as among artists. Somo there aro, who havo heavy fingers and lnck of tasto who nover got boyond mediocrity In their work. Thoy enn nover bo employed em-ployed on tho delicate cobwebby hand-korchlofs hand-korchlofs nor can they sot togothcr tho wheels Into collars, dollies or other pieces that roqulro a delicate touch. Theso workers In thread havo need, too, of tho keenest eyesight nnd after forty fow womon can weavo to gether tho moro delicate threads. Many tales aro told of women who have gone blind whllo working over somo exquisitely flno bit, sacrificing their sight for a few dollars, but these aro mostly tho fables of tourists who sco tho ravages of opthalmla and mistake mis-take them for tho results of tho flno needlework. They wero bumping nlong the streets to their trnln when the Mother looked townrd tho Girl. "You'vo got an awfully dirty faco," sho said. Tho Capitalist was but Jjst preparing to throw Into tho night somo malformed laco wheels that he had bought In tho last hour from a decrepit de-crepit billiard marker, whllo tho Tourist was pondering on tho malign destiny that had caused him to bu soventecn womon's handkerchief? from an aged cargador, but both looked acrosB at tho Girl. Her faco was undeniably smudged. "Your bath was not a sue " tho Capitalist began. be-gan. Tho Girl gavo him a wild look. "We forgot tho baths!" sho cried. "And tho water that comes up through tho golden sand like warm champagne do you mean to say you forgot all that?" the Capitalist Jeered. The Girl could only exchange a shame-faced smllo with tho Mother, whllo the Capitalist took the opportunity, oppor-tunity, undetected, to hurl far into the blacknoss of night his bundle of deformed de-formed laco wheels, while the Strenuous Stren-uous Tourist breathed a sigh of relief as he burled, unseen, seventeen women's handkerchiefs in his suit case. |