California -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Short stories, American; Western stories
There hangs upon the wall of his modest apartment in New York a narrow,
irregular photograph ingeniously framed, of himself standing side
by side with a young German girl, who, in the estimation of his
compatriots, is by no means stylish and only passably good-looking.
When he is joked by his friends about the post of honor given to this
production, and questioned as to the lady, he remains silent. The
Princess Alexandrine Elsbeth Marie Stephanie von Westphalen-Alstadt,
among her other royal qualities, knew whom to trust.
THE DEVOTION OF ENRIQUEZ
In another chronicle which dealt with the exploits of “Chu Chu,”
a Californian mustang, I gave some space to the accomplishments of
Enriquez Saltillo, who assisted me in training her, and who was also
brother to Consuelo Saitillo, the young lady to whom I had freely given
both the mustang and my youthful affections. I consider it a proof of
the superiority of masculine friendship that neither the subsequent
desertion of the mustang nor that of the young lady ever made the
slightest difference to Enriquez or me in our exalted amity. To a
wondering doubt as to what I ever could possibly have seen in his sister
to admire he joined a tolerant skepticism of the whole sex. This he was
wont to express in that marvelous combination of Spanish precision and
California slang for which he was justly famous. “As to thees women and
their little game,” he would say, “believe me, my friend, your old
Oncle 'Enry is not in it. No; he will ever take a back seat when lofe is
around. For why? Regard me here! If she is a horse, you shall say, 'She
will buck-jump,' 'She will ess-shy,' 'She will not arrive,' or 'She will
arrive too quick.' But if it is thees women, where are you? For when you
shall say, 'She will ess-shy,' look you, she will walk straight; or
she will remain tranquil when you think she buck-jump; or else she will
arrive and, look you, you will not. You shall get left. It is ever so.
My father and the brother of my father have both make court to my mother
when she was but a senorita. My father think she have lofe his brother
more. So he say to her: 'It is enofe; tranquillize yourself. I will go.
I will efface myself. Adios! Shake hands! Ta-ta! So long! See you
again in the fall.' And what make my mother? Regard me! She marry my
father--on the instant! Of thees women, believe me, Pancho, you shall
know nothing. Not even if they shall make you the son of your father or
his nephew.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account