18 THE DESERT AND THE ROSE 



house and still have leisure for "social advantages." 

 All the better for her if she is not besieged by pre- 

 dilections other than social. She has her buggy or 

 even motorcar, and as compared with her prototype 

 in the east she should not be overworked. A Mex- 

 ican woman for the washing and heaviest drudgery 

 is not a rare visitant in the ranch home. As for 

 the children — the eastern mother soon learns a 

 salutary lesson. The independence of the wee New 

 Mexican-born tots is in marked contrast with the 

 helplessness of the nurse-or-mother-herded flock 

 further east or west. Take a New Mexican child 

 by the hand and lead him or her round ? Not on your 

 life ! Either sex is amply able to proceed without ac- 

 cident to school or elsewhere along country roads 

 or automobile infested streets. Tiny mites below 

 school age may often be seen "out on their own." 

 So it goes with the children. One may be driving, 

 and behold rushing upon buggy or car comes an 

 apparently runaway steed, riderless at that. Not 

 at all. As the wild animal approaches a little boy, 

 or possibly two such midgets, comes into view on its 

 back, urging or controlling at his own good pleas- 

 ure. Exceptions to the rule of juvenile indepen- 

 dence there are, of course, but they are exceptions. 

 And yet for the Tenderfoot there must always be 

 a first day, a nightmare of a day, when the conten- 

 tion with novel conditions begins. Recollections 

 of certain forlorn hours, when too disheartened to 

 appreciate the uniqueness, the artistic values, of 

 mv environment I inwardly lay down and died, en- 

 able me to sympathize with the fledgling Tender- 



