144 OBSERVATIONS OF A RANCHWOMAN 



which is an imposition. ' La luna chiquita 

 oh, chiquitilla ! poco gallinas, mucho gallos ! 

 La luna gra-a-a-nde ' (spreading arms and 

 hands, and opening mouth cavernously), 

 * mucho gallinas, poco gallos !' 



The native woman has an inveterate 

 objection to learning English. She often 

 understands it, as can be proved somewhat 

 disagreeably on occasion ; but she will deny 

 such an accusation with her latest breath. 

 A shriek of * No sabe ! no sabe !' and a frantic 

 waving of hands, greets the mild but firm 

 insistence that she understands the language 

 of her country. Except for this peculiarity 

 and, of course, even to this there are excep- 

 tions she is in some ways the superior of 

 her better-half. Partaking to some degree 

 of the nature of the Indian squaw, once 

 caught and induced to work for an employer, 

 she plods on with far more of automatic 

 steadiness than does her masculine counter- 

 part. In truth, on her, in the home, falls the 

 burden and heat of the day. Given a little 

 more intelligence to counterbalance the stupid 

 greed which is one of the characteristics of 

 the Mexican, male and female, she has in 



