Mexican Border Ballads and Other Lore Page: 36
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MEXICAN BORDER BALLADS
"Yes? What do you want, mi viejo ?"
"Take the last of our corn and make tamales. I will sell
them for a profit and buy more food."
"There might be enough corn for a few tamales, if I grind
up the weevils too; but what will you use for meat--chicken,
pork, or cabrito? You might as well take your choice, because
we have none of these in the house and no way to buy any."
"Be quiet, mujer! If you can't find anything in the house,
go outside and look. We can't let a good idea go to waste
just because we have no materials."
"Look for what, husband?"
In desperation Jos6 replied, "For cow-chips, if nothing
else."
So the obedient wife did as her husband commanded.
Jose took the tamales and set out for the city. On the third
day he arrived early in the morning and went directly to
the market place, where he prepared for business by heating
two stones and placing them in his jar of tamales. It was
not long until he discovered that his wife had taken his
desperate suggestion seriously.
"Well," he thought, "they say anything can be sold here.
Anyone who knows what he is buying cannot complain."
So he began to cry his tamales: "Tamales! Tamales of
cow-chips, of the purest and finest cow-chips! Tamales muy
raros y finos! Never before offered for sale !"
People gathered around the vendor of the strange tamales,
expecting him to change his cry after attracting a crowd.
On all sides they asked what his tamales were really made
of, but he always replied truthfully, "Of cow-chips, the
purest and finest!" Finally one old woman could resist her
curiosity no longer.
"How much are they ?"
"Ten centavos each."
"Too high! Much too high!"
"No, sefiora, not for such a rarity as this !"
"That may be so. Wrap me up one."
The curious old woman hurried home with her tamale. The
vendor had not misrepresented his ware! Off she rushed to36
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Mexican Border Ballads and Other Lore (Book)
Collection of popular folklore from Mexico and Texas, including ballads, personal anecdotes, folktales of the Alabama-Coushatta Indians and other miscellaneous legends. The index begins on page 141.
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Boatright, Mody C. Mexican Border Ballads and Other Lore, book, 1946; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc67652/m1/44/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.