The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-10-02
IIlliAn I.1ll.R0Nttv.

"a low IOuS lIOll Glo Ol0 ulHSlOn
church Of San Gabriel, in hut made
of bundles Of the tule reeds lashed to
sycamore poles, as the San Gabriel In
dians made them hundred years ago,
live two old Indian women, Laura and
Benjamina. Laura is 1O2 years old,
Benjalnina 1T. The record Of their bap-
tisms is still to be seen III the church
books; 80 there can be no dispute as to
their age. 1t seems not at all incredible,
however. If had been told that Benz
jamina was a three thousand year
old Nile mummy resuscitated by some
mysterious process, l should not have
demurred much at the tale. The first
time saw them the two were crouch
ing over a fire Oh the ground under q
sort Of booth porch in front of taeir
hoyel. Laura was making feint of
grinding acorn meal in stone bowl;
Benjamna was raking the ashes with
her claW-like old finger, for hot Goals to
start the fire afresh; her skin was like
all elephants, shriveled, black, hanging
in folds and. welts on her mock and
breast and bony arms; it was not like
anything human; her shrunken eyes,
bright az beads, peered out from under
thickets Of coarse grizzled gray hair.
Laura wore white cloth band around
her head, tied Oh with a strip of scarlet
flannel; above that, a tattered black
shawl, which gave her the look Of an
aged imp. Old baskets, old pots, old
pans, old stone mort;trs and pestles,
broken tiles and bricks, rags, straw,
boxes, legless chairs-in short, ali con-
ceivable rubbish-were streWn about
or piled upon the place, making tho
weirdest of backgrounds for tho aged
crOnes' figures. Inside the hut were two
bcdsteads and a few boxes, baskets and
nets; and drying grapes and peppers
hung OH the wall. A few feet away was
another hut, only trifle better than
this; four generations were living in
the two. Benjamina's stepdaughter,
aged eighteen, was fine creature.
With a white band straight around
her forehead close to the eyebrows and
d gay plaid handkerchief thrown on
above it falling squarely each side of
hor face, she looked like ;ln old }cdouin
shcik.
"Our Mexican friend remembered
Laura as she was fifty years ago. She
was then, even at flfty-two, celebrated
as one of the swiftesU runners and
best ballplayers in all San Gabriel
games. She was Il singer, too, in the
choir. CoaXlng her up on her feet, pat
ting her shoulders, entreating and cares
sing her as one would Il child, he sue
ceeded in persuadmg her to chant for
us the Lords Prayer and part of the
Iitanies. as she had been won't to do it
| in the old days. II was Il grotcsque and
incredible sight. The more she stirred
and sang and lifted her arms, the less
| alive she looked. We asked the step
daughter if they were happy and wished
to live. Laughing, she repeated the
question to them. oh, yes, we wish to
live forever they replied. They we're
greatly terrified the daughter said, when
| the railway cara first ran through San
| Gabriel. They thought it was the devil
bringing fire to burn up tho world.
Their chief solace il tobacco. TO beg
it, Benjamina will creep about in the
village by the hour, bent double over
her staff, tottering at every stop. They
sit for the most part silent, m0tionless,
on the ground; their knees drawn up,
their hands clasped over. them, their
| heads sunk on their breast. In my
drives in the San Gabriel valley often
saw them sitting thus, as if they were
dead. The sight had an indescribable
fascination. 1t seemed that TO be able
TO penetrate into tho recesses Of their
thoughts would he to lay hold upon
secrets as old as tho earth."