Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-11-11

such repellant confines. Death, the
Reaper, had gathered ample harvests at
San Felipe; his granary was full to over
flowing. Tie long, whitewashed facade
was topped by a cross above the great
portal OF the zaguan, inexplicably wide,
| since no carriage nor beast of burden
ever crosses the threshold. In the long,
narrow vestibule, or perch, a Chapel was
arranged, where night and day lamb
burned before pictured Holy Family,
and its flame threw uncanny reflections
upon a row Of cleaning ashes-white skull
ranged below. Passing through this
! species of atrium the young men sobered
by their surroundings, entered the city of
the dead. The graves lay thick as grass
blades, literally overlapping, and almost
without exception facing westward. No
shrubs, no flowers, or trees enlivened the
scene; only the debris of dried boquets
from the annual decoration of All Souls
| Day, which had fallen a fortnight pre-
vious, and here and there harsh, glaring
wreath of yellow and black immortelles.
Some of the monuments were stately and
| handsome, but the majority were fiat,
! low-lying stones curved with no particu-
lar skill or taste, and often with defective
photography. Some of the humber sorts
/
crudest, widest tones of blue or green,
picked out with weather furnished gid
| ing. A fair proportion of the monu-
ments bore the letters Sd. P.," which in
! dictated the right of the tenants to slum-
| Der there undisturbed in perpetuity, in
stead of suffering elimination like the
| less-favored, whose moldering bones, at
! the end of four or five years, would be
unearthed and thrown into the common
receptacle of the huesario.
So depressing was the place that the
| visitors, as with one accord, and an in
stinct of self-defense, lighted fresh
| cigarets, and pulled vigorously, until they
lated cloud of fragrant blue smoke
to mingle with the murky atmosphere.
They picked their way with what rev
erence of tread they might to section
of the northern wall, where the plaster
was crumbling away from the brown
adObes, while here and there in the
SCARED expanse were tablets bearing, be-
side name and date, the legend, "Slain
by the Savages," in mournful suggestion
of the days, not so long gone by, when
the Indians had been wont to swoOp in
fierce raids into the city's very streets.
Then Nunez, still acting as spokesman,
turned to Pope.
'Wilt thou come here at midnight and
drive a nail into this WALTZ"
II will do it," answered Pepe, ''but with
reluctance, as you know"
Then, after the inevitable chatter and
chatf, the crowd lOunged homeward.
It was perhaps 10 o'clock when they
reassembled at Pablo Nunez's office, deem
ing it indi5creet to start such undertak-
ing from the salon de billar, Or any more
10
and eerie, but neverless came CALAMITY
forward. At the last, Clemente Alande,
Hepe's bosom friend, tried to dissuade
him from the enterprise.
'"Tis rash and useless thing, hombre.
Give it up. If aught were to be gained
by the going, vaya! But to crafty the
Jealous malice of an envious soul like
Pablo, why shouldst thou risk thy life?
For at night the exhalations from the
graves are more than ever noxious, and
thou mayest get typhus or heaven knows
what from breathing them"
The plea was potent with Pope, who had
all the usual horror which Mexicans feel for
the air of night, never stirring abroad
after dusk without muffling his mouth
and nostrils in the folds of a siIken hand
kerchief, through which he breathed.
Butt cannot recede nOw," he said;
'cease to dissuade me, Clemente. It may
be that the example may be salutary.
Seeing that undertake, for the sake of
reason and courage, thing dislike and
fear, the boys may perhaps be impelled
to act with less absolute obedience to
their own preferences. We Mexicans of
the younger generation are a selfish lot.
Give me the hammer" he added, turning
back to the others, as he threw the point
of his cloak over his shoulder. This wrap
of Pepe's was one of his whims-an af-
lection, said the malicious. But it was not
that. The intense patratism of the young
fellow made him cling to the long Span
ish cape of his fOrefathers -surel the
most graceful garment man can wear
while his comrades disported themselves
in Overcoats or ulsters of the latest French
or English cut.
Throwing them over his shoulder one
long end of his capa, and tucking under
its dropping folds the hammer and the
big clumsy spike, Pope stepped away in
the darkness up the gloomy street be-
tween the low houses, whose dark for
bidding facades gave no promise of the
kindly hospitality to be found within.
'He is gone," said Clemepte Allande,
| reentering the house. II saw him turn
the corner of The Green Divil.' "
''You should not have watched him out
of sight," said one of the young men;
''that brings evil fortune"
Now, croak, you!'' snapped Clemento,
viciously, in the stress of his nervous
foreboding, and went out to stand alone
in the chilled patio, more and more de-
ploring Pepe's undertaking. And I
might have prevented it, if 1 had not
been a FOOL" ne muttered, what was
easier than to have sent hint to the
Jefatura, and the Project would have so
moved that the guard of the graveyard
would have missed his stolen key, and
watch would have been kept. Better that
Pepe should pay a multa, or even take a
turn in the lookup, rather than get dip
liberia or typhus in the miasmas among
the graves"
Then the others came outlaughing, and
dragged him in to the card-table, where
still he would not play, but sat glowering
at the game.
An hour went by, another half, two
hours, and Allande could bear it no long
er, but sprang to his feet with an oath of
disturbance.