Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-11-11

weary humanity willing to cling to life
rather than face the destiny of lying in
such repelart confines. Death, the
Reaper, had gathered ample harvests nj
San Felipe his g anary was full to over
flowing. TIE long, whit0washed facade
was topped by 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 Chapel was
arranged, where night and day lamb
burned before q 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 enIivened the
scene; only the debris of dried boquets
from the annual decoration of All Souls
Day, which had fallen 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
were built of masonry, and painted in
crudest, widest tones of blue or green,
picked out with weather-tarnished gid
ing A fair proportion of the monu-
ments bore the letters ID. p, which in
I 1icated the right Of the tenants to slum-
( Der there undisturbed in perpetuity, in
stead of suffering elimination like the
! less-fayored, whose moldering bones, az
/ the end of four or five years, would be
unearthed and thrown into the common
rece ptacle 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
crt lated a cloud of fragrant blGe 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
fierce raids into the citys very streets.
Then Nunez, still acting as spokesman,
turned to Pope.
"Nilt thou come here at midnight and
drive a nail into this wall :n
~ will do it," answered Pope, "but with
reluctance, as you know
Then, after the inevitable chatter and
2haff, the crowd lounged homeward.
"a al. 4
reassembled at Pablo Nunez's Office, deem
ing it indiscreet to start such undertak-
ing from the salon dc billar or any more
public point. Pepe looked little pale
and eerie, but neyerless came gallanty
forward. At the last, Clemente Allande,
Hopes bosom friend, tried to dissuade
him from the enterprise
Otis rash and useless thing, hombre.
Give it up. If aught were 10 be gained
by the going, vaya! But to crafty the
jealous malice of an envious soul like
Pablo, why shouldst thOu risk thy life?
Fer at night the eXhalations from the
graves are more than ever noxious, and
thou riayest 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 muflling his mouth
and nostrils in the folds of a silken hand
kerchief through which he breathed.
Butt cannot recede now he said;
cease to dissuade me, Clemente. # may
be that the example may be salutGry.
Seeing that | undertake, for the sake of
reason and courage, thing dislike and
fear, the boys may perhaps be- impelled
to- actw with less absolute obedience to
their own preferences. We Mexicans of
the younger generation are 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 whimsan af-
lection, said the malicious But il was not
I that. The intense patratism of the young
/ fellow made him cling to the long Span
/ ish cape of his forefather5 surel the
most graceful garment man can wear
while his comrades disported themselves
1 in overcoats or listers OF the latest French
or English cut
/ Throwing them over his shoulder one
long end of his capa, and tueking 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 70 be found within.
He is gone" said Clemepte Allande,
reeutering 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, your snapped CIemento,
yiciously, in the stress of his nervous
forcbodiuE, and went out TO stand alone
in the chilled patio, more and more de
ploriug Pepe's undertaking. And
might have prevented it, if l had not
been "a fool lac muttered what was
easier than to have sent a hint to the
Jefatura and the Protect would have so
moved that the guard of the graveyard
would have missed his stolen key, and
watch would have been kept. Better that
Pope should pay multa, or even take q
turn in the lookup, rather than got dip
theria or typhus in the miasmas among
the gravesr
Then the Others came outlaughing and
dragged him In to the card table, where
-till he would not play hut sat g-ipweriul,