The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-06-29
PEPITO'S BONANZA.

In the northern part of Mexico are rugged
mountain ranges, through which run many
seams of silver. Some Of these silver veins
are very rich in the precious metal, and
they were extensively worked in former
days by the Aztecs, and perhaps by those
who inhabited the country before the
Aztecs; but the mines have been disused for
many years, chiefly because the warlike
Apaches at the north would not permit the
work to continue.
The old mines still exist, however, with
remains Of the old works, and number Of
Indians, half breeds and Mexicans gain q
scanty living by working In them and sell
ing such amounts of silver as they can dig
out with their rude tools. Poor and igno-
rant as these people are, they have an ambi-
tion Of their own and are continually ami
mated by the hope that one day they may
strike great lump of silver ore or rich
vein, such as would produce fortune TO
one Of them. A piece of good luck Of this
kind Is called bonanza, and these wretched
miners, in spite of their poverty and afflic-
tions, are spurred forward and kept at work
by the hope Of bonanza
They are very superstitious, as ignorant
people always are and many strange and
wild tales are current among them concern
ing the old mines, which are supposed to
be inhabited by demons and the spirits Of
those who once owned and worked them,
who conceal and guard the richest veins in
the mountains, preventing others from dis
covering or using them.
Near one Of these mines lived Manuel
Murieto with his wife zaponeta and his son
Pepito. Their habitation was a miserable
hovel, and their food was of the coarsest
and often very scanty, and there was little
to make life desirable to them. Zaponeta
used to try and persuade her husband to
leave that place and try his luck elsewhere,
but Manuel stuck to the old mine, believ-
ing that he would yet find fortune there
He was encouraged in this belief by ira
dition to the effect that a very rich vein Of
silver was hidden in the mine, and by the
prophecy that the lost vein would again bo
discovered by boy who was pure Of heart
and free from sin.
Manuel knew, and so did Eaponeta, that
If there ever lived q boy who was pure Of
heart and free from sin, such boy was
their son Pepito. He was beautiful boy,
and his appearance was almost unearthly,
owing to the paleness Of his features, his
large eyes and his serious countenance. He
did not seem to belong to this world, and 1t
was the opinion of those who saw him that
he would not long remain in it, AS for
goodness, his parents had never known him
to be guilty of n wrong act, nor had they
ever suspected him of an impure thought
II purity and goodness were to discover the
lost vein, Manuel was sure that it would be
found by means Of Pepito.
One morning, when the boy arose from
L q 1. Al L s
wonderful dream that had visited him in
the night Two beautiful beings, whom he
believed to be angels, had come to his bed
side and beckoned him away. He had fol-
lowed them to the old mine and farther
into the heart Of the mountain than he had
ever gone before. At last they stopped at a
spot which he was sure he would recognize
if he should ever see it again. Here they
struck against the rock, and it pened be-
fore them, disclosing passage, which they
entered, and Pepito followed them. A
bright light went before them until they
reached a cavern, through which a stream
Of water ran. The light rested against the
rock on the other side of the stream, and
Pepito saw that the rock was full of shin
ing silver. Then the angels led him back
through the passage, closing the entrance
behind him, and took him to the mouth OF
the mine, where he awoke.
Manuel at once perceived an angel vista
tion in this dream. He was sure that Pepi-
to had been taken to the old mine in his
sleep and had discovered the lost vein. This
was the bonanza that was to make the for
tune of the family, and he insisted that the
boy should revisit in his waking hours the
scene which he had sought in his sleep
Zaponeta was not such an enthusiast as
her husband was and feared that some
harm might happen to her darling boy, but
she finally yielded TO Manuel's urgent en-.
treaties and equipped Pepito with a lamp
and ball of yarn.
The boy said farewell to his parents, re-
ceived their blessings and set out to search
for the lost vein,
At the mouth of the mine he attached the
yarn TO a piece of rock and unrolled the
ball as he went along, so as to leave clew
by which his father might search. for him
in case he should get lost, and went boldly
forward into the heart Of the mountains.
He went farther in than he had ever gone
before, creeping through narrow crevice
into passage that had not been explored
during his remembrance. But 1t was
familiar to him, and he went forward as he
had done when the bright spirits led him
thither in his sleep.
Finally the passage came to an end, and
then he recognized the spot to which he had
been brought in his dream. He could not
be mistaken. The appearance of the rock
had been indelibly impressed upon his
memory, and he saw it all exactly as he
had seen it in his sleep.
There were no angels to strike the rock
and compel it to open, but Pepito saw, on
examining it closely, that it was not solid;
that mass of stones had been piled up to
close an entrance. He grasped one ofthese
with both hands and pulled it until it fell
out.
Then he was sure that his dream had not
been a delusion or n mere chance; that an
gels had shown him the spot in his Sleep
so that he might go to it when he should
awake, He could not doubt that he was
about to find the lost vein, to discover the
bonanza that was to make the fortune of
his family. Then his father would be forced
to toll no more, and his mother would cease
to know pain and sorrow, and they would
all have enough to eat and to drink and TO
wear and would live happily ever after.
In his excitement he worked very hard
unti1 he Was dripninU with nprsniratiOn