The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-10


can give, and the entire scene still further
blended into unity by the mild air and
cloudless sky, seemed to Colonel Bestor to
make up one of the most picturesque
scenes he had ever witnessed.
But the chain bearer has eyes only for
the fair girl who is dressed in white, until
a bend in the street hides her from view
In few moments Jimmie enters the
plaza. The crowd is gathered around
fiveoak tree standing out on the extreme
of the projecting point which makes the
little triangular plaza, the other angles
being marked by the church and the jail
Suspended by wire from this oak hangs
Judas Iscariot, with his red DEVILS face
and horns and tail. And the gaudily uni
formed Mexican brass band grouped on
the porch in front of the church is now
playing a solemn dirge for Judas.
It can hardly be the frightful execution
of the dirge that drives Jimmie James
from the plaza, excruciating though the
blare of that minor strain may be. More
likely it is because Ellen Truson is no
longer there. But accountable or not, GER
tain it is that having made sure that she
has left the plaza, Jimmie goes to the OPP
posite side of the church and seats him self
on rock. where, although out OF view OF
the crowd, he can see any one who may
come up the single, steep, struggling street
from the other direction to that by which
he had entered it.
The mountain slope at the chain-bear-
er's feet is SO precipitous that it is almost
a cliff. Directly below, in the sunlit ra-
vine, is a winding brook, with borderin s
bushes and lofty trees and a bit of pasture,
where several cows are browsing, and on
the edge of which is ruined hut. But,
although so clearly seen, the height is so
III OF az If
miniature. Towering above the other side
of the ravine rises the Hottest part of the
Coast Range Mountains, enough in the
shadow and distance to appear blurred and
smokily blue on their face, but immense in
their mass and boldly distinct in their out
line, and so near that they seem to Jimmie
almost to overhang the Mexican camp,
with its church and jail and the clack and
clatter of it's noisy little plaza, while in
their invincible silence and calm repose he
feels, what he is too ignorant to be able to
express, that there is something scornful
and stern and threatening.
With the eve of an artist and the heart
of poet, circumstances had made Jimmie
James first miner and now surveyor S
chain. bearer and to be entirely Indifferent
under any stress of anxiety or grief to the
influence of such scene would have been
for him impossible.
Hit makes a Teller feel sorter lone
somer," he said.
Meanwhile Colonel Bestor has been dis
covered. A fat young man, Don Sanchez
by name, hat in hand, comes to the side $
the jail where the surveyor is viewing
scene. Placing his unemployed hand over
his heart and making, beyond doubt, the
very politest bow in the world, Don San.
chez asks, in a characteristic and ex-
tremely SOFT hmpid and musical voice,
rendered the more interesting by its con-
tinentaI but inimitable pronunciation and
accent:
"Eef-a the Don Senior Colonel-a Ba-estor
weel be so kinda as to geef-a heem the
honorra ola taken care-a of hees horse.
while the Don Senior and the colonel-a
should weetness the cerimoneesP"
The surveyor conserving, Don Sanchez
sends a young man away with the horse
and leads Colonel Bestor to the plaza porch
of the Jail, in plain view of the Judas tree.
Here, after many apologies for so doing,
Don Sanchez leaves him, for Don Sanchez
himself is to be the grand master OF the
ceremonies.
''Stand-a back eef you plees-a, gentle
mans! Andar par abajo, senores?' cries
Don Sanchez.
'Back2 back" 'Retirarsel retirarse J"
many voices repeat.
The crowd moves back and lines the
side of the plaza where the houses are /;
while here and there down the side of the
mountain that is toward the English
camp can be seen youngster peeping
from behind bowlder.
Then Don Sanchez mounts the platform
by the side OF Judas, and, after short
Spanish speech to which the crowd gives
a clamorous assent, takes off his hat, and
turning toward the efigy bows profoundly
and with the utmost gravity; and inform
ing the victim that the hour of his eXecu-
ton has arrived, asks if he has anything he
desires to say.
Judas remains sullenly silent.
After pausing a moment for reply,
Don Sanchez again inquiries if he has not
some last message.
The red face of the arch-villain crimsons
more deeply, if possible, and his great
round eyes protrude more glaringly than
ever; and swayed by the breath of gentle
breeze that had sprung up, he bends for
ward his head and looks savagely straight
up into the face of the young Spaniard /;
and his forked tail quivers wrathfully,
but he answers not word.
Then Don Sanchez takes the traitor by
the hand, and after asking his pardon for
acting as his executioner and solemnly
bidding him farewell touches the tip of
Judas tail with the lighted end of his cigar.
''Cuidado, senoresl Cuidado" shouts
the executioner as he hastily dismounts
from the platform and retreats to the fur
Their side of the plaza.
For that tail contains fuse, and the
effigy is full of Chinese bombs and other
fireworks.
''Fiz-z-z-z' and "bang!" it goes-and off
flies one of Judas legs, and his head drops
shamefacedly upon his breast.
"Fiz-z-z-bangp' and off flies the other
leg, and one of Judas arms is thrown over
his head as il he was determined to keep
that in it's place at all hazards.
Again! and again! and yet againl and
finally tremendous "bombli" and few
fluttering rags hanging on the tree are all
that is left of Judas.
The crowd rushes toward the tree of exc
cution.
Don Sanchez remounts part of the
platform which has not been blown to
pieces, and amid absolute silence, broken
now and again by bursts of applause and
laughter, proceeds to read in doggerel
Spanish verse the last will and testament
OF the departed.
Millions we're left to every body, but so
far as Colonel Bestor saw the only person
who came into possession was barefooted
youngster down the mountain side who
was Knocked over by one of the boots of
Judas, which hit the lad after having ex-
hausted its greatest force by striking near
by bowlder.
The chain bearer also saw this little &C
cident, and, unmindful for the moment of
his own misery, ran to the assistance of