The Republican journal., 1897-11-11


intervals some Egyptian-like figure
glides listlessly along, balancing tinaja,
(water jar) upon its head. The sepul-
chral silence fills one with superstitious
fances.
We arrived an hour past noon, and rode
through very long street in the heart Of
the city without encountering dozen
people, though the present population is
said to be something over 1900. The
So called hotel has one merit-that of OBJ
serving 1.-THE eternal fitness of things by
Alphabetically, the Cartago inn is more
pretentious affair than any New York
hotel, but earthquake cracked, comfort
less and vermin-infested. The long, dim
passage way leading from the street door
to the courtyard is arched like tunnel
and smells like a tomb Mounting a
ito, You find a vast, moldy interior whose
shadowy rooms seem full of spooks, and
you are constantly looking over your
shoulder with the uncanny feeling of be-
ing pursued by invisible shapes.
Speaking of spooks reminds me of the
dearest tradition of the place, which is i'm
phcitly believed by all good Costa Ricans.
| am not vouching for the truth of it, but
''tell the tale as twas told to meas
follows: In the year of our Lord 1913 a
forest stood close by the city of Carriage.
At its edge lived an old woman, who, 60
ing out one morning to gather firewood,
found an image of lady lying on stone
near her own hut. The image was of
stone, and very heavy; but she dragged it
to her room, and having set it up in a
corner, returned to the forest As she
neared the same stone a second time
she was astonished to see upon it
what she supposed to be another image,
precisely like the first. This also she
dragged to her hut, when she discovered
that the one she had first placed there was
gone. Returning third time from the
forest, there upon the same stone was a
third image, exactly like the other two;
and running to the hut, behold! no image
was there. Alarmed she went to the
Cure and told her story. This devout
prelate, Don Alonzo de Castro de Sando-
val, had the image brought to his palace
and securely locked III his private closet,
intending to examine it at his leisure
But when next he opened the closet, it
was empty, the image having miraculous
ly gone back a fourth time to the stone
near the poor woman's hut.
| That settled all doubts of its supernatu-
raj origin, and in solemn procession the
people conducted it to the parochial
church, and set it upon an altar amid
masses and music and Frustrated them
selves before it. But the very next day,
when the curate went early to pay visit
to the wonderful lady, 10, her shrine was
vacant and she was again found on her
stone at the edge of the forest. 1t was
then known that miraculous manifesto
ton OF the y rgin OF the Angels had been
vouchsafed to the Cartagoans, to indicate
that she desired a sanctuary to be erected
on the spot i'll her honor. ACCORDINGLY
the beautiful church of Our Lady Of the
Angels was built close by the stone and
the image placed within it,-where it has
remained to this day, which is consider
ed proof conclusive that the people inter
preted the sign Alright. The church. with
! its doric facade, massive square tower.
tiara Of bronze, and roof of green zinc. is
Tar the handsomest structure in Carriage,
and the dearest to the hearts of its citi-
zens. The rich foliage out of which it
springs, and the volcanic boulders piled
around it, serve to heighten the effect of
the alabaster- hued pilasters that flank the
doorway, and the cohort of boy angels, all
winged, buskined and petticoated, which
series of inches ON either side of the main
entrance. The interior of the church in
this remote, almost forgotten town, is
one of the most beautiful have ever seen.
Rising above the eXquisitely carved high
altar is a lofty tabernacle of Spanish
cedar, 30 feet high, lavshly gilded and
divided into chambers, the lower one con-
tanning the sacrament, the upper the Gel
ebrated image of Our Lady of the Angels.
The archbeams projecting from these
chambers are supported by golden cherub-
| no
| From the dome of the tabernacle ascends
golden image of the Angel Gabriel,
bearing in his right hand silver sword
and in his left pair of golden scales.
This superb altar stands in the middle of
the church. All the pillars and cross
beams are painted in golden arabesques
and are hung with a profusion of lace and
network of pale blue, producing an in
describable effect of mists and summer
clouds, out of which the angels appear to
be rising. The whole building is kept
beautifully clean, and fragrant with frank
incense and the flowers that are always
piled upon its affairs. Near the door is a
| large box, wherein the people deposit