The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1898-02-03
Time passed, and Casma and Chira

lime passed. ana CaSIna ana Cn1ra
prospered and eventually disappeared
from the Peruvian mountains and sea-
port. Their remaining deposits had been
transferred to La Hamidad, and in time
the officials of La Hamidad were called
upon in person by their unknown pa
irons, Juan Sanchez and Diego Bias,
whose funds had never been drawn up
on for debt. Juan Sanchez and Diego
Bias were introduced by resident of
La Hamidad, sailor on the ship that
had brought them from the Peruvian
port, and their money was duly paid,
and fortune it was for two men of no
more expensive tastes than these who
left the bank, walked away and were
seen no more in La Hannibal.
In a reputable house in the town
where Bal Chico had been youth and
been forgotten lived two old men to-
gether, two gray haired, harmless look
ing old men of commonplace names
that you have not heard yet, who tend
ed their cactuses and blooming vines and
the green paroquets that hung among
them in great cage, concocted savory
stews and lived their simple lives
largely in sight of their neighbors in
the outrageous garden behind their
houses, and whose only recreation SEEM
ed to be to frequent the plaza.
From their garden they could see the
rear of the house of the high and
mighty Don Pico, which rang with
laughter of manly sons and beautiful
daughters, but the old men were to all
appearances injurious of the doings at
- OF +too
plaza, where everything was known,
that Don Picos Oldest son would short
~ celebrate his arrival at mans estate
and that the betrothal of his eldest
daughter had been announced. But the
day before the festivities in honor of the
former occasion the son, Don Manuelo,
had sat in the plaza with Don Jose, his
sisters betrothed, who had left it, it
was easily proved, with a merry party
of grandees Don Manuelo waving them
merry goodby. Passersby saw him
sitting there alone, sunken down as if
resting, and there he was found some
what later, dead, evidently by strapgu-
lation. There was the usual sensation
and more than the usual search for the
murderer, who had left no clew.
Three months after this event the
little Innocencia, the 4-year-old daugh-
ter of Don Pico, was found in a similar
condition in the grounds of Don Perez,
the father of the betrothed of Dona
Theresa, Don Picos eldest daughter.
The residence of Don Perez was but
block from that of Don Pico. AS in the
case of her brother, the police found
positively no clew.
These calamities caused the postpone
ment for one year of the nuptials of
Don Jose and Dona Theresa, at the end
of which time they were celebrated with
all churchly and social ceremonies.
| Upon their return from the wedding
journey Don Jose and his beautiful lady
took up their residence at the house Of
Don Perez. Scarce a fortnight had
elapsed when Dona Theresa was found
dead in her bed-likewise her husbands
bed. Marks upon her tender neck show
ed that she had been garroted. All drew
two conclusions-Don Manuelo and lit
tie Innocencia had been garroted, and
Don Jose was the criminal. His protes-
tations, denials and anguish availed
nothing. He was hurried away to prison.
An accident saved his life-the shut
ting of a window.
Dona Maria Theresa, the sorely
afflicted wife of Don Pico, had become
the victim Of insomnia since these re-
peated family bereavements and fancied
strange noises in their apartment at
night. Don Pico gave heed and listened
for himself for few nights, but heard
nothing and attributed the noises to a
woman fears, but Dona Maria Theresa
arose one night because she heard the
noise and shut the window AS she ap-
preached the window, hung with vines,
one of the house cats jumped from the
sill to the thick vines and rustled away
among them, and the lady was reas-
sured and slept-slept all the longer
and more heavily because of sleepless
nights
When she awoke in the morning, she
looked at Don Pico. But was it Don
Pico beside her, that purple, swollen
face with awful eyes? The lady s reason
fed in that awful look, and her screams
aroused the household. Investigation
seemed at first to offer no clew, but at
length at the back of the top of large
frame containing an oil painting of his
lady in her youth was found a power
full snake whose bright eyes watched
the window and all whose efforts were
toward reaching it, which he never did,
dying as nonresistant as though in a
trance.
Don Jose was liberated
The old, harmless looking men talked
and smoked next evening and for many
evenings behind their little house and
sometimes boiled their sardines over
coal fire and looked across at the great
house Of Don Pico and talked-as who
did not?
Excitement was gradually repressed
after the source of the mysterious
deaths was indisputable. The snake had
coiled about them all, but Don Pico had
strength to struggle and had been bitten
instead of only strangled. Some asked
why snake should discern only mem
bers of the Pico family, but none could
guess the reason.
And far away in the divine beauty of
a Peruvian cordillera two old men look
aloft toward the man stunning condor
two old, brown men, grown harmless
and with no uncanny companions-herd
with Indian women and brown babies
and drink from rude golden bowls and
go down to the sea no more. A. f.
Kalfus in San Francisco Argonaut.