The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-11
THE DEVIL AND THE DON.

| marvellous, miraculous! why, uuuui ou
burros could not draw so great a load: No.
not even hundred OF the best horses of
Las Deicas! Come, my friend, let us in
stantly depart. OF truth, it Is the work
of the Evil One himself, and to remain
longer would be to endanger the welfare
of our souls Let US never have railroads
in our Mexico!''
Don Enrique was a provincial Mexican
gentleman who had iourneyed in that good,
old-fashiOned conveyance, rattletrap OF
dillisencia, from his far away rancho to the
frontier town Of Paso del Norte. where he
had been persuaded. not little against his
will, to accompany friend to Ell Paso, on
the Texas side Of the Rio Grande. there to
view the wonders being wrought by the
Americans. The first railroad to enter Ell
Paso had just been completed, and he saw
for the first time in his life that wonder
full machine-a steam locomotive. It's
strange noises filled him with alarm: the
foul smoke pouring from Its stacks almost
strangled him: and, awestricken by Its
miraculous strength, he finally gave ex-
preston to his emotions, as shown above
He turned deaf ear to the laughing re-
monstrances of his friend meanwhile pious-
ly crossing himself, and insisted upon i'm
mediately returning to the Mexican side OF
the river; there, he felt, they would be
safe from te malignant influence Of the
diabolical machine. And. upon arriving
at Paso del Norte, he lost no time in start
| ing back home but 1t was with heavy
heart; he was oppressed with the fear that
he had committed henous sin.
few months later he was informed
| that a concession for the construction Of
railroad in Mexico had been granted to an
American company. wfereupon he held up
his hands in specific horror. Regaining
use Of his tongue. he denounced the i'm
pious Government Of his country in terms
both vigorous and picturesque. but that ac-
| complished nothing; and when the engf-
neers who located the line Of the road en-
tered the bounds Of Las Delicias he used
all the diplomacy at his command to turn
| them aside, but to no effect, for the road
was surveyed to pass within mile OF his
| house.
! In due time the graders came. motley
crowd Of rude, rough men who laughed In
his face, and with many an outburst OF
! impotent rage he saw them tear an ugly
! trench across the breadth Of Las Delicias.
Then came the track layers. and he raved
and stormed like one beside himself as the
| lines Of giittering rails crept up to and
past his home; and he crossed himself In
pious horror at sight of the telegraph
| wires. He was not in the least Modified
| when the railroad company paid him
good, round sum for its right Of way across
| his property, and rejected with superb
also rendered him.
nantly; II was powerless to prevent this
| Dissertation Of my beloved country, but
| did what / could. AS yet the Infamous
Government has not enacted laws COM
polling me to patronize your railroad, and
| until that be done neither 1 nor my fam
| lily, nor yet my servants, shall imperil
| their souls by going near your trains.
! Take back the pass to those who sent it,
and tell them that /, Enrique del Toro, do
execrate it and them
Don Enrique's opposition gave the off,
Gals of the road but little concern; his
| was only one of many cases. Nevertheless,
! it was decided to propitiate him by estab
fishing station convenient to his use,
and neat frame building was erected not
| far from his house When the time ar
rived to select a man to have charge Of
this station, Bob" Evans, man who was
thorough railroader and with reputa-
ton for GOODNESS and nerve, but who was
utterly lacking in respect for Mexicans
was chosen. He was not the man to make
overtures Of friendship to Don Enrique
most decidedly not-and Don Enrique
would have repealed such overtures had
they been made. Weeks passed, with each
seeming to be insensible of the others ex-
istence; but there were agencies at work
that were destined soon to break down the
barriers between them.
One morning a vaquero galloped madIy to |
the hacienda, bringing Don Enrique the |
terrifying news that large war party of |
Apache Indians had swept down from the |
neighboring mountains, killing and burn
ing. and we're making for the hacienda |
Many years mad passed since the Indians
had raided that country and so Don |
Enrique was utterly unprepared to meet |
them
God of my soul, what am to do ?" he
grcaned. I'VE are too few to resist them.
We must fly but where? Oh. my wife.
my daughter! Truly it is an evil day hat |
has come upon US. We must fly from Las
Delicias. but where can we find safety?
There are no soldiers nearer than Chi
huahua, and of truth the Indians would
overtake us before we could go so far.
And the poor man wrung his hands in
despair.
You forget the railway, Don Enrique"
the vaquero answered. Let us hurry to
the station; train may come at any mo-
ment, and all the Apaches of the Sierra
Madre could not overtake that, it moves |
with such great swiftness"
The railway is q device of Satan for
entrapping our SOULS Don Enrique stern
ly replied.
And are not the Apaches Satan's own
imps?" the vaquero reJoined, with re-
spectful insistence.
Don Enrique was loath to surrender his
cherished policy Of non-intercourse with
the railroad, but his wife and daughter
promptly championed the vaquero's sug-
gestion, and when two women beset one
poor man that man has but one course to
follow. He yielded and Immediately his
household began It's flight. Pellmell.
shrieking. and gesticulating, they poured
into the station, surprising Evans into
Speechlessness; and Don Enrique, his sim
pie mind agitated no less by his fear of
the clicking telegraph instruments than by
his apprehension Of the blood curdling
horrors of an Apache raid attempted to
explain the cause Of their coming. He
spoke Spanish, the only language he knew.
and his excitement caused his words to
pour out In an unbroken stream that was
wholly unintelligible to Evans. who could
understand Spanish only when it was
spoken slowly and with careful enuncia-
tion.
Mexicans always amused Evans-when
they did not disgust him. Their theatrical
display of emotion, their effusivenesS |
startling gesticulation. and comcal GRIM
aces when excited were to him all that the |
antics of a cage of monkeys are to the
small boy. In puzzled amusement re sat
staring at Don Enrique, letting him talk
away until exhausted, and then coolly in ,
formed him that he had failed to catch
his meaning
Don Enrique gasped with despair; what
could he do to arouse this thick headed
American, he wondered. A happy thought
to him. Grasping Evans by the
arm, he dragged him to the window.
Mira. senor.' he cried, pointing to the
west, where number of slender columns
Of smoke were rising, Indies, Apacnes! c
Nuchos muchcSr'