St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-08-21
The Street Car to Topo Chico.

TODO ChlcO, upllILeu Irom Tie uuSI anu
dead heat of the plain, lies the haci-
anda of Jose del Casa, the alcalde.
His white home sits enshrined in a
wilderness of green, encinctured by
1000 acres Of vines and corn lands
and billowing meadows that reach
from edge to edge of the steep walled
table fountain of which his estate is
the crown and glory.
Patricia, his only child, Is, with sloe
black eyes, hair like stormcloud and
the oval, luminous face Of Botticelli
Madonna, had spent three years with
the Ladies of the Sacred Heart in
Paris. She had seen the boulevards
and shifted from afar the gallantry and
gayety of the French capital There
fore she yearned and moped amid the
desolate splendor Of her Mexican
home.
Have you ever seen the queer little
street car line with its tandem Of small
brown mules that runs, or, rather,
creeps, between the Hotel Hidalgo, on
the plaza In Monterey, down through
the narrow streets, away across the
dusty fields, where sage and cactus,
dry and gray, cover the rising plateaus
with desolate monotony; out past the
beetling buttes of Casas Hacienda,
which tower red and hot In the sun, to
the uprising canyon that leads to Topo
Chico. the boiling spring, the health
giving waters in whose fountain pool
Aztec and Indian, peon and patrician,
have sought and found health for
thousand years? This Topo Chico Is
the terminus of the little narrow gauge
street car line that starts In Monterey.
Its single car, with open seats running
across the width OF 1t, are seldom
crowded. In the morning few tour
lists bound for the baths smoke and
idle through the tedious trip, but In
the evening, when the summer sun
sinks behind the green, cool shoulders
of Del Casas, the lone car is always
empty except for the driver or an err
rant shepherd returning from market
In Monterey.
1t was at this time in the evening
that Patricia chose for little jaunt on
that queer little street car. With an
cient Madre Anselma, her nurse when
she was romping child, her govern
ess, maid and duenna by turns as the
girl grew to womanhood, Patricia
would ramble down the long stone
stairway and in the purple shadow OF
the roadside thicket wait for that emp
ty car to come droning out Of the haze
Anselma neither spoke nor understood
English, and SO 1t was her wont to sill
In the rear seat while the beautiful Pa
tricia, her mantilla now fallen from
before her radiant face, would sit or
the front seat near the driver and urge
or bride him to send the little mules
galloping.
The driver was great, yellow haired
giant, with blue eyes and laughing
mouth. For Patricia he would speed
his queer little team till the car swayet
like boat on running pillows and he
delighted laughter fell upon his will
ing ears like the music Of tinkling man
dolins. AS for Anselma, so long as th'
car was empty but for themselves sh,
was content to sit in the rear seat
black, mothnless, but alert, smoking
her cigarettes, as Mexican women mus
and wondering what Patricia coult
have said TO the big, fair Gringo t
H. I'D, D. to os1tn1 90 d,
make him smile so benignantly.
Every summer evening till the cha
parral lost its ulster and the willows Il
the river bed began to scatter cracking
leaves across the sands Patricia ant
her chaperon stole away to this clan
destine frolic on the street car till
became the event Of the gay child
days and a habit even with the witt
cred woman who watched the harm
less frolic.
One night as the blond American ca
driver was laughing and thrashing owe
the road with the laughing senorita q
his elbow a horseman with his riti
presented doomed across the narroy
road. The mules hesitated, stopped
backed up In their trace chains. Th
driver put down brake and ceased t
smile. He seized the switch bar, bad
Patricia lie down, faced the enemy.
Money or your life?' commanded tn
outlaw in good English.
"You can have the box" roared I'd
driver, "but If you rob the woman 20
must fight"
The robber dismounted, boarded tt
car, and while Patricia and the oil
woman looked on he smashed In tt
money box with the butt Of his rit
and pocketed the few pitful centavt
that jingled in the bottom. II Patric
had left the car, or drawn up her lat
mantilla, or even turned her face ava
the robber might not have seen II
diamond brooch glistening at n
throat. But the sight was too mue
for him. The big American saw Il
fash Of his eyes as he leveled his riff
and at the same moment the switt
bar swung above his head. The Ri
cracked, the driver lurched over an
fell in the dust by the road and tt
robber held out his hand to the womaI
"Give me the diamondsw he be
lowed.
She gave them without word, the
her watch and her ring, while the O
,i,,r lyn q 10