River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-10-03
The ElhumGd Repentance.
BY chas. Fleming Embree.
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u of stone looks down on the spot.
The spot is paved with cobble-stones,
and, save for a few wistful handfuls
of grass that grow there in the rainy
season, it is very bare 1t is tiny
public square in the center of Cuer-
navaca, surrounded on two sides by
the adobe walls of pink, blue and yell
low dwellings,on the other two by the
fiowery gardens of the Plaza of the
Constitution. Pacheco's one-legged
statue stands near, leaning on its
crutches of bronze.
The pink house is nearest. There on
rainy, gusty day, somebody was dy-
ing The room was full of many-col-
ored things of cheap sort, such as
print of Mary Magdalene over the
bed. The bed was a narrow cot. The
moribund lady was exceedingly old.
Having got rid Of the priest, she sat
up with uneXpect d yigor. and gazed
about The rain was dripping through
the tiles. Nobody was left in the room
but her son, Tomas, and his wife, Ju-
Tia. They beheld, shrieked in terror
at this rising of the dead, and fell
down by the cot, crying out: moth
er! o Diosu"
Take it cool, you sillies," said the
fat, perishing one, scolding and gasp
ing. I'm not ghost. Lord save you.
Nor am going to disappoint anybody.
I'll die at ten sharp or know the rea-
son why. I'm too old bird by ten
years. But there is a weight on me,
and / must have it off"
Lie down!" groancd Tomas, his
hair standing on end.
"Oh-lie down." walled Julia.
i've got to lie long enough later
on" joked the old lady, grimly Now
listen"
She clutched Tomas by the shoulder
and dragged him nearer. Julia
crawled to the foot of the bed and Law
there gaping. Julia was one of those
lower middle-class Mexicans who are
almost incredibly beautiful, and with
out any distinctly Spanish or Moorish
characteristics.
Now listen fast said the husky
old one, still with a sort Of grim hui
NOR, 'or youn not keep up. You
know the bare space in front of the
house? 1t looks innocent. Fifty
years ago a building stood there. The
middle of that space was the middle
of patio and walls surrounded it.
Wen, there came a foreigner Lord
knows whether he was French. or
Hindoo, or Chinese, or Irish, | take no
stock in any OF your foreign trash.
Anyhow, some fool war or other was
just finished, and this fcilew was
called a deserter from the trashy for
cign army, whatever it was. He was
big and bony, with a dropping mus
tache. He was secretive, and bought
the house that stood where the bare
place is. There he lived alone for ten
years. And whenever there was hol-
day. or the visit of a general he shut
himself up. Once / climbed the aqua
cate tree and looked over and he was
digging in the patio He looked thin.
After that | heard him. from my pa
ito, digging. Then at night / saw the
haze of his lamplight shine up over
the wall. So | climbed UP again at
night, and sat there an hour in the
rain, looking down on him. Now listen
mis- is what | saw"
She was still clawing Tomas. to
make him come closer.
Il saw him take up two boxes. /
saw him hold the lamp over them. and
the stuff that glittered in them was
money. lie buried them, and pounded
down the dirt, and put the stones on
top. Two days after that he died. We
went in with the officers who found
him. He was lying on the floor with
a newspaper in some trashy foreign
language in his hand Some thought
he killed himself They found no
money, nor name. There was no heir
to the house, SO the government tore
it down and made a public square out
of the ground, and so it is to this day.
never told about the boxes. Mind
you" she pointed a fat, admonishing
finger at Julia, wherever there is
money buried, there are devils. Bad
luck and death comes to him that
digs. Besides, it was some trashy for
cign money, which can't be passed in
Cuernayaca. Every year / thought |
might dig, But the place is so public
besides, the devils"
She paused, and. though painting
hard, seemed to dream long and alb
sorbedk. At length she sighed and
looked at the clock Nigh ten-heigh-
ho!" She lay down.
They say Mexican can't keep an
appointment. | am five minutes ahead
of time, and the saints can hurry for
once" chuckling. "Good-by. Tomas:
don't forget that had the milk hung
in the fountain. tin sour by night
With this the odd old person passed
away
After a week, during which the life
Of Tomas and the beautiful Julia es
tablished itself on motherless foot
ing, they began to whisper to eacl
ether about the money buried in tn,
square.
Julia" said he, lying at dusk Will
his head in her lap, do you believ,
it?"
She tickled his chin. propped opel
his ewes and twisted his lin. tbe,