Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-11-03

the only man of any education in the village. but
two highways and several byways converge at
Alanje. and every few days he might look for a
passiay visit from some intelligent traveller. His
duties occupied three or four hours of the day
and the rest of the time he filled in with study
for his ambition pointed to advancement In his
calling whilst his environment had awakened an
inherent taste for natural history.
We left the table to walk over to the church,
with its curious detached tower. I asked for the
records. With righteous Indignation blazing In his
eyes the little cura laid before me pile of leath-
er-covered manuscripts, nodded, worm-eaten. and
torn Not page intact. hardly two consecu-
tive lines egible
such neglect is crime" said my host, fer
vently. 'T need hardly say that the damage was
beyond arrest when these came into my hands"
fully appreciated his feelings. Indeed. dare
say that my regret was the keener. Alanje
is older than David. In fact. Its history merges
with the times of the Conquistadores and there is
no knowing what wondrous tales may be hidden
in those sadly mutilated documents.
Our church has legend. remarked the cura,
leading to a large alcove on the left of the
chancel Drawing aside curtain. he revealed a
life sized painting of the Christ In his final agony.
1t evidently the work of an artist but did
not betray extraordinary ability.
"I don't know when this came here. but it was
certainly before the present generation the
cura explained. with slight show of embarrass-
ment "The story goes that evening
stranger came to the village and. declining shell
ter elsewhere begged to be locked alone in the
church over night. His request granted
When the curious villagers early in the
morning to look for him he had gone and the pic
ture with the paint fresh and wet hung where
you see it."
looked at the little cura questionIngly.
"oh, l don't know" he said. with shame
faced smile and a shrug of the shoulders. "At
any rate my people believe the story firmly. and
It does them harm"
On the road between Alanje and Divala
crossed several streams A better watered coun-
han bfc cnrtli mt oil ha trna pod
Divala is little settlement of so to 60 huts
and. perhaps. 300 inhabitants. who entirely
dependent upon the ranch and insure 1t con-
slant supply of labor. The people cultivate little
patches, from which they derive almost all the
foodstuffs they need. A few weeks work in the
year at 60 cents day will produce enough money
for clothing and moderate indulgence in the
luxuries that are to be had at the village trading
store.
Divala is l5 miles from anywhere, but the mos.
unlikely place look for American family in
bungalow that has the appearance of having
been transplanted from New Jersey suburb
Mrs Wilson has lived in this out-of-the-way
ner of the earth for five years, and has had the
companionship of her infant during the past
eighteen months. There is not of her
own race within 40 miles This Is isolation, in
deed and | suspected that she must find 1t irk-
some. though she would not admit much.
Twelve years ago Leslie Wilson out from
California and settled in the neighborhood of Di-
vala with half dozen Americans and Britishers.
Thus the settlement of Divala formed and a
large proportion of the ranch turned into Potrero
without penny of outlay. The disturbed condi-
ton of the country reduced the prices of all prop
erty and Wilson was able to buy the nucleus of
his stock at very low figures.
The owner of Divala has worked hard and in
teliigently for ten years the improvement of
his property. Today he has 5000 acres of as fine
land as any in Chiriqui. well stocked and fur
nished with all the necessary buildings. The
ranch is easily worth $4,000. Not n bad result |
of enterprise started twelve years ago with
5000 capital