Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1911-11-24

the only OF any education IN the village, Dut
two highways and several byways converge at
Alanie 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. | asked for the
records With righteous Indignation blazing in his
eyes, the little cura laid before pile of leath
er-covered manuscripts. nodded worm-eaten. and
torn. Not page was intact hardly two consecu-
tive lines legble.
"Such neglect is crime" said my host fer
vently. "I need hardly say that the damage was
beyond arrest when these came into my hands.
fully appreciated his feelings Indeed, dare
say that my own regret 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 a legend, remarked the cura,
leading me to a large alcove on the left of the
chancel Drawing aside a curtain, he revealed
life sized painting of the Christ in his final agony.
1t evidently the work of artist but did
not betray extraordinary ability.
Il don't know when this here. but it was
certainly before the present generation" the
cura explained with slight show of embarrass-
ment THE story goes that evening a
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 came 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"
I looked at the little questioningly
"Oh 1 don't know" he said, with shame
faced smile and shrug of the shoulders. AT
any rate, my people believe the story firmly and
1t does them no harm"
On the road between Alanje and Divala we
crossed several streams. A better watered coun-
try than this could not well be imagined.
Divala is little settlement of so to so huts
and perhaps, 300 inhabitants who are entirely
dependent upon the ranch and insure it con
slant supply Of labor. The people cultivate little
patches, from which they derive almost all the
fooGstuffs they need. few weeks work in the
year at SC cents day win produce enough money
for clothing and moderate indulgence in the
Injuries that to be had at the village trading
store
Divaa is 10 miles from anywhere. but the most
unlikely place to look for an American family in
a bungalow that has the appearance of having
been trans planted from a 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 within 40 miles. This is isolation in
deed. and l suspected that she must find it irk
some though she would not admit much.
Twelve years ago Leslie Wilson came 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
srty and Wilson able to buy the nucleus OF
his stock at very low figures.
The owner of Divala has worked hard and in
diligently for ten years the Improvement OF
his property. Today he has 5000 acres of as fine
and as any in Chiriqui, well stocked and fur
lished with all the necessary buildings The
anch is easily worth $4,000 Not bad result
If an enterprise started twelve years ago with,
200 capital