Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-08-16

Why should we read fairy stories
with marvellous happenings when there
are such occurring in real life? The
imagination is not capable of creating
the possibilities that occasionally occur
among persons who are made of flesh
and blood and have souls. What imag-
ination a century ago in q long strip
ling Illinoisian could detect the lead
er of the greatest political crisis the
world has ever known? And in the
acquisition of wealth, what more won
derfuI development in fancy than the
story of real Mexican peon who came
into an income of S1O;OOO.OOO a year?
In a town of northern Mexico,
in an adobe house lived an old man,
Pedro Alvarado by name, peon, who.
with his Indian wife, worked and
saved till he had accumulated 500.
With the money the couple bought a
piece of land on the top of n rocky
hill near by the town in which they
lived.
Why they put their hard earned saw
ings in this barren and not very ac-
cessible summit and continued to save
and to pay $40 year taxes on it when
they needed the very necessaries of
life is not known. 1t is possible that
the wife, having been an Indian, had
heard a tradition handed down from
her forefathers that there was treas
ure buried there.
Be this as it may, there must have
been some reason for the old couple
putting all their money in a barren
rock, and this view is borne out by the
fact that old AIvarado, having willed
his purchase to his son and three neph-
ews, called upof. the former to swear
that he would never part with his in
terest in it. When we remember that
this legacy bequeathed to young Pc
dro was supposed TO be worth but
S23 we cannot but assume that his
father must have had an linking that
It's value was much greater.
After the old couple died the summit
of the barren rock was not divided
among the heirs, but kept as one prop
erty. Then came men who believed
that there might be silver under the
rock. They had plenty Of money and
were ready to risk it in an investiga-
ton. They offered the heirs a large
sum for the property, and Pedro's cous-
ms were willing and anxious to sell.
But Pedro, true TO his oath, refused TO
part with his share In vain the 9TH
ers begged him not to stand in their
way Of taking advantage OF the offer.
Pedro stood firm. But after awhile a
friend loaned him the money to buy
out his cousins interest and make the
investigation as to what the property
contained.
One day men began TO work on the
top Of the hill with pick and shovel.
A month passed and nothing but ordi-
nary earth and rock was displaced.
The cousins came 70 see and jeered at
Pedro for a fool. But Pedro had been
Ice ned sufficient money to pursue his
Investigations to the end and worked
on. Another month passed and yet an
other with the same result Then one
day IN a twinkling all was changed.
A vein was struck indicating that the
PalmiIla mine. as II was called, was
the richest silver mine that had ever
been opened
And now this story takes on a won
de-ful change. Pedro Alvarado. son
Of Mexican peon father and an In
dian mother, heir TO q beggarly estate
supposed 70 be worth but SIS, sudden
" springs into On income Of $4,000 q
day. The fairy waves her wand and
the adobe hut IN which Pedro was
bern Is changed into q sumptuous pal
acc furnished from the manufactures
OF the old world. Money without linn
Il Is given away, thrown away. What
eyer the silver king fancies he buys