Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1911-11-09

Bare feet stuck in the wooden stirrups He
and his steed are festooned with bags, baskets
and packages, the tout ensemble suggesting an
ftinerant Christmas tree. Stuck under the saddle
flap, or elsewhere beyond ready reach is a rife
or shotgun, Of ancient make. probably unservice
able, and almost certainly unloaded Everyone
goes armed upon the road.
Occasional reminders of less peaceful times
are seen in a small wooden set in the
ground and surrounded by rude rail fence indi-
eating the spot where some unfortunate met a
violent death in the commission of a crime. Pan
falcon rode alongside as | approached Of
these unconsecrated burying places that contained
two crosses With emotionleSs precision he told
the grizzly tale of two compadres who had fallen
out and here had fought to the death with their
knives
Compadres are bosom companions, bound by
bond closer than that of brotherhood. Only
woman can break that tie, and when compadre
turns against compadre hell knows no greater
bitterness. These two hacked each other until
they fell, gasping and bleeding, and foamng at
the mouth, still jabbng with waning strength.
They were found dead locked in each others
arms. Perhaps at the very last the spirit of com.
padreship returned to soothe their passing
] put this reflection to Pantaleon, but he de-
clared IT more likely that they died cursing each
other and thinking of the girl. My own conclu-
sion pleased me better, but felt bound to defer
to my moso's superior knowledge of the charac-
terlstlcs OF his countrymen.
Presently the road entered the monte and we
rode between wooden walls reinforced by heavy
underground. At long intervals we passed small
clearings where the settler had cut over the
ground burned the debris where 1t fell and scat
tered his seed with a careless, confident hand
The machete is the universal agricultural nipple.
ment A pillow has never been seen in the coun.
try. Cultivation Is neglected as an unnecessary
trouble. Withal, harvests are bounteous and re-
cur with the nfable regularity of the solar sys
TEN. saw fields of sugar cane that had yielded
rich crops for fifteen unbroken seasons and
piece of land which has stood in corn contin-
uously for half century.
All over the Pacific slope of Chiriqui is top
soil, from to 20 feet thick formed by the vol
ages from the mountain Sides 1t is rich as any
In the world but not one-hundred-thousandt part
Of 1t has been turned to the account of man
Outside of David the population is less than four
to the square mile. Apart from a score of cattle
raisers and coffee growers, no man produces more
than enough to meet his needs, whilst markets at
their very doors are crying aloud for the poten.
tial products Of the province Panama is paying
high prices for Jamaican fruit and Cuban sugar
and American tobacco. whilst these and many 9TH
er imported commodities can, be grown within
her borders.
The pathetic mystery of It is that tens of thou
sands are Shaving in city sweatshops and facto
ries. or painfully wringing a living from reluc-
tant soil, when land unlimited lies waiting to
richly reward any man who will cast handful Of
seed upon It.
Ten miles out from David came to Alanje