The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-11-03

the only man Of any education In the village. but
tao highways and several byways converge at
Alanje. and every few days he might look for
passia. 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
iuheren, taste fer natural history
We left the table to walk over the church
with It's 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 intact, hardly two consecu-
tive lines legible
Such neglect is crime" said my host. fer
vently 81 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 was the keener. Alanje
is older than David In fact its history merges
with the times of the Conquistadores and there is
knowing what wondrous tales may be hidden
in those sadly mutilated documents
Our church has a 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.
Il don't know when this came here. but It was
certainly before the present generation" the
cura explained with slight show Of embarrass-
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 It."
I looked at the little cura Questioningly
:"Oh. don't know" he said. with a shame
faced smile and 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 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 II a
slant supply of labor. The people cultivate little
patches. from which they derive almost all the
foodstuffs they need. few weeks work In the
year at so cents day will produce enough money
for clothing and a moderate indulgence in the
Injuries that to be had at the village trading
store
Divala is Is miles from anywhere, but the most
unlikely place to look for an American family In
a bungalow that has the appearance of having
been transpanted from a New Jersey suburb
Mrs. Wilson has lived in this out-of-the-way cor.
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 It irk-
some. though she would not admit as 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
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 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
land as any in Chiriqui. well stocked and fur
nished with all the necessary buildings. The
ranch is easily worth $4,000. Not bad result
of an enterprise started twelve years ago with
5000 capital