The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-08
(By j. w. I'oley.)

Los Angeles. Cal. March S.-Down
on the bank OF the ARROYO Scco. which
means dry run" as you may or MAY
not know. and as / did moi know until
l WAS told so-Charles F.. Lummis has
putt an old time California house with
ms " hands. With the aid Of "a
lew MeXicans he went down into the
ped of the Arroyo and brought up the
pouldcrs. which n in size from
SIX inches in diameter to two and
threc feet. and which arc round and
white with the alkaline deposit Of the
waters thai occasionally make the dry
creek a torrent in rainy easons
These stones he laid with mortar into
the walls of his house. a story and IL
half in height. built in IA quadrangle,
With /" round tower at one corner
mat tower is pierced With a narrow
opening for q window. and above this
window is a niche in hich hangs q
mission bell that is a couple of hun
dred years old or nearly so. 1t hangs
IN the wall by the same rawhide thong
that held 1t in the mission belfry, and
the metal of the hell Is encrusted with
green from age and the elements.
The walls OF the house run on three
sides of Ell Alcalde Mayor. which as
L told YOU the other day is an i'm
mense sycamore tree, that bursts from
the ground in half Il dozen trunks,
each a couple OF feet in diameter.
This sycamore is a venerable giant,
and its snarlcd limbs have an immense
spread above and over the roof of the
house. Eventually 1t is Lummis' idea
TO have the sycamore completely n
closed within the walls. and to have
a giant r growing in his court. sur
rounded by these solid stone walls
n age of this tree is easily more
than a hundred and fifty years and
through l.ummis' i%nterposition it will
be TO the present and the future
tor as long as it shall live. On the
side of the house where the sycamore
ls there is a piazza built after the old
californian style running about three
sides OF a quadrangle. And when yo,
step into the house YOU are in tho
atmosphere of Il quarter or half a
century ago in this southwestern
country. The floors are of solid &C.
ment. tinted a brick color. The beams
above Your head arc hand hcwn GU
of immense timbers. The doors. stills
window frames. T. other wood work
are hand hewn and fashioned, ani
there is not anywhere the evidence OF
the modern planning mill. tho lathe
tn" modern stone mason or the up tt
date decorator. 1t all reflects Llm
mis- ingenuity and originality. ant
preserves the atmosphere of the Cali,
fornian frontier.
About the walls there arc innum.
cradle relics of the old time. Their,
is h finest collection of Indian arrow
heads | ever saw-set up in frame.
and including every size and style
ever used by these southwestern In,
dams. 1t is a collection that would
make Curator Fish OF DIR. Libby thrill
with emotion. There is such an ARA,
Of Indian pottery as 1 never saw
Of all sizes and shapes. rejecting TIM
remarkable artistry of these origina
owners OF the southwest. There nr,
rare Mexican paintings. rare old book!
and "A hundred and one ornament!
that have been gathered by LMmmis il
his remarkable career in the south
west and in his explorations and re
searches among the Indians. Their,
is, coming down to modern times. T;
portrait of General Porfirio Diaz. for
mer president and dictator of Mexico
autographed and presented to Lummi
by the general himself. There is al
autographed portrait of Roosevelt
also personally presented. Andrew
Lang. the eminent English critic ant
writer, sends his portrait with IN au
t"graphed letter of appreciation %
Lummis' work. Indeed. there is a gal
lery Of eminence from all parts of tn,
world. indicating the high degree o
appreciation they have for Lulnmi
and his work. Madame Modjcska
the eminent Polish tragedienne, lef
Lumnis her first English prompt bool
and h book in which she herscl
copied off her lines in her first Eng
finest and most beautiful script. ant
was the way in which Nine. Modjesks
schooled herself in English. Ant
when o look at 1t, its precision, IT.
n%eatness. it's wonderful chirography
you appreciate what a splendid geniu'
was hers. that let nothing stand in tn,
way of its fulillment.
And upstairs in Lummis' den Their,
is a collection OF rare old books tina
would delight a bibliophile beyon,
expression. A book printed as faI
back as 1868. with a frye as clear a,
a bell, n every capital hand illum
mated. the book including severa
hundred PAGES, done on parchment
and he cover hand Illuminated
Scores OF these rare old volumes
among which Lummis lives ant
dreams and does his work. Over tn,
ing room. Indian burden baskets, WOW
en- out of a yellow rawhide in tn
shape Of q cone. and ornamented witt
fringe Of rawhide hanging down from
the top circle Of the basket. and thes,
baskets suspended from the ceilin,
beams. with lights %twinkling through
the meshes Of h yellow hide. L
that isn't an artistic and appropriate
chandelier for such a house, ] dom
know what would be.
1t was in this dining room. and un,
der these circumstances Of environ
ment and atmosphere that we were
formally tried for not knowing wha,
q real old California good time was
And before the trial We had a Spanish
dinner. OF which I shall give you the
menu with explanations.
Here 1t 10:
Aguardiente de Albaricoqus
Vino Blanco. hasta acabar.
Enchiladas a la Paisana
Polio al Alcalde
Colih0r de Hoy
Frijol de Aver
Pspas al lnfalible
Macarcnes a Ia Andalusa
Lluaso a Don Carlos
Cafe a la Eegrita.