The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-06-05
PEDRO'S
WIFE
Dy SADIE OLCOTT

By SADIE OLCOTT
There have been, in the United
States and elsewhere, numerous in
stances Of men acquiring wealth sud-
denly and sQuandesing 1t in unusual
ways. One Of the most prominent Of
such cases was that Of Goal OIL John.
ny" Steele, who was made very rich
by the discovery Of petroleum OF q
farm he owned. He spent his fortune
in spectacular ways and then sank into
comparative obscurity. While his mon
ey lasted he was known as the prince
of spenders."
But the story Of Goal OH Johnny" Il
dwarfed by that Of Pedro Alvarado, a
Mexican. son Of a peon and a Mexican
woman. Pedro's father saved his
money till he had 500 and bought
with it a rocky hill. On his deathbed
be exacted a promise from his son
that he would never sell the land.
Pedro prospected 1t for silver and one
day found himself in possession Of a
mine that paid him $4,000 a day.
This amount for a year Of, say. $40
working days amounts to 100000
a year. What a fortune for n who
had known nothing but abject poverty!
But Pedro Alvarado. unlike Goal
Oil Johnny" did not waste his money
in dissipation. A mania for something
usually SEXES on those suddenly made
rich. and Pedro's was for pianos. He
built a fine house and filed It with
pianos. There were rosewood pianos
and mahogany pianos and white en-
ameled pianos-indeed, pianos Of every
variety. 1t does not appear that he
could play a note on one of them or
that be had any prediction for mu-
sic. 1t was simply the form Of mania
that struck him. he having unlimited
means at his command.
The story Of Pedro Alvarado II a
number of stories. Perhaps the most
curious one Of all IL that, Of his. wife's
foresight. Pedro had no idea Of bust
ness principles and knew only how to
work his mine In a primitive way,
which was most expensive. BE paid
everybody connected with his mine an
enormous salary, besides which his
employees helped Themselves to. what
they could lay their hands N. Instead
Of building q. railroad to carry his ore
he sent 1t by mule. Perhaps the mine
could have stood this drain and its
owners extravagance had the vein
held out. But 1t did not. There was
just 20 much silver In It, and when. It
was all gone Pedro's income was gone.
He had spent It ~ fast a. he made It,
and when It ceased he. found himself
with nothing. .:>. ;. i. :. ~
During this period, when bank bills
were floating about like ~snowAakes.
Pedro's wife foresaw that when the
storm of. wealthrhAd passed the soil
about them would become dry a be-
fore. She determined to gather what
she could while 1t lasted and began
putting away'money secretly. Catching
thousand dollar. bills a. they circled
about her, she concealed them, in her
clothing. ripping open articles, putting
the bills in and sewing them up. 1t
h singular that while she and her hus-
hand had been poems and had drudged
@ snch he lost sight during prosperity
Of. the fact that he might return to his
degradation. while his wife took pre-
cauuons against II - :.... re-.
When 'Pedro's mine began to show
signs Of running out he was advised
that in order to keep it paying he must
work 1t on business principles-he must
cut down the wastage, due to his meth
DDS; he must retrench in the matter
Of salaries; be must stop the stealing.
But he had not the ability to change.
As the amount Of silver taken out of
his mine decreased 1t vas met by the
expenditures. and there was nothing
over; the one balanced the other.
According to all well told stories, Sc
nora Alvarado, who had been sewing
up thousand dollar bills, should now
come forward and take the lead. But
true stories have a way Of running
like water-in channels they make FOL
themselves. The good woman did moi
live to enjoy the fruits Of her precau'
ton. She died about the time that the
mine gave out
AUuOu& IUe S6IVdut0 WIN udO 0ItSUU
ed the deceased was a maid who had
been In her mistress service a long
while and had learned the secret Of hes
hidden wealth. When the senora's ef'
fects were distributed this maid waf
asked IL there was anything she would
like. She asked for q quilt that hel
beloved mistress had slept under &c
long that it had become identified with
her. But in making the request the
girl showed anxiety to possess the ar
ticle which would be such q valued
memento Of her dear mistress.
Now. Pedro and his wife had many
tiffs with regard to his extravaganza
and she had often warned him thai
he would one day come to want. He
wondered at her death If she had no,
been putting something away for {
rainy day. The maids anxiety to pos
sess a bedquilt of no value, whel
there were other articles far more tt