The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-01-04
PEDRO'S
WIFE
BY SADIE oLcoTT


denly and squandering IL in unusua
ways one Of the most prominent 0
such cases was that of Coal oil John
ny" Steele. who was made very ricl
by the discovery of petroleum on
farm he owned. He spent his fortuna
In spectacular ways and then sank int,
comparative obscurity. While his mon
ey lasted lie was known as 1.-THE prince
Of spenders.'
But the story of Goal Oil Johnny
dwarfed by that Of Pedro Alyarado,
Mexican, son of peon and a Mexican
woman. Pedros father saved hi
money till he had 500 and bough
with it rocky hill. On his deathbet
4 he exacted promise from his sol
that he would never sell the land
Pedro prospected it for silver and one
/ day found himself in possession of /
mine that paid him 100000 a day
! This amount for a year of, say, 30t
| working days amounts to $9,O0O00(
| year What fortune for one who
| had known nothing but abject poverty
! But Pedro Alyarado, unlike Goa
| Oil Johnny" did not waste his money
In dissipation A mania for something
usually seizes on those suddenly made
rich, and Pedro's was for pianos. He
! built a fine house and filed 1t with
pianos There were rosewood pianos
and mahogany pianos and white en-
ameled pianos indeed, pianos Of every
,.f-t % hot hn
could play note on one OF them or
that he 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 is a
number OF stories Perhaps the most
curious one Of all is that Of his wife's
foresight. Pedro had no idea of bust
ness principles and knew only how TO
work his mine in primitive way,
which was most expensive He paid
everybody connected with his mine an
enormous salary, besides which his
employees helped themselves to what
they could lay their hands on. Instead
Of building a railroad TO carry his ore
he sent ii by mule. Perhaps the mine
could have stood this drain and its
owners extravaganza had the vein
held out But it did not. There was
just so much silver in 1t, and when it
was all gone Pedros income was gone.
He had spent 1t as fast as he made 1t,
and when II ceased he found himself
with nothing.
During this period. when bank bills
were floating about like snowfakes,
Pedro's wife foresaw that when the
storm OF wealth had passed the soil
about them would become dry as be-
fore. She determined to gather what
she could while it lasted and began
putting away money secretly. Catching
thousand dollar bills as they circled
about her. she concealed them in her
clothing, ripping open articles, putting
the bills in and sewing them up. Ii
is singular that while she and her hus-
band had been poems and had drudged
as such he lost sight during prosperity
OF the fact that be might return 10 his
degradation. while his wife took pre-
cautions against II.
When Pedro's mine began 20 show
signs Of running out he was advised
that in order to keep it paying he must
work il on business principles-he must
cut down the wastage, due 10 his meth
DDS: he must retrench In the matter
OF salaries: he must stop the stealing
But he had not the ability 10 change.
As the amount OF silver taken out OF
his mine decreased IL was met by the
and there was nothing
over; the one balanced the other.
According TO all well told stories. Sc
nora Alvarado. who had been sewing
No thousand dollar bills. should now 1
come forward and take the lead. But /
true stories have a way u running I
like water-ln channels they make for 4
themselves. The good woman did not 4
live 20 enjoy the fruits u her precau- 4
ton. she died about the time that the
mine gave out
Among the servants who had attend
"a the deceased was a maid who bad 4
been In her mistress service q long 4
while and had learned the secret Of her
hidden wealth when the senora's ef-
rects were distributed this maid was
isked II there was anything she would
ike. She asked for 4 Quilt that her
beloved mistress had slept under 50
ong that IL had become identified with
ler But IN making the request the
girl showed anxiety 10 possess the ar
icle which would be such 4 valued
u her dear mistress
Now. Pedro and bis wife had many
fns with regard 70 his extravaEance.
md she had often warned him that
le would one DAY come % want He
wondered ~ her death II she bad not
,een putting something away FOR 4
aims dar. The maids anxiety % pos
css bedquif u ne value. when
here were other ar1icies FAR more %
% desired. excited bis suspicious Rip
ing ~ the Qul't ont Eel one thousand
oHar hfu after smother accommodating
b q heap On the foor
when Pedro had rut oBf on the bis
~ counted them ~ found himself
gain q rich man. ne Hroffe1 ~ his
rueriaree a. ueH re- BE wfe's fore
irht Tn thr first place he turned
rer his mine b others ubo uere ready
5 warE 4 81 vhat wHs ieft q d. oH
usiuess r-iuefuias ard Investing
rnrsr million ubieh BE wife he'd
svea fr1-n she msuv millions thHf had
epn uaefeH - u8w lives Uke = nabst