Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-30
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THE VALLEY OF DELIGHT.

the valley of the Yumuri will be from
the Hermitage of Montserrate, for 1T is
there that the cocheros drive You. Up
the winding road they take you, with
the bav at your back and the gorge at
Your right. to the crest of a narrow
ridge where the chapel stands once
there. you overlook the fairest sight IN
all Christendom-"the loveliest valley
in the world as Humboldt called 1t
for the Yumuri nestles right at your
feet. a vale of pure delight, glimpse
of Paradise that bewilders the eye ana
fills the soul with ecstasy.
1t is larger than it seems a first
sight: through 1t meanders the river.
coiling and uncoiling. hidden here ana
there by jungle growthss and seeking
final outlet through cleft IN the wan
not unlike a crack IN the sac OF d
PAINTED bowl The place seems to nave
been fashioned as Il dwelling for dry
ads and haunadryads. for mikes ana
pixies. and all the tabled spirits OF Tor
est and stream. Fairy hands tinted It's
steep slopes and carpeted its level moor
with the richest of green brocades-
Nowhere is there a clash of color. mo-
where does a naked hillside or mon
strous jut of rock obtrude to mar IT'S
placid beauty; nowhere can You see a
work-there are only fields, and bow
ers with an occasional matched roof
faded gray by the sun.
ROYAL palms. most perfect of trees.
are scattered everywhere. They stand
alone or in stately groves, their lush
fronds dropping like gigantic ostrich
plumes their slim trunks as smooth
and regular and white as if turned in
giant lathe and then rubbed with nipe-
clay In all Cuba island of bewitchfns
vie JS n
ALL the wide world. perhaps. there is no
valley OF moods and aspects SO varying.
You should see ii at evening, all warm
and slumberous. all gold and green and
purple. or at early dawn. when the
mists are fading like pale memories of
dreams and the tints are delicate: or
again. during tempest, when 1t IS d
caldron of whirling vapors and when
the palm trees bend like coryphe es.
tossing their arms to the galloping
hurricane But whatever the time of
dav or the season of the year at which
YOU visit ii. the Yumuri Will render
YOU wordless with delight, and you
will vow that 1t is the happiest valley
mems eyes have ever looked upon.
Standing there beside the shrine of
Our Lady of Montserrate. you will see
beyond the cleft through which the
river energies another hill, La Cumbre.
from which the view is almost as Won
derful. and your driver may tell you
about the splendid homes that used to
grace its slopes in the golden days
when Cuba had an aristocracy They
were classic Roman villas, such as once
lined the Via Appia-little palaces. with
mosaics and marbles and precious
woods imnorted from Europe. and fur
nished with the rarest treasures-for
in those DAYS the Cuban planters were
rich and spent their money lavishly.
Melancholy reminders of this splendor
exist even now in the shape of a crum-
bled ruin here and there, lichened
pillar. an occasional porcelain urn in
its place atop vine-grown bit of wall.
Your cochero may point out certain
grove of orange trees. now little more
than rank tangle. and tell you about
the uuinta of Don Esteban Varona, and
its hidden treasure: about the little Es-
Sebastian. the giant slave, who died in
fury. taking with him the secret Of the
well
The Danish Main is rich IN tables of
freasure-trove. for when the Antilles
were most aff1uent they were least Sc
cure. and men were put to strange
shifts to protect their fortunes. Ger
tain boards. like jewels of tragic his
tory. in time assumed a sort of evil
personality. not infreonently exercising
dire influence over the lives of those
who CHANGED to fall under their spells.
1T was as If the money were accursed.
for certainly the seekers often came to
evil. OF such a character was the Va
was neither better nor worse than 9TH
er men of his time. and although part
of the money he hid was wrung from
the toll of slaves and the traffic in their
and in time the earth purified it all.
Since his acts made so deep an impress,
and since the treasure he left played
SO big part in the destinies Of those
some account of these matters should
he given
The story, please remember. Is an old
one: ii has been often told, and in the
telling and retelling it is but natural
that certain glamor a certain tropical
extravaganza. should attach to it.
therefore you should make allowance
Tor some exaggeration. some accre-
lions due to the Ia pse of time In the
main. however. il Is we'll authenticated
and runs parallel to fact
Dona Rosa Farona lived barely long
enough to learn that she had given
birth to twins. Don Esteban. whom
neopie knew as grim man. took the
came one of his strong fiber Leaving
the priest upon his knees and the doc
for busted with the babies. he strobe
through the house and out into the
sunset. followed by the walls of the
slave women. From the negro quarters
came the sound of other and even
louder lamentations. for Dona Rosa had
been well loved and the news OF her
pressing mao spread quickly.
DON Esteban was at heart selfish
man. and now. therefore. he felt a sui
len. fierce resentment mingled with his
grief What trick was thise he asked
himself. what had he done to merit
ench mtsfortuner Had he not made
rfcn gifts to the church? Had he not
gone on foot to the shrine Of Our LADY
or Montserrate with a splendid yotiye
onering-a pair of nsrdrops. neck
lace. and crucifix- ell Of diamonds that
ouivered In the sunlight like drops of
purest water" Had he not knelt and
prayed for his wife's safe delivery ana
then hung his gifts upon the sacred
image as Loyola had hung up his
weapons before that other counterpart
o. our Lady, Don Esteban scowled at
rhe memory. for those gems were AZ
fhe finest. and certainly of n value suf-
ncicnt 70 recompense the Virgin for
any ordinary miracle. They were worth
a.""" pesos at least he told himself
theS represented the price of 6ve
!iaves-five % his f-est girls. scbooied
y, housekeepipP and OF an age suit
.. LOT breeding An eStravagance
fu'E! Don Fsteban knew the value Of
money as wei az ANYBODY ard he
sWore now that he would give no more
70 the church ~ '''i
he looked UP from his unhanpy mus
inSs 10 md gigantic, barefooted NO
gro standing before him. The slave
n'iddie-agee: his kinky hair was
ero"inE gray: hut he was OF sunerh
proportions. and the muscles which
showed through the rents in his cotton
garments were as smooth and runn,a
as those Of stripling His black face
WIS puckered with grief. "a he began.
Master. is u true that Dona Rosa
The fellow choked.
Yes" Fsteban nodded w.,ru, g.,
n.