The Washington herald., 1921-03-20
The GENERALS AUTOMOBILE By Vicente Rlasee Ransz


He admired the United States for two things:
its firearms and its automobiles. That may
not seem much. but It is something. Mex
ican general doesn't have to know anything
about Emerson. or Poe. or LongfeIow. Did
you ever notice. he would say to me. what
dinky little cars those gringos turn out7'
And his, In truth. was . beauty-light
with stylish lines and an engine that was
devil for speed-the biggest most expensive.
most fashionable machine the Americans
make. / confess that admired It a. much
as my general
MANY nights, - would Be leaving the
once Of Casttlle5os paper. be would comb and
get me and take me for . drive about the
principal streets Of Mexico-or. to Be exact
along the only avenue, which, under different
names, and with different breadths. stretches
several miles In length from the National
Palace to the Park Of Chapultepeo-
You all know, Of course. that the streets
Of Mexico are the best lighted Of any city IN
the world. though all that illumination does
few people any good. because there's rarely
anybody on the streets At night As you ride
along you think you are in one OF those en-
chanted cities Of the Thousand and One
Nights where everybody has been put 70
sleep and the place II really dead In early
revolutionary days things were q bit more
lively. Then you could see oficers speeding
along occasionally In taxis and shooting re-
volvers from the windows at passing car
riages-just for fun But during the election
season everything was quiet People kept
indoors. feeling q revolution In the air.
However. on our drives. the general
would take me from chapultepec to the Plaza
del Gobierno and then back from the Plaza
del Gobierno to Chapultepec. The way We
made time. you would have thought we were
on important business and that the general
had to get somewhere There goes Cas-
tine3o.' a chance passerby would remark
with veneration and with fear. Wonder
where he's going now Sometimes insults
would be shouted at us: but they were always
for me. the oachuptn Maltrana who was
always in the seat Of honor In the generals
automobile.
"Castfllejo Invariably sat in front with the
chauffeur. leaving me on the back seat
Sometimes he would take the wheel himself.
but the chauffeur did most Of the driving.
And the way he could make that engine
hum You'd have thought the automobile
dated from the time Of Montezuma
My faith In presentiments dates from
one evening when i declined the generals
invitation to go to drive. on the pretext that
had work to do. felt something was
going to happen, somehow. The trlth waA.
castillejo seemed to be In a terrible mood
when he came into the Office / had not
recognized him at first He had goggles on,
and an automobile cap was pulled down over
his ears Then he was wearing big over
coat that reached to his heels and completely
hid his uniform. There was q fierce glow IN
his eyes and an expression Of determination
on his face. One thing that impressed me-
particularly was the smell Of alcohol on his
breath; for the general was q sober man
My excuse. nevertheless, did not work
Castirejo sat down. and said he would wait
till I had finished my article As q matter
Of fact, I had finished It long before. Final
ly, seeing there was no help for II. I told him
was ready.
when we reached the sidewalk. the gen
eral said: Get In. IN the back seat For
all the world his tone Of voice was the one
he gave commands In to the famous Army
Of the West When I was In my place
CastilIejo took his usual seat In front beside
the chauffeur.
Il feel some pride. to tell you the truth
as 1 think Of how accurately foresaw what
was going to happen As lay back there
on the cushions kept asking myself whs;
IN the devil the general was I'd to; and sud
denly thought o. the engineer, and then
thought of Olga And the shivers began ts
run up and down my back He's going on,
to shoot that man. / thought But VIII,
does he take me along? I might squesl or
himr And then the goose pimples on N,
body got an inch or two higher. OF course,
concluded. with my hair on end %
had never met my protecting general tina
had never seen Mexico; and began to won
der how long It would take me to get TO tn
American border. II anything did happen
the same time kept noting. with pride
my own cleverness, the accuracy with whic
had been predicting the generals ncvs
ments to myself.
Just as I had foreseen. the sutornoon
, turned of the main avenue at the stree
, leading toward Olga del Monte's residsnc'
, and we drove along. for some time, betves
, rows of newly built houses, where there wer
: no signs Of a light or Of people about d
. stopped at a corner. just beyond which N
l. lady's mansion was located Here the strss
& lamps were far apart, and some beautiful ts
Al a IA