er wormhole was the implacable and aging Amaranta。 She thought of her at dawn； when the ice of her heart awakened her in her solitary bed； and she thought of her when she soaped her withered breasts and her lean stomach； and when she put on the white stiff…starched petticoats and corsets of old age； and when she changed the black bandage of terrible expiation on her hand。 Always； at every moment； asleep and awake； during the most sublime and most abject moments； Amaranta thought about Rebeca； because solitude had made a selection in her memory and had burned the dimming piles of nostalgic waste that life had accumulated in her heart； and had purified； magnified and eternalized the others； the most bitter ones。 Remedios the Beauty knew about Rebeca’s existence from her。 Every time they passed the run…down house she would tell her about an unpleasant incident； a tale of hate； trying in that way to make her extended rancor be shared by her niece and consequently prolonged beyond death； but her plan did not work because Remedios was immune to any kind of passionate feelings and much less to those of others。 ？rsula； on the other hand； who had suffered through a process opposite to Amaranta’s； recalled Rebeca with a memory free of impurities； for the image of the pitiful child brought to the house with the bag containing her parents？bones prevailed over the offense that had made her unworthy to be connected to the family tree any longer。 Aureliano Segundo decided that they would have to bring her to the house and take care of her； but his good intentions were frustrated by the firm intransigence of Rebeca； who had needed many years of suffering and misery in order to attain the privileges of solitude and who was not disposed to renounce them in exchange for an old age disturbed by the false attractions of charity。
In February； when the sixteen sons of Colonel Aureliano Buendía returned； still marked with the cross of ashes； Aureliano Triste spoke to them about Rebeca in the tumult of the celebration and in half a day they restored the appearance of the house； changing doors and windows； painting the front with gay colors； bracing walls and pouring fresh cement on the floor； but they could not get any authorization to continue the work inside。 Rebeca did not even e to the door。 She let them finish the mad restoration； then calculated what it had cost and sent Argénida； her old servant who was still with her； to them with a handful of coins that had been withdrawn from circulation after the last war and that Rebeca thought were still worth something it was then that they saw to what a fantastic point her separation from the world had arrived and they understood that it would be impossible to rescue her from her stubborn enclosure while she still had a breath of life in her。
On the second visit by the sons of Colonel Aureliano Buendía to Macondo； another of them； Aureliano Centeno； stayed on to work with Aureliano Triste。 He was one of the first who had been brought to the house for baptism and ？rsula and Amaranta remembered him very well because in a few hours he had destroyed every breakable object that passed through his hands。 Time had moderated his early impulse for growth and he was a man of average height marked by smallpox scars； but his amazing power for manual destruction remained intact。 He broke so many plates； even without touching them； that Fernanda decided to buy him a set of pewterware before he did away with the last pieces of her expensive china； and even the resistant metal plates were soon dented and twisted。 But to make up for that irremediable power； which was exasperating even for him； he had a cordiality that won the immediate confidence of others and a stupendous capacity for work。 In a short time he had increased the production of ice to such a degree that it was too much for the local market and Aureliano Triste had to think about the possibility of expanding the business to other towns in the swamp。 It was then that he thought of the decisive step； not only for the modernization of his business but to link the town with the rest of the world。
“We have to bring in the railroad；？he said。
That was the first time that the word had ever been heard in Macondo。 Looking at the sketch that Aureliano Triste drew on the table and that was a direct descendent of the plans with which Jos？Arcadio Buendía had illustrated his project for solar warfare； ？rsula confirmed her impression that time was going in a circle。 But unlike his forebear； Aureliano Triste did not lose any sleep or appetite nor did he torment anyone with crises of ill humor； but he considered the most harebrained of projects as immediate possibilities； made rational calculations about costs and dates； and brought them off without any intermediate exasperation。 If Aureliano Segundo had something of his great…grandfather in him and lacked something of Colonel Aureliano Buendía； it was an absolute indifference to mockery； and he gave the money to bring the railroad with the same lighthearted air with which he had given it for his brother’s absurd navigation project。 Aureliano Triste consulted the calendar and left the following Wednesday； planning to return after the rains had passed。 There was no more news of him。 Aureliano Centeno； overwhelmed by the abundance of the factory； had already begun to experiment with the production of ice with a base of fruit juices instead of water； and without knowing it or thinking about it； he conceived the essential fundamentals for the invention of sherbet。 In that way he planned to diversify the production of an enterprise he considered his own； because his brother showed no signs of returning after the rains had passed and a whole summer had gone by with no news of him。 At the start of another winter； however； a woman who was washing clothes in the river during the hottest time of the day ran screaming down the main street in an alarming state of motion。
“It’s ing；？she finally explained。 “Something frightful； like a kitchen dragging a village behind it。？
At that moment the town was shaken by a whistle with a fearful echo and a loud； panting respiration。 During the previous weeks they had seen the gangs who were laying ties and tracks and no one paid attention to them because they thought it was some new trick of the gypsies； ing back with whistles and tambourines and their age…old and discredited song and dance about the qualities of some concoction put together by journeyman geniuses of Jerusalem。 But when they recovered from the noise of the whistles and the snorting； all the inhabitants ran out into the street and saw Aureliano Triste waving from the lootive； and in a trance they saw the flower…bedecked train which was arriving for the first time eight months late。 The innocent yellow train that was to bring so many ambiguities and certainties； so many pleasant and unpleasant moments； so many changes； calamities； and feelings of nostalgia to Macondo。
Chapter 12
DAZZLED BY SO MANY and such marvelous inventions； the people of Macondo did not know where their amazement began。 They stayed up all night looking at the pale electric bulbs fed by the plant that Aureliano Triste had brought back when the train made its second trip； and it took time and effort for them to grow accustomed to its obsessive toom…toom。 They be。 came indignant over the living images that the prosperous merchant Bruno Crespi projected in the theater with the lion…head ticket windows； for the character who had died and was buried in one film and for whose misfortune tears of affliction had been shed would reappear alive and transformed into an Arab in the next one。 The audience； who paid two cents apiece to share the difficulties of the actors； would not tolerate that outlandish fraud and they broke up the seats。 The mayor； at the urging of Bruno Crespi； explained in a proclamation that the cinema was a machine of illusions that did not merit the emotional outbursts of the audience。 With that discouraging explanation many felt that they had been the victims of some new and showy gypsy business and they decided not to return to the movies； considering that they already had too many troubles of their own to weep over the acted…out misfortunes of imaginary beings。 Something similar happened with the cylinder phonographs that the merry matrons from France brought with them as a substitute for the antiquated hand organs and that for a time had serious effects on the livelihood of the band of musicians。 At first curiosity increased the clientele on the forbidden street and there was even word of respectable ladies who disguised themselves as workers in order to observe the novelty of the phonograph from first hand； but from so much and such close observation they soon reached the conclusion that it was not an enchanted mill as everyone had thought and as the matrons had said； but a mechanical trick that could not be pared with something so moving； so human； and so full of everyday truth as a band of musicians。 It was such a serious disappointment that when phonographs became so popular that there was one in every house they were not considered objects for amusement for adults but as something good for children to take apart。 On the other hand； when someone from the town had the opportunity to test the crude reality of the telephone installed in the railroad station； which was thought to be a rudimentary version of the phonograph because of its crank； even the most incredulous were upset。 It was as if God had decided to put to the test every capacity for surprise and was keeping the inhabitants of Macondo in a permanent alternation between excitement and disappointment； doubt and revelation； to such an extreme that no one knew for certain where the limits of reality lay。 It was an intricate stew of truths and mirages that convulsed the ghost of Jos？Arcadio Buendía under the chestnut tree with impatience and made him wander all through the house even in broad daylight。 Ever since the railroad had been officially inaugurated and had begun to arrive with regularity on Wednesdays at eleven o’clock and the primitive wooden station with a desk； a telephone； and a ticket window had been built； on the streets of Macondo men and women were