The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1860-09-18

thc kfih' uhelioyeT. iho Ub'"s, aito' w
| spirit which animated them ha,! taken figl
wc,e fearfully swollen, aud exhibited da
blue color. chequ"ed with crimson spot..--
Nothing was heard within the houses of IA
streets, but groans of agony; ne remedy WI
At hand, anl the powers Of medicine wero OK
haustod in vain upon this terrible pest; =
that wllhln a iew days the greater part of IA
inhabitants Of Logrono hal persisted Tn
GookseI'er hal not beeu seen sincs the com
mencemcut of this frightul visitation.
Once, NJ the dead oi night, knock WA
heard at the door of the priest, Of whom v,
have already spoken; the priest himself stag
gored to the door, and opened it--he WAS tLc
only one who remained alive in the house
and w,- himself slowly recovering from III,
malsdy which had destroyed all the other in
mates; spectral looking figure presented
itself to his eye-it was his friend, Alvarez.
Both went into the house, when the hooks"l
lor, glancing gloomily on the wasted features
Of the priest, exclaimed:
You. too, l see, among others, have cause
to rue the Drao which the Gitanos have cast
Know" he continued, SHAT in order to &C
complish detestsble plan, the fountains OF
Logrono have been poisoned by emissaries OF
,he rowing bsud-, who are now assembled in
the neighborhood. On the first appearance
of tho disorder, from which / happily escaped
by tasting the water Of private fountain
which possess in my own house, Instantly
recognized the effects Of the poison of the Gi-
tanos, brought BY their ancestors from the
isles OF the Indian sea- and instantly suspect
ing their intentions, disguised myself rs =
Gitano, and went forth in the hope Of being
able TO act as spy upon their actions. |
have been successful, and am at present thor
oughly acquainted with their designs. They
intended, from the first. TO sack the town, as
soon as it should have been smptied Of its de
Tenders.
"Mid-day, tomorrow, is the hour at which
they have determined to make the atteinpt.
There il no time to be lost; let us therefore
warn those of our .ownsmen who still survive,
in order that they may make preparations for
their defence"
Whereupon the two friends proceeded to
the chief magistrate, who had been but
slightly affected with the disorder; he heard
the tai" of the bookseller with horror and as
tonlshment, and instantly took the best
possible for frustrating the designs
Of the Gtanos; AL the men capable Of bHsr
ing arms in Locrono were assembled, aud
weapons Of every description pat into ther
hands By the advice of the bookseller, all
the gates Of tho city were shut, with the ey
ceptnn Of the principal one; and the little
band of Jefcnder-, which barely amounted to
sixty men, was stationed in the great square,
10 which. he said, it was the intention Of the
CItanos to penetrate in the first instance, and
hen dividing themselves in O various parties,
% sack the town. The bookseller was by
general desire, constituted leader Of the guar
lians Of the town.
1t was considerably past noon; the sky was
overcast, and tempest clouds, fraught with
lightning and thunder, were hanging black
md horrid over the city Of Logrouo. The
little troop. resting on their arms. stood wait Z
n. the arrival If their unnstural enemies;
ago fired their uinis as they thought of the
'eaths Of their fathers, their sons, and :heir
learest relatives. Who had pershed, not by
he hand of God but lik infected cattle. by
he heliah ~rts of Egyptian sorcersrs. They
onged for their appearance, determined to
vreak opon them a bloody revenge; not n
vord was uttered. and profound silence reign
d around, only interrupted by the occasional
nuttering of the thunder clouds. Suddenly,
Alvarez, who had been intenLly listening.
aised his hand with a significant gesture;
sound was heard-a rustIng like
he waving of trees, or the rushing of distant
sater, it gradually increased, and seemed to
roceed from the narrow street which led into
he square from the principal gate. All eyes
gere turned it that direction.
~ ~
That night there was repique or ringing of
ellis in the towers Of Logrono, and the few
riests who had escaped the pes.ilence, sang
tanees to God and tho Virgin for the saliva.
ion Of the towd from toe hands of the heath.
II. The attempt Of the Gitanos had been
lost signalIy defeated, aud the great square
nj the street were strewn with their corsos.
)h! what frightfu sight; ,here lay grim
len more black than mulattoes with fury and
age in their sliffened features; wild women
extraordinary dresses, their hair, black aud
,ng rs the tail Of a horse, spread all dshev
He'd upon the ground; and gaunt and naked
hildren grasping knives and dagges in their
ny hands. Of the patriotic troop not one
ppeared to have fallen; and when, after the
nemy had retrea,ed with howliugs Of fend-
h despair, they told their numbers, only one
ian WAS missing who was never seen in Lo-
rono again, and that man was Alvarez, the
In the mid-t Of the combat, the tempest
hich had for long time been gathering.
urst over Logrono in lightning. thunder, rain. !
arkness aud vehement hail.
A man Of the town asserted that the last
mo he had seen Alvarez. the latter Was tar {,
s!vapce Of his companions. defending him /,
'lf desperately against three powerful young :
palhen, who seemed to be acting under III"
rection Of a tall womsn who stood high :.
,vered with barbarc ornaments, and wearing !;
D her head a rude silver crown. 6
Such is the tale of tho Bookseller Of Logro- :
D, and such is the narrative Of the attempt =
tho Gitanos to sack the town in the time 4
pestllonce, which is alluded to by many |
panish authors, bnt more particularly by the L
armed Froncisco de Cordova, in hio Didas- /,
lila, one Of the most curious and instructive I,
,oks within the whole circle OF universal lit 7
ATTIRE. h
In the above little tale the writer nfess.s that e
er. are many things purely imaginary. the most v
n All tu sack thp 4