The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1860-09-18
riiL nooKsEi.Laa ot .o.Hus0,

there is,idei one Franri,co Alvarez IN ,h
ciy Of Logon" tho chief town of Roja,
rovInce which borders on Arrsg n. tIs VA
n man above the middle age, sober. reserved
and in general absorbed in thought; ho live,
"a ar the great church, and obtHined iiveli
hood by selling printed books and manuscript
IN a small shop. He was very oaraeA man
and aes continually reading in tho looks tia
ha was IN the habit Of selling, aud som" o
the5a books we.e ~ toieiga tongues .ud char
acters, 80 foreign indeed that none bui him
sell sud some at his friends, the csnons. co,. ID
und, r,tand them; he WAS much visited 10y III,
clergy, who were his principal Gu toners, aud
took much pleasure in listening to lis dis
course
! He had been considerable traveller in bis
youth, and had wandered through all Spain,
visiting the various provinces and the rnos,
remarkable cities
1t was likewise said that he hal visited It.
ally and Barbary. He was, moreover, invari-
ably silent with respect to his travels, and
whenever the subject WAS mentioned to him,
the gloom and melancholy increased which
usually clouded bis featuree
One day, in the commencement Of autumn,
he was visited by priest with whom he had
long been intimate, and for whom he had al.
ways displayed greater respect and liking
than for any other acquaintance. The eccle
siastic found him even moro sud than usual,
and there was haggard paleness upon his
countenance which alarmed his visitor The
good prest made affectionate inquiries re.
specting the health of his friend, and whether
anything had Of late occurred to give him
uneasiness, adding, at the same time, that he
bad long suspected that some secret lay heavy
upon bis mind, which he now conjured him
to reveal, as life was uncertain, and it WAS
very possible that he might be quickly sum.
moned from earth into the presence OF his
Maker.
The bookseller continued fer some time in
gloomy meditation, ill at last he broke silence
in these words alt is true i have secret
which weighs heavy upon my mind, and that
l am still 10th to reveal; but | have pre-
sentiment that nv end is approaching, and
that heavy misfortune is about TO fall upon
the city: I will therefore nnburden myself,
for il were now u sin 10 remain silent any
nger
81 am, "a you are aware. native Of this
town, which first left when | went To acquire
an educstion ut Salamanca; | continu' there
until | became lccn,iate, when | quilted
the Univcroity aud stroled through Spain.
myself in gcn,ral by touching the
guitar, according to ,hs practice of pennil'ss
my adventures we're numerous. and
frequently experienced great poverty -
Ouce, while naking my way from Toledo to !
Andaluss through the wild mountains, l fell 7
n with and wa. made captive by band Of
he people called Gitauos, or wandering
Egyptians; they in general lived among these
vilds, aud plundered or murdered every per
on whom they met. should probably have
,eeu assassinated by them, tut my skill in
nusic perhaps saved MY life.
II continu, with them considerable
ine, till at last they persuaded me to b"cone
ne Of them, whereupou WAS inaugrr'
MO their society with MANY strange 9ai t9r
i'll GER monies, aud having thus b"loiae 3
iitann. | vent with them To piReder AMI
upon the roads. The Court, or
"ad man Of these Gilauos. had an only
laughter, about my own age; she was very
eautiful, but at the same time, exceedingly
trong and robust; this Gi;ano was given to
ne rs n wife or cadee, and lived with her
everal, during which time she bore me
hildren.
"My wife was an arrant Gtans, and iu her
II the wickedness Of her race seemed to be
oDcentrated. At last her father was killed
q an affray with the troopers of the Herman.
ad, whereupon my wife and myself succeed
d to the authority which he had formerly ex
rcised in the tribe. We had at first loved
ach other, but at last the Gitano life, with its
wickedness, becoming hateful
D my eyes, my wife, who was not slow in
erceiving my altered disposition, conceived
'r me the most deadly hatred; appreheuding
hat meditated Withdrawing myself from
he society, and perhaps betraying the secrets
the band, she formed conspiracy against
,e, and, at one time, being opposite the
foorsh coast, WAS seized and bound by the
ther Gitsnos conveyed across the sea, and
elivered as q slave into the hands Of the
ioors.
~ continued for long time in slavery in
arous parts Of Morocco and Fee, until was
length redeemed from my state of bondage
p missionary friar who paid my ransom.
With him shortly after departed for Italy,
which country he WAS native. La that
,untry remained some years, until long
70 to revisit NY native land seized me, when
returned to Spain and established myself
ere, where have since lived by vending
ooks, many many of which brought f'om
lie strange lands that visited. kept my
Istory, however, a profound secret, beng
raid of exposing myself to the laws in 'orce
Iainst the Gi,anos, To which | should in
anlly become amcnabe were it once known
lat had at any time been member Of
,is dctSsa able srct.
any pr"se,t wretchedness. Of which YOU
ave reman led the cause, dates from yester-
ay; h;d been on short visit To the Au
us,ne convent. which stands IN the PLAIN in
lc direction Of Sa aeossa, carrying with me
n Arabian book, which learned monk WAS
esirous Of seeing. Night overlook me ere
'uld roturn. IspeediIy lost my way, and
andere,. about until came near dilapids-
d edifce with which | was acquainted;
as about to proceed in the direction Of the
,wu, when heard voices within the ruined
slls listened, and recognized the language
tie abhotred Gitonos; was about to fly,
ben n word arrested me. IL was Drso, tlat
their tongue signifies the horrid poison, that
Il II. e 81.