Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-11-17
CHAPTER III.

| had heard of a certain manuscript
in the library of the Dominican fa-
J theirs, where l might find some in
teresting information concerning
the ancient Munda. Being very
well received by the good priests, /
passed the days in their convent,
and during the evenings | promen-
AIDED around the city. AT Cordova
at sunset there are always crowd
of idlers upon the quay, which lies
upon the right bank of the Guadal-
| qhivir. One breathes the emana-
tions from a tannery there, which
] still preserves the ancient renOwn
of the city for the manufacture OF
| leather but in revenge one enjoys
a spectacle that is indeed agreeable.
Some minutes before the dRgetltS a
! large number of women and girls
assemble upon the bank of the river
at the foot of the quay, which is
very high. Not man would dare
to mingle with that troop. AssoOn
rs the dngeius is rung, it is consid-
cred that it has become night. AT
the last tap Of the bell all those wo-
men undress and enter into the wa
ter. Then there are shrieks, laugh
| ter, an uprOar almost deaiening.
From the height of the quay the
men watch the bathers, stretching
their eyes to the utmost, ana yet
seeing very little. Nevertheless,
those forms, white and wavering,
which are projected upon the dark
blue of the water, set the poetical
sentiment in action, and with lit
tie imagination it is not difficult to
represent Diana and her nymphs at
bath, without having to fear the
fate of Acteon. They told me that
some wicked wretches once upon a
time clubbed together to gild the
palms of the bell ringer of the cathe-
dral, and have him ring the dngetlGS
twenty minutes before the legal
hour. Although it was still full
day the nyInphs of the Guadalqui-
yer did not hesitate, having more
confidence in the 0ngeiuS than in
the sun, and with quiet cOnsciences
made their bathing toilets, which
could not have been more simple.
/ was not there, In my time the
ringer was incorruptible, the twi-
light very obscure, and only a cat
could have distinguished the Oldest
orange peddler from the prettiest
little grisette of Cordova.
One evening, after it became so
dark that nothing more could be
seen, / was leaning upon the para
pet of the quay, smoking, when
woman, ascending, the stairway
which leads from the river bank,
came and sat down not far from me.
She had In her hair large bouquet
of jasmines, whose petals exhaled
an intoxicating perfume. She was
simply, perhaps poorly clad, in
dark, as the larger part OF the girls
are during the evening. On coming
near me, the bather let fall upon
her shoulders the mantilla which
had covered her head, and by the
"obscure light which falls from the
stars" I saw. that she was petite,
young, well made, and she had
beautiful, large black eyes. i inn
mediately threw away my cigar.
She understood that little act OF po-
liteneos, and FASTENED to tell me
that she loved the odor of tobacco,
and that she even smoked, herself,
when she had some mild cigarettas.
Luckily | had some in my cigar
case, and offered them to her. She
condescended to take one, and
lighted it at the end of a burning
chord that child brought us FOR
sou. Smoking together, we con-
versed so long, the pretty bather
and /, that we found ourselves al
most alone upon the quay. i
thought it would not be indiscreet
in inviting her to take an ice at the |
neUerid. After a modest hesitation
she consented, but before deciding
she desired to know what time RI |
was. / made my watch strike, and
the ringing seemed to greatly aston
ish her. "What strange inventions |
you foreigners have! What coun.
try do you belong TO, Senior? Eng |
lish, without doubt?
"French, and your most humble |
servant, and you, MadamoiSelle, or |
Madam, you are probably OF Cor
dova?
"No? You must certainly be
AndaIusian. 1t seems TO me / |
know it by your sweet voice"
"If you know so well the dialects
of the world, you ought to know
what am"
II beIieve you are OF Gods own |
country, two steps from paradise"
Il had learned that metaphor,
which is applied to Andalusia, from
my friend, francisco Sevilla, a well |
known picador.)
"Bah, the paradise! people say |
here it was not made for u.s."
"You are then Moorish, or ="
stopped, not daring to say jewish"
"Come, come, you can easily see
that am Bohemian. Would you
like to have me tell your fortune |
Have you ever heard of Carmen? l
am Carmen"
| was then such miscreant, il is |
now fifteen years ago, that l did
not recoil from sorceress. Good
thought 1, last week i ate with a
highway robber, to-day let us take
an ice with a daughter OF Satan.
When one travels he should see
everything. But then / had an
other motive for cultivating her ac-
quaintaBce. After leaving college,
/ will acknowledge it to my shame,
/ had lost some time in studying
the occult sciences, and had even
several times tried to conjure the |