Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-05-23

gether. What was more natural than
that I should offer to assist her ? "Oh.
Eno," she timidly answered, yet she evi.
IDENTIFY looked forward as nervously to
the approaching ordeal that / felt in
stinctivelt her refusal was only a me-
chanical one
"Have you much bsggage?" I
asked.
"Only this valise and small trunk"
she said; "the check for the trunk
is here" and she produced it from her
pocket-book and unhesitatiugly held it
out toward me. What made me take it :?
don't know really, but this do know
that it came very near costing me dear,
that same bit OF paper which I took
from her little gloved hand, for five
minutes later madam and I were under
arrestin the waiting room with q file of
geIdarmes standing guard over us. In
vain I protested and demanded an ex.
PLANTATION. The guards spoke only Span
ish, and scarcely vouchsafed word at
that.
"What does this mean, madam ?" I
asked, turning to my companion. She
was no longer nervous and timid, but
cold as an iceberg. She shrugged her
shoulders. t'Je men sats rSe,a, naon-
sie1r," she answered, "Mais nous
UGisons."
'De you speak Spanish ?" asked
her.
eyes,"
evil you be 80 kind as TO explain to
these people that there must be some
mistake, that you and I are merely
chance travelling acquaintance? They
can not certainly wish to detain both of
us, for we have nothing in common.
Please to speak quickly, madam, for the
train will be leaving in very few mo-
ments now, and can not he thus I'M
warrantably detained"
"It would be useless, monsieur, she
answered, "but will try" and turning
to the gendarmes, she pointed to me
and said something in Spanish. They
looked at me, merely smiled, and did
not reply.
"You see," she said, ::it is useless
and 60 it was. was Powerless in the
presence Ct these grim guardians, and
when tie train went on without US saw
through the waiting room windows the
commits V0y0geur looking unconcerled=
~ out of the carriage dooS He didn't
seem to miss us in the least.
The situation was certainly not pleas
ant. A clear conscience under such cir
cumstances may be all very nice, but I
should have appreciated its practical
value at that moment much more had it
been coupled with an ability to assert it.
self in the Spanish language. I was
sure that I hadn't ever conspired against
the peaceful sway of his majesty the
king of Spain; was certain that I had no
diamonds or other ditiable valuables bid
away in my luggage; knew I was no alb
sconding tinancler, or cheVdtier dim
desstr5ej and was ready to bring indis-
putable proof that I was simply an in
nocent American tourist making my first
and 1 fervently hoped my last-y1sit
to the stored land of cloud castles and
done. Evidently there was mistake
then somewhere, but the thing was to
prove it. l began to be Suspicious OF
madam. A lively conflict between. gal.
lant1y and mistrust WAS going on in my
mind when the door opened and busy,
bustling little man in cooked hat and q
uniform plentifully decorated with faded
gold lace, came in, bowed with the great
est courtesy, and, after inspecting both
of us from head to foot, made US sign
to follow. The gendarmes eolembly
brought up the rear. It was all so sur
prisipg and ludicrous to me that in spite
of the seriousness of the dilemma ]
could not repress smile at this, my first
entry into Spain.
But it was no smiling matter, soon
found. Madam and l were escorted to
the police Office, a few streets away from
the railway station. A crowd of young
ragamuffins and other idlers, attracted
by curiosity, followed US thither, and
the busting little official in gold lacel led
the way, and finally ushered us Into the
presence of small but ferocious look
ing individual whom rightly cohjec-
tured to be the commissary or chief Of
police. He, too, was in uniform. He
wore an immense mustache, had an
enormous nose, behind which glitte1ed
a pair of piercing black eyes; the top OF
his head was bald, and his long, bony
fingers, as he nervously drummed on
the desk before him, reminded me OF
the oyster-tongs used to see down at
Blue Point in the happy days when
never dreamed of making a trip into
Spain.
"And you, madam" he began, speak.
ing in French, ''do you speak Span
ish?"
Ido," she answered, adding some
words in thatlauguage. -
"Ab," continued the chief, turning
to nee, "and monsieur does not then ?"
NO." I replied; tonly French"
"Your name, madame"
Maria Fracisca Motte."
"Age?'
"Twenty. FOUR"
Nationality? ?"
French"
Married or single p
"Married. Ny husbands name is
Henri Jean Motto, negcciant."
Your residence?"
"Paris.''
"Destination?"
"Madrid.''
"And you, Monsieur ?"
gave him my card and answered all
those he had propounded to my compan-
ion.
"Were you travelling together?" he
aeked.
NO." said. Madam did not AN.
swer..
"Where did you first meet?''
CAT Lamothe, where madam entered
the train. l left Bordeaux this morn
ing"
"Never met before %
"Never."
"That is all for the present." he said.
81 should like to be allowed to in
quire the ground of my arrest" I inter-
posed. 49,.
He looked at me not unamiably, but
without replying.
II am an American citizen" I contin-
ued, travelling for pleasure. have
committed no crime and demand to
know why I am thus detained"
/ The chief shrugged his shoulders.
II am sorry" he said, ::but there is no