Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-10-01
4 Rowing Young Couple


Cipal hotel in Barcelona, the Chicago of
Spain had crossed the Pyrenees from
Perpignan to Corona in bone-setting,
spine-aching diligence, and the transla-
| ton TO the steam. cars at Corona was as
grateful as it was luxurious
The hotel is situated upon the Rampla,
particularly wide street, extending for
about mile and half from the general
post-office to the t'deless harbor in the
Mediterranean. In the center of the
Rambla is an alamenda, or tree-snaded
promenade. utilized every morning as a
flower market, every evening by mill
tary band, and at all waking hours, save
during the summer siesta, thronged with
pedestrians of both sexes, when the lat
est Partisan fashions symphonic with the
intensely picturesque costumes of the
Catalan peasAntTy.
Having secured q room ssgiyingn upon
the Rambla, and on the first floor. for
which, bY-the-by, paid thirteen pesetas
day-a peseta being about twenty-five
cents, descended to the gloomy COM
medOr, or dining-room, for meal known
as 'aimuerzo, in fact. an early dinner
breakfast.
With the exception of the omelette.
which was perfect, my first meal In sunny
Spain proved dismal disappointment.
1t consisted of the usual nauseating and
pretentious repast which one meets with
all over the continent of Europe: the
ghostly soup, the dull-favored and watery
fish. the toO-too peppered entree of boiled
beef. from which the soup has already
extracted tyrannic tribute, and the roast
mutton, about as tough as the hide of
Sancho Panza's illustrious donkey Dap
pie.
Opposite to me were two vacant chairs,
both tilted against the table to denote
that they were engaged. 1t was during
the tussle with the leathery mutton that
these chairs became occupied.
The other leg of that old sheep.
Maude, / do declared" were the first
words / heard.
The voice came from lad of, say four
teen. A yellow haired, pink-cheeked,
blue-eyed, pearly-toothed boy, attired ia
gray flannel shirt with a rolling collar
and home-spun tunic, known as a Nor
folk jacket, all pleated. and a perfect
labyrinth of pockets.
Beside this handsome and happy-look-
ing lad sat little maid, so exact cnun-
terpart that the most near-sighted indi-
vidual would make affidavit as to her be-
ing his sister without the aid Of glasses.
She, too, was in gray flannel, and her age
might have been eleven years.
The young gentleman was perfectly at
his ease, and, for the matter of that, so
was the young lady. He called the
waiter and proceeded to institute search
ing investigation in school boy French,
into the nature of the dishes on the bill
of fare
II shall order an omelette, Maude; he
observed, in English. "a big one: and
we'll pitch into that with bread. There's
nothing else worth eating.
must confess that became interested
in the movements of these youthful trav-
lelers, especially when my neighbor, a
drummer from Manchester cotton fac
tory, briefly informed me that they were
travelling alone.
They're regular swells,' said the
drummer, and act as independent as
old travellers. To hear the boy talk,
you'd think he was one of us-I travel
for Brown and Williams, of Staleybridge
-or a foreign Office messenger. He knows
Bradshaw off by art. Really, added
the drummer, If it amt as funny as
Box and Cox"
Seeing that / was regarding his move
ments with curiosity, the young gentle
man bowed most courtt ously, and asked
lif / was not recent arrival. Having in
formed him that had struck Spain from
France, via the Pyrenees,
Just what We did p he said. We
left Perpignan at ten in the morning,
We hired a carriage, so as to be able to
take in the scenery at our case. We had
! tip-top luncheon. A generous old
chap that keeps the Tete Noir Hotel
made up for us present Did you put
up at the Tete NoirE Oh, here comes
our omelettel Amt / hungry Ny sis
tier and have been TO the top Of Mon
Juich this morning. Don't you do it,
sir. Il isn't worth the trouble. Now,
Maude. and he helped his little sister to
about pound weight of the savory
omelette, peppcring it and sailing it for
| her with 4 careful and loving attention
that completely wen my heart
turned 10 my drummer for further In
/ formation concerning this interesting
nair. but the worthy Briton had left the
liable, 50 / contenfed myself with the
idea Of lying ii ambush for the youthful
travellers behind the fragrant orange
trees that lined the hall.
How / missed the intelligent and sym
pathetic hotel clerk Of my own dear land,
who. iii less than two minutes, would
have thoroughly posted me with regard
10 these yonng people. Here, the clerk