, 1886-11-21
DON JUAN MANUEL.

''6R
and prominent merchants. Situate in
the most populous, the most central part
of the CITY, il is what we may call an
aristocratic street.
Nevertheless, its aspect il dreary by
day, and by night lugubrious. The great
zaguans street doors of ancient carved
wood seem the entrances to castles; on
the high walls of the buildings are pro-
jected, in a most singular manner, the
lights and the alternate shades of the
street-lamps, and from the Ch%urriguer-
esque ~cornices OF the balconies phantoms
appear to detach themselves, which now
blend and hide in the zaguans, now
ascend to the roof c%ornice, and there
peep and laugh, showing deformed and
fantastic shapes to the people who pass.
Thus to my imagination appeared one
dark night, cold and windy, the street
of Don Juan Manuel. A dear friend of
mine was dying that night, and l had to
go in search of a good priest, to bestow
the last benediction which the Christian
Graves on the day he departs this life
forever.
That night, at intervals, gusts of icy
wind blew from off the volcanoes, and
now and then great r%ain-drops fell,
which the vino beat and dashed against
the dark panes within the balconies; in
the whole street there was no living
creature but a lean black dog, gnawing
a bone thrown out by some servant.
The oil-lamps cast shadows rather Ii
light, and the small reddish flame trem-
bled sinisterly in the black tin holder.
The Waterman slept at the corner,
wrapped in his dark blue mantle, and
the echo of footsteps on the flags of the
walk resounded along the whole extent
of the street, at once dismal and
ma jestic, and broke the silence, now
and then disturbed also by the croak of
some nightbird.
This is the historic legend of the street
Of Don Juan Manuel:
In the year 1896 the street was not in
the condition that wayfarers now be-
hold it. Mexico was already, as it
were, planned and arranged, but the
streets, with few exceptions, were not
finished. There were large, fine houses
close beside others of poor and defective
construction; some had high, well-made
fences protecting their gardens. while in
others, in the Celada nov the street Of
San Bernardo) and in that of which we
speak. there were scattered among
houses many vacant ground plots, fenced
in only with wood, or adobes, or dry
dry thorn brush.
The owner of the houses and grounds
in that road was n cavalier called Don
Juan Manuel. lie was a parsonage sur
rounded in all directions by shadows
and mysteries which never let him he
seen in all the true reality. At night he
would enter the palace of the viceroy,
muiiied to the eyes in n long black
cloak, and there he would remain for
hours, conversing. None would see him
come forth, and some who, from Curl
osity, watched him go in, declared that
before knocking at the private door of
the palace, Don Juan Manuel would un-
muflle himself, cross himself thrice,
and, drawing a silver-handled rapier, he
would test 1T, examine its point, and
then return it to the sheath. And they
who saw this feared that the viceroy
some morning would be found murdered
in his bed.
Don Juan Manuel was "A very charita-
BILE man. 1t was told of him that he
was once visited by - widow who bad
WV 'iaiiiihB bah6iA'iof fOlllB anu
fair. Don Juan Manuel bestowed 81, 900
upon each of the girls, and refused ever
to see them.
Don Juan Manuel wa of jealous
nature 1t was said that his wife was
an illustrious lady of rare beauty, but
none had ever seen her, for she remained
shut within the house, and only left it
to go to mass at 8 o'clock of "A morning,
wrapped in "A great black wooden cloak.
No one visited the house, and none en-
tered there save the confessor, who now
and then went to drink chocolate there
after mass.
Don Juan Manuel was brave. One
night six robbers set upon him. armed
viii daggers. lie drew his sword of
the fashion Cid Ruy Diaz, and setting
his back against n zaguan door, he let
one of them approach him until a
patrol came to he rescue, who after
ward found the trails of blood made by
the assailants, all wounded by the one
man.
Don Juan Manuel was not a good
man, but pious; he confessed and took
the sacrament every week; he disciplined
himself every night at the nearest
church; he relieved many of the poor,
assisted at the feasts Of the Virgin, and
paid for tapers and lamps which burned
day and night in the churches.
All this was told of Don Juan Manuel,
but in reality he was n most mysterious
man, of whom it might be assumed that
all knew him, and none knew him truly.
If asked TO describe him, one said he was
tall Of stature, very straight and stately,
with n face pale and almost jaundiced, u
thick, black beard, and black, sparkling.
deep-set eyes. Others, on the
contrary, averrcd that he was
but Of ordinary height. with
mild and charitable c%ountenance,
with eyes expressive and full of sweet
ness, and only n short mustache.
Neither could all agree as to his garb,
the best informed c%oncuning in that he
wore always black, while others had
noted his elegant. hoodless cloaks; but
the greatest number were unanimous i'll
saying that at night he might he met in
the darkest streets, going in and out of
mean-appearing houses, wrapped in a
long cloak.
Such was the gossip of the vulgar,
which, starting from a foundation of
truth, poetizes and reverses things and
forms, giving to them the strange. in
definite, or mysterious character which
30 delights the human imagination.
Thus originates the greater part of the
legends and traditions of every people.
Time went on and on. and every year
added some particular, some new stroke
10 the character of Don Juan Manuel
as portrayed. Suddenly the cavalier
Burki-n- Arni~n -nivc.