Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-03-14
THE MAN OF ALMONACID.

only by moonlight and is the mere corpse OF
city In the sunshine-when / heard Of
rnodesty 50 very retiring, and remembered
that England had no extradition treaty with
Spain, my only wonder was as to the sum Of
his spoils Was he a defaulter for thirty
thousand pounds, or petty rogue OF all
workf
Ten months, That is long timer l
said TO Donna Mercedes, my informant, and
the elder Of the two old maids who kept the
Casa de Huespedes, in which found that
had this stranger for neighbor. "One
might see the antiquities even OF Toledo In
that time"
Truly" she answered; but then, Don
Iago is painter
''Ah, now understand replied, with a
great increase Of cheerfulness Zone might
paint Tole'lo for ten years and not have done.
/, too, am painter
''And no doubt, said the old dame, beam
lag upon me through her round trimmed spec
tacles, Den Iago viii tie known to your
took UP the visitors book, in which the
sand had not ye. dried my autograph.
james Client" / said, reading the name to
which she pointed NO do not know him
Dona Mercedes as puzzled being scarcely
eble 10 understand that two Englishmen
even two English artists might he strangers
10 one another. But presently she crossed
hcrlelf 'Don Iago is an old Christian She
said softly, and 80 went OFF with her book,
benevolent still, but conscious. fear, Of a
serpent in her Eden.
Eden was our boarding house. From a
paved alley, the Gale del Arzobispo, You
turned into an archway and CROPPED for a
door up three stvfs in the darkest corner
T. a tul
end by and by the iron studded door opened
a. Of itself and LOT "A tiny courtyard. in
which four orange trees in tubs produced an
effect Of sonber gayety. Round this patio,
at the level OF first floor ran a vcranda,
reached by an uncovered staircase. All the
rooms opened on to this veranda On the
right hand side were four little bedrooms.
On the side which faced the entrance was
the common parlor and on the left the
kitchen and the old ladies room, Mt a window
If which one was always sitting ready 10
open the outer door with a cord whenever
the bell tangled.
1t was ali very plain and primitive, but
clean, and looking round my bedroom. which
had whtewashed walls and n matted floor
and for furniture a bed. a stool, d basin and
a brasero ] found no cause to regret the
dingy hotel had left
When passed No. l, on my way to din
ner, the door was ajar, and Dona Mercede,
was inside with lamp in her hand I
paused before the door, and she, looking up,
saw me "Ah,'' she said proudly, did not
tell you that Don Iago was painterf See
here!n And she threw her light upon "a
picture which was resting on an easel before
the window.
saw at once that II was not badly painted
There was show of facility about it. And
yet it was mediocre, surprising me less by
its execution than its subject. Here in To-
lcdo, the grand and bizarre, in the midst of
such architectural beauty and grotesqueness
as fairly bewildered an artists eye, my
neighhor had not painted n street scene,
Moorish gateway, or leafy cloister. He had
chosen instead n country landscape almost as
commonplace ns it was dreary; gray house
and gray, sloping olive grove, and round
them bleak, wind swept uplands I was
scarcely more astonishcd to find that knew
the place I had passed it the day before
in my walk from Tori JOS walking is
within of mine and is was fully seven miles
from Toledo.
At the TINS | said something pretty to
Dona Mercedes and went on to the parlor.
Ny neighbor was late had nearly finished
when be entered He was n man of IS, per-
haps, with n. careworn face and lines be-
low the teri;llo, He was about my height,
wearing lis i,r ard mu;lnche cut short-a
blonde, end Engl III looking. He had proba-
bly, heard OF my arrival, vet he seemed put
out at sight Of me--perhnps merely because
he was late
II have loft the head of the table for YOU"
said, half rising, politely. "Sou have been
here some time | understand"
He was breaking his bread into morses and
eating with a worried air
"Ycs; the place suits me-" he answered
.athcr CURLY
WET You Ike to hear the lark sing as well
as the mouse squeak. | replied, smiling. His
tone was not encouraging, but wished to be
agreeable, "1f am not mistaken, met you
Yesterday
Not that am aware off, he said with a
haS'y glance at me, and then devoted him
self t" his soup with renewed rest.
"Not Ca the pathway-I cannot call it "a
road from ToI1iio sf About o'clockw
He shock his head "You are mistaken"
lie answered II was not outside the town
r. Yesterday
Then sawa man very ike your ! re-
joined, uettled b. HIS mrnncr There is
ruined castle, called Amonacid, | believe,
ot,,,+ a. ,,,Sl, ,,,;. l.. e
ras,ir,r :, so,,,a,, f,..1.,;'h,, 81 So ~.
~ olsa !, -, -. 49,,
!. al , ,,;.i.i,. D', -
W ny 'O' ~ N'''Ao 'eio'o
Lo,eo. ,,,,I ,,.,. a.. e'. =. ''.'' ,-'o
t!,,,, -. ... 49,, - .ti,.t'.f1' ~ ~
,.a. ,,,,.,,i., ,i,.ho., i,,-,, -
",,,I ~. - 49,. ~
;,inod .ta,,,l,. n. 81 -;
for ,-,,, ,.iI ,.,-i 49,. VI
vhi ~, ,,,',., ', a.. "" u!' s"D' VI
~ .a,,, ~; "a ~ H. -
S'"'' toi nc was 'iS"'' we
T'i, .I.' "''"o '"o a', "", """'o
,.',, t'',,, ~ III ''ie'" ct n''i"
- -, '.l' ,',r va
WON, .,,n,,I ~ my ei'c'''s as II nI
were ashamed OF his STOW OF temper Il
,'N' h'i'u o' H. hut II Is 700 Lar Ter my
- anu c""'i"e aiofo MORSE hlre' some
VAIN ou' III that uirectoh' OUT NOT
nan aS 'a''
hi'i''e nasty cai'uia'lon, Aifhohacid
was ni,ie 'ilileS from ioieuo. Inc gray mouse
si'u s','''iy "i''e grove were az ieast seven.
90 '''' "heh my frieha SAID .nat he han not
oeVu nan as 'ar as aiihohaoiu' ne was not
Iu''o '"'niui' SINCE he must nave oeeii 10
'ne scene Oh MS picture But II was no ousi-
nssSs OF .hne, lie was good looking man,