Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1888-03-03

ing upon me through her round trimmed spec
taclcs, Don lago will te known to your
took up the visitors book, in which the
sand had not yet dried my autograph.
flames Clent,"I said, reading the name to
which she pointed. mo, I do not know him.
Dona Mercedes y as puzzled, being scarcely
able to understand that two lsnglishmen.
even two English artists, might be strangers
to one another. But presently she crossed
herself. "Don rago is an old Christian, :" she
said softly, and so went of with her book,
benevolent still, hut 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 q
door up three str1s in the darkest corner.
Then you pulled a weight which hung there
and by and by the iron stuAled door opened
a. Of itse'f and 10! a tiny courtyard, in
which four orange trees in tubs produced an
effect of son,ber gayety. Round this patio.
at the Lowell OF j first floor, ran a veranda.
reached by an uncovered staircase. All tho
rooms opened on to this veranda. On tho
right hand side were four little bedrooms,
On the side which faced the entrance was
the con.ron parlor and on tho left the
kitchen and the old ladics' room, at a window
ct which one was always sitting ready to
open the outer dOur with a cord wbenevar
tho hell tangled.
1t was all very plain and primitive, but
clean, and looking round my bedroom, which
had wh:t,washed walls, and a matted floor.
and for furniture a led, a stool, a basin and
a hrasero, I found no cause to regret the
dinsy hoel I had left.
When l passed No. l, On my way to din.
ncr, tho door was ajar, and Dona Mercede,
was inside with a lamp In her hand. I
paused before the door, and she, looking up,
saw me. "Ah!" sho said proudly, ''did l not
tell You that Don Iaso was q painter1 See
here" And she throw her light upon a
picture which wcs resting Oh ON easel before
tho window.
Isaw ct once that it was not badly painted.
There was a show CT facility about it. And
yet it was mediocre, surprising me less by
its execution than its subject Here in To-
ledo, tho grand md bizarre, In tho midst Of
such architectural beauty and -erotesqueness
as fairly bcwildered an artists eye, my
~neishbor had not painted q street. scene. a
Moorish gateway, or a leafy %c!oister. Io had
chosen instead a country landscape almost as
commonplace as it was dreary; a gray house
and a gray, sloping olive grove, and round
them bleak, wind swept uplands. I was
scarcely moro %astonishcd to find that I knew
the place. I had passed it tho day before
in my walk from Torrijos-walSing il q
whirl Of mine and is was fully soven miles
from Toledo.
AT the time I said something pretty to
Dona Mercedes, ind Hent on to tho parlor.
My neighboc was late. had nearly finished
when he entered. He was a man Of 25, per
haps, with g thin, carcworn face and lines be-
low the temples. He was about my height,
wearing his hair and mustsche cut short-a
blonde, aud English looking. He had proba-
bly, heard Of my arrival, yet he seemed put
out at sight Of loe-perhaps merely because
he was late.
~ have loft the head Of the tablo for you,"
said, half rising politely. "You have been
here some time, I understand"
He Yves breaking his bread into morscls and
eating with q worried cir.
Eyes; tho place quits me-" no answered
rather CURLY.
"Yety you like to hear the lark sing as well
as the nous squeak" I replied, smiling. lis
tone was not encouraging, but I wished to be
agreeable. "1f l am not mistaken, I met you
yesterday"
"Not that l am aware Of" he said, With a
hasty glance at me, and then devoted him
self to his soup with renewed zest.
"No. On the p%athway-1 cannot call 1t .
road-fro.n Tocrijosl About 3 o'clocsT
He shook his head "You are mistaken, !"
he answered. II was not outside tho town
yesterday"
"Then l saw a nam very like you" I re-
Joined, nettled by his manner 'Therc is q
ruineds castle, called AlnQuacid, l believe,
about a mile this side of Torrijos. AS l was
-..-:-- "a ~-,~ Tx-.:A-.u --l 80 -
ist also, il q portfolio makes On artist, leave
it and mako quickly for tho village before
ma Somehow I missed him among the
houses, and YVES too far from him at any
time to sec HIS features distinctly. But he
was wearing clothes like yours"
"And like yours, too, l presume he re-
Joined sharply. He had a way Of waiting
Tor you, aud taking you up suddenly, Of
which this was my first experience.
Just sol" I said, for be was right; we
were dressed alike. "But I am not aware
that the mirage occurs in Spain. Perhaps
you know AlmonacidT
mo-" he replied, more equally, as il he
were ashamed Of his show Of temper. 81
have heard Ct It,. But it il too Tar for my
legs, n I cannot afford horse hire. Isome.
times walk out in that direction, but not
half Is far"
I made a hasty calculation. Almonacid
was nino miles from Toledo. The gray house
and solitary olive grove were at least seven.
80 that whom my friend said that he had not
been half as far a. Almonacid, he was moi
quite truthful, since he must have been ia
the scene Of his picture. But it was no busi.
ness Of mine He was q good looking man,
and that which took him to the drcary farm
house might well be q love intrigue thing
dangerous to enter upon in Spain, more dan
gerous still to NEEDLE with I changed the
subject.
I had had a difficulty about my letters.
The postmaster had refused to give them to
ue because I had not my passport With me.
Later the Office had been closed I told Client
this, and he listened, but his thoughts. seemed
Tar away, and when I had done he said,
"No doubt you will get them tomorrow" in
aperfunctory way, with scarcely . show Of
sympathy.
III hope I shall" I answered, annoyed that
be made 80 little of it. II do not know what
shall do II I fail to get them"
lob. you will get them" he repeated care
issly.
He was wrong, as it turned out. But 50
was I when I went to bed, vowing I hated
him. I did not take into account the change
which twenty-four hours may make in our
feelings. Just one day later < could not have
identified the surly man I have described
with my friend James ~Clent-James Client,
who had by that time rescued me from a
most unpleasant position, aud proved tri-
unphantly that undo. his rough manner he
bad q sound heart.
It all arose out Of the letters. called at
the postof1ce next morning and handed in
nv nAssDOrt. Ten minutes afterWard L.