Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-06-24
A REMTNISCBNCE.

Il Was one OF those nights tbst beguils
even man Of transit and OF compass
into dreamy poetic reverie. The day
pad s9bsen busy one, and now, as the
glisah king stsrs faded before the moons
EIseresNng light, was glad to stretch
hgsstS under the ample shadow OF the
CORRIDOR, bssking in the soft rays snd
with the incense Of q fragrant cigar
breathe in the placid peace of quiet
night. The scene around was oriental
mid the ruins of an earlier ciViliz 2tion
that told of Moorish luxury Was the sole
representative of tie modern, aggressive,
restless spirit that stops before no OBJ
stkcle, nor stays It's march from any rev
efence for sntiquity.
[ hsL been sent out with 5 party OF
civil engineers to survey : route for the
railway that was to pSss through Mex
iCo The section that had been allotted
ss my division had never been Disturbed
BY modern innovation, and its iGhs5i.
snts we're primitive and kind.
Our headquarters were st Fl, &
sleepg old villsge, that in years gone
by mad gained importance from rich
mine, row exhausted. The evidences OF
its former wealth were yet visible in
handsome buildings, strangely contrast
ing with the ali set poverty that manifest
ed itself around. My headquarters were
in e massive stone building, once Q
monastery, but now hOstelry.
WEen the Liberals attained the sscen-
dsncY over the Church party the property
Of tae latter WAS conf5csted to the state,
snd for 8 mere soDg, buildings whose
massiVspess and fine carving told OF the
wealth that once flowed into the Golfers
Of the church, were purchased and con-
verted to base uses or were fast becoming
ruins.
Like ell Mexican buildings, the house
formed hollow squsre, in the center was
we'll, shaded by overhsnging trees, and
along the corridors were pots Of foWerine
plants, where in the day tie sir was vocal
with the song Of Gagged birds. At night
the large gates closed, the place wss like
fortress, and at these portals old man
Jusr, the faithful 'Fportero," wrapped in
mis- serspe laid himself to sleep, at the
same time guarding the entrance.
The sound OF his sandaled feet were
now no longer heard, and the grating OF
the huge key told that his days work was
done.
bIy room had been some former monks
cell, the only opening being 8 small
grated window high in one corner, from
which there csme tonight sounds that
hsd little of the cloister in their echo.
S3me officers on the way to the capital
hsd stopped for the night and were
hilarious; not boisterously so, but the
clirk Of glasses, 8 sn3tca Of s'soDg, once
in while s low lsugh, told Of revelry.
For some reason to me this was distaste-
fu!, snd had passed out into the open
space aud wss negligently reclining on
the debris Of 3 wall that had once sepsr.
sted the monks garden from the court
The boot Of sn owl ST my back startled
me, but I overcsme sny superstitious
dread by remembering this was Andrea
pet, and that the bird of iIl-omen WIS one
Of the belongings Of the place.
Andrea ySs, twas CT her l was think
ing; child OF this yoluptuous land g
creature for summer skies, g part Of the
beauty and the song that lent FL indie
scr:bable charm TO the languoroGs life
which surrounded me.
Did I love her? Oh, no! Thst
could not be, and yet when
the soft brown eyes looked
up, and the Wooing accents of her native
tongue fell on my ear, or as I lszily
watched her in the embrssure Of the
grated window, the little brown hands
laying with the thresd she was weaving