The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-03-16
THE MAN OF ALMONACID.

only Dy mounllKnt, ana IN tue mere COTpse Oi
q city In the sunshine--when l heard Of
modesty so 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 defaulter for thirty
thousand pounds, or n petty rogue Of all
worki
'"Ten monthsl That is long time I" /
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. zone
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 Toledo for ten years and not have done.
l, too, am a painter" .... .....
"And no doubt said the old dame, BEAM
ing upon me through her round trimmed spec.
tacles, "Don Iago will be known to your
took up the visitors book in which the
sand had not yet dried my autograph
"James Clent,n said, reading the name 70
which she pointed. mo, do not know him.
Dona Mercedes was puzzled, being scarcely
able to understand that two Englishmen,-
even two English artists, might be strangers
to one another. But presently she crossed
herself. "Don Iago is an old Christian she
said softly, and so went off with her book,
oehevoieht s'iii' out cohscious' rear, Oh a
serpent IN her Eueh.
Eden was our boarding mouse. From q
paved aiiey' the Zane uel Arzooispo, you
turned INTO an archway ana groped FOR
door up three steps IN the darkest corner.
linen you puiieu weighs Whlch hung there
and by and by the iron STUDDED door opened
os Of itself md loi n tiny courtyard in
which 1our orange uees III tuos produced an
erect OF somper gayety, Round TINS patio,
at the level Oh hrst noor, ran veranda,
reached by an uncovered staircase All the
rooms opened on 10 on's 'eranda: On the
rignt haho sac were iour httie Dedrooms
On the side "hich raced the entrance was
the common Parior ana on the leit the
kltchen ana the oid iadies room, at window
OF which one was always sitting ready 10
open the outer door with cord whenever
the bell Jangied' ...I. -..g
III was an very pam ana Primitive, but
clean, and looking round my bedroom, which
had whitewashed walls ana matted moor,
and 1or furnlture oed, stooi, basin and
orasero, iound no cause 10 regret the
1ingy hotei haa iei'. l
when passed NO. i, on my way TO diii-
ner, the door was alar, and Dona Mercedes
paused before tne door, ana sne, looking up,
saw me- an! she saia Prouuiy, ana not
tell you tnat Doh iago was painterf pee
hereE ana she threw her hght upon
picture which was res'ihe Oh an easei Deiore
the "inoo"' rt s,,.
L saw at once tnat u was not padly panied.
lhere was SNOW Vi iaciilty ABOUT IL, Ana
YET IL was mediocre, surprising me less oy
Us eAecu'ioh ,har us supJec'. mere IN 10
ledo, the grand and bizarre, In the midst OF
sucn architectural beauty ana grUesqueness
as iairiy oe~ilaereu an artsts eye, my
| Moorish gateway, or a leafy cloister. He had
| chosen instead a country landscape almost as
| commonplace as it was dreary; gray house
and gray, sloping olive grove, and round
them bleak, wind swept uplands. / was
| scarcely more astonished to find that knew
the place. had passed it the day before
| in nv walk from rijos-walking is a
whim of mine and is was fully seven miles
from Toledo
| At the time l said something pretty to
| Dona Mercedes, and went on to the parlor.
NV neighbor was late had nearly finished
when he entered He was man of 35, per-
haps, with a thin, careworn face and lines be-
low the temples. He was about my height,
wearing his hair and mustache cut short "A
blonde, and English looking He had proba-
bly, heard of my arrival, yet he seemed put
out at sight OF me-perhaps merely because
he was late.
~ have left the head of the table for you"
l said, half rising, politely "You have been
here some time, understand
He was breaking his bread into morsels and
eating with worried air.
eyes; the place suits me-" he answered
rather curtly
"Yet you like to hear the lark sing as well
as the mouse squeak" replied smiling. His
tone was not encouraging, but wished to b<
asreeaoie. III am hot niiS'akeh' met you
yesterday"
"Not that am aware OF, ne said, WIN
nasty glance al me- ana theh deVoted MIN
sell 10 MS soup with renewed zest
MOI oh the PATHWAY cannot call va
road-irom iorriJost ADouo ociockf ''.
ne SHOOK MS neao. GU ure iiiSoakeh'
he ahsWereo' "as hoe ou'sioe lhs oo"h
yesterday,
linen saw man very IKE youN re-
Joihed' nsttied oy ms manner mere Is
ruined eastie, caued Ain,ohacia' oe,iefe,
ABOUT mile inns side OF iorriJos AS was
passing saw an Lhshsninah' ana an art-
ISL aiso II porpiono makes an arpiS', iea'e
IL ana make quickly tor tne village peiore
me somehow ! nisseu MN ulhohs .ne
houses, ana was 700 lar from MN az any
1iihe 10 see ms features ois'hhctiy' ou' no
was wearing cioehes IKE yours.
ana IKE yours ooo' Presu'ne' ne re-
loineu Sharply. ne haa way oi "ai'ihs
lor you, anu .akihg you up suuueniy' oi
wnich TINS was my nrst experience
JUST sol l saiu' Ior ne was rishe' we
were dressed aiike' nut ahi ho1 aware
thae .ne miiaee occurs III SPAIN rerhapS
you Know AimonaGlur i .,, :, -
mo-" he replied, more equabiy, as II he
were ashamed OF his show OF temper Il
nave heard OF IT, but IL Is 700 Tar ior my
legs, and cannot afford horse hire some
times Walk out In that direction, put not
half as tar'" =,
made nasty calculation. Aimonacid
was nine miles from Toledo Inc gray mousse
ana soiitary ohVe grove were az least seven,
90 that when my irlend Said tnac NE hao NOT
been half as Tar as Aimonaeid' nc was not
quite truthfui' since ne must nave peen 10
me scene of nus picture But ~ was no ousi-
ness OF NINE he was good iooAihg man.
ana that which TOOK MN 10 the "earS iarih
mouse might well be love intrigue-a thihg
dangerous 10 enter upon IN SPAN, more Dan
gerous sun 70 meddie "ioh' ! changea 'hs
suolect ., .s ,A.4s
had had a dinculty ABOUT my letters
| Ihe postmaster mad refused 10 give them TO