Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-05-02
The stury Teller.
THE MAN OF ALM0NACID.

THE MAN OF ALMUNAClD.
am free to confess now that when hrst
beard Of him took him for a sw7ndler.
When heard that Toledo had been his home
for ten whole months-Toledo, which lives
only by moonlight, and is the mere corpse OF
n CITY in the sunshine-when 1 heard OF
modesty so very retiring, and remembered
that England had no extradition treaty with
Spain, INV only wonder was as to the sum OF
bis spoils. Was he a defaulter Tor tnrty
thousand pounds, or petty rogue OF all
worki
aTen n onthsl That is long time !" 1
said to Dc ma Mercedes. my informant, and
the elder Of the two Old maids who kept the
Casa de Huespedes, in which found thatl
had this stranger for neighbor. "One
might see the antiquities even of Toledo IN
that time.n
"Truly,n she answered; "but then, Don
Iago il q painter"
aAh, now understandf' I replied, with
vrsat increase Of cheerful1fess stOne might
paint Toledo for ten years and not have done.
/, too, am painter a fuiq'.at
"And no doubt, = said the old dame, BEAM
Ing upon me through her round trimmed spec
tacles, "Don Iago will be known to your
I took up the visitors book, in which the
sand had not yet dried my autograph.
"James Clent,"I said, reading the name to
which she pointed "No, I 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 of with her book,
benevolent still, but conscious, fear, Of
serpent in her Eden.
Eden was our boarding house. From a
paved alley, the Calle del Arzobispo, you
turned into an archway and CROPPED for
door up three stops in the darkest corner.
Then you pulled Q weight which hung there
and by end by the iron studded door opened
as Of itself and To-! tiny courtyard, in
which four orange trees in tubs produced an
effect Of somber gayety. Round this patio,
at the level of first floor, ran veranda,
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, at a window
Of which one was always sitting ready to
open the outer door with cord whenever
the bell tangled a.
It was all very plain and primitive, but
clean, and looking round my bedroom, which
had whitswashed walls, and matted floor,
and for furniture bed, stool, basin and
brasero, found no cause to regret the
dingy hotel had left
When passed No. /, on my way to din
ner, the door was ajar, and Dona Mercedes
was inside with a lamp in her hand. T
paused before the door, and she, looking up,
saw me- "Ah!n she said proudly, 'sdid not
tell you that Don Iago was paintera See
here!" And she threw her light upon q
picture which was resting on an easel before
the window.
1 saw at once that it wasnot 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-
ledo, the grand and bizarre, in tn midst Of
such architectural beauty and grotesqueness
as fairly bewildered an artists eye, my
neighbor had not painted street scene, q
Moorish gateway, or 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. I was
scarcely more astonished to find that knew
the place. I had passed it the day before
in my walk from Torrijos-walking is a
whim of mine. and is was fully seven miles
from Toledo. !..T'
At the time said something pretty te
Dona Mercedes, and went on to the parlor.
My neighbor was late. I had nearly finished
when he entered. He was man of IS, per-.
haps, with 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.
II have left the head of the table for you,"
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. ..
"Yetyou like to hear the lark sing as we'll
as the mouse squeak" replied, smiling. His
tone was not encouraging, but wished to be
agreeable. eff am not mistaken, met you
yesterday"
"Not that 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 pathway-I cannot call it a
road-from Torrijoss About 2 o'clockT'
He shook his head. "You are mistaken"
he answered 81 was not outside the town
yesterday" .. .fs.s
"ThenI saw man very like you!" I re-
joined, nettle6 by his manner. ''There isa
ruined castle, called Almonacid, believe,
about mile this side Of Torrijos. As was
passing it / saw an Englishman, and an art
ist also, if portfolio makes an artist, leave
it and make quickly for the village before
me. Somehow I missed him among the
houses, and was too far from him at any
time to see his features distinctly. But he
was wearing clothes like yours"
"And like yours, too, presume" he re-
Joined sharply. He had q way Of waiting
which this was my first experience.
"Just SOP said, for he was right; We
were dressed alike. "But am not aware
that the mirage occurs in Spain. Perhaps
you know AImonacidp'
"No," he replied, more equally, as if he
were ashamed Of his show of temper. 81
have heard of it. But it is too far for my
legs, and cannot afford horse hire some,
times walk out in that direction, but not.
half as far"
I made hasty calculation. Almonacid.
was nine miles from Toledo. The gray house
and solitary olive grove were at least seven.
So that when my friend said that he had not
been half as far as Almonacid, he was not
quite truthful, since he must have been TO-
the scene Of his picture. But it was no busi-'
ness Of mine He was good looking man,.
and that which took him to the dreary farm
house might we'll be love intrigue-a thing
dangerous to enter upon in Spain, more DAN
gerous still to meddle with. I changed the
subject.
I had had difficulty about my letters.
The postmaster had refused to give them to-
me because had not my passport with me.
Later the Office had been closed. told Client.
this, and he listened, but his thoughts seemed.
far away, and when I had done he said,
mo doubt you will get them tomorrow" in
aperfunctory way, with scarcely show Of
sympathy.
II hope shall" answered, annoyed that.
be made so little Of it. 81 do not know what.
shall do if I fail to get them"
"Oh, you will get them," he repeated care
lessly.
He was wrong, as it turned out. But So
was when went to bed, vowing hated
him. I did not take into account the change
which twenty-four hours may make in our