The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-01-23
A DAYS ADVENTURE.

-urS. A. GldotnJS PdrS, IN once A Weeh
A DAYS ADVENTURE.
When John Elliot was three-and-
twenty, an.uncle died and left him five
hundred dollars. In itself five hundred
dollars is not to be despised, but it is
always too much or too little for a work
ing basis. For year John reflected on
the question what he should do with it,
and then he decided to 60 to Europe.
The matter seemed simple enough to
him. AS capital for business the legacy
was meagre, and it was too much to
fritter away in fractions. If he kept it
for rainy day, how was he to know
that he should not have the luck the old
woman who saved her supper for her
breakfast and died before morning2
But if a man is to live in the world,
surely he should see it, and what is easier
to do when one is four-and-twenty, un-
trammeled, and full of good health and
spirits, and with purse in the pocket!
SO John took years holiday from his
law studies and sailed to Havre, and he
stayed away for twelve months and six
teen days, and in that time he saw much
and had many adventures. But as his
fortune was small and Europe is large,
he had TO make his own legs carry him
over great deal of ground.
One day in the fall of the year. when
the chestnuts wee ripening, John was
walking along q narrow defle in the
mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Far
above him rose the rocks, bare and stony !;
but his own path was shaded by trees,
and he walked over grassy ways. Quite
early in the day he sat down by a brook
which ran down stony and precipitous
bed, and let the peace and rest of the
silence bring him dreams. If he had but
known it, upon this very stone there
once had sat Moorish knight, wounded
in the fight in the dctile. Here his squire
had unbuckled his visor, and watched
the death shadow-which is always gray
steal over his face. But Of this John
knew nothing, and he contentedly
whistied as he sat there; and if he
thought of Christian and Saracen it was
only in reference to Granada, to which
he was going. He thought of robbers,
buthe was as ignorant of them as of
Moors, and feared them as little; and in
deed in all his walking he never met a
bandit. After time he arose, and to the
tune of "Annie Laurie took up his
march again; and if there is a better
test for whistler than is this tune l do
not knowit it.
Suddenly he heard a shout from the
rocks above, and looking up he saw q
Spanish sailor waving his hand.
John had gone to Europe knowing no
language but his own, but he had picked
up few phrases in Spanish, and so he
called back and said he thanked the gen.
tleman very much. 1t was not, perhaps,
a very apt reply, but John had not un-
derstood what the sailor had said. and
the phrase sounded we'll, and had the
advantage OF being in the language of
the countrt. The sailor was, however,
not satisfied, and again he called, and
this time John assured him that all he,
John, owned was at the distinguished
gentlemap's service. But even this did
not please the stranger, who then thought
it wise to run down and join John, and
thus try the eject of a nearer inter
course. He was handsome young man,
little oder than John. and his clothes
were so beautiful in color and so we'll
suited to show off his vigorous figure
and fine face that John wished himself
an artist, so that he mi ght make study of
80 clean and picturesque q sub, ,ect.
Yet it would have been more to the
purpose had he been linguist, be-
cause then he could have answered
tho sailor, who seemed to be in doubt
about the road. 1t would, however,
have been of no use to have understood
Spanish, the sailors command of that
language being even more limited than
Johns was. But the sailor stammered
along, until John betook himself to his
own language, and said he was an
American, and spoke only English. At
this the sailor smiled, seeming well
pleased, but he replied in German. Then
they looked at each other and laughed,
and began to walk on side by side. Ot
course they talked, and were very polite
to each other, and seemed amused and
pleased to be together, so 1t matte:ed
little that they did not understand each
other But this will happen when talk
ers speak the same language, and even
if we use the best English there are
times when our nearest friends do not
comprehend US, and their Interpretation
of what we say is astonishing and not to
be believed.
But these two young fellows had NO
fear of being misunderstood, fancying
that neither was understood at all. They
told each other stories, and laughed to-
gether, and pointed out what they
liked, and grumblcd over what they did
not. They gathered chestnuts and
acorns as two children might, and abou,
noon they lunched together under thu
shadow of a rock on which a pine-trct
grew. When they opened their KNAPP
sacks, and one brought out olives to ca
with their bread and cheese, each nodded
approval, and like good fellows made
free of each others provision, being sur
of welcome. Then the sailor took VI
seme salt and laid it in the palm of hi
hand, and John, taking pinch from it
the two of them ate salt together, ant
the German embraced the American, ant
D,,k, y