The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-12-10

y away. It was thefaul
y OF those rascally, long
tongued Americanos
with their peeping ways and their viii
lnqulsitiveness. For half q score O
years he had lived in the old Spanish
town OF Logrono and had been thu
landlord of the Posada Huespedes
Oriental. Now he looked back anG
saw all OF his work swept away
Ramon couldn't forget it. 1t was a
fine night, and the moon came up
early. The two Americans had sat on
the balcony until it was quite late.
Ramon was smoking a CT garette, fresh
ly rolled, and was looking at the pic
ture of the pink faced Madonna which
hung on the WALL while his left foot
tapped the tiled floor as he uncon-
~Sciously kept time to the fandango.
Ale remembered all these things so
plainly now.
Have the Americans gone to bed
yet, think you?" said Dolores, as she
poured out g. thimbleful of fragrant
wine for him.
How should know? I am not yet
a valet to my guests" he answered
somewhat testify.
LAS onzel'
That was the night watch going bv,
crying out IL O'Clock. Who cared
whether it was II o'clock or not? He
was IN bad mood and there was no
usefOr it.
1t seemed to the woman as if it was
almost time for the night watch to
come again, but she would not wait to
see the midnight hour shouted out.
so away she went to her room, while
Ramon, usually Ramon the cheerful
put tonight Ramon the gloomy, sat
'oolt upright in an easy chair, look
ing steadily at the wall and thinking.
Ifamon, are you going to sit up all
nlght?' came the shrill voice OF Dolor-
es. He had been sleeping again. The
voice reused him, but it was for an
'nst ant-lust long enough for him to
call her an uncomplimentary name
under his breath. Then he was nod
~[ii'ig again. The cigarette fell to the
moor and he dreamed. His dream
nlust have been a bad one, for it
made him clutch at his chair. In the
midst OF it he heard sounds, like
voices. He heard scratching noise,
then a fall, as if a loose brick had
fallen down the chimney. YEARLY he
i';'ed his heavy eyelids. The row of
candles faded out until there WAS
only one left. He looked half stupid
win sleep at the bottle, next at the
empty tumbler and then at the burn
1ns cigarette on the floor Hereached
over mechanically and picked up the
roll OF tobacco. With an unsteady
ii'nd he poured from the bottle into
the glass and drank. He pulled at
che cigarette until the lighted end was
an glow. He was doing again.
'IWelve o'clock" cried the night
watch, and then
Then came the horror. In the kitch-
en- there was IL crash. Like awounded
oeast he had leaped to his feet with a
cry. lie snatched the candle up and
ran to the door. He held it high above
his head and looked.
-, There in the big fireplace, he saw a.
lace. 1t was grim with dirt. The ewes
seemed to him to shine supernatural
~ behind was q faint glow. The
inquire moved forward, as if to struggle
out. Ramon tried to speak, but Tis
tongue ratified in his mouth. Three
times as the figure suuirmed forward
his lips moved. At the third effort tho
sound came. But such q sound as it
Was-ilke the gasp of a dying man.
is 1t you? Have you come back?"
Inc hand which clutched the door
went upto his face and across his ewes.
shutting out what he saw. The voice
"hlch came in answer was not Span- |
ash. 1t was American. "'N
"Well, old man." he said, chow lono
are you going to stand there? Give q |
Fellow lift, can't your"
The terrified figure at. the door WAS
Ramon, the landlord, once more. He
pulled himself together and said in
quavering voice. ~.-.'' -
An, Senior, 1 did not know Won.
You have met with an accident. -"
lie heard another voice. Both
americans an were in the fireplace. They
all sat down together over the half !
empty bottle. There they h i'd told
MN In the hard Spanish, which thew
spoke, how, becoming tired of the
moonlight they had gone into the
room. How they had looked curious
iy INTO the fireplace and how they had
accidentally disturbed a slab. -
'Well, then, they had said, it would
DE a good thing for him to look
around q little, for there were q
couple OF fellows up there with no
flesh on their bones. Two skeletons
who wore smiles on their bone faces
as II they were glad they were dead,
Inc end of it all was that the three
went, up to the room and into the
along the damp fouI-smal-
ing corridor SO heavy with mold that
the candle burned dim. Half wav
they came across the dead, and the
landlord, crossing himself piously
had started back in horror. Roth
skeletons were clothed. One wore
the costume Of Carlist captain. bnt
the blue Jacket was moldy ana tie
lustre OF the brass buttons was hid