Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-08-30
DON BASILIO'S STORY.
Translated for Romance by E. J. Tagundus from the Span
ish Of Don Pedro A. de Alarcon


-. which had been occupied by the
Carlists since the beginning Of this cam
paign, and where il was certain they
would shoot me Immediately. The war
was then without quarter.
".
II was o'clock in the morning after
that melancholy day-the hour OF my
rendezvous with Ramon.
was confined in the dungeon Of the
public prison Of the enemy. l asked for
my friend and they answered me: "He
is brave man! He killed lieutenant
colonel, but he persisted during the last
hour Of the battle"
How? Why do you think SOP"
Because he has not returned TO the
camp nor can the men who to-day were
under MS command give any account OF
him."
All! how l suffered that night! One
hope still had. Ramon might be walt
ing for me az the ST. Nicholas inn; this
would explain his failure TO return to
the rebel encampment. How distressed
he would be to find that did not keep
the appointment!
ale will, I said to myself, "think me
dead. And, truly, how far am | from
my last hour? The rebels always shoot
their prisoners the same as we do"
Thus dawned the following day.
A chaplain entered my prison. All my
companions were asleep. "Death| l
exclaimed, at the sight Of the priest.
"Nes. he answered gently"
"Now?"
"No; within three hours"
A minute later my companions were
awake.
A thousand cries, a thousand sobs, a
thousand curses filed the prison.
V.
Every man who is about to die IS pos
sessed Of some idea which will not leave
him.
Whether it were nightmare, fever, or
madness, the thought Of RamOn-of
Ramon alive, OF Ramon dead, Of Ramon
in heaven, Of Ramon in the inn-took
possession Of my brain in such a way
that l could think Of nothing else dur
ing those days Of agony. They took
from me my soldiers uniform and
dressed me in a soldiers cap and an old
cloak.
Thus went to meet death with my
nineteen companions In misfortune.
Only one was 20 be saved from death.
He was a musician, and the Carlists
did not shoot musicians, because they
were in great need Of them in their bat
teliOns.
And were you musician, Don Basi-
lilo? We're you saved on that accOuntP"
asked all the children with one voice.
"No, my children" replied the vet
eran. Il was not o musician"
The square was formed, and we we're
placed IN the middle Of 1t.
was No. ll-that is, would be the
eleventh 20 die.
Those detOnatiOns maddened me. As
they had bound our eyes did not see
my companions fall.
tried to count the discharges that
might know a moment before dying that
my sojourn in this world was finished.
However, at the third or fourth detona-
tiOn 1 lost count
All, those shots will thunder eternally
in my heart and in my brain as they
Numbered on that day.
Now / heard them a thousand leagues
distant; now felt them reverberate in
my head. And the detonatlons con-
tinued.
"Now" thought I.
THE discharge sounded and l still
lived.
This oner' said at last.
Then felt myself seized by the shout
ders and shaken, and voices sounded in
my ears. fell.
! knew no more.
Then / experienced something like a
profound sleep. dreamed that l had
been shot dead.
VI.
I dreamed that ! was stretched on a
small bed in my prison. / could not see.
I raised my hand to my eyes to take
away the bandage and touched my wide
open dilated eyes? Was blind?
No. l was in prison, in utter dark
ness.
! heard the toll OF a bell and trembled.
1t was the ringing of the ''animas."
at is 9O'clock, thought, 'but what
day?"
A shadow, still darker than the dark
air of the prison, leaned over me.
II appeared to be a man, And the
Others-the other eighteen?
All had been shot!
And I2
Did live or was I delirious in the
grave? Ny lips mechanically muir
INJURED a name; Away his name, my
nightmare-RamOnw
"What is it?" the shadow beside me
answered.
my Cod" I exclaimed cam I in
the other world?"
mol" answered the same voice.
Ramon, art thou aliye?"
eyes"
"And 10"
"Thou also"
''Then where am ~ Is this the San
Nicolas inn? Was not taken priS-
onerP Have I dreamed It alp"
mo, Basilio; thou hast dreamed moth
ing. Listen"
VII.
'As thou knowest, yesterday I killed
the Northumberland in fair fight.
am revenged. Then, mad with fury,
kept on lighting and killing until II
grew dark-till there was not 3 Chris
tian on the battlefield. When the moon
arose I remembered thee. Then l d.
rected my steps toward the San Nicolas
inn with the intention Of waiting for
thee.
at was 10 o'clock. The appointment
was for / and the night before l had not
closed my eyes. slept profoundly.
About l l gave a cry and awoke. l
dreamed that thou vast dead. looked
about me and found / was alone. What
had become Of thee? Itstruck 2, 3, A.
what night Of anguish