Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-04

AN EsPADA-cnIEF OF BULL r1aHrEas.
anywhere from i've to fifteen minutes at every
little wayside station ceases TO be Q bore when
he finds how much there 10 to see on every plat
form. There are vendors Of all sorts crying
their wares; young women with water TO sell
from earthern jugs that are precisely the same
| in shape and color with those one sees in Muril-
| los paintings; men with baskets Of miniature
peanuts. fancy cakes, that one hest
tates long before trying, and, in fact,
neighborhood think may. draw few coppers
from the passengers. Then there are the inevi-
table groups of the halt, the lame and the blind.
| who seem to flock to the stations from all the
country around and to whom the coming of the
railroad must have been the greatest Of bless
ings. Each train carries small detachment
of the civil guard, in their dark uniforms and
curious hats, and all heavily armed. This Gus
tom Of placing soldiers on the trains is sur
vival Of the times when, not SO very long ago,
the country was infested with brigands, who
occasionally made things lively for travellers
are told Of the doinss Of this civil guard, who
appear to be everywhere. They are by far the
best paid branch Of the army and are looked
upon as the main support Of the government
Their power is practically unlimited, and when
they shoot they shoot TO kill and the only reason
they are required to give is that their uniform
was insulted. They are the sworn defenders of
the existing government. The people are clearly
afraid of them, and an Englishman who has
lived here for seven years told me that in his
opinion 1t was this guard alone that kept them
from rushing once more into the midst Of civil
war. Even as 1t IL the country il apparently
very close to republicanism. The rich are 80
very rich and the poor 30 very poor, and il
doesn't need prophet Of even the second rank
to see that there il trouble brewing for some
body.
But by this time the train has started along
| ha paxfu fafin A. ha lox L.
behing and the engines toll hard up the grades
that lead to the foot hills Of the Sierra Nevsdas
the scenery becomes immensely grand. The
mountains are rugged and wild, yet between
them lie valleys and vegas that are wonderfully
fertile. 1t is the combination Of rich plains and
snowy peaks that makes the vast panorama that
stretches out below the Alhambra one of the
most magnificent in the world. There ia liter
ally nothing wanting to make the Landscape
complete, and the best view of all is from the
towers OF the Alhambra, that stands on the sum
init of the mountain directly behind the town
and several hundred feet above it.
THE ALEXANDRA. (.
But what Of the Alhambra? All, that is a
good thing for inexperienced writer's to leave
severely alone, intrusting it to the kindlier
mercies of the poet and the painter. Wash
ington Irving has written of the Alhambra, and
though he wrote'more than half century ago
has left nothing for others say. Sufficient that
the complete destruction Of that amazing pile
that he dreaded, has been averted, and the
Spanish government is now doing q great deal
toward its restoration. Time. the whitewash
and plaster Of the publication and the gum
powder of the French soldier have done their
work well, but that great collection of
towers, mosques, palaces, courts and
gardens is stiH the most delightful place in
all of Spain, and one might well do as Irving
did and stay on for months, lost in its marvel
GUS beauties and the memories that hover
about it.
Visitors to the Alhambra are all expected to.
register their names in a big book kept for that
the autograph Of the famous author of "Tales of
the Ahambra." This the guides show on every
provocation, for the American is far from being
without honor in Spain. The Other afternoon
while wandering through the palace I fell in
with party Of intelligent and apparently we'll
read Englishmen. In due time the cicerone
brought forth his treasure with his finger point
ing to the name which is shown before that of
Albert Edward Of Wales. Irving? Irving?
Who was he? An American?" looking toward
me, for the guide spoke not English.
started to tell him that Irving was the first
PRESIDENT of the United States that he
was prominent general in the late war and
was afterward king of Texas, with his capital
at jackson City. But didn't, for l was afraid
he would believe me. explained the situa-
ton and he said, 'Ah, really
Irving Hotel overheard young woman, also
from Albion's Isle, remark to her neighbor,
What a curious name for a hotel. How did
they ever come to give it such name?"
I'm told, he answered, "that Irving was an
American chap who wrote something or other
about the Alhambra." And she said, .'Ah,
really" v.K.