The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-22
The DISENCHANTM ENT OF CHALLO NER
BY CURTIS YoRKE.
BY CURTIS YORKE.
Etc,



is1, and he was hlandly conversational
The day, though close and oppressive.
was dull; and when our party had got
half way up the mountain a blindlne
STEADY rain began 10 fall. The path grew
increasingly sleeper; the mules and ponies
appeared 10 be almost perpendicular. Their
flders neld on as best they could
Al last, when all were wet through. AMI
always with the exception Of the colonel
not a little detected, they reached a plat
form about fifty yards square, on which
was perched a whifewashed. one-stors-
nullulng, long and low, and pierced
mere ana there by small, deeply set win
stout, swarthy woman. who in Eng
lahq might have passed for 50 but VINO
probably had not attained her Seth year
was smiling in the doorway. She babe
voice 20 which the colonel responded
by vigorous 'Buenos Dois"' uncOn-
third commandment by SUBSTITUTING one
NoWei Tor another, and making GOOD
GOD do duty for Good day"
The inside of the cottage was furnished
Win extreme simplicity. Nevertheless
there We're dainty little touches here and
mere which suggested home and England
Inc rooms were tiny and low-ceiled Ev-
erything felt damp. and the girls SILVER
eu. However they were disposed to be
interested and amused by all things Span
over all.
The colonel. regardless Of the rain. was
exploring the stables, the smithy-which
and the cow house and was beamingIv
taxing notes when called in to the even
ing meal.
Leonardo, the stout housekeeper before
mentioned. had just placed upon the ia
bic large piece of stewed mutton-coolx-
80 IN what she proudly believed to be
tngnSn taShiOn-When powerful mastiff
burst into the room. seized the tempting
JOINT I'm his teeth. and disappeared leav-
ing cloud of gray over the lower gar
ments Of the cOlOneFs smart travelling
suit. This occasioned complications for
Il appeared that there was no more meat
IN the house. save few bundles of
.'chorizas"-a kind of pork sausage pro-
fusely seasoned with garlic
All were too hungry. however. 10 he
very critical, and the sausages went down
with only a slight demur The colonel
ana the wine beyond all praise. on both
these subjects Markham and Jephson
maintained an engaging silence.
During the meal Sanchez surveyed the
company from the doorway with an air
or gracious approval which was very
gratifying and interpreted to the best of
his ability when required
Leonardo waited at table with elephan-
tine zeal subsequently upsetting the oil
lamp, and rushing from the room scream
ing
"Dios mioi Dios milo" in high staccato
Jephson promptly flung a traveling-rug
over the flames. and Sanchez, when all
danger was over. hurried in with a can
dle' Nolubly assuring the colonel that il
was "all right" he (Sanchez) would see
that no danger arrived 10 the English ca
balleros and their wives. II was only that
old fool Leonardo who had drank very
many glasses of wine, and could not go
straightly because of it,
Meanwhile, a diversion was created by
tho discovery that the heavy rain had
penetrated the roof and was dropping plen-
TRULY upon the floor.
Bed seemed the only refuge; but each
and all found that the rain had preceded
them there, too. Their couche were damn
and uninviting, and rapidly becoming more
so. Sanchez, upon being stormily sum-
moned by the colonel, airily announced
that the English ingenierO and his wife
thought nothing of little aqua or wa
ter, and that he (Sanchez) could not
know why IL rained so much as it was not
a thing of August
But" he added piously. without doubt
the good God knows the reason; therefore,
If the caballeros and their wives viii enter
into bed and sleep, 1t may be that 1t will
be for the best"
This practical advice they were ulti-
mately constrained to follow, and as far as
the masculine contingent were concerned
the remarks thereon were terse and ex-
pressive.
The rain continued for three weary DAYS
and nights, and then dried up In the fierce
glare OF blazing sun. During these three
dripping days the colonel had insisted on
Spanish being constantly spoken in the
family circle. He poured over his various
grammaTS, and wrote out imaginary in
terviews with the natives. He also held
curious conversations with Leonardo
which were carried on on either side with
bows and smiles of comprehension AS
neither had the faintest idea of the others
meaning these alternate monologues Were
very entertaining to onlookers
Sanchez lowered about the household
continually. The colonel used to wonder
what was the nature of his avocations at
the mines, not knowing that i'm no nation
is the doctrine of eye-service more carried
out to the letter than in Spain.
Elise" said Markham on the first of
the fine days, while the colonel and Leon
arda were conversing on the weather,
come round to the smithy and ask Pedro
what time it is. It's as good as a play.
Jephson and have been in fits. Sanchez
will interpret.
The found Meg and Jephson already in
the smithy, where Pedro worked placidly
and internationally on the mining tools,
Which We're carried up and down from the
various galleries by relays of, ''pinches''
or small boys. Sanchez, who passed
much of his time on the platform in front
| of the house, posing in what he believed
| TO be the national attitude of the Eng
ishman, with folded arms and head bent
| contemplatively on his chest, advanced
with dignity to interpret the wishes of
Upon learning that the English senori-
tas had heard of the beautiful watch
! which Don Juan Rivington had brought
| to regulate their own watches by the
same, Pedro, with an indescribable air OF
/ fiattered Importance, laid down his ham,
mer, and produced from the folds of his
broad waist-belt a bundle wrapped in a
| dirty buster. This, upon being unfolded
1 brought to view tin case about the size
of toilet soap-box. Pedro opened this
| with solemn care, and revealed some op-
| ject rolled in red flannel. From this he
| reverently eXhumed the famous watch
/ and announced the time at half-past ten,
/ Sanchez meanwhile gravely explained that
| Pedro had had the tin case made to pre-
serve his watch from dust and smoke;
| but the stupid tinsmith having made ii
| much too large, Pedro, by the advice of
! Don Juan (who knew many things) kept
! the watch rolled in red flannel that II
might not rattle about and so get spoil
ed. For, he added, it was a very valuable
| watch. of sort called Waterbury. Pc,
| dro, with absorbed eyes, was meanwhile
secluding his watch once more from the
| vulgar gaze. Then with heavy sigh he
| lit a cigarette and resumed his work
The rest of the day was spent in in
! speeding the mines, where, owing to the
absence of Don Juan, work was carried
! on in a free and easy way. A large
proportion of the miners were Sitting
| about in groups, smoking the eternal Gig
! arctic. Others lay asleep in the sun, The
mines, Sanchez explained, were in an ele-
| mentary stage as yet, and there were
days when nothing could be done. This
| was evidently one of these days.
Colonel Challoner mentioned at dinner
| that evening that he was a little disap-