Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-05-22
BYwAYS OF SEVILLE.
THUMB NAIL SKETCHES OF A WITTY
AND GRACIOUS PEOPLE.

AND GRACIOUS PEOPLE.
The Lazy and Picturesque Lie Of the An
dAlusi.as-1Enktng Love Through Barred
Windows-A Taberna where the Dark
er side OF Life L. Displayed
wardering home through the dark.
byways. you pass cloaked fig
ures. whispering at the iron bound WIN
dows. They are tLe lovers ct Seville,
pelando Ia p&Va (plucking the turkey.
as they call il. With the lattice slightly
open, the fair Scvillana sits in her dark
ened chamber talking ia Whispered
tones to the gallant without The old
folks, weary of the task Of chaperonage.
after locking the daughter IN rom
barred like a prison cell, have gone to
bed, and for hours. sometimes the en-
tire night, the sfianced lovers look
through the grating into each others
eyes and whisper the notbings Of love.
IL would seem cold comfort to north
ern swain. but the Spaniards say the
iron bars are necessary evil there IN
Spain. In Spain there arc life and color
and pictpresqueneSs everywhere. and
you think the Spaniard was born to be
an artists model.
In the maze of tOrtuous streets about
the market one sees something Of the
life of the people There the white
brilliant sky IN rambling perspective,
and the graceful tower OF some parish
church, its brown walls moss grown, its
bright tiles shining, rise sharp and clear
into the blue above. Dark maidens with
glossy hair and warm celor IN their
cheeks gaze idly from the miradores
above upon the countless people in the
streets below.
The cobbler hammers and stitches in
his smoky little shop without window
or door, glasses click in the bodega.
sleek cows with mournful eyes and
tinkling bells stand silently chewing
their cuds in the milkman's stalls, and
the dainty feet Of shaggy donkeys patteI
on the cobble stones a. the patient lit
| tie beasts, beneath their panniers OF
straw or charcoal. thread their way
through the crowd. You wander along,
picking your way through the good ma
tured assemblage. until you reach some
little plaza with its church, where beg
| gars sun themselves upon the fagstoHes,
and the puestos, or booths OF the street
| peddlers, with graceful. colored avn
ings. are scattered picturesqueiy about
the pavement There the dazzling sun
light casts fantastic shadows on the yell
low and blue walls Of the houses, mul-
tioolored pots or festoons of cotton
prints hang in the dingy shops. gallar.
dos-daudies of the street-gossip IL
groups or ogle the passing maidens
dogs snOoze in sunny spots and crowds
Of idlers cluster about some barrel or
gan or blind guitarist. There is q bOoti
near by where a bronze skinned gypsy
is cooking molletes ealentitoE, q sort oI
greasy -four cake fried in oil. and q wine
puesto with its earthen jars, and hug'
bottles of red and yellow wine, and
there vagos loiter 10 eat and drink
One can linger for hosrs in the streets
of Seville, watching the people aHC
talking with them, too, for the Anda
lusian of the lower classes is the best q
fellows There is a democratic freedom
in his manner, at once respectful anf
cordial, which is unlike the obsequious
ness OF boorishness OF the common PEG
pie of other countries He is slow ans
even lazy, but he commands respect, ans
nowhere can one meet such civility ant
heartiness as is shown by the Andalu
sian peasant. But you laust unbend an<
meet him half way. He does not lik
Saxon stiffness, and a cordial word o
the oRer of cigarette will accomplish
more than handful of silver.
When you go into bodega Of tn
people where aguardiente is sold at
cent glass, the Labitues ali greet vol
with a word of welcome, and the bar
keeper serves his liquor with courtli
ness which is Chestsrfieldian. They ar
rough places. those common taverns
There Is one In particular, across tn
river in Triana, where the toughs of Sc
ville-the matoncs, they are called
gather to drink and quarrel They ga,
that every Sevillian who is spelling 70
a fight goes there. and many are tn
cutting ARRAYS in which navajos ar
drawn. With maptas wrapped about TIN
left arm, the duellists croaoh and slow
ly follow each other around, WATCHING
the opportunity for the fatal spring
just as they do in Carmen. This tabern
Of the DULLES as "A low. dinRy place
; spanned by high beams blackened b
ages of cigarettes and dirt. Il is open
, the street on two sides, and supportin
the corner beams IS an old Roman col
ump which looks as though it may hay
been standing since the time Of Trajan
The floor IS of dirt, and in one carner ar
low table and three or four cane seat
ed chairs. There are dirty bottles ON th
shelves and coarse prints Of bullfighter
on the walls. Behind the bar is TIA
keeper of the resort, low browed ru1
fan, with little weasel eyes, set clos
together aud knife slash across his M
shaver cheek. He looks prince Of cut
threats, but even he has kindly greet
ing and civil word, as have his cIl
toners who lean upon the bar. But til
honest workman out for holiday wit
; his best girl or the bourgeois aud hi
friends picnicking in the environs IN
) der the shade of olive trees, are realI
, more interesting. These true Andalu
, Tians will always welcome q stranger
they viii always share their sour win
and sweet cakes, and the bright eye
girls of the party will dance the grace
ful Seviliana TO the time of castanets
and if you speak Spanish yeu may cha
with them all and feel when yon leay
that you have met real friends. Tier
? are no people so friendly and witty an
( gracious as the Andalusians. Cosmo
: politan.
Different.
:" L suppose your daughter is just lik