The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-05-06
BYWAYS OF SEVILLE.
THUMB NAIL SKETCHES OF A WITTY
AND GRACIOUS PEOPLE.

The Lazy and picturesque Lie oil the An
daIusians-Maling Love Through barred
windows--A Tsberna Where the Dark
or Side Of Life Is Displayed.
Wandering home through the dark,
winding byways, you pass cloaked fig
ares, whispering at the iron bound win
aows They are the lovers of Seville,
pelando Ia pava (pluCEing the turkey),
as they call it. With the lattice slightly
open, the fair Sevillana sits in her dark
ened chamber talking in whispered
tones to the gallant without. The old
folks, weary of the task of chaperonage,
after locking the daughter in room
barred like q prison cell, have gone to
bed, and for hours, sometimes the en-
tire night, the affianced lovers look
through the grating into each others
eyes and whisper the nothings Of love.
Il would seem cold comfort to a north
ern swain, but the Spaniards say the
iron bars are q necessary evil there in
Spain. In Spain there are life and color
and pioturesqueness 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
washed houses are outlined against the
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 color 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 patter
on the cobblo stones as 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 flagstones,
and the puestos, or booths of the street
peddlers, with graceful, colored avn
ings are scattered picturesquely about
the pavement. There the dazzling sun
light casts fantastic shadows on the yell
low and blue walls Of the houses, null
ticolored pots or festoons Of cotton
prints hang in the dingy shops, gallar-
dos-dandies of the street-gossip in
groups or ogle the passing maidens,
dogs snooze i'll sunny spots and crowds
of idlers cluster about some barrel or
gan or blind guitarist. There is booth
near by where q bronze skinned gypsy
is cooking molletes calentitos, a sort Of
greasy flour cake fried in oil, and wine
} puesto with its earthen jars, and huge
| bottles of red and yellow wine, and
there vagos loiter to eat and drink.
One can linger for hours in the streets
of Seville, watching the people and
talking with them, too for the Anda-
lusian of the lower classes is the best OF
fellows There is democratic freedom
in his manner, at once respectful and
4 cordial, which is unlike the obsequious.
= ness or boorishness of the common peo
pie of other countries He is slow ano
q even lazy, but he commands respect, and
= nowhere can one meet such Civility anC
5 heartiness as is shown by the Andalu
; sian peasant. But you must unbend anC
Q meet him half way. He does not like
Saxon stiffness, and cordial word o.
}, the offer of cigarette will accomplish
Il more than q handful of silver.
When you go into bodega of tn
& people where aguardiente is sold .t
9 cent o glass, the habitues all greet yo,
u with word Of welcome, and the bar
keeper serves MS Iquor with a courtli
ness which is Chesterfieldian. They ar
II rough places, those common taverns
% There is one in particular, across tn
il river in Triana, where the toughs of Sc
ville-the matones, they are called
y gather to drink and quarrel. They sa.
3 that every Sevillian who is spelling TO
j. q fight goes there, and many are tn,
. cutting affrays in which nayajos ar,
} drawn. With mantas wrapped about th'
J left arm, the duellists crouch and slow
;, ly follow each other around, watching
. the opportunity for the fatal spring
. just as they do in Carmen. This tabern'
. Of the bullies is q low, dinRy place
bpanu'u ny ulBu bCulllS DluShChSu ".
ages of cigarettes and dirt. 1t is open t.
the street on two sides, and supporting
. the corner beams is an old Roman col
Il umn which looks as though it may hav,
been standing since the time of Trajan
u The floor is of dirt, and in one corner ar,
+ q low table and three or four cane seat
% ed chairs There are dirty bottles ON tn,
70 shelves and coarse prints of bullfighter
" ON the walls. Behind the bar is tn,
= keeper Of the resort, low browed ruf
II fan, with little weasel eyes, set clos
i together and knife slash across his un
shaven cheek. He looks prince Of cut
throats, but even he has kindly greet
ing and civil word, as have his Gus
toners who lean upon the bar. But tn
!. honest workman ont for holiday wit
- his best girl or the bourgeois and hi
a friends picnicking in the environs un
q der the shade Of olive trees, are reall,
h more interesting These true Andalu
o slams will always welcome a stranger
/. they will always share their sour win
Il and sweet cakes, and the bright eye
/ girls of the party will dance the grace
Il full Sevillana to the time of castanets
n and if you speak Spanish you may cha
! with them all and feel when you leav
II that you have met real friends. Their
are no people so friendly and witty ant
Il gracious as the Andalusians. -Cosmo
"a politan,