The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-15
IN MOST HATLESS SPAIN.
THE DEMON OF CURIOSITY CAST
OUT OF AN AMERICAN GIRL.
Adventure with n Bare Head, n New York

Snddle-One of Don Qulxote's Houses
Now. it's your turn" said the Westerner
who had been spinning yarns about big game
In Montana. addressing his hosts sister. Thu
host took his pipe from HE mouth.
Give her rope like that and she'll talk abou
Spain. You can't stop her. he said. Tel
your adventure with a mantilla," he added.
1T was in Ronda, in the mountains of An
dalusia." she began cheerTully. W had come
up from Gibraltar, thirty-lye miles away. n daS
or two before. On Sunday morning l same
down to breakfast before my friends. and
stood in the doorway Of the fonda'-
"Timel' said the Westerner,
Fonda means inn. You might as well be-
gin TO learn n little spanish"
I'VE need It in our business" said the man
with the pipe.
Il stood In the doorway Of the fonda" con.
tinued the sister. "and looked across the plaza
to n little white church. l had been wishing
to see what it was like inside. to find out II IL
had anything Moorish about IL. The cathe-
dral In Rondn is partly an old Moorish mosque,
and two or three other churches there have
Moorish arches. Now is my chance 1 thought.
so l did as one does In Italy or France. l
stepped across to SEQ what the church was like.
A lot of people had been going In. AS l
reached the door a sweet-faced. middle-aged
woman was entering. She had a mantilla on
her head and a prayer book in her hand. She
stopped in front of me and looked at me re-
proachfully.
"'Do you understand spanish?' she asked. in
a low. gentle voice.
"A little l answered.
Then l must tell you.' she said. that you
ought not to come to church bareheaded. 1t
Is not fitting that any woman should enter the
house OF God uncovered
Il felt decidedly abashed. but I said 'Grdcids.
SeHord.' and then l went back to the hotel'-
'Fondal" said the Westerner.
TO the fonda and upstairs to my room and
got my hat. 1t was a black hat. a plain travel
ling hat. but 1t was from q New York milli-
ner. so It had style. 1 put it on with the rea-
sonable satisfaction which such a hat inspires.
aud stood for q moment by my open window
to look at the April roses growing in the orange
garden below. Then l went down the beau
tiful stairway-the fonda used to be a private
residence-and out and across TO the church
again. Almost everybody who was coming
had come. One late.comer reached the door
with.me. She was a lovely old lady ~withIwhite
hair showing In pretty contrast against her
black lace mantilla. She glanced at me. and
l saw a Mortified expression come into her
eyes. which were fixed upon my hat.
Pardon me. gentle senorita.' she said. do
you intend to enter the house OF God with such
q French abomination as that upon your head?'
II answered meekly that II was the only hat
I had In Ronda.
perhaps you do not know she said. that
1t ia not proper for a woman to enter a church
with such q thing as that upon her head She
wen, on swiftly into the church. looking very
I went back TO the fonda again. wonder
into Grace Church i With her mantilia. In the
doorway of the inn | met Anita. the. pretty
chambermaid, that waited on me. and l told
her of my little adventure.
All; senorita, .Ronda is but a country place
after all; she said IT Is pitlful to see the ig-
elled. l have myself been vice to Gibraltar.
fonda. So | have seen many hats. You see,
pm told that in Seville and Granada Spanish
ladies' also wear hats. but the ladies of Ronda
how the good God can love women who wear
them. above all. in His house. 1 have myself
IN NC ibraitar wearing hats almost I'm ike tRose
Of their husbands and brothers. not ladylike
hats. such as yours; vet they were kind wo-
men. Some of them have been here on horse
back from Gibraltar before tho railroad was
finished. Now, l myself. s%eGorita, do not be-
although I myself like better our Ronda GUS
tom OF, wearing flowers in the hair in the
No wonder. Anita. Now I understand
why the boys in the street made fun Of my
BLAST the sombreros; Look at the ladies'
who wear sombreros like men"'
Your hat is not like a mans hat. saNorita.
And IL you wish TO go to mass 1t must be ar
appeared and returned presently with the land
my mother requests you to do her the
honor OF wearing her mantilla to mass said
IN mi her RFe hair An she had fS%ons f'F ms s' The " Ia r0se
scarf Of ' e rare Ps' old m pattern Of s spanish SGaisfl1 lace. E SHs
also brought a prayerbooE;, Anita took of
w WHY H Ser y aSnR maj mist qea h met the SeG mR R n oTef
hair. draping i carefully. standing back
to lock q at her h%andiw9rk, putting a black pin
until | was Just sufficiently yelled for churchly
etiquette.
asked the saints to bless me. | went across the
plaza for the third time, feeling as IL | were
m 81 a third sonora RI made naieu me brave 5t to
risk meeting the eyes OF those who had sent
me home, entered the church and clipped be-
O. toHs:6sd ny hand. it tT was the H" old lady who Who
'Kneel.' she whispered. and I knelt beside
Everybody was kneellng or. the cold stone
don't know what. We all moved forward on our
knees half the length of the church. And 'as
OF curiosity was cast ont. We were all kinds Of
people kneeling there together, lace-draped
illtS anu IhEEtu btGgHlS " IltI anu women
OF high and Of low degree. but we all needed
forgiveness. for something, and know one
miserable sinner who r%epented Of being so slow
to realize that Sunday morning that the spirit
Of prayer. Of worship. Is not "f any sect or any
land" -,
the pipe.
We'll. my Spanish side saddle was worldly
surely. I conflded to Anita the day
after the mantilla adventure that ] wished to
out on horseback. Anita said that her
husband. Antonio would bring a good horse to
the door of the fonda. had a glorious vision
Of Il dash out into the open country. which
press es close to the suburbless
towns NJ Spain Either n fleet Spanish marc |
or n spirited charger would do for me. |
meant 10 lightly shake my rein and gallon
away past the olive orchards toward the COR
ReOus. theatrically colored, unbelievably bril-
liant mountains that stand red and purple and !
orange on either side Of Mount Cristobal.
While I was putting on a black serge gown by
way OF riding habit. Anita came inc my room
with a quart pitcher full OF water.
How much water you American and Eng
ish ladies user she said. I filed your pitch
err and bowl only yesterday. vet here you say
water, water. Just The same. Do you know.
senOrita, my Antonio tells me there Is not a
saddle In all of RondaP'
" oh, never mind. A .Ronda saddle will do
da saddle would prove to be.
MY travelling companions. q friend and her
husband and her daughter. all stood In the
a - -, n"I a.,-l .,-slI a.. -.-A -