The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-03-17
4NiScrIlalrnus
MATANZA'S LEGEND.

| There was once unon time man
! who led "a very merry life, taking no
| thought at the morrow, and since to
run in de ht without having the means
| to pay is the sure road to the poor
! house in :. very short cine, our hero
was left with nothing he could call his
| own but 80 days in the month, and
with nothing to exercise his teeth
upon but his nails. 50 that little by
! little he fell into such a state of de-
lection that ne wOuld allow his wife
70 beat him and the children to abuse
him when he returned lone at night
empty hauded without entering IL
word in protest Finally he grew
tired of this life, and borrowing a rope
from one OF his croriG: he went into a
field to hang himself.
Having faStened one end of the rope
to an olive tree. lie whs about to put
the other around his Leck when there
appeared baioru hiIa "a dwarf, attlred
| in a friar'S robe and cowl, who said to
HIM quietly:
What is that you are going to do,
my good mann
Cannot your worship see what l
am going to do? To hang myself" lie
| answered.
80 you, Christian, are going to do
what Judas did? Stop, that isn't right.
Take this purse, which is never empty
| and relieve your necessities"
Taking the purse from the dwarfs
hand, Uncle Curro, for such was our
| hero's name, took Il dollar out of it,
and then another and another, until
| he saw that, like the words coming
out of woman'S mouth, there seem
! ed to lie no end to them, seeing which
he united the rope from the tree,
| rolled il up aud started fer home. On
| the road there was a tavern, which he
entered, and calling for the best the
| house could afford in meat and drink
| he paid the score on the spot, for the
| tavern keeper, knowing him of old,
| would not trust him IL so large an
amount, and he ate and ate and drank
| until finally he fell off his chair and
rolled under the table dead drunk.
The tavern keeper, who had seen
that the purse from which Uncle
Curro had taken tine money remained
az full as before, told his wife to max
another purse like it, and when this
was done he took Uucle Curro's purse
from his pocket ard put in its place
| the one his wife had made.
| w Icu CAClC SuIIS tt"ShO1 iO GOV
out again for home, where he arrived
as merry as cricket.
"Rejoice. he cried to his wife and
children. Here is money in plenty.
Orr days of poverty are over"
He put his hand into his pocket,
and took it out again-eInptY. He
put it again and again, he took it out
empty. When his wife stw this, she
was SO enraged that size gave him a
blow that sent him spinning.
More detected now than ever, Uncle
Curro AGAIN took the rope, and went
one more into the field to hang him
self. Arriving at the same spot as be-
| fore, he was proceeding to tie the rope
| to u branch of the same tree when he
heard voice nearby saying, what
| is that YOU are going to do, good
MANI" and lifting up his eyes he saw
| before him the dwarf, seated astrice
| a branch of the olive tree.
TO hang myself, like a string of
| garlic from 4 kitchen rafter, answered
| Uncle Curro very coGily.
| $50 YOU have lost your patience
again. said the dwarf.
| And nc wonder replied Uncle
| Curro, when have nothing to eat"
That is your own fault, entirely
vour own fault. Bat never mind.
| Come here. Take this tablecloth and
so long as you keep it in your posses
sion YOU shall never want for some
thing to eat"
So saying, the dwarf handed Uncle
Curro a tablecloth and then disap-
reared among the branches of the
olive trees. Uncle Curro spread the
tablecloth on the ground, which he
had no sooner done than it was Gov.
cred with the richest viands so eX'
ouisitely prepared that not the kings
cook himself could have surpassed
them. Of course Uncle Curro ate I'M
til he could eat no longer, and theI
folding his tablecloth he put it in his
pocket and set out for homa.
Stopping to rest at the same inn al
before, he vas overcome with sleeI
and lay down to take a nap. The inn
keeper recognized him at once, sus
pected that he had something Of valu,
with him, and cautiously taking tn,
tablecloth out of his pocket he put il
ITS stead the soiled cloth from tn,
table of the inn.
When Uncle Curro reached home
he cried out to his wife and children
"Come, come and eat and this tim
take my word for it there shall be n,
disappointmentr Then he unfoldet
the tabIecloth, which, instead O
viands, was seen to be covered witt
stains of all sizes and of every color
At this the storm broke loose. W;f
and children fell upon him AMI bea
him until they left him fit subjec
for the hospital.
Uncle Curro took q rope and wen
again into the field to hang himself
This time he persisted in his purpos
of hanging himself, and the dwar
persisted in his that he should not. A
last the little friar ended the discus
sion by giving Uncle Curro a cudge
telling him that with that in his hand
he need never be troubled by any OIL
: again, and that all he had to do wa
to say, "Cudgel, lay about you," fc
every one to run away from him an
leave him in peace and quiet.
Uncle Curro took the road hon
with his cudgel, as proud as an alcalC
ment he saw his children comm
: toward him, asking him for som
thing to eat with insulting and abu
i've words, as they were accustome
to see their mother do. he said to h
cudgel, "Cudgel lay about you" \
a sooner had he pronounced the wore
9 than the cudgel began TO show
blows to right and left among IL
children until they had scarcely
whole bone left in their bodies. II
: wife ran to her children's assistanC
Sat her, cudsel," said Uncle Cur
cat her, and with Il will.' And G
cudgel belabored the wife so unmer
fully that she died Of her Injuries.
LC The authorities being notified, t
alcalde, accompanied by his office
presented himself upon the scene
], "Cudgel, lay about your said un'
Curro, rs sooD as they appeared, a
the cudgel proceeded to deal su
ne Iusty blows among them that eve
n, blow was worth dollar, so that
alcade was killed and the officers to