The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-26

reclamos echo like the voices of lost souls.
Midway on either side of this entrance hall
is an immense door, deliberately carved and
black with age. opening into rooms which
are never used except in the greatest
events of human life-a birth, a marriage
or a burial. AT the farther end another
ponderous door communicates with the
body OF the house (cuerpo de casa), and
straight ahead of it another door leads to
the patio. a spacious inner yard surrounded
by a gallery and containing all the do
nestle Offices, including bakehouse, oven,
storerooms and nay loft. On either side
of the cuerpo de casa are two enormous
chambers, one the dining hall of the mas
tiers, the other the kitchen of the servants.
The most prominent object in the former
is a cavernous chimney whose opening &C.
Cupies the whole face of one wall Here
in winter a huge fire is kept burning, in
which whole trees are consumed, emitting
smoke in plenty, but little. heat. What a
chance for the yule log and the wassaiI
bow of C-hristmastide.
A SPANISH HOME.
The whole place is baronial, even to the
blackened rafters overhead. the low wooden
benches on either side the yawning fire.
place, and the inches in the walls, called
vasares, each holding a large earthen vase
of water, while all around are shelves dis
playing collections of bucares, the peculiar
drinking jug of the country, in endless va
riety of shapes and sizes. In the tiled
kitchen, opposite, the work of the house is
done by an extraordinary number Of serv-
ants, In proportion TO the size of the fam
ily-according to American ideas-but in
perfect keeping with the patriarchal sys-
tenn that yet prevails in Spain, and the
eternal h~igh-pitched jabber of these de-
pendents drown even the shrill cries OF
the quails outside, calling to their mates in
the woods. The dwelling rooms of the
house, placed as remote from the street as
possible, overlook a garden i'm which a
great many medicinal herbs flourish. amid
a few flowers and vegetables. Strange to
say, these inner rooms usually have glass
windows, while those facing the street are
protected only by wooden shutters. In the
court yard of one or two of these houses
you may see specimens of those unex-
planned relics of antiquity known as Toras
de Guisando, carved in granite, to repre-
sent wild boars or some other huge ami
NAL. Once they were very numerous in
this part of Spain, but are now so nearly
extinct that Gil de Avila. writing 800 years
ago. said that only sixty-three Toros were
left in CASTLE. Some authors believe them
10 nave been the gods of the primitive in
habitants, placed, like the sphinxes near
Asiatic temples, while others contend that
they served merely as landmarks The
Roman Inscriptions on most of them are
--l-lt 80 800, later doto fho Tho ORIG
inal chiseling. and, owing to mutilations
by time and man. 1t requires a lively imag-
nation to trace in them a likeness to any
thing in the animal kingdom.
HISTORICAL SERPENT.
The most interesting objects in Avila are
it's medieval churches. beginning with
San Vicente, founded in the year 313- 1t
contains a thirteenth century shrine of
Saint vincent-not the famous deacon of
Zaragoza. but another of the same name.
who was also martyred under Dacien, be-
cause he stamped upon an altar of Jupiter
and left there on the marks of his feet.
Tradition says that his body was guarded
by a serpent. which attacked a rich Jew.
who came to mock at ii, and never let go
the Hebrew until he had vowed 10 build
this church If he escaped with his life.
soon as the VOW was made the serpent
SIided quietly back to the corpse and
stretched himself alongside; and here
stands the church to this day, a living
proof of the story-so the Spanish guide
will tell YOU. Near by is a singular hole in
the ground. out of which the snake is said
~ have come. Until within the last half
century this hole. like the celebrated Bae-
ca della verita. at Rome. was a sacred spot
of adjuration. he who took an oath put
ting his hand into IL. instead of on a BIZ
bile. so that the immortal snake might bite
him IL he swore falsely.
The great cathedral. dedicated to San
..,..t,.s. as Mte as the year 1io7. is ex-