The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-17

udn, tAIdDlCe, oalldl), WA'NAt
the chancel, or great gate Oh opeii-
worked iron, behind which the lathiiS
life goes on, securely locked from pun
lie gaze. The interior walls always Ell
close patios, or open courts, sufrouhu-
ed on all sides by wide corrldors sup
ported by pillars-marble in the oet,ei
houses, tapia mud and llme) IN 'he
poorer. In the summer the court IS CIV
cred by an awning (toldo), ana then pc
comes the drawing-room or the liliiiateS
where they sit all day long, dine anu re-
ceive their guests in GOODNESS ana com
fort Here tertuliaS are glVeH-tho
pleasant, informal receptions WHICH are
about the only evening parties ever CIV
en- in Seville. These patios snow very
clearly the individual tastes OF, thelr
owners Each has a central FOUNTAIN
or a very old, moss-grown well, with
olives. banana. pomegranates and other
trees growing around it; some are Drill
liant with flowers, others enrlcheu WIN
statuary, and others have ancient cy-
press trees cut into fantastic forms Oh
temples and pagodas The zaguan, OF
short hall, which leads from the street
to the patio, Is the place Where the
young ladies of the family receive their
calls-the ladies on the inside OF the
high, carefully-locked gates, the gentle
men on the outside. II the accepted
lover were to be admitted to the parlor,
or even to the patio, in the presence Oh
his dulcineas' father and mother, II
would be considered cause for scandal;
so he patiently hangs upon the grazing
night after night however long lhe
years between the bethrothal and the
marriage, earning for himself the title,
CORNER hierro''--one who lives on IRON
No chairs are allowed in the zanguan
for If the lover were made too comfort
able he might never go away. 1t Is not
uncommon to see engaged couples
standing close together on opposite SIDES
of the gate, past midnight, perhaps win
the rain blowing in on them, Obvious
of all sublinary things. Like other
Spanish cities, the windows of Seville
are faced with iron gratings, and these
too, are rendezvous for lovers. Every
evening you may see hundreds OF Ro-
tneos and Juliets making love through
the WindoW-bars, each slim gallant
wrapped in a long black Spanish cloak
the girls in their best attire, with smll-
ing, powdered faces and roses in their
hair. Frequently Romeo brings his
guitar, and his wooing is no whispered
confidence, but a love-lorn serenade
which everybody may hear. 1t is the
fashion approved of parents and guard
ians since time out of mind, and for the
| lover to neglect it would be to forever
forfeit his sweet hearts favor. The
young lady who can boast the most
| Iron ca tiers" is the belle Of the locality;
but fatal trays sometimes occur as the
| result of her coquetry, when the arriv-
ing Romeo finds his place pre-empted
by another You hear blood-curdling
tales of the swift, murderous use Of the
| long Albucete knives which everybody
carries, when welded by Jealousy.
Don Pedro the Cruel" set the example
| in Seville, and his ardent countrymen
| have not been slow to follow it. The
poorest servant wears knife in bis
sash, and many a gentle dame secretes
a dagger in her stocking, or as hair
pin in her shining tresses.--and knows
| well how to use ii when her temper Is
aroused. The true Albucete knife Is
about eighteen inches long, with a
| broad blade and a powerful spring.
clasp. 1t is held open by curious lit
tie wheel between the blade and handle,
and is native hands is used with equal
dexterity to slice q melon. or sharpen
| pencil or sever a jugular vein. The
handle is of tortoise, or ivory, often
richly carved and inlaid with jewels,
with a crucifix or an image of the Vir-
| gin, or the Savior upon it; but the
Christian emblem does not prevent 1T
from being bathed in human blood.
Speaking of Don Pedro, ncknamed
1.-THE CrueP'--his influence seems to per-
wade Seville, much as that of Philip Ill,
| does the Escorial. When he was a
small child his mother fled with him TO
its Alcazar, the most beautiful Moorish
building in Spain which was his favor
/ ite palace when he came to be king and
| the scene of his wickedest deeds. Here
! he lived with the beautiful Castilian
girl, Maria de Padella while his lawful
queen, the poor French princess,
| Blanche de Bourbon, after being perse-
cuted and imprisoned for years, was
| finally put to death at Medina-Sidonia
In this Alcazar Pedro received the Red
King of Grenada, with a promise OF
| safe conduct, and then murdered him
| for his jewels. one of which, the fair
ruby, great like a racket ball. to-day
| adorns the crown of England Here,
| too, he had his brother, Don Fadrique,
assassnated, after inviting him to be
| his guest during a tournament. Maria
de Padilla knew his coming fate, but
did not dare to tell him, though from
| the beautiful ajimez window over the
gate she watched for his arrival and
| tried to warn him by her tears. Six
years later this murder was avenged by
| Henry of Trastamare, who stabbed Pc
dro to the heart; but Maria was already
dead, and buried with the queens in the
| royal chapel; for after her death Pedro
| acknowledged her as his morganatic
wife and the so-called. marriage" re-
ceived the sanction of the Spanish
church. On an upper floor still hang
a row of grinning skulls--the reads Of
| people who incurred his displeasure. 1T
was a favorite little joke of his that he
had his enemies placed where he could
| watch them.
| Another pastime of this strange mon
arch was to go out cloaked and dis
| guised, at night. to serenade his vari-
| Gus lover beneath the window bars, at-
| ter the fashion of Seville: and woe be-
| tide the previous lover of any maid who
/ struck his fancy He is said to have
| stabbed to the heart a score of rivals.
Dom Pedro and his victims have long