The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-03
BYWAYS In SPAIN.
THE STR EET SCENES IN SAEAG0S-
Especial Correspondence Of the Journal
and Courier.)

Coast.
Especial Correspondence of the Journal
and Courier)
December 10, 1900
Robbers or no robbers-we determined
to shirk the depressing scenery along
the southern base Of the Pyrenees, by
taking night train on the return from
Saragossa to the Mediterranean. Be
sides We were assured that the valient
knights of the Road are no more liable
to sally forth from their mountain la1rs
in the hours of darkness than in broad
day; not SO likely, in fact, because in
case of resistance, there is less danger
in daylight Of getting mixed up in the
melee and shooting each other instead
of the passengers. Perhaps the real
reason of delay was tina we were glad
of any excuse which salved our con-
science for devoting few more hours
of overdue time to Saragossa-one of
the most enthusiastically interesting
of Spanish cities, though seldom visit
ed by tourists. In it's sombre and
shadowy streets, which seem to be
haunted by ghosts of Moors and me-
diaeval Spaniards, you see an endless
and varied panorama of strange fig
ures, costumes and occupations. On the
sidewalk, sheltered by dngy arcade,
Whosec olumns in long past centuries,
embellished some Roman temple or
moslem mosque, sits the public letter
Writer-a most important character in
Spain-With his folios and punches of
quilts, precisely as in Don QuiXote's
day. True, most of his time is spent in
the congenial occupation Of doing moth
ing but occasionally you see him por-
ing over lengthy legal scrolls, full of
mysterious signs and authorizations.
Anon he is composing letters of business
or friendly duty, for grave faced men
ana women, who stand waiting to make
thelr X at bottom. Oftenest he is in
dlting tender billet-dioux for blushing
damse1s to their lovers; or performing
the same service, with more of hyper
pole ana wealth Of adjective for impa-
tlent cavaliers to their sweet hearts.
Under these crumbling arches in the
gray twilight of the morning, dainty
senorltas rip to early mass rosary
ana missal In hand, each followed
ciose by the vigilant duenna, to carry
the prayer-rug and keep the beaux
away. Later In the day files of i'll
drilled soldiers pass through these mar
row streets, filling them from wall to
"aIb While pedestrians scurry into the
nearest 'uoor-ways, amid blare of mar
tial music and brave showing Of the
national colors.
linen comes string of donkevs.
whose burdens crowd the space and
sweep the pavements, again showing ne
destrians to the wall and provoking a
fruitless defense With canes and UNI
brellas and Spanish swear-words The
shrill falsetto of the cake-vender rends
the Tortas! Tortas! Que buenos
tortas Calientes! Calientitas,o In
quaint choruss ound the cries or fish
women and news-men, the inournful
WINES of the beggars, and the insistant
cans of lottery-ticket peddlers BRO
claiming the result of the latest draw
ing at Madrid and exhorting their fell
low~citizens to emulate the shining ex-
ample of the grand prize winner. A
Hook of goats, guided keeper armed
e P"tieiSHal CROOK, mats IN
l,ont oi private residence and a
slattelh housemaiu comes out to CO.
quee'e with the shepherd, while he
liiilhs 1he animals into her gourd~a
tlme-honored custom which remoy IS all
suspicion of a previous visit to that
convenient product of our western CIV
lilzatloiE the pump. The filtration
comes 10 sudden end, or rather post
the goats are hastily
allVen INTO SIDE street, While every
man ana woman in sight removes his
nat or fails upon her Knees; for the
approach or slow-moving lines of men,
carrying hghted candles and smoking
incense, While in the midst are four at
tendants upholding canopy, beneath
which walks a priest in full canonicals
bearing Su Magestad Sacramentado"
on IT'S mission OF consolation to some
passing soul.
Presently the throng leaves off Its
prayers to laugh at the exhibition Of
bull-fighter who has lost leg
in the exercise of his noble profession.
His two sons assist him-one persona
ting the toro by wearing a huge mask
with horns branching wide like Texas
steers; the other playing all parts,
from chulo to cachatoro, from trumpet
er to appla uding spectators. The faith
er. arrayed in tattered finery that once
figured in the grand arena of the Plaza
de Toros, hops about as nimbly as his