Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-06-13
Bonifacio bestir himself H;s ~

mad Its inception during his several
hours sednce, Don Bonifacio had ac-
cordlng to his own belief, at last struck
Oil: Now to prove it.
With the aid of paper, ink and his best
quill, he set to work, and within half
an hour his writing was completed
Drying the sheet and finishing it off with
an impression of the government seal.
Bon1tac1o inclosed the document in an
lmposing-looking envelope, and hasten
ed to the office of the secretary of the
y1ceroy and captain-ge general of New
SPAN. There the package, addressed
to no less a person that the illustrious
vlceroy himself, was left; and Don
Bonlfaclo, with renewed hope and cour-
age repaired homeward to his scoldinp
wife and babies.
Two afternoons later you might have
seen Don Bonifacio station himself, had
you been there to note, at the corner of
Plateros and Portal de Mercaderes. He
looked strangely agitated, and his face
was very white, while his hands shook
so that he could barely light his cheap
cigarette. Not that any one noticed the
poor, th1nly clad clerk-far from it.
People were as thick on the street as
the tabled leaves in Vallombrosa, but
their eyes were fixed upon the great
palace OF the vlceroy across the square,
and upon the magnificent entrance which
would soon have the honor of allowing
to pass the cortege of his excellency the
vlceroy himself, and the richly capari-
soned and mounted mobiles who daily &C
companled him on his afternoon rides.
Soon there was a burst of music from
the palace courtyard, hoarse shouts
from the guards, and then there was
Gathering of Andalusian horse hoofs on
the marble-paved court, showing that
his honor the vlceroy was now just is
SUNG from his gates People pressed
nearer, IN order to see the great man,
but Don Bonifacio, cold and trembling
from head to foot, and with very sick
feeling at the pit of his stomach, had
not the nerve to- even look up. In fact,
had his feet not refused to carry him,
he would have fed from the spot. AS
it was, he stood rooted to his place, I'M
able to speak or move, while the COM
pa1y of richly-dressed horsemen rapidly
approached the corner of the street
where he stood. He heard the Gathering.
of hoofs, the jingling of the great silver
spurs worn by his excellencys escort,
and the clanking of magnificent bits and
saddle equipment-DioS de la Vida!
they were upon him; they had stopped;
some one was speaking, calling his
name
With his tongue cleaved to the roof
Of his mouth, Don Bonifacio forced him.
self to look up and into the face of the
man who had reined his great black
Andalusian within an arms length. It
was the viceroy! Steadily he gazed at
the poorly clothed clerk facing him,
and steadily did Don Bonifacio, tremb-
ling though he was at his own temerity,
gaze his viceroy in the face. And then,
to the wonder of the crowd, who stood
by in gaping awe, his excellency, with
kind smile on his face, drew out
magnificent jeweled snuff box, which he
extended to the under-secretary, saying:
Senior Don Bonifacio Ortiz de Ia
Huerta y Legumbres, will you do me the
favor :"
"Un million de gracias, your excel,
lency; with a great deal of pleasure"
answered Banifacio, as he held the rich
box in his hands and scooped therefrom
a pinch of snuff.
Three minutes later the viceroy took
leave of the clerk, after lavishing upon
him many of the ornate courtesies in
which the Spanish people delight, all Of
which were equally ornately returned
by Don Bonifacio You can imagine
how the crowd, who were watching the
scene, wondered and gossiped. Never
had such thing been seen before-such
behavior upon the part of the vlceroy
to a poor, miserable clerk. There must
be more behind it than could be seen
with the naked eye. It would be well to
Ia II: ho
1uence he might or might not hold with
the ruler of New Spain?
And so people began to run after Don
Bonifacio as much as they had once run
from him, entreating his favor, his in
huence with the viceroy-for a con-
sideration, of course. And in the
course of time these accumulated con-
siderations amounted to such a great
value that Don Bonifacio became a very
rich man.
Meanwhile, during many intervening
weeks, the viceroy daily stopped his
horse at the same corner of Plateros,
presenting there his snuff-box to Don
Bonifacio, who, accepting small pinch,
would gracefully return the box to his
excellency, while all the city stood by
and thought ''What powerful man is
this Don Bonifacio Ortiz de la Huerta
y Legu1nbres J!
One day the viceroy> sent privately
for Don Bonifacio, who came this time
in his own rich carriage, and in fine
clothes Said the viceroy to him: you
are wise 1nan, and deserve a reward
for your wit Rise up, Count Boni-
faciop
What had been contained in the poor
clerks document, sent to his excellency
SO long time before? Merely the mod
est request that cohen passing the cor
aer of Plateros and Mereaderes, his
7vorshib stop aud offer a poor, hungry
man a pinch of snnf-no moreP
AS the viceroy stated, only a mean
and stingy-spirited man would have re-
fused such a reasonable request.-IranS-
lated from the Spanish for the 4Argomant
BY G. CanynghGm Terry.
Rare Old Bible Found.
A wonderful old Bible has lust been