The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-11-08

| mating, SAY los carros.'" pointing &c
| some coal cars that the Spaniards had moi
| had time to destroy in their demoralized
flight. I'VE say vagones.' Tho Cubanot
say 'el mar" pointing to the murmurins
Caribbean. '.and 'el mar" pointing north
ward to the broad Atlantic.
I'VE say 'el mar Caribe,' but 'el oceano
Atlantico.' Indicating tho greater sea by
An eloquent sweep of his bare brown
arms.
And 30 he gave mo good long lesson
In Spanish, drawing his simple illustra-
tons from the objects about him and
teaching me moro thoroughly the doctrine
that to acquire a language. as well a.
faith, you must become as little child.
I pitted, with Don Leandro, the ig.
norant. undiscriminating Cubanos who
were confusing their SIS" and who pro.
nounced ''b'' SO that an academician HIM
self could not distinguish 1t from ''v.''
This little don could have passed an ex-
animation on these nice distinctions at
the University Of Salamanca
While we had been talking several other
naked Cuban boys had approached, de-
scending the steep hill that leads to Las
Guasfmas. where the Rouoh Riders had
few days before paid their first tribute
to war.
These boys now stood at a short dis
tance. watching US. Don Leandro looked
at them and said. and I thought caught
faint note Of sadness in his voice:
Il never go with the boys OF the VII
lagc'r
Arc they too fllthy. or have they yellow
fever. or cholera. or leprosy? was about
to ask, but should have known the true
reason. and Don Leandro mildly rebuked
my stupidity. He caught the silly cues
ton In my eye. and said simply:
They do not speak pure Spanish
And to think that ! had OWNED that
the madre was striving to her utmost to
preserve the purity Of her castilian on the
lips Of her starving boyl
! found that Don Leandro was an incar.
nation of the memories and dreams OF
Spain. He had never seen Espana, but
he had reconstructed its whole story, from
the Cid down to the time 1t began the per-
secution Of the Cubans.
at this point even the childish dream
had ended. He had no enmity toward
Spain, because It was the land OF faerie
to his mind and heart: he had created It
all. and why should he not love IL? It
wss not bis enemy. this vision that he saw
beyond tho Atlantic, and was not Alfonso
also boy? When Leandro talked Of these
things he almost forgot that the 6paniards
were starving his mother and devastating
his own country. But these rude soldiers
camo HUN q ulHereut CpsaiIf-tne Spain OF
tho bull ring and the Inquisition. ana not
the Espana OF his dreaming.
could hear in the boys voice tho sad
undertone Of his mother az sho had re-
lated these stories of her native land
Many lonely hour had she beguiled in
ioaths6ne huts and In the fetid jungle by
telling these old stories Of mingled gold
and dross, which now came from the
alembic of Leandro's mind all pure gold.
The deeds of chivalry when Spain was
It's home. before Cervantes laughed It
away, were his fairy stories; and the Cid.
and Gonsalvo. the Great Captain. were his
heroes. He mnde them more legendary
and decidedly more lovable than they are
In the old Spanish romances.
Even the brutal sport OF bull batting be-
came delightful, and the bloody arena
became field OF cloth and gold under the
magic spell OF his fancy.
"Much have Travelled In the realms of
gold" but had not visited the true '1and
of faerie' until Leandro took me to Spain
on the wings of his fancy.
Then "a new planet swan into my ken"
His talk was OF FL Campeador and of Del