Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-10-20

man, Meade and Thomas, and all I. that crowd, but one day l got talk Ing with a veteran of the Spanish American war. who promptly desert- ed after every pay day, and re- enlisted after he had spent his money, and he didn't do a thing to my ideas of the importance or that battle. He told me it was only little skirmish, like driving in picket post, and that there were not Spaniards enough there to have a roll call, not so many Span fish soldiers as there were American newspaper correspondents on our side, that only few were killed and wound ed and that dozen soldiers in an army wagon could have driven up San Juan bill with firecrackers and scared the Spaniards out of the country, and that a part of a negro regiment did pretty near all the shooting, while our off cers did the yelling, and had their pie lures taken, caught in the act.
 gs Gee, but dad got his foot in 1t by l talking about the blowing up of the Maine, and looking saucy, as though he was going to get even with the Span iards, but he found that every Spaniard was as sorry for that accident as we were, and they would take of their hats when the Maine was mentioned, and look pained and heartsick. tell you the Spaniards are about as good peo- ple as you will find anywhere, and dad has concluded to fall back on Christo- pher Columbus for steady diet of talk, ,cause if it had not been for Chris. we :. wouldn't have been discovered to this 1 day, which might have been darn good thing for us. But the people here do not recall the fact that there ever was a man named Christopher Colum- bus, and they don't know what he ever discovered, or where the country is that he sailed away to find, unless they are educated. and familiar with ancient history, and only once in awhile will you find anybody that is educated.
 The children of America know more about the history of Spain, than the Spanish children This country re- minds you of play on the stage. The grandees. in their picturesque costumes. though few in number compared to the population. are the whole thing, and the people you see on the stage with the grandeess in peasant costume, ped ding oranges and figs. you find here in the life of Spain, looking up to the grandees as though they were gods. Every peasant carries a knife in some place, concealed about him. and no two carry their toad stabbers in the same place. If you see a man reach his finger under his collar to scratch his neck. the chances are his fingers touch he handle of his dagger, and if he hitehes up his pants. his dagger is there. md if he pulls up his trouser leg. you san bet your life his knife is right handy, and if you have any trouble. you don't know where the knife is com Ing from as you do about an American ssvolver, when one of our citizens haches for his pistol pocket.
 Spaniards are nervous people. on the move all the time. and it is on account 4 feas. Every man. woman and child ontains more than a million feas. and as they can't scratch all the time. they keep on the move. hoping the aeas will Amp of on somebody else When we game here we were hsaIess. but every person we have come near to seems to have contributed some fsas to us. until now vs are loaded down with them, and ws find in our room at the hotel a box Of insect powder. which is charged in with the candles
 The king =ho is boy zb0ut three years older than am. is full of fezs. too. and he jumps around from one place to another. like he vas shaking himself to gst rid of them He gets up in the morning and goes cat horse back riding and jumps fs1css andriEss up and dows the marb1e steps of the psbiie bui1dinEs. s thozgh hs vantsd