The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-27
FINDING A vELAsoUEz.
The Strange Adventures of Tourist iu
 Spain.


 Tho Strange Adventures of a Tourist iu Chambers' Journal
 So recently as five and a half years ago Q tourist tramping through Granada (Spain) came upon q small village at the foot of the northern slope of the Sierra de Baza. The only inn was a wretched. tumoledown place. with a sinister appear ance. The September night was. however, fast closing in, and there was no choice. The mountain road. at dusk. to the vii- laEe on the southern side of the hills was not inviting, for brigandage had been somewhat rife. So making the best of it. the artist. remembering that he possessed revolver in case of emergency. applied at the inn for a nights rest. He was fair hastily provided. and after the meal he sat near ths wood fire and smoked. for the night was a bit chill.
 He must have fallen asleep. for he con- fessed that he awoks with a start to find the room in almost complete darkness But when the fire flickered up he saw two men crouching in a corner with his knapsack in their hands. evidently caught in the act of opening it. Whether it was fancy or not, the awakened sleeper thought that a third person was approaching him from behind. and that in the hand of one of the kneeIing robbers he caught the gIeam of naked steel. Anyway. he somewhat hastily drew his re- volver from his pocket and jumped up. Within 0 yard or two of him stood a rough looking peasant with long knife drawn. It was not moment for parley The Eng iishman covered him with his revolver and called out to him to drop the knife. The man hesitated. and. seeing his companions were coming to his support, moral or other wise. the artist deflected the revolver so as not to hit the man and pulled the trfg- ger. There was a sharp report, a crash of something and e stampede of the wouid-bs robbers.
 The sound of the shot brought in the landlord and his wife. who, in Andalusian patois. but with guilty faces. asked with assumed innocence what had occurred to disturb their guest He explained some what forcibly. The landlord shrugged his shoulders. said he was very sorry. anathe- matixed the robbers (who probably had been instigated to murder his stray guest by himself) and suggested that senor would, perhaps. like to retire to the upper chamber which had been prepared for him. The ar list declined. and intimated his intention of sitting up all night where he was and shoot ing any other persons than the landlord. his wife or their daughter, a girl of about 14, on sight, should they enter the room. The night passed quite undisturbed, save for the cackling of some fowls which seemed to be lodged in the next room, and in the ea,Iy part of the night whisperings beneath ire window.
 When morning came the artist threw open the shutters. and at once noticed that the thing that had crashed to the floor when he fired the night before was m G!d picture. which he had noticed hanging frameiess on the wall. His bullet had severed the string. He took it to the win daw and examined it carefully. He thought he recognized the artists work. although it was grimed with dirt and smoke The wood on which 1t was stretched injured, and as he stood examining it the woman came In and saw him.
 "senor" she exclaimed. with well simu- lated anger, "see what mischief your shot has doner
 The artist saw his chance. He expressed himself as being sorry.
 'Sorry!" exclaimed the woman thinking she saw a means of eHtortion. but sor- row. senor does not mend matters We are poor pepIe."
 The womans husband came In and added his tale of woe to hers. In the end the man fixed a sum amounting 10 four shiilings for i the damage done to his wall and the picture. | insisted his visitor paying a sum amount ing to 15 shillings and taking the 2tctu:A. As the artist made his way up the steep path toward the hill road he heard the | innkeeper and his wife rejoicing over their good fortune in selling a fool of. trnvc CT a dirty picture for 15 shillngs. The artist carefully cut the canvas from it's wooden stretcher. and also reJoiced. as well he might. for on reaching London he found he had brought away from the sunny South a VelasQuez worth 1900 pounds sterling to a dealer to sell again.