Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-27

Paris of today would dream of the slime
and mud In which grew up the rose OF Sc
Vile and the flower Of Granada, travelling
under very different names at present. you
may be sure.
To begin their tale-whioh illustrates the
whole condition OF these girls at present
vile two Andalusiaps of marvellous beauty;
one, Conchita, fifteen years old and cele-
Drated Tor her science at the fandango: the
S other Carmen. sixteen years. reputed for
the flower Of Granada and Conchita the
Rose Of Seville.
A terrible jealousy reigned between the
girls, equally beautiful and celebrated Both
had begun dancing ION the road" from VII
lage to village. amid violence and vice. At
fourteen years Conchita had fatally knitted
her sweetheart, a banderillero for putting
rose In the corsage of a cigar girl. Carmen
had loved a gipsy-who himself loved a
gypsy girl. Carmen therefore instigated a
bull puncher whom she really detested to
kill the unresponsive gypsy.
AN this was known in Seville. where one
night at the famous Burrero dive the two
girls made sensational debuts on the same
stage.
In a smoke and wine-reeking hail. where
noble aficionados mingled with cowboys,
Wallets of the ring and DULLES Of the streets
and where cigar girls raise more bloody
tights than any other spot on earth, the
Rose OF Seville and the Flower of Granada
were on the point OF stabbing each other.
For two days past-since their arrival
carmen loved Pepe, the pig banjo player.
and Conchita adored Signor Pedro Buon-
cone, the pale and slender first guitar. But
Pepe loved Conchita and the signor loved
Carmen!
Musicians Give the Orders
1t is the musicians, you know. who pull
the invisible strings OF those marionettes
called Spanish dancers: their excruciating
notes are subtle orders given to those palpi-
tating bodies, whose only duty is to be per-
tectly supple and representative
Carmen danced her bolero with purple
face and burning eyes electrified to mean
descence, and as she finished in a furious
movement, standing rigid, the whole hall
cried: Que guapa! Ole! Chiquita! Otra
vel" Twenty hats fell at her feet; but
Carmen. staggering backward, let herself
fall on the shoulder of the big banjo player.
He pushed her off with an oath.
1t was Signor Buoncone whose long nerv-
Gus fingers had in vain torn diabolical
strains from his guitar IN reaching out for
his beloved; now for Conchitas furious fam
dango the fat Pope blistered his banjo as
vainly.the Rose was responding only to
the mellower guitar. and the pale signor did
a lot Of thinking.
After the performance, in a black side
street beyond the stage door, the signor
whispered plan to the banjo player.
Good! said Pope. When the girls came
out the willy signor proclaimed:
I'VE must fght-the best man will take
Conchita!"
Instantly the two men were scuffling in
the dark. OF course the weakly signor
knew he would be beaten-and have the
right to take his beloved Carmen. OF course
the banjo player was content to beat him
gently-just enough to have right to Con-
chita.
But it was dar'- and Conchtta-raised to
hope by the pale signors words when he
proposed to fight for her-whipped out her
poniard and, with one blow in the black
III 49,
ing that the sgnor struck the blow. let him
have her blade quietly in the back below
the neck-a true bull-fghter's blow.
Two Quiet Men.
The two men lay quiet on the sidewalk
When the girls kneit and touched them
they were stone dead, each killed by the
girl he loved Then the girls fed.
1t is Of this sort Of stuff that Spanish
dancing girls are made, and there are those
who prophecy that the young King of Spain
will have his work cut out for him to corral
them into a correct and decorous academy
of national dances-and still harder work
to train them into anything like the fash
ionable conventionanty of the dainty If per-
verse opera ballet.
AS they are at present there are three
camps-the troupe of Madrid, the troupe
of Seville and the gypsies Of Granada that
is to say. the institute in gauze and tights,
the girls of the people and the gypsies,
Throughout all Spain the three camps hate
and despise each other.
The gypsie school, In the view OF all
thoughtful specialists, has SO deviated from
the good old traditions. has become SO ex-
aggerated to make a sensational spec
tacle, that nothing Is to be done with It.
Alfonsos amateurs are strictly leaving it
alone.
The theatrical dances of the artistes of
the classic corps de ballet have been rem