The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-09-20
. - eseeeseeoeeoeeeee
/: %0MANCE OF SEVILLE:
. oeeeseeeeeeeeeeee
+ By AlPRcHsE MURlz.
oooesoeeeeeee
By kLPRcNSE MURlz.

Don Rafael Alsina lives in fine
style in an ancient palace in the p
ular Trianc quarter in Seville. With
the old palace he inherited large
fortune. This he has more than Gou'
bled by 4 devotion to business which
Is ~-.ceedingly rare in Spain, where
the general rule Of life IS, "NeveI
do to-day what you can put off doing
until tomorrow" His pet hobby
aside from making money, has been
giving it away. He is honored far
and wide in Seville for his charity.
One morning early in May last,
two pretty girls, Paquita Vasquez and
Rosina Ortiz, called upon him. eve
are laundry girls said Paquita,
"and knowing you to be rich and
charitable, We have como to ask you
to do something for one of our fell
low vorkers-a poor widow with six
children, who lives in wretched gar
ret
II shall send her 200 pesetas (S40)
to-day" said Don Alsina, "but why
die not the poor widow come herself
to get help from me? 1t is we'll
known that I am always accessible to
any deserving poor person who is in
need of assistance" ...
"Our poor friend" answered Pa
quita, E'is old and-and she has lost
all her good looks, senor."
But I never withhold my aims
from people because the infmities of
age have robbed them of their good
looks" said Don Alsina. There
must be some other reason why she
did not call herself.
The girls giggled and exchanged
g.ances. The truth is,' said Rosita,
''our poor friend thought she would
get more from you if we told yoC her
story, because we, so our friends say,
are-are rather pretty, senor.'
Don Alsina laughed and the girls
blushed. THE widow shows" he
said, that if age has deprived her Of
beauty, it has increased her wisdom.
I shall send her 800 pesetas. Now
what can I do for her charming
representatives in whose selection
she has shown such excellent juGg-
ment?"
J, eve leave that to your own gen.
e-osity, seno-," said Paquita; I'VE
laundress girls are all very poor and
we work very hard"
"And are there among these laun-
dresses VINO work so hard for such
small pay more girls who are as pref
~ as you two are:"
Eyes, senor," answered Rosita;
there are some who are much pref
,ier-at least, so their sweethearts
think."
Il fear Should hardly agree with
their sweethearts," said Don Alsina,
gallantly, ''but 1 will tell you what
will do. Yesterday I bought ticket
, in the national lottery, the drawing
for which takes place next week.
The number of my ticket is 1907. /
am reputed to be a very lucky man.
Send me the names of the five pref
tiest laundresses in our quarter, and
If my ticket wins the grand prize,
$4,000 pesetas (s5000), promise
to divide it among them. Whatever
prize I win'-if I win any - the
money shall be given to them"
The lie girls elected were Manu-
ella Pinedo, Rosita Ortiz, Paquita Vaz-
uuez, 'ncarnacian Garcia and Lola
Fernandez, and every night until the
drawing took place these five girls
prayed ':evoutly that the ticket bear
ing the number 1907 might win the
grand prize.
Ticket No. 1907 won the grand
prize, and Don Alsina at once sent
for the happy laundresses and re-
ceived the in his finest apartments,
where he made pretty speech, de-
claring that no event in his life had
ever afforded him so much pleasure
and that he was fully prepared to
abide by his promise and divide the
250,O00 pesetas among the five rret-
ty girls.
"Oh, you angel" exclaimed the
buxom Lola, and, greatly daring
threw her arms around him and
kissed him. Don Alsina said some
thing that is the Spanish equivalent
of next" and each of the other four
pretty girls in turn followed suit.
Such delightful experience
makes me wonder how it has hap
pened that I have so long remained
a bachelor" said Don Alsina wheI
the last of them had finished. But
alas! as I am n5t Mohammedan
and furthermore as the laws o
Spain forbid polygamy, l cannot
marry all five of you. I can only
marry one OF you. To make choice
O. that one myself is task far be-
yond me. With your consent / pro
pose to have recourse to a lottery
again to settle the matter. Doe:
each one of you agree that she vii
accept me as husband for better OF
worse. if she draws me?"