The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-24


 fsh that 1t has impressed itself on the wprld as spanish classic, though It's author was a Breton. It was alleged wss merely % the M transIStion oaon of 'HSs Span, lsR romance; but Le Sage disproved that charge in his own time, and the yesrs nave added their own .convinc- uant Frenchmans own.
 @Gil Bias" Is treasury of witty savings wise proverbs and stories tha, illustrate humanity. Innumerable phases. anecdotes and allusions are used to-day. in the literature and con- ysrsatson, of the world that are taken users do not know 1t.
 Although the parents of Gil Bias were only humble folk. his father be- tnE a maior-domo and his mother a excellent education. He learned to Know the Greek poets a little bit and the Latins very passably.
 E He devoted himself to logic and soon began to stop acquaintances and strangers on the street to debate with them. Very often he found men who liked 1t as well as he did. Then there vas fiery action. they made wonderous grimaces. the eyes sparixIed with fury, and in cases of truly great arguments they frothed at the mouth bit.
 Thus he soon earned the reputation in his native town of Oviedo of being .&n enormously learned man, and at the age of IF he started with a mule and forty ducats to make ms way to she University of Salamanca.
 It was the wise young mans first venture into the wide world that lay outside of Oviedo. He wondered how soon the world would be dazzled by him. and this pleasant speculation oc- cupied his thoughts to much that 1t did not surprise him at all when he was accosted with great marks of re- epect at the first village at which he stopped.
 vervscheerfuily he paid for the food and drink of the most fulsome flat tarer of all and told him all about himsen His reward after the feast was that the f3atterer bowed when there was nothing left to eat and drink and said: Senor Gil Bias. I will re- pay your hospitality with good coun- eel Hereafter do not trust folk whom you do not know. Beware of praise from strangers. You are not the eighth wonder of the world"
 Gil Bias thought that he might die with shame. the more so since he al- ready had sold his mule to another Gatterer at a ridiculous price. He hastened to escape from the place. and joined a muleteer who was escorting party toward Salamanca. Unfor-
 
 of violent behavior. and got into a battle with the police in the very next village.
 They fell on the entire company with such fierce outcries that Gil Bias, who knew a great deal of Latin phi. ioHophy but very little of police per- sons. thought it best to flee. When Me reconsidered this first impulse, his minimizing legs already had carried him so far into the woods that he could not find his way out.
 However. he was saved from worry about this by the arrival of two gem tlernen on horseback. who produced large pistols to emphasize their uF- gent invitation to him to go with them. They led him to a cave, where he was received with joy by a band of outlaws who needed just such 6 young gentleman for servant.
 After a few months he tired ot this xneniai work and begged the robbers 70 permit him to join their forays. He hoped to be able to escape, but the band toea: precautions that made this difficult. and Gil Bias had to help them rob in order to allay their sua- picions. His first essay was to pil- aage a venerable prior, who surren- >1dered heavy purse after having beg ged Gil Bias to turn from evil. The band congratulated him till the purse was quite sure that the world was copper coins and other worthless stun. Then their pleasure changed to an- noyance, and they administered tokea and blows. Gil Bias was not sure which he relished the least; but he was quite surt that the world was full of guile. when even a man of the church would not hesitate to cheat poor robber.
 He determined to depend on guile himself and pretended to feel such de- light in a bandits life that the rob bers soon trusted him. Within a few weeks they attacked a cavalcade, Killed all the men and captured the beautiful and wealthy Donna Mencia of Burgos. Gil Bias managed to es- cape with her, and did not forget to stIff his pockets with plstoles and doubloons from the outlaws treasure chamber.
 His pleasure oyer re-entering honest life did not last long, because he was thrown into jail in the first town they reached on suspicion of having stolen the garments he wore and the horse he rode.
 Donna Mencia's testimony cleared him, but the servants of justice kept him In jail despite everything, and did not turn him loose till they had stripped him literally to the skin. fol they seized not only horse and mon-
 
 tence of holding them as evidence
 When Gil Bias was freed at last clad in a dirty linen kittle. he haC gained two pieces of Knowledge iT exchange for his worldly goods. One was that to take a mans money from him was to trim his wings most com pletely. And the other was that jus tice may be just, but her servants are not.
 Donna Mencia was grateful, how ever and gave him a heavy bag of dueats. The first thing he did was to purchase a magnificent costume oi blue velvet embroidered with gold full of slits and puffs, a plumed hat a good sword and all else necessary for a cavalier "I shall not go tC Salamanca" said he to himself, ad- 'miring himself like a peacock. "l will seek wealth instead of empty sch holarly honors."
 His decision was applauded by the tavern keeper, to whom hr confide6 his whole story. At that worthy's suggestion he engaged a servant who protested that he would work will ingly without wages for so distin- guished an employer. What luck you will have, senor." cried the tayerr Keeper, with your face and form and your noble manner!"
 It did not surprise Gil Bias to bt accosted the very next day by a beau ltiful young woman, who told him tha she was the niece of the Governor of the Philippines and invited him tC her home for dinner. There he met her brother who seemed immensely