The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-31

especially of travel into regions seldom
penetrated by the ordinary wanderer. He
liked to visit strange places and strange
peoples and live among them until he
could catch the essence of the people $
life. With the gypsies of Spain he was
particularly familiar and could talk the
Romany dialect--or language, whatever
II is-in a manner which enabled him to
get a better look into their characters
than most men. Merimee was historian,
Archaeological and critic. Under the sec
ond empire he became senator of
France But Of all that he accomplished
and he accomplished much-"Carmen"
will remain his greatest and best-known
production.
HoN JOSE LIzzARRABENGA was
born of an old Basque family and
- his parents intended him for the
church. But his own fiery and impetuous
disposition, joined with a pair of black
ewes In the brown face of gypsy girl
sufriced to turn his destiny.
With the Navarrese tennis is favorite
game, and when they play it they forget
all else. One day when he had won a
game from a lad from Alvaa the lad
forced a quarrel upon him, and Jose and
pointed STATS carried by the Basques.
Jose had again the advantage, but so Sc
verely wounded his opponent that he had
to flee the region. He met a troop OF
cavalry going along the road and offered
to enlist. AS he was strong, well-built
lad he was at once enrolled. The pro-
fession of arms comes natural to the
BASQUE mountaineers. He was soon made
q corporal and, being of noble blood was
well assured of getting his commission
before long But between him and the
career of a military officer passed the
flashing black eyes of Carmen. He was
stationed at Seville, where he was placed
on guard at the great tobacco factory.
There were 400 or 800 girls employed in
the factory, and the soldiers used to
amuse themselves by watching them go
to and from their work. But Jose paid
but little attention to the girls OF
Seville He was always thinking of home,
and thought there could be no beautiful
girls unless they wore the Basque COS
tume-blue petticoats and plaits of hair
falling over their shoulders. But one
day, as he was sitting busy fixing a
chain with some brass wire for the primer
of his piece he looked up and saw Car
. men She wore very short scarlet skirt
that displayed white silk stockings with
more than one hole in them; delicate
shoes of red morocco, fastened with
fiame-coiored ribbons, and she drew aside
her mantilla to display her shoulders and
q large bunch of cassia flowers placed
in the bosom of her chemise. She had a
cassia flower in her mouth, and she came
forward posing herself on her hips-one
hand on her hip-like the audacious
gypsy that she was Her eyes were large
and dark and shaded by long lashes, black
ms night Her black hair was abundant
and had purplish tinge to it in the sun
light Her skin was dark olive, and upon
her cheeks was a glow of dusky red.
In form she was bewitching and In move
ment she had the grace of perfect free
dom-like some wild animal.
At first Jose paid no attention to her
but she, according to the custom of wom-
en- and oats, who do not come when they
are called and only come when they are
not called, stopped in front of him and
said: "Crony, will you give me that chain
to hold the keys of my strong box?'
Jose replied coldly, but she continued her
badinage for a moment and then, throw
ing the cassia flower she had held in her
mouth full at him and striking him be-
tween the eyes, she fled with a laugh to
the factory.
Unperceived by his companions Jose
picked up the flower and placed it in his
looEat uac sti1J thin limo of l,ar tno
or three hours afterwards when a great
commotion arose In the factory He went
In with a squad of men and found one of
the women lying stretched on her back
on the floor with a great X gashed in
her face by two stabs from a knife. Near
her was Carmen, raging fury, held back
by the hands of many women. There
had been a quarrel over some triflng
matter and Carmen had cut the woman
lying on the floor with her knife. Carmen
was, of course, arrested and taken to the
guard house.
1t was a serious matter, and Jose was
ordered to take her to prison. He placed
her between two dragons and walked be-
hind as corporal should do under such
circumstances. AS they went down a
winding street she let her mantilla fall,
and turing back to Jose asked where
she was being taken. She perceived from
his accent when he answered that he was
q Basque. At once she began speaking
Basque-for the gypsies speak many Ian
guages-and declared that she was a
countrywoman of his. Enough She be-
witched him-the smell of the cassia
flower which he still had in his jacket
seemed to him some magic perfume; be
let her escape and went back to report
himself to the commandant a disgraced
man. Solemnly was he degraded to the
ranks and 5ternly he sentenced 10
expiate his crime by a term in prison.
said she was a Basque and had been
carried off by gypsies when a child-she
was always lying But to poor Jose no
matter what she said or did she was
Carmen. Her conquest was complete,
and even In his prison he thought only
of her
One day the jailer came to him saying
"See what your cousin sends you,' and
handed him loaf of the celebrated bread
of Alcala. Jose was perplexed; he had
no cousin in Seville But he took the
bread ond upon cutting It found inside
q file and piece of gold. Then he knew
It was from Carmen. But he refused the
temptation thus placed in his way; he