The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-01-22
SPAIN IN A JIFFY
Arthur WaIbrIdee North In the Land
Of the Grandees.

mcul curtain tuen lace naf0 against
the pane, stared wonderingly Lum-
nous in the tender sunlight an un-
broken grove of orange trees. stud
ded with yellow fruit, stretched
away to the northern sierras. Here
and there, stilted upon gaunt stems
bushy palms did shepherd duty over
the golden flock had a glimpse of
a man close wrapped in blue serapa,
a mere glimpse for an added rocking
Jolt threw me across the oompart.
ment. With a sigh | picked myself
up, as did so absently glancing out
the adjacent window Here. too, was
serapa man, this one riding q
gaudily decked pack burro. Yester-
day about Toulouse and Sarbonne
the natives wore blue blouses and
travelled with heavy wheeled carts
drawn by shaggy ponies. But over
night the Pyrenees had interviewed.
With equal effectiveness. moreover.
changing cars at the frontier we had
passed to a different trackage. the
Spanish gauge being less than the
French, lest some new Napoleon be
forgetful about keeping his military
cars in the home roundhouse.
Another jolt. The little train
stopped before a neat blue and
white adobe. "Sagunto,Y a Spanish
voice cried. Contending shades OF
Hannibal and Scipio, Saguntum now
railway station!
Gentlemen travellers to the
train" cried a voice in Spanish,
whereupon someone tinkled a dinkey
bell, the dinkey engine gave an an
swering foot and our dinkey train
was again on it's desultory way.
Towards noon, our course after
Valencia having been northwesterly
sharp, rugged hills, like the western
buttes anywhere from Montana to
Arizona, broke the rich plain. Pre-
sently on the crest of one of those
saw a castle. None of your tinsel
shop-worn French castles. but sure
enough, historic, time and battle
worn, hundred cents on the dollar
castle. Then came another and an
other-a whole flock of castles. The
skyline became jagged with them
Certainly down in Catalonia and Val
encia Castles in Spain" are a mater
lal reality, only as yet the tourist har
not discovered this semi-tropical, fas
cinating portion of Spain.
Already | was half out of the win
dow when the voice cried "Jatiba!
Jatiba. the Setabis of the Phoeni
clans, sending forth its fine Tyriar
handkerchiefs to the grand danes OF
Egypt: Athens and Romel Jatiba
When the dinkey engine footed away
responsive to the dinkey bell, | was
no longer on the train.
Through narrow winding streets
past fifteenth century homes with
their great brass knockers, iron
studded doors and armorial crests
through the town and up past mon
astaries once Roman temples, and
fountains and ancient terraced or
chards beyond all semblance Of
street or road, up a deep worn wind
ing trail, a Roman wall to the left
the rugged butte. castle crested. tow
ering high above. Before an iron
and oak portal we paused, knocking
loudly. A wiZened dame threw the
bolt and shouldering open a lesser
door within the greater. we entered
Thus within the walls we climbed
yet higher, along winding worn stone
steps, through portals. peering fire
Quently into dark mysterious rooms
When did the Phoenicians, trampine
inland from their many-oared gal
legs, lay the first stone, what portion
did the great Caesar add. in which
retreat were the dark eyed prlnceses
the lnfantas now asleep these seven
centuries, imprisoned by their uncle
the fiery Sancho ell Bravo, what
tower restrained the shrewd Caesar
Borgia? Looking about me, or across
at other castles crowned buttes, oil
glancing down upon the rich vega
with its orchards and villages, sucl
thoughts as these gave way to ye
others. Now | was stretched be
meath cottonwood trees, beside |
bubbling hot spring in far away Mex
leo, an old Indian, squat, cross-leg
ged nigh me.
"Senor," he is saying. "tAe trad
ton is, and my grandfather. him
self, gave it to me, that years ago L
this spring came Spanish soldier
Then there were two thousand Of gu
people hereabouts. Later, he return
ed TO Spain. to Jatiba, his home
There he served a grand sonora, YER
devou,, to whom he told concernin
this place, Adac our people called Il
So when she left many pesos for mis-
sions. The iglesia mere first Of a
was built Herewith, being named 70
her PARENTS. Senior San Francisc
de Borgia a very good saint
Thus Jatiba reaches even to Cal
fornia. But, indeed, in appearance
and in its tremendous agriculture
and mineral wealth, Spain is mos
like California.
Arriving at the fonda, or villag
inn, | found my garb the worse 70
the Climb to the castle. A natiy
tootblack entered the patio. poin
cd 10 my dusty shoes.
Jose made n good job OF IT,
"How much?' ! inquired
1.-TWO fat doogs," was his promI
reply.
Two fat dogsl Shades of wade
ling Fro and sleek Towserl
what How much?" gaspeC
for the lad seemed in earnest
DOS perros gordos. Senior
No mistake. Even | understoo
those simple words. Was he perhap
interested in some sausage factory
Awful sorry, but left EN- all a
home. Try coin" held out som
coppers. From the lot he CAREFUL
selected two OF the larger. ten cent
mo pieces valued at about two cent
each.
Later, at the station copper chang
Mna nnssnd 10 mo A five centim