Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-01-31

- WISH to describe If l can one Of
the most interesting features OF
life in Madrid, a feature peculiar
to Madrid among all the cities OF
the world as far as l am inform
ed. 1t is a long way in life albeit
short in distance from Prado to the
Rostrado. The extension Of the Prado
into the Paseo de Castellana leads one
to the part of the city where fats give
place to detached dwellings and where
mansions are seen that match In
grandeur almost anything seen along
Riverside Drive in New York, writes
George w. Burton in the Los Angeles
Times.
Not only the houses in this part OF
Madrid are grand, but the equipages
are as fine as may be seen anywhere.
and the horses exceed anything ever
beheld In horse flesh. The teams
are well matched, and the animals
stand IA to 16 hands high, each hand
representing nearly 100 pounds OF
hnely-put-up horse flesh and gone.
They are, taking them all in all, the
finest, rangiest animals in the world.
The heads and ears are small, the
neck long and arched, holding the
head high without painful hitching.
The fore shoulders are high and 80
are the launches, the back straight.
The fore legs are straight as whip
stalk, the chest is deep, the haunch-
es and thighs are powerfully muscled.
and the bodies are round as a bar
rel.
Seen on Sunday.
The Rastro is not along the Prado
and no splendid turnouts are seen
there. The street is in the center OF
the city, a short walk from the Puerta
del Sol. II is a narrow street srs
rounded with old houses, begins in
an alley and ends In two which fork
into still narrower alleys farther on
The English name for the peculiar
institution that has its home there IL
the Rag Market Sunday is the day
to see it. The people who carry or
their trade In the Rastro are there
every day In the week in small mum
bers, but Sunday the whole place
1000 feet long. by 80 feet wide, II
packed so densely that one makes his
way through the throng slowly and
with much diflculty. To present &
general view of this motley gather
ing in words or in picture is impos
sible. It must be taken bit by bit
any analysed carefully. AS one en-
tiers the long, narrow street a mass
Of humanity, men, women, boys, girls
decrepit age and tenderest youth
moves about in an interminable maze
beginning nowhere or everywhere, al
you may please to see 1t. The grounC
space is encountered with big bas
kets filed with all kinds of what W,
call In America garden truck and
fruits. In and out ply women, eacl
with half a dozen to dozen IA
chickens hung around their necks
tucked under their arms, and he'll
In any way convenient for the mo
ment. Eggs, game, anything the poo
may have to sell, is here, and here tn,
poor come to buy. II one gets Their,
about noon there may be seen q peas
ant woman who has sold out her bas
ket of cabbage. caulifiower and lei
tuce. and has turned the debris GU
on the ground. At once this is pounce,
upon by some poor wretch of a won
an who has not a centimo to get q lii
tie something to eat She bends dow
and rakes about the leaves of tn
vegetables and picks out every bi
that is in any way possible of cool
ing. Each scrap is put in a bit Of
basket, in her apron or in a leaf o
an old paper, or in an old box. One 1
irresistibly reminded of hen in tn
yard scratching for a tid-bit fror
the kitchen.
Just beyond the vegetable marke
the booths are reached where othe
wares are on sale. The first may b
a shoe store. If you please. But it /
something that no one who reads thi
letter ever saw or heard of. All day
In the week men, women and chi
dren range the streets and pick u
anything that promises a cent of gair
No old shoe Is too poor to be passe