The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-27

NV E ,,1,' drew aside S a lit little , from ,n's the W the grass. There my little jour neyman barber laid out his provisions, consisting of five or six onions with
 some scraps of bread and cheese. The
 calls of hunger did not allow either of
 us to be dainty, and we emptied a leath-
 ern bottle too, containing about two pints of a wine one could not recommend with
 out some remorse of conscience. We then rose from the table and set out again on the tramp in high glee.
 I called on him for the story of his wanderings.
 'Oh, as for my adventures" exclaimed he, they are hardly worth recording. Nevertheless, since we have nothing else to do, will run over the narrative, such as it is.
 My father initiated me betimes in the
 mysteries of shaving; and when he saw me grown up to the age of 15, laid this wallet across my shoulders, presented me with a long sword, and said: "Go Diego, you are now qualified to gain your own livelihood; go and travel about. You want little acquaintance with the world to give you a polish and improve you in your art. Off with you, and do not re- turn to Olmedo until you have made the tour of Spain, nor let me hear of you till that is accomplished Finishing with this injunction, he embraced me with fath- erly affection and showed me out of doors by the shoulders.
 ''As for my mother, she seemed to feel somewhat at my departure. She dropped few tears, and even slipped ducat by stealth into my hand. I did not go 200 yards without stopping to examine my bag There l found a case with two razors, which must have travelled post over the chins of 10 generations, by the evidence of their wear and tear, with a strap to set them and bit of soap. In addition to. this a coarse shirt, quite new, pair of my fathers shoes. quite old, and what rejoiced me more than all the rest. a rouleau of 20 rials in linen bag. You may conclude Master Nicholas the barber to have reckoned a good deal on my ingenuity, by his turning me adrift with so slender a provision. Yet a ducat and 20 rials by way of fortune was enough to turn the head of young man unaccustomed to money concerns. I fancied my stock journey in the sunshine of brilliant anticipation looking from time to time at the hlt of my rapier, while the blade was striking against my leg
 at every step, or tripping up my heels. Tn the evening I reached the village of Ataquines with a very catholic stom- ach. I put up at the inn, and as if meant to spend freely, asked in a lofty tone what there was for supper. The landlord examined my pretensions with his eye, and, finding according to what cloth my coat was cut, said with true publican's civility. Yes yes, my worthy master you shall have no reason to com
 plain; we shall treat you like lord.' with this assurance, he showed me into a little room, whither he brought me- quarter of an hour later, a ragout
 made out of great he-cat on which | feasted with as famous an appetite as if l it had been hare or rabbit This excellent dish was washed down by so choice a wine that the king had no better in his | cellars.
 'On the lOlloWlnS mot1llnS WHeH nau breakfast and paid the reckoning as | had been treated, like lord, I made
 but one stage to Segovia. On my arrival I had the good fortune to find shop where they took me in for my board and /! lodging, but I stayed there only six
 months A journeyman barber with whom I got acquainted went to Madrid and drew me with him.
 1 T got into a shop of the very best custom. My master, two stirring fellows and myself could scarcely father the chins 1 of the people who came to be shaved | They were of all trades and conditions; among the rest players and authors. One day two persons of the last description happened to meet. They began convers- ing about the poets and pieces in vogue, when one mentioned my uncle's name. 's Don Juan de Zavaleta,' said one, will never do any good as an author. A man of cold genius. without spark of fancy He has written himself down at terrible rate by his last publication And Louis Velez de Guevara,' said