The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-24
Antonio S Job
By 2. A. Mitchell

Antonio was a very poor man, who /
lived in the outskirts Of Madrid. Spain.
Antonio was a mason, but unfortu-
nately was out Of work He was usual
ly out OF work, for he was In poor
health and could not do as much as /
other men. The truth is, he had be-
come SO poor that he could not buy
sufficient food to put strength into him.
lie also had wife and several chill
dren to provide for.
One evening Antonio was sitting be-
side his door. trying to alleviate his i
despondency with his pipe, when a
man came along and, seeing Antonio's |
sign mason" asked him II he would |
| like job. The stranger was neither |
well dressed nor well favored, and the !
poor man feared that he would not be |
! paid for his work, but he asked the
nature of the work. whether 1t reQuir-
ed much strength and what would be
the pay. The stranger replied that an
hour would be required TO 60 and come
10 and from the work, half hour to
do the job and the pay would be what
he held in his hand. Opening the hand,
he displayed a large gold piece.
Antonio agreed to do the work and
received his pay in advance. The
stranger blndfolded him and led him
away. 1t happened that Antonio's son.
Jose twelve years OF age, who had
been apprenticed to shopkeeper, was
coming home and was astonished to
see his father led along blindfold-
ed by a stranger The boy followed
d, the two for awhile, but finally lost
them In the crowds of people on the
streets.
Jose went home and told his mother
: what he had seen. She knew that her
husband had gone to do some work for
!, a stranger, but nothing more. She was
n ~ very much worried, but could only
: await Antono's coming home. Jose
! ate his supper and went to bed. In
" less than two hours after the mason
started to his work he came back and
y told this story:
Is He had been led by his employer to
'e a place he knew not where and heard
door close behind him. Then he de
scended fight Of steps into colo
atmosphere. The bandage was takeI
OF his eyes. and he found himself II
~ the basement of large building. HI
e was before brick wall and on thu
V, nd n M
ne mortar There was niche In th'
ue wall and a box In the niche. AntOni'
er was ordered to close the niche witt
of brick. He did SO, leaving the spac
nr. closed as a part Of the wall. Whel
ng the work was done Antonio was agai
blindfolded. led up flight Of stairs
n conducted by tortuous route to
ad point near his home and left standin
No. there. Taking off the bandage, tE
ol stranger had disappeared, and Antonl
,lv went home
no Some months after this adventur
~ Antonio's wife. hearing knock at he
80 door went to see who was there an
a. found two nuns, who asked contrib
"' ton to aid In buying commune
Go service for church. The good woma
neS produced few copper coins. which 81
ere gave the nuns She asked what churt
Ing .har uoro soliciting for and when to
Ing she said that she supposed 1t possess'
a communion service, since 1t was
she very old building. To this they repli
one that II had possessed a fine service, b
II had disappeared. Every effort h
Y a been made to find it, but had faile
to and now the church authorities had
,me dered that money be raised for ne
one.
It. Whe1 Antonio returned to his hoI
o Il that evening and asked his wire
, at money to buy loaf OF bread-tht
om- was none In the house-she told h
that she had given the only mon
+bat they possessed for new commuhi
II service for church. Antonio ASK
some questions about the matter, q
abe told him what the nuns had t
ali her.
:" An idea popped into Antonio's he
vuobt NOT the box he had walled
In the niche have contained tne
new service? He remembered that the Da
anu ment in which he had done the W.
rom was very large. Straightway 1t oce
VINO red 10 him that 1t might have been
J OF basement OF church. The box
the large enough to hold number
One ueces. The air was that OF an une
In ground place. 49,
I the Antonio called Jose and told the
as a n lead him over the route he had 9
was on the night he had done the WORE
far as Jose had kept him In 81
she lose led him a winding route, but
trend was toward the church that
Miss lost the communion service,
,rted The next day Antonio went 70
To- n-est who was pastor OF the ch'
nm and told him his story. The priest
~ him down into the basement OF
ur ~ church and Antonio found the P
= - ha had walled up. 1t was In
'ereu corner where the difference betV
anu new and old brick would not De
an! t,ced without artificial light.
anu mason's tools were brought, the