The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-04-07

OF LON Iu tyb6b Ue C6TUG'ttoS OuUOo-
dra, the author of "Don Quirote de
Ia Mancha." Much as other races
prize this work, they cannot realize
how the men of Spanish blood pieso
1t. It is infinitely precious to them,
almost holy. Throughout the Span
tsh Americas, from Cuba to the end
of South America, the stranger who
knows Don Quirote" wiU find ea-
ger responsiveness everywhere, from
the uattled hut of a peon to the PAL
ace of a sugar or cattle king. The
story offered here is from Book III.
One morning Don Quixote and his
faithful squire Sancho Panza beheld
II men on the road walking in long
row. This row was held coyly to-
gether by long chain, so that the gen.
tlemen looked neatly like beads on a
string.
The chivalrous warrior naturally
spurred at once to aid these mortals In
distress, since the books Of chivalry
that had put crack into his worthy
brain had taught him that knights al
ways did so without asking too many
questions.
There were armed guards with the
string Of beads and they did not re-
ceive him too effusively. Still, as is
the good custom in polite Spain, they
permitted the chainful to stand still
while Don Quixote rode along the line
and spoke to the fettered pedestrians.
81 am chained up for being violently
In love-" the first man In the row con-
fiied to the knight. Indeed, en-
hraced the object Of my affections so
passionately that the police hardly
could tear me away. Unfortunately
this frantic love affair was with a
basket of linen. So they gave me soft
treatment with the lash and now am
on my way to serve for three years as
an element dasher.'
"What is that?" asked the Don,
whose reading of knight errantry
books had acquainted him with only
the most poetic and fiowery language,
and not with the simple, chaste phrases
of the changing.
HE means that he is going to be Q
galley slavet'' said the beads, WITH
roars Of laughter.
The second galley slave in the row
uynriId pof rouIu a ! oil RI Do, n,1iyntn,c
inquiry, but another rogue answered
for him with generous heartiness. "He
Is canary bird. He is with US be
cause he sang too much !"
rs it possible" cried the generous
knight, that men are sent to the gal
leys for singing?"
Indeed they are, when they sinf
In anguish" answered the rogue.
II cannot unfold your riddle" ven
tured the simple warrior.
tSir," said guard, "they call this
fellow a bird that sang in anguish be
cause he confessed on the rack"
"And now he mopes," said another
because they all jeer at him for mo-
having the courage to deny, since it II
no more painful to say, mo- under The
torture than yes And l think they
are somewhat in the right"
"What did you do?" asked Dor
Quixote of the next man.
"For want of twice five ducats," an
swered he, II must NOW the grea
meadow for five years."
| Don Quixote inferred that 'mowin,
the great meadow" meant to row will
galley-sweeps over the pleasant blu,
Mediterranean. "And all that for tel
ducats?" he murmured. II would Civ,
twenty with all my heart to delive
you"
THANK you for nothing" retortet
the gentleman. 1T is like offering |
man mustard after he has eaten al
the meat. You might as well give you
ducats to starving man at sea-"
| AS the knight still lamented over til,
iniquity of sentencing man to fiv,
years in the galleys for mere lack o
ten ducats, the galley slave conde
scended to instruct him. with tel
ducats," he explained, II could hav
creased the courts palms. Enough.
say no more, but go along like a do
on string"
The tales Of all the other prisoner
4 were equally edifying. Don Quixot
recognized that they were not limo
cent lambs; yet, on the whole, h
thought that much might be said 70
them as well as against them. There
fore he turned to the guards and de
manded that they unlock the chains
LET them answer for their sins In ar
other world" said he.
Take your empty pate about 1t
own businessr r responded the leade
with great impoliteness. "Those VIII
play with cats will get scratched"
This insolence from one whom tn
chivalry romances would have referre
to as a "caitiff," so Infatuated the wal
rior that he charged. The fellow
taken by surprise, tumbled head owe
heels and Don Quixotes horse, Ros
: mantle, by miracle did not fall dow
, as it usually did after one of thes
knightly charges.
The prisoners promptly attacked tn
other guards and engaged them so we
that Sancho Pcnza, who was Away
ready for bravo dpads TINT did not n