The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1922-02-04


monks, one of whom ran away while
the other fell off his mule. Sancho
nimbly slipped from his ass and be-
| gan to strip the luckless man; while
| he was engaged in this Legitimate ap-
| preparation of the spoils of the battle,
| two muleteeers of the train Overset
him, tore out his beard by handfulS
mauled him and left him senSelesS.
| Don Quixote engaged in terrific COM
bat with one of the lady's guard who
sliced off half of his helmet and one
of his ears. Undaunted the knight
pressed the combat to victory, but
Just as he was about to give the finish
ing stroke, the frightened lady begged
him to desist and he complied on con-
ditiOn that the defeated opponent
should go and present himself before
the peerless Dulcinea, who was In
reality buxom woman known
through all la Mancha for her skill IN
sailing pork and who had never deign-
ed to look at her amorous neighbor.
A few days later, bruised and bat
tered in untOward adventures. they
came upon flock of sheep which Don
Quixote conceived to be a prodigious
army composed of an infinite number
of nations led by mighty kings. He
spurred like thunderbolt from the
top of hillock, shouting his battle
challenge, putting the hapless sheep
to flight and trampling both the living
and the slain. Impatient to meet the
commander of the enemy he shouted
"Where, where art thou. naughty
Alfanfaron?"
At that moment the shepherds raj
lied in. defense of their flocks and
overwhelmed the unlucky knight first
with stones and then with cudgels
leaving him in a desperate case, with
nearly all of his teeth knocked out
or loOsened, and his ribs half broken
: Did this adventure discourage him:
Not at all. 1t was all part of chival'
~. He and Sancho rode on in dolor'
Gus discourse. They were overtaker
by night and had no shelter or food
Suddenly appeared a band of about
twenty horSemen, all in white robes
with torches in their hands and fol
lowed by hearse draped in black
1t was the funeral of gentleman OF
the train of some knight either killed
or desperately wounded, and, assured
that it was his duty to avenge the
, misfortunes of brOther-in-arms
halted the cortege and demanded ar
!. explanation. The replies Of the clergy
! men failed to satisfy him and he flew
at them in high dudgeon. Encountered
by their robes they became easy vic
, tins and all took to flight.
They possessed themselves of thu
edibles deserted by the clergymen, but
unfortunately, had nothing to drink
nor did they dare stir from the fores
, because Of the awful clamOi made b!
=, a fulling-mill which Don Quixote sup
8 posed to be enchantment.
The next morning they met bar
Der riding on an ass and wearing hi
. brass basin on his head to save hi
hat from the rain. Don Quixote rec
ognized this as the golden helmet o
Mambrino and flew at the enemy a
if he would grind him to powder TIL
barber fed, leaving his helmet which
Sancho appropriated. though it seem
ed to him merely common dish.
They came to another inn. In tn
. night Don Quixote, while sound asleel
: and dreaming, enjoyed the most ia
nous battle of his career. Dresse'
= in a short shirt which exposed hi
: lean, long, hairy shanks, and wearing
a greasy red nightcap, with blanke
-. | wrapped around his left arm for
: shield, he was repeatedly plunging hi
!, sword into the plump bodies Of seH
: eral giants. Their blood flowed acros
the floor in wide, crimson streams.
Imagine the wrath of the worth
q ipn-keeper at discovering that hi
! famous guest had disemboweled a
|, his wine-sacks. which were made Q
a goat-skins with the heads left on.
g After this Don Quixote was &C
, home by the curate and the barber
c but he broke loose again. First h
9 visited his Dulcinea, but came ava
q ! cOuNlncSu llidt tnIcuSu iIoiS ChNiAuh
n nent she had been changed into
e blubber-cheeked fiat-nOsed cOuntr
: wench, the pearls of her eyes into gal
# nuts, her long golden locks into
\ cows tail and her palace into hu
d He had adventures with strollin
> actors and lions he attended I'll
n rich Camacho's wedding; he explore
e the deep cave Of Montesinos: he rod
q on a magic bark and visited the Dam
less duke and duchess, through who's
=. complaisance Sancho was granted n
=. ambition to rule over an island an
3 did it with wisdom worthy of Sol
r mon. Many more adventures follow
% ed, but at last Don Quixote returne
i 70 his home and recovered his sense
a on his death-bed, dying as q lovnbl
+ high-minded, noble-hearted gentlema
II Cervantes' masterpiece is not a
n satire. Don Quixote has lucid M
S. ments; Sanchos simplicity wells cor
mon sense, often expressed in witt
a proverbs. There is occasional coars
Re ness, but not so, much as in Shak
ID speare.. The chief fault is its treatInel
d, of insanity, in. its authors fondne
|. for cruel and brutal, practical JOKE
- a.