Year: 1873

beatitic vision, from our mortal gaze"


These were the words, uttered half in
lest and half in earnest, which broke from
my friend and fellow traveller, Charlie
Aston, as way-worn and weary, We
reined up our horses, in the rich glow of an
autumn sunset at the door of low hostel
which in Spain does duty for a posada, OF
mn We had left Malaga, en- route fol
Granada, at eleven o'clock on the previous
night, and after forest ride by moonlight
the memory ofwhose enchanting loveliness
no after dreams of beauty can blot out,
we had taken what refreshment, in the
way of grapes and light wine, the peasants
could supply, and started afresh on what
proved to be the hardest days ride that
even |, accustomed as have been to the
saddle from my nursery, ever remember
to have taken.


We had been riding for more than an
hour, with not a sound to break the still
ness of the air save the occasional tinkling
of goatherds bell, when Charles ex-
clamation reused me from the state OF
stupor into which | had fallen, and |
glanced ont from under the shadow of my
sombrcro in the direction indicated by his
eve. Before US stood the 'posada"-a
long wooden building, the roof rising
somewhat in the middle and sloping
gradually off to either side At the door
ounged Il group of villainous looking
peasants, with our greasy, swarthy host
at the head and escaping by what seemed
to be a back entrance, and passing rapidly
down a sidewalk, was as splendid a speci-
men of womanhood as my eyes had ever
lighted upon. She was tall and slight,
and her form less fully developed than is
common among Spanish girls at her age,
but it had the litheness, and her step the
elastic spring, of the young antelope. She
wore the picturesque costume of the An
dalusian peasant, and as we rode up she
turned her head to look at us, thus enabling
large dark eyes, the scarlet dimpled mouth,
and, rarest of all combinations in the
southern cline, the wealth of golden hair
which hoated like 4 halo of glory around
her small, well-set head. Altogether it
was.as Charlie said almost like a heavenly
vision bursting upon our sight, and for a
moment | shared his apprehensions that
She might vanish as suddenly and mysteri-
ously as she had appeared. Being, how
ever, an old traveller, and of an eminently
practical turn of mind, / checked my own
curiosity and Charie's burst of ofenthusiasm,
and requested him in few sharp words
to .-kccp his ewes and ears wide open to
what was passing around us, and to think
of something besides woman if he could"


BY this time we had dismounted and
entered the inn, where, in our rough
travelling garb, with pistols and daggers
in our belts, we might easily have been
mistaken for the robbers that we We're
armed against The building bore the
usual appearance Of a Spanish posada,
consisting of long, dark apartment one
end Of which served as a kitchen and din
inc room for family and guests, and the
other being partitioned into rudely made
stalls for cattle, so that we had literally
entertainment for man and beast under
the same roof 1t was a dismally rough
and comtortless looking place, and smelled
garlic, stable, and unwashed humanity
that my friend Charlie started and turned
back as we entered the door.


NO help for it, old fellow" l said, in
sympathetic tones sleeping outside
would be dangerous at this season, and,
besides, our horses must be cared for.
You'll get used to the perfume in little
whle.n


"Perhaps so,'' replied Charlie, with a
shrug of his handsome shoulders, "but if
ever travel through Spain again I'll have
my olfactories paralzed before start"


And have your head made bullet proof
at the same time" rejoined, (Which is
rather the more important of the two.
Keep wide awake, Charlie, and listen to
every word you hear spoken, without ap-
pearing to understand, | have been in
Spain before, and | don't at all like the
look of this place or its occupants"


As | spoke we seated ourselves close to
the fire, which was throwing out any
quantity Of smoke and gas, but, as far as
! could see, was capable Of warming moth
ing but itself


The night was, however, closing in
damp and chilly, as is common in those
latitudes, and both Charlie and myself
were glad of the protection that the hum
BILE roof afforded


To add to our complacency, the beauti-
full vision that had delighted our eyes in
the open air passed in and out several
times, laying the cloth for supper, and en-
gagged in a variety of sufficiently mundane
occupations to convince us that she be-
longed essentially to this lower sphere.
1t was difficult to form any opinion as to
the relation in which she stood to the
wretches who surrounded her, as she
scarcely spoke or raised her eyes in reply
to remarks that they made her, and took
no more notice of their muttered oaths and
imprecations than she did of my friend
Alston's insinuating efforts to attract her
attention. AS she was the only female to
be seen about the place, however, con-
cluded that she was well paid for her ser
vices, and would only remain while treat
ed with consideration and respect | also
decided in my own mind that she probably
belonged to some gypsy tribe, and had
gentle blood in her veins-perhaps Eng
fish or Scotch-which would account fol
her long fair hair combined as it was
with an Oriental richness of complexion,
and ewes that had the darkness and soft
ness of the gazelle.


She seemed to have an unexplained
purpose in delaying as long as possible
her arrangements for supper, which called
forth more than one impatient "Caramba'
from the ruffian who called himself ou1
host There were three men beside my
oCii III tiio PoosleHt, CNCly oiiC VI WAoiAA,
was ready to swear, had been guilty OF
deeds of blood ] watched them, as SAT
with half-closed eyes beside the fire, and
made up my mind that, if ever weary
travellers were in danger of their lives,
we were that night Then l racked my
brain to recall the last sign of human
habitation that had seen that day, and
after satisfying myself that it was too fal
Off to be Of any use to us, began to cal
culate our chances of resistance in case ol
an attack. We were well armed, and
three to four, supposing our guide would
help US; but a glance into distant cor.
ner of the stable department, where he
lay sleeping, or at least feigning sleep
convinced me that no assistance could bt
counted upon from that quarter


Well, the situation was not cheerful
one, certainly but Charlie and l hac
youth and strength and British pluck, anf
hugged up the belief that had been in
stilled into me from my childhood thai