. The century illustrated monthly magazine . out underthe burning strength of eternal monotony. A few short, jerky, tottering steps, and hetoo was gone, with his crust of bread and cowshorn of water, his oleander-wood staff, and hisvacant smile of senile tranquillity. Then an old, shriveled parrot of a woman,the only other inhabitant of the posada, camefrom I never knew where, creeping in throughthe open portal, heavily burdened with anearthen jar of water for our beasts. Bitenasdias ! fell in a half-whisper from her lips, whichheld a burning cigarette. She too disappeared. On the other side o
. The century illustrated monthly magazine . out underthe burning strength of eternal monotony. A few short, jerky, tottering steps, and hetoo was gone, with his crust of bread and cowshorn of water, his oleander-wood staff, and hisvacant smile of senile tranquillity. Then an old, shriveled parrot of a woman,the only other inhabitant of the posada, camefrom I never knew where, creeping in throughthe open portal, heavily burdened with anearthen jar of water for our beasts. Bitenasdias ! fell in a half-whisper from her lips, whichheld a burning cigarette. She too disappeared. On the other side of the arched entry,against the opposite wall, on an oaken benchlike mine, his head to the outer air, asleep onhis back, lay my guide and companion, Sala-zar,— a poor gentleman, humbled by fate, yetrich in the qualities of sentiment which makegood men and good friends. His arms were crossed on his breast, afterthe manner of those pious personages who liein their long bronze and marble slumber inchurch and chapel. His delicate constitution,. 156 THE HELMET OE MAMBRINO. yielding at last to the wear of time, and nowplainly declining, had decreed for him only anarrow margin of life. In a little while, in a fewshort years, he will lie as he lay that morning inLa Mancha, and his countenance will wear thesame expression of mingled pain and peace. I had chosen him as companion for thisepisode of travel because of his fine, appre-ciative knowledge of Cervantes, and from hispersonal resemblance to the type of Don Quix-ote. He had listened affectionately to my talkof the Bachelor of San Francisco, and joinedwith zest in my search for a Helmet of Mam-brino, which I hoped to send as a gift to thegentleman by the western sea. I scanned his sleeping features long andthought him a perfect Spanish picture. Howsternly simple the accessories ! Only a wall oftime-mellowed brick, barred by lines of yellowmortar, and patched by a few hand-breadthsof whitened plaster! Only a solid, antiquebench of o
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectamerica, bookyear1882
