Faquita: The Maid Of The Inn

A Few years ago, my chutn - Jamos IVowley - and myself, were making a ;our of Spain and Portugal. Kvery)ody has a hobby, varying however with the idiosyncrasy of the individual. - Jrowley's hobby was hotanizing; bis )redilection for this was remarkable - a itrange flower or plant seerned to afford litn as mueh pleasure to analyse and ress as a good subject for dissection affoids an anatomist As for myself, I had no decidid taste 'or anythiug. but managed to enjoy myself for a season sketching picturesque )ridgL3 jd landscapes, dilapirlated Moorish castles, and flirting with Castilan señoritas. We wers stopping at a little bamlet )etween Tarragona and Barcelona, when the events we are aboat to relate occurred. One fiue morning wo staited fully equipped ior pketching and botanicing I bad frequently hcard of a triuinphau' arch a few miles froin us, built when the Romans were masturs of Spain, and sioce it had suceessfully withstood the vandalism of the Moors as well as that of the modern hidalgos, and was gr ï 11 in a tolerable state of preservaron, I had resolved that a drawing of it would enrich tny sketch book. it was aftcrnoon when we arrived at the arch having made everal sketches on the way Crowlcy had beeu in ecstasy all the mom mg, hayjng secured several beautiful botanieal speuiuiens He had fuund a new species of actea xa,cemam% also several specimens of the panax quinquefolio,. While Crovvlev was busy aiialyzing poraegaugte md airijQnd tree blossom, I was busy with niy peticil, sketching tbe triumphal anh, wliicïi , for aufiht I knew, might have been i ted by the Scipios. The almoud tree of ppain greatly resembles oür peach tree. The blossouis are pentalous, or tive leaved, and they are arranjred similar to a rose. The pisíij of the flower beconies a bulbous fruit, and coniains the sed or keruel, encasad in almoud ; this drops out wben it has full} arrived at maturi i ty. Crowley had wandered after more specimens when my sketch was finished. i bo I eauutered aloug slow ]y, n search of hira, enjoying the redolent iirotna of orange blossorus, and satisfying my i petite witb the many kinds of luscioos i fruit growiog bo temptiogly aromad me. ííoura passed od, and I bad wandered fyr fr9EJ ibe srofc, etiU-! b&i b foond my companiou. I had been so absorbed in contemplatingthesurroundipgscenery, that I was lost f I could neither find the arch, the road, nor my frieud. I had shouted lustily, but gained no aDswer. - Jfinally, when. the sun was rapidly siuking ín thé west, % descried a buildiug at some ditance from me ; I hastened towards Lt, and as I drew near, perceived it was h casa de posada - or public tavern. Tlie old rusty and weather-beaten sign, bearing the nsoription Tres Lubos, seemed to kon me to approach, as it lazily swuug in the sultry breeze. The landlord of the inn came out to welcome me as Í approached, while the group of servants muieteers, and contrabandista lounging about the premises, stared at ma from under the bioad brims of their somheros, as ïf I had been a rare zoological specimen, receutly imported. I followed mine host into the house, and made knowo my wants to him, whieh amounted to Ii t tic more tlian a supper and bed for the night; these the fellow told me he could aceommodatn me witli. While my supper was being prepared, I had a good opporluni'y to observe the place into 'vhich l h;id watulered, and to teil the ÍFSth I was by no meatis pleaed with the iuti or its hqbitues. The supper not coming, I told (he landlord, I would hke 10 be sliown into the room I w;is to occvipy i í(í'8 '" ponformity with my request, he led me up a pair of ïiükety stairs, into a large chamber, Containing beside tht bed, a couple of cliuirs and a table; this room was ihe priva e parlor of the Jres Lobos. He lefl me at the door, u-suring e thaí hp ijou! j sgnd u] refreshinents itumed i:i tely. The si.n had now disappeared, and the dark, d'jsky sh;idowsnf approaehing irght parunüy. p.kücured. tl;e room to which I had been agsigned, Ere Ipng one tapped gently at the d.oor of inv chaiiib.er- -"Qmííjí en - who is it ? " I 'answered; uo reply was given me, but the door was softly opeued, and anfl o.t the most beautifi;! vïoaieu I had neen lu Sjiaiii, etitered the room, bringii.g me u light and soine viands on a tray She was about tv?enty years of age, tall and graceful in ögure, having that roundness of contour aud fuliness of developnifiit, peculiar to her countiywomeo. Her face was strangeiy heautiful - it only needed au intellectual and fem-. inine exprefbion to ronder it angelic - Her dark, mnurnful, Moorish eyes seemed fairly uielting iu their liquid depths; yet as I looked into thetn aa she entered, I shuddered involuntarily - my soul recoiled froai her 88 from a beautiful serpent. " I have brought your supper, senor," said she, íd a voice melodious as the warble of a sotiï-bird, as ehe sat the tray upon the tabTe t' (Jracias señorita - thank you," I replied. '" Can I do anj'tbing more for you, senor ? " ahe inquired, leauing over the table coquetüshly. " No," I answered, "you have brought all that J sh,ajl requirg." " Would you no't iike sorao jerez, senor ? " " I do nat drink sherry." " Un botella de vino tiitqf} (red wine.) " No, no," 1 answered her. " Perhaps you would prefer un vaso de aguadienlcf' (a glass of brandy.) ' No, I want uothing else, you have brought me all I require." " But." she persisted, " would jou not Jike a cigarro to sinoke before retiring; no better ones can be found in Spain, than are sold at the Tres Lobos.'1 " I don't smoke," I answertsd rather petulantly, hoping to get rid cf her. - ötill she did pot Jeave me, but remained putting th( single vacant chair into several vacant places before it suited her - eoverlly gazing at me ihp while with her beautiful, but snake like eyes I did not attempt to draw her into conyersatiou, I do not know why - surely I never was so indifferent to the charras of a pretty woman before. After a while she left me, tripping from the room like a fairy, aud the next moment her voiee came floating into my chaiuber, bearing tha burelen of refrain - "Ves al salir de ia Aurora Cuanta avecilla canto ? Pues mira, ingrata y hermosa, Mas veces te quiero yo." I ate tho omelet and drank a portion of the chocolate Faquita had brought me, ind f'eeling, very tired I tlircw myself upon the bed, without undressing huwever, to rest ind medítate As I lay wondering what had bccome of Crowley, and rapidly sinking into slumber, asliglit noise caused me lo open my eyea - jny fiopr wa3 slowly turiiing on i(s hinges, and iu another instant the radiaut face of Faquita, surrounded by a cluud of' dark gufsaiuer curls, poered cautiously into the room. As I lay pelfcctly quist, she imaginud I was us!ci-p( and entered the apartment wit!) a gtep as noisulcss as the ffund oí a spider. She advanced close to my bedside, and dtooa regarding me iniently for several moméiits, but as her back was towards the light, I eould not ?ee the pjpression of lier counteiiaiice. I was aboi+t io spe&k t) her, aud let lier kuow tliat I was ftwake, whci shc bent dowu and drew soiuething i'rom ben ath her gurter - the next, moment it fitslied in the rays of the lamp - t was a poniard ! Before I had tiine to fully realize her intentious, she aiuied a blow t raé. doubtless uiteuded to stab me to the heart. The blow uever reached me, for I seized her arm ss t despepdeiJ. - Tuis movement of miue, so unexpeoted that it disepiiiiited her for a moment, lor she dropped the poniard and started back several paces. I sprang from the bed to take the weapon sho had dropped. but she leaped upou me like a tigress, and if I had beeu astooisbed at her beauty, I was still more at her strength. Her delicate fingers clutcbed me like a vice. I was jfaxma acd stjong, and aooastoicdd io all cianDer of tttktio ez&rSÍ98, fot iiS{( böiQtiia] :8vU WSg Ü9 strongest of the two, lor she threw me upon the floor as if I had been a child, and I doubt iiot ahe would havestrangled roe, had I not seized the poniard as I feil. She took ho!d of the blade to wrest it from me, and by this nieans all the fingers of her right hand were nearly severed. Sho sprung to the door shouting: " What ho I Beppo ! Juan ! presto! corrombu ! diavolo 1 damnación I the traveler will escape 1 quiek ! hurry!" and then she acreiimed out a numbcr of expletiveH, which none but a Spaniard could prououuce or translate. I sprang past her, pulling a revolver from my pocket; as I did so, the viilainous landlord wa3 already half way up the stairs. He sprang at me brandslang a huge bludgcoc, but a bullet from my revolver sent hint rolling to the bottoni of the stairs. Several of the swarthy ruffians were in the hall below, to prevent my egrese. I fired into the raidst of them, md a shriek told rae the result of the shot. Another shot des perately wounded another of the assassin, and the rcmainder rushed from the hall. The w:iy now being elear, I bounded down the staira and out into the court yard, dashing through a group of the viliaius, who were too much surprisúd by the íuddeHnes.3 of uiy sorüe ta offer any opposition. I rushed away as fast as my legs could carry me, and the night beiiig very dark, my course defied pursuit. I wandered about till morning, Rud then was fortu nato enough to find 'he road, and shortly atter 1 met (Jrowley and a number ot uc qnuintances, who liad come out in search of me. A few daysafterwards, T laidhe matter before the Alcalde of Barcelonn, who aided by the pólice, succeeded in cipturiug wliat proved to bs an extensivo gang of robbers. Large quantitie of rich goods, plute and jewels, were found in a v:ult Ulider the house, as well as the bouea of ma.ny of their victims. Tliey were all excoutöd by ilie autliorities, with the exceptioii of Paquita - she dicd in pi'ison of the lock jaw, having thken oold in her V70uudsd hand.