Things Spanish.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 75, 21 December 1907, Page 21

Things Spanish.

LIICE IN THE LAND OF IXCONSE- . QUENCH. It is unwise to outer Spain with any preconceived convictions or plans. The opinions of t-lio most. determined Suffragette would die of inanition, owing to tho fact that in Spain a lady must never he contradicted by a ■ man whatever theory sho may advance; "You are quite right; 1 entirely agree'with you,'' says -tilt! .polite Spaniard with .his lips, whilo inwardly lie remains for ever of the.same.opinion still. Whilo as to plans— they arb mere,works of supererogatjqri, their feasibility depending upon tho liovor-to-be-comproiiended workings of thoso over-gods known among men as railway authorities. Onco haying discovered that tho timo-table is full of meanings hidden from the vulgar eye, you wisely troublo no more about" ways and- Means, but resign yoursolf to a. picnic series of happenings that will land you.(aCr cidents apart) somewhero and sometime. ; First in tho order of events comes, justly, chaos: ' A terfm of mules, straining and belibedccked; '-thwacking, vociferating drivers, yelling encouragements from throats 'that split' tiio-a'ir 'in; their unnecessary ■ endeavours to assist;, a clattering, stamping; pelting over tho' stdnes: and you are "shot out "at the 'station, under tile impression;: that .all this' Overwhelming hurry must .havo its special-import. "Not a bit'of it.. . That is its .threorquartors of an hour you will now proceed:,.to cool your he'ols ' in'" the Jine before ilio. solitary tickcfcoffice;." while a clerk, with a. soul above his. business, 1 leisuroly proceeds to write out tickets of evor-varying destinations; and to olip them- out with a pair of scissors. Incidentally, ho. converses on matters;of private import with a loquacious friend: inside tho. office; -But: there 'is .no hurry ; >this is tho;pei:iod of geological settling down, when rocks rare : made. -.. .- • DISTiICST .OF LUGGAGE-VANS. ' ' : - By -tho byj' tho single lino of this waysidinst of "waysido stations', (albeit it serves a city great with hoary antiquity)'yields to vib'w iv train; and 'we revert to .tmr'. first method, ;and, board' it in a scrambling, mass, a prey to tbo' sudden delusion that ithero is riot a moment to 'be'lost. Newspaper- parcels, precariously bound up with string, bags, portmanteaux of every known ami unknown variety since, travelling first camo to' bo,