Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 August 1884 — A BLUE-BLOODED BOOTBLACK. [ARTICLE]

A BLUE-BLOODED BOOTBLACK.

Strange and Romantic Adventures of tbo Young Duke of Almayagnil. A slim, light-Jiaired man, with deepset, blue eyes, regular features and a short mustache turned up at the corners of his mouth, poured out a string of mixed Spanish and Italian oaths as he stood at Ninth and Walnut streets, Philadelphia. He is the bootblack who recently decorated that corner with a red plush chair on a brass nail-studded throne. ' / ; A reporter asked what the trouble was.

“Dees nickel, eet hava ze plug,” the light-haired man replied, as he gazed mournfully after the retreating figure of a ward politician. The reporter climbed into the arm-chair. “How came you here ?” “Ah, Senor, ze storee of my travel he woulda filla ze book. I first saw ze light where ze olda Moresco Town of Algesiras looka over ze blue water of Gibraltal’s Strait toward ze white sunwashed walls of Ceuta.” “You express yourself with considerable fluency.” .. “I ada firsta-class educazione, and a ees a romanza connected wizaze istorie of-mya life.” ........ “So there is in that of a good many foreigners who drift over here. I know an organ grinder who—" “Oh! Senor, spara me,” said the Andalusian, “I am buta ze waif, but I am. not what I s—” “None o’ that. No Lady of Lyons’ business here.” “I ’ava ze strange istorie. Es I ’ada my right I would ava ze corona of Duca di Almayaguil ina ze corner of my pocket’and. Av de mi Alhama,” and he buried his face in his hands. “Even the organ-grinder didn’t go as far as that,” sad the quarter-column Macaulay, sharply.

“Buta it is ze trut’. Ze Rossis of Algesiras are cousins of ze Medina Celt;” and he drew from his bosom a locket with a coat-of-arms surmounted by a ducal coronet and the motto: “Semper Lustro.” While the reporter examined the relic Rossi remarked: “Weatha too dampa, no taka shina right. But my istorie. Il Conde Enrico Rossi, of Alguazar, married in 1794 ze daughter of a simple toreador. A poor girl—-se-cret—a matrimonio segreto—and a son you understan?” - - “Go on.” “You betta. Ze old Castle proverbo say, ‘Ze soonest pelican hca geta ze oystare.’ Zay leta no grassa grow on zare feet.” —— • _—~;7 “Was the secret of your birth known at Algebiras ?” “Oh, yes—leetle street® boys calla em little Duke—trowa ze mud. After mozrire die her brozaire, a priest, bringa eem up. Want a me to be a priest like eem; go to serainario; no go; don’t like eem run away to sea—l 2 years old. Since zen, travel all ze time. Zis (tapping his breast where the locket was hidden) is all zat ze last of the Rossis—-Dukes of Almayaguil -- ’as to show of ze lost treasures of ’is ’ouse.” “Duke—Where have you traveled?” “Oh! (describing an immense circle with his bauds), everyvere —Sea of Mediterraneo—Sea of Adriatico—of Marmora—ze Black Sea. I have stood in ze shadow of St. Sophia at Constantinopoli and listen to ze roar of ze Russian guns in ze Balkans. ’Ave touched Cleopatra’s Needle—an’ stick my 'and in Jacob’s well at Smyrna. I saw gondola pas balcony where Desdemona listen to Otelle’s narrations, an’ av watched eruption of Vesuvio across ze Bav of Napoli—ze ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum an’ dropa ze tear on Byron’s grave at Missolonghi.” “When did you came to this country?” “Game to Canada firsta, Sight® ze mountain of Greenlan’ pass tru’ Behrin’ Strait, tru’ iceberg an’ icefiel’ an’ into Gulf of San Lorenzo. Stop at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Islan’, Picton, ’Alifax, San Juan, New Bruns’ an’ Quebec, where fell ze noble Montgom’.” “Did your grace see much of Canada?” “I should smila; Monte Reale, ze Rapid of Lachine, Ottowa, Toronto, Niagara Fall, where ze great Blondin walka ze rope; Lake Zamplain, One Zouzan He, dowii ’Udson to New York, City of Mity Doll; to Filadelfia, where zey ’ave brozerly love and ze bes’ beer and bootblack in ze world; zen to Wash, wiz its imposing Capitol and Pres-’dent Arthur.” “With its Capitol and imposing President Arthur?” —-“Senor, I nevare saya so. From Nova Yorck across ze Gulfa, Streanrto ze core! islands, ze Bermud, and back . toEnglan’; tru’ze Strait of Gibraltar an’ ze Mediterraneo, zen tru’ ze Canal of Suez to ze Red Sea, where I see if Monte Sinai, famous for Moses and bees parables.” “Aren’t you getting your Bible statistics a little mixed?!!—— “No! no! no! too fly; I pass tru’ Strait of Malacca into Indian Ocean and call at Singapore, ze great Indian City of Bombay, ze Celestial Hong Kong, where ze Chinese ladies are so polity to sober foreigner. Ze Fillipine ; lie, where you get a real Manila smoke. Zen across the Pacific Osh’ to Australia, ze wonder of ze wide, wide wort’, ze lan’ of gulden visions, ze lan’ of cornbeef an’ col’ mutton. Ze freest lan’ in ze worl’ for if you ’ave no boots you can go jus’ as bar efoot ns youa please." “Yon are wasting your time here,” said the reporter. The Duke smiled modestly, as with a magnificent wake of his sombrero he transferred a coin to his pocket. “Not wasta altogezaire,” he replied. “Make good zing sometime out of Dudas over zere,” (with a significant jerk of his thumb over his right shoulder). “Adios, Caballero. Call gain.