The Argosy — page 66: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Letters from Majorca. 51 now a fertile territory, bringing forth the fruits of the earth and crops innumerable: sometimes three crops in the year. A thorough system of irrigation has been organised; excellent roads have been made ; canals run through the property ; immense engines are ever at their work. And allthishas been done by the skill, judgment and energy of Mr. La Trobe Bateman, the father of Mr. Lee Bateman, with whom I was now making the acquaintance of the Albufera. One of our first visits was to a long, low, rambling house upon the estate: a house in itself picturesque and interesting, that once existed for very different purposes from those of to-day. Its large garden, splendidly cultivated, full of fruit and vegetables, supplies Mr. Bateman’s table at Il Tereno. In front of the house was a mulberry tree, loaded with fruit, alas, not yet ripe. Many thousands of mul- berry trees grow within a short distance of the house, and the fruit sent into Palma market is much appreciated by the inhabitants. One day, Mr. Bateman, in going over the estate, caught sight of a juvenile thief. A young girl had climbed into one of these trees for the purpose of enjoying a delicious and uninterrupted feast. Stolen pleasures are sweet—how much more stolen mulberries. Mr. Bateman caught sight of the young lady. He was surprised, but not terrified. ‘That was only his side of the picture. On the other side the damsel caught sight of him, and she was surprised and very terrified. She knew she was stealing ; she knew the punish- ment was severe ; and what was to be done P She tried to hide behind a branch, but she was larger than the branch. Inher agony (the agony of fear, not of remorse : how often is it not so with ourselves?) she slipped, and, like Bailie Nicol Jarvie (I can never tire of quoting him, any more than I am weary of my twentieth reading of ‘“‘Rob Roy”), she remained suspended in mid-air by her dress. Legs and arms were drooping, just as you may have seen a sheep suspended as a sign over a shop doorway. ‘The sign, I suppose, represents the Golden Fleece, though I have never seen any Jason in search of it; but there was nothing golden about the present suspension: except the lesson it must have brought home to the delinquent. Presently her gown, being of less stable material than the Bailie’s plaid, did what we all of us sometimes do under a great strain : it gave way. She fell to the soft earth with a dilapidated garment, but with a body physically uninjured. Morally, let us hope that she was improved. Nevertheless, Mr. Bateman thought it well to impress upon his guards the necessity of greater activity and vigilance in their work. To-day we entered the house and went upstairs. A strange sight met us: strange to myself, who, in my occasional visits to the South of France, where the creatures abound, have never chanced to come across them. The floors were covered with beds of large, fat, white silkworms, COMICHOOKS.Cc©