Read Patrañas; or, Spanish Stories, Legendary and Traditional Page 18

  TOO CLEVER BY HALF.

  A blind beggar, who, like all other blind beggars, was led by alazarillo [52], was once going his rounds, and directed his guide totake him past a house where he was in the habit of receiving help.

  The good wife of the house gave him a fried sprat [53]. The lazarillowas a mischievous urchin, and on this occasion very hungry, so heate the sprat himself, and told the blind man they had given himnothing. The blind beggar, however, who knew the smell of fried fishwell enough, charged him with the theft, and gave him a good drubbingin punishment.

  Presently, as they went along, the mischievous lazarillo led himthrough a troop of children, running about at their play: one of them,darting between the legs of the blind man, tripped him up. "You youngrascal!" exclaimed the provoked beggar; "why didn't you take bettercare where you led me?"

  "If you were so clever at smelling the sprat, How came it you couldn't, too, smell out the brat?"

  cried the lazarillo, running off to escape a second drubbing.