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SAN ANTONIO 221
dispose of the matter quickly. San José (Joseph, hus-
band of Mary) has nothing to do with cures; but he
can drive out bad tenants, tenants who do not pay their
rent or have too many children. The police will do the
same job for you, but their charge is twenty-five francs.
San José will do it for a wax candle. San Medardus
will ward off drought and Santa Barbara, the beautiful
virgin of Nicomedia, will turn aside the lightnings and
soften the roll of thunder. She is the patron saint of
the artillery, and her day is celebrated with fireworks.
But these are mere details; the whole year in Anda-
lusia is one great All Saints’ Day.
San Antonio plays a rather droll part. He is the
special property of Granada and is a mixture of do-
mestic god and jumping-jack. Every home has its
Antonio of baked clay, holding a child in his arms. He
is the object of a peculiar dual treatment. At times he
is regarded with great respect, at other times he is
made the butt of scorn and ridicule. All unpleasant
domestic incidents are attributed to him. He must
keep away rats and mice, ward off thieves, take care
that his worshipers do not forget to lock their doors
when they go out. If anything has gone wrong, he is
promised a few cents’ worth of oil for his lamp—+tres
cuartos—if he will afford a remedy. If he fails, he is
punished. Easy-going people content themselves with
setting him under the bed or in some dark corner, and
I have often seen my friend La Concha’s saint sitting
in the dunce’s corner behind the dark portal, when her
kitchen supplies were furnished in too meager a meas-
ure. More determined persons go about the thing
more viciously. They will tie a cord about his neck
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