Litchfield enquirer., 1854-08-03
A GREEK GIRL.

But she is dressed to day /; it is Saint Somebody's feast, ,and every body is riding away their time in consequence. It was Saint Whsts-bis-nanle's day the day be> fore yesterday and it will be Saint Wbo's it's day the day after tomorrow. Though our balloon clad young acquaintance is idling, it is with busy id ness; for she has been occupied ever since eight clock this morning in carrying about fruit, jel> lies and sweetmeats, with strong raw spirits in gilded glasses, and little cups of unstrained coffee. A very singular and amusing picture she makes, as she stands bolt upright, tray in hand, before her fathers guests. She is pretty-yes, there is no doubt of that; but she has done almost every thing possible to dis
 figure herself. Though certainly no, seventeen. with the rich clear complex> ion of the Greeks, she is rouged up to the very eyes. Where she is not rouged she is whitened. Her eye brows are painted and she has even found means to in.ro> duce some black abomina,on under her eyelids, to make the eyes look larger.- Her hair would be almost marvel if left 10 itself; but sbe has twisted it, and plaited it. woven gold coins into it, and tied it up with dirty handkerchiefs, and gummed and honied it. till every tress has grown distorted and angry. Her ears are in themselves as sly and coquet> tish pair of ears as need be and they peep out beneath her tortured locks as il they would rather like to have game at bo-peep than otherwise; but they are literally torn half an inch longer than they should be by an enormous pair of Mosaic ear rings bought of pedlar.-- Her hands might have been nice once
 for they are still small, but they are as tough as horn and as red as chaps can make them, with sheer hard work ,scrub- ping and washing about the house. All Greek women, think, have been mere house wives. since the time of Andro> mache. Her figure is, if possible, more generally baggy than her ,rouBers.-- It buIges out in the most extraordinary bumps and fullness. A short jacket as much too small for her as the brigand attire of Mr. Keely of the Theatre Royal Adelphi-does not make this general plumpness less remarkable and she has superAuity of clothes which reminds one of the late King Christophe's idea Of full dress. Numerous, however, as are the articles of wearing apparel she has put on. they all terminate with the trou. sers. which are looped up just below the knee. The rest of the legs and feet are bare and hard. and plump. and achapped almost beyond belief. even in the fine, piercing cold of a Greek February.
 Her mind is mere blank. Her idea of life is love making, cleaning the house. serving the coffee, and rouging herself on festival days. She cannot read or write, or play on the piano; but she can sing and dance. She can talk too, though never before company. No diplomalist can touch her in intrigue or invention. Not even Captain Absou'e's groom could tell falsehood with more composure- She does not know what it is to speak the trutE 1; and, to use Greek saying, she is literally kneaded up with trlcks. Tie Greek girl has no heart, no affrc. tions. She is mere lump of flesh and calculation. Her marriage is qnite an affair of buying and selling. It is arrang- ed by her friends. They offer to give house Chat is indispensable and so much to whoever will take her off their hands. By and by, somebody comes to do so the priests are called there is quaint. strange ceremony. and he is bound, by fine, to perform his promise. This fine is usually ten per cent. on the fortune which was offered him with the lady.
 I have said she can talk. but she can only talk of and to her neighbors; and she spends her evenings chiefly in sitting in the doorway and wal ching them. This she does herself: but she has little ally
 ia chit of girl about seven years old, and looking forty, that you meet in the houses of all the islanders,) who is on the look out all day. No one ever enters Greek house but the neighborhood knows it. All down the street, and in the next, and everywhere. tLose little girls are watching and fitting about on cunning errands as stealthily and as swift as cats.
 Her father and mother will tell you that her own cousins never saw her alone or spoke dozen consecutive words to her; but 1 rather fancy she has some acquain, tance of her own ; and she is generally on terms of rather startling friendship with the young man servant, who forms almost part of the family in all Greek houses. On summer nights too, when good people should be asleep, you will see closely hooded figures flitling about noiselessly. like black ghosts. They are Greek girls. What they are about no. body knows. Perhaps. looking for the moon. which will not rise for some hours
 At every dark corner of a wall, also. you
 will see young gentlemen sitting in the deep shadow with wonderful persever. '