The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-09-30
DEMONlAC DANCE.
An Italian Woman writhIng Under the Sting
of the Tarantuia.
From the Baltimore Sunday Mercury.

From the Baltimore Sunday Mercury.
In the top story of rambling tenement
house, at the end of dark alleway in Crosby
street. there lives a family OF four Italians, a
man, his wife and two puny boys, who, before
the padrone excitement, played harp and
violin Tor a living, and received kicks and
cuffs for payment but who may now be found
In the neighbcrhood of Dey street, which they
have made a sort OF stamping ground for the
enlightenment OF human understanding by
means of backing brush The father is u
big, stalwart fellow, with great crop OF
shaggy black hair, wild, restless brown eyes,
surmOunted by heavy black eyebrows, and a
rude, unkempt beard. His clothes are of
dingy brown velvetcen, and he wears cruel
looking boots with heavy soles that are solled
and grimy with the mud of the streets. The
wife is more comely to look upon. Her hair,
too, IS black, but 1t is cooled up in neat
braid al the back OF her head, and is held in
place by q cheap but snowy comb. Her face
is oil the deep olive OF her native cline, with
q weli.formed and expressive mouth. Her
dress consists of skirt of some coarse mate
rial, black velvet bodice and linen sleeves
OF somewhat questionable whltcness, while
her feet are encased in new and well'itting
shoes Tho most striking features In her
face are
HER Eye
To look at these is to read sad story. They
have q wild, sad expression, a far'away look,
such as Charles Reade describes in Kate Pey-
ton in Griffith Gaunt," and she seems 10
watch every movement of her surly lord in a
turliye way that shows she fears yet does not
show her fear The room Is not savory. On
a little stove in the corner an indigestible
and unpala,ablt looking mess Is frying In
pan, and from II there arises II stencil of
frying onions. The furniture is of the most
mesger description. worn, battered and dingy,
and 1t can soon be seen the lady of the house,
however particular she may be with her own
personal appearance, is not so mindful of
that of her household. Suspended against a
wall is a rude shelf, and scattered around are
marvellous looking religious pictures, and a
portrait of Garabaldi, cut from some illustra.
ted newspaper, IS pasted against the smoky
plaster. On this shelf is large glass bottle,
and within il crawl and fight about dozen
USCASSY AND vICIoUsLooKING SPIDERS
They measure anywhere from an inch to
two inches ia length. Their color is an ashy
brown above, marked with gray on the thor
AK, and with triangular spots and curved
streaks of jet black bordered with white on
the abdomen. Below they are saffron colored,
-
vain attempts TO escape from the bottle
through the perforated covering at the top
but drop back, impatient with ballled rage,
and dart from side to side as II In seach for
some victim upon whom TO vent their spite
They are specimens of the taran,ula or wolf
spider, and this dingy abode is the home OF
THE TABAYTEILASs.
This IS not the only family of the kind in
f.. bs,r ftar Lon 81,
many OF them among the different Italian
colonies, but their existence is known to com
paratively few, and The i'll favored man look.
cd with 40 ominous scowl upon his visitor:
when he discovered that they were not of his
own class. The exhibition OF some silver
quarters seemed TO quiet his ill-will, however
and the interpreter OF the party explained ou
desire 10 witness one OF the exhibitions fruu
which be and bis wife had become so famous
A greedy look came into his eyes nj tn
sight Of the money, and he gave a quici
glance at the bottle on the shelf to see tia
his treasures were all right aud viciou
enough for the work before them.
The man whispered to the woman, VII
had been in,entiy watching the visitors dui
ing the conversation, aud the effect of hi
Communication produced an instantaneou
change In her manner. She seemed to expos
tulate, but he was obdurate. Then an e,
preston of AFFECT terror came into her fac,
she shook like an aspen leaf, and cast fearfu
looks at the hideous vermin in the bottle. Sh
seemed 10 be paralyzed with the abjectnes
Of terror, but growl from the husband seen
Cd TO Arouse her and she tremblingly bare
her thin arms TO the shoulder. They wei
asorry sight, covered with rcd blotches wher
.re
ronexous sfSpErs HAD BfTrKs HEE-
Ii thu xzes rxiu,s He Ma had been maxim