Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-16
GYPSY LIFE.

1 ~S>~~ 6~tSJ AAAS' - - 49, s~~~~
of rambling in Wales with two friends,
professors at one of the great universities.
when he met with little adventure. We
copy the narrative almost at full length.
The three gentlemen were resting by the
wayside, when an old woman came walk.
ing by.
i She vas the ideal of decent and extreme
! poverty. l never saw anybody who was
at once so poor and go clean. In her face
and In her thin garments was marked the
mute, resolute struggle between need and
self respect, which, to him who under.
stands it, is as brave as any battle between
life and death. She walked on as if she
would have gone past without word, but
when we greeted her she paused, and
spoke respectfully. Without forwardness
| she told her sad and simple story how
she belonged to the Wesleyan confession,
how her daughter was dying in the hospi.
tai at Caernarvon how she had walked
sixty miles to see her, and hoped to get
there in time to close her eyes. In reply
i to question as to her means, she ad.
mitted that they were exhausted, but that
she could get through without money she
!. did not beg And then came naturally
enough the rest of the little artless narra-
| tive, as it generally happens among the
simple annals OF the poor how she had
been for forty years a washerwoman, and
had letter from her clergyman.
There was tear in the eye of the elder
professor, and his hand was in his pocket.
The younger smoked in silence. I was
| greatly moved myself-perhaps bewildered
would be the better word-when, all ct
once, as the old woman turned in the sun
light, caught the expression of the corner
of an eye
My friend Salaman, who boasts that he
| is the last of the Sadducees-that strange,
ancient and secret sect. who disguise them
selves as the Men Observation-Disclosures
that the Sephardim may be distinguished
from the Ashkenazim as readily as from
the confounded Goyim. by the corners of
their eyes, This he illustrated by pointing
out to me, as they walked by in the cool
of the evening, the difference between the
eyes of Fraulein E.eonora Kohn and Senor-
1 ita Linda Abarbanel and divers and sundry
other young ladies-the result being that
received in return thirty.six distinct
aillades, several of which expressed indig-
nation, and in all of which there was evi.
IDENTIFY an entire misconception Of my oh.
ject in looking at them. Now tine eyes Of
the Shepardesses are unquestionably fasci.
mating and here it may be recalled that,
in the Middle Ages, witches were also
recognized by having exactly the same
corners, or peaks, to the eye. This is an
ancient mystery of darksome lore, that the
enchantress always has the bird-peaked
eye, which betokens danger TO somebody,
be she of the Sephardim, or an ordinary
witch or enchantress, or gypsy.
Now, as the old Wesleyan washerwoman
turned around in the sunshine, saw the
witch.pointed eye and the CLINT of the Ro.
many. And then l glanced at her hands,
and saw that they had not been long
familiar with wash. tubs for, though clean,
they were brown. and had never been
blanched with an age of soap.suds. And /
spoke suddenly, and said:
Scan tute rakker Romanes, nii7i dye :"
(Can you speak Romany, my mother y And
she answered, as if bewiidered:
1.-THE Lord forbid, sir, that l should
talk any of them wicked languages"
The younger professors eyes expressed
dawning delight. / followed my shot
with
"Tme needn't be attrash to rakker.
Mandys been apre Hedrom mi-kokero."
You needn't be afraid to speak. have
been upon the road myself.)
And, still more confused, she answered
in English:
Why, sir, you be upon the road now."
"It seems to me, old lady," remarked
the younger professor, "that you under.
stand Romany very well for one who has
been for forty years in Che Methodist conf
munion."
1t may be observed the he here con-
founded washing with worshipping.
The face of the true believer was at this
point fine study. Ali her confidence had
deserted her. Whether she thought we
were of her kind in disguise, or that. in
the unknown higher world Of respectable
ity, there might be gypsies Of correspond.
ing rank, even as there might be gypsy
angels among the celestial hierarohies,
cannot with confidence assert. About o
week ago phlologist and purist told me
that there is no exact synonym in English
for the word ttabbergosted, as it expresses
a peculiar state of bewilderment as yet
unnamed by scholars, and it exactly sets
forth the condition in which our virtuous
poverty appeared. She was, indeed. fab
bergasted. Co1nir scorpum rapuit-the
owl had come down ON the rabbits, and loi
they had fangs. resumed :
Now, old lady, here is penny. You
are very poor person, and pity you SO
much that give you this penny for your
poverty. But there is pocketful where
this came from, and you shall have the lot
if you'll rakker that is, talk gypsy.
And at that touch Of the Ithuriel spear
the old toad flashed up into the Romany
devil, as with cleaning eyes and witch
like grin she cried in mixture Of gypsy
and tinker languages
"Gents, III have tute jim when you
tharis mandy you rakker reglar fly old
bewer." Which means, "Gentlemen, I'll
have you know, when you talk to me, you
talk to reg'lar shrewd old female thief.
| The face Of the elder professor was .
study of astonishmeDt for Lavater. His
| fingers relaxed their grasp of the shillinge
his hand was drawn from his pocket. and
his glance, like Bill Nye's, remarked !:
s'Can this be." BE tells the story to this
| day, and always adds, 81 never was 30
astonished in my life. !" But the venerable
washerwoman was also changed, and the
mask once thrown aside. she became 40
festive as witch on the Brocken. Truly,
| it is q great comfort to cease playing
part, particularly pious one, and be at
home and at ease among your like and
| better still If they be swells. This was
the delight OF Anderson's ugly duck when
it got among the swans, and, blest sen
sation, felt genteel." And to show her
gratitude, the sorceress, who really seemed
to have grown several shades darker, in.
sisted on telling our fortunes. / think it
was to give vent to her feelings in defiance
of the law that she did this |; certain it
] was that just then, rnder the circum.
1 stances, it was the only way available in
which the law could Re broken. And ss
it was, indeed, by heath and hill that the
priestess of the hidden spell bade the
Palmer from over the sea hold out his
palm. And she began in the usual sing.
song tone, mocking the style OF gypsy
fortune-tellers, and satirizing herself. And
thus she spoke:
You're born under lucky star, my
good gentleman, and you're married man;
but there is black-eyed young lady that's
in love with you.
"Oh, mother of all the thieves p cried,
"youvs put the dukkerin on the wrong
| man. I'm the one that the dark girls 20
after"
"Yes. my good gentleman. She's in
| love with you both"
And now tell my fortune p / ex.
claimed, and with grim expressions, cast
! ing up my palm, said
Pen mengy If nlandyH be bachGde
pndet for caorin gry, or aasherdo for
merina gav.mush." (Tell me il am to be
transported for stealing horse, or hung
for killing policeman"
The old woman's face changed. Yoa'l
never need to steal horse. The man that