Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-11-15
Country Life in Greece,

a drive OF an hour and half brought
US to Vertonda, the little village where
TOR the first time we were to see the real
country life. It's name is Turkish, and is
,hat of flower which grows abundantly
in that vicinity. We turned off the main
road into lane through the fields then
waving with wheat and hurley ripe for
he harvest, This farm was bought sixty
years ago by tho father of the present
| owner from pacha for diamond hilted
sword worth five thousand drachmas, or
| ,bout one thousand dollars. 1t is now
estimated at about forty times that value
1t is very extensive, and, besides the grain
fields. has vineyards and valuable chro.
MUM mines. The village is smpll-a
| group of ten or twelve houses clustered
| about the whtewashed church. Behind
this on higher grounds stands the house
anu garden ol the proprietor, nestled At
the foot OF an abrupt and wooded cliff.
| Away in the distance the snow cqpped
ne. Ks of Dclphis, the highest mountain OF
~" ~, looms up to q height of over five
| thousand feet. Its base is half DAYS
journey from Vertonda on horseback, and
sc hoped at first t. make the ascent; but
hearing on all sides he difficulties 10 be
| encountered, we did not attempt it. One
! the few people who had climbed it,
| oWcver, was Queen Amelia, who was an
'aunied explorer of all parts of her
| ruglom.
Ihr house of Mr.. X. is n low cottage
'0vering much ground and built around Il
| courtyard, which we entered through a
nigh, strong gateway. The gate and the
ron barricldos at the windows gave :ae a
Zee ing of trepilation; but my friends
| laughed at my fears, and the attractive
and cheerful aspect of the establishment
relssured me. Flowers were growing
everywhere, pigeons were coong from
their cotes in u little tower, and several
| smiling servants were awaiting our az
rival. The inside of the house was most
comfortable and the view from the front
windows was superb, overlooking the
garden and village to the sea half a mile
away beyond this lay the Boz )tian noun
tains and still further in the distance,
shining like Il golden crown in the setting
sun, rose the eternal SHOWS of Parnassus
After little | wandered out into field
opposite the house, where woman was
cooking at fire built in rough sort of
stone furnace. She had an immense sup
per kettle full of soup. l said: you
must have a large familyP" Yes" she
replied an amused smile; thirty women. :"
Supposing that they had system of co.
operative housekeeping and that she
cooked for the whole village, continued
my inquiries, when she told me that it
being harvest season, there were many
extra laborers who were women, and she,
as the stewards daughter, had the super.
vision of them. The supper consisted
only of a piece of bread beside the soup !;
and this diet has but few variations. such
as black olives. salad and fruit in the
season. Meat is a great rarity; many eat
it but once year, at the feast of Lambri
Or Easter. Then every one eats roast
spring lamb, and if one is too poor to buy
it he will be sure to find somebody to give
it to him. The generosity of the Greeks
is extreme at Easter and New Year, as it
is considered religious duty to help the
poor at these seasons. She took her soup
off the fire and put it out in the air to cool,
remarking that it was very injurious to
tho teeth to eat hot food. As Greek
peasants always have fine teeth, probably
the theory is Il correct one After this
she rakcd out her fire and put u number
of loaves of bread on the heated stones:
n;oI,t - ho tboro,,rbIJ, ooaI,od tIan,ai'
inished sho oovo cigh or raIiof ona s',t
down to avail hor f,nfiIv of ,h;rtu ruo,,,on ',,
whom NO soon onnrooohinr ,hro,lrh
tbo 1o,horing darknar.ps A. 1bou ~. -, u
oore. norcoyoJ that thov nor a,I,, o,''iu
,iris Of fn,rtoon or Cirtoon yooro with 49, on1
two oldnr Tyo,no, ,,ho Iod ,ho rar,,, Uuo
Tbav ,vorn n sturdy loolinr snnhnrno,i
set and instead of sccmino we,rv with ibo
Iono davis work were in the hast nf
sni,its l9uohino and talking Tho elr.ct
v,s most nictnresono. for olthnngh clad
in The ,,oarcst and in MANY cases mas,
RAGGED costumes. tho shane of thoir o,r.
mcnts was snch ne to host set rlf their g.,
nnrh figIres amd rhcir frec nnt,,n,moInl
r,it o3yn tbom avon = m,ins,ic air Ma
material of the dress is both wnnlen AMI
COTTON. of soft. veIlowish whife emhroiJ.
cred Win briohi colors. the broad s,shns
and the kerchlcfs worn over the head ara
also of some ray ,o}or h.ccming to thni,,
dark hair and ewes. Az soon os thnv
reached the mace where we we're thov e,t
down in oroup,. kpennr mn the s,,nn
lively chatter
Dirino onr own ron,st which mos soor
ornnnnr9d Mr X tolJ nS that ,hosn
women I,horers were = Sot of noon,o rror,
tho noorest mart or lhe nomination Who
Ie'' "leu lhete WIS eNNra WorA on hand.
h'N receive urachula per DAY ana thelr