New-York tribune., 1885-03-08
THE ROMANCE OF A STATUE.

can recount, na no' 70 distant island of the Greek
Hrchnelsgo called Sikinos last winter. an Island
Onn y. If the humblest nature. was storm-stayed
2or five long days. Nikoa had been my mnleteer % on
an expedition made to remote Go coinG, ,s y, of ' an
smcent Hellenic town, and abont mile from u
tsmnle of Pythian Apollo. He was hne stalWhar.
feSw Of thirty OF pd ,e Wore the usual island
tune. namely. knickerbocker trousers OF ng D1ms
homespun calico with ra whs, f@nefs fs ~i things for
r. in the universal pocket. wabbles about IKE ine
stomach of goose his head lie wore ds iaoGv leu
aaIs oa nh' ~ % untanned skin and he carried long
stick in his hand with which to drive nIs hoo, ooer
Siknos is perhaps the most mos harrsn bapboress
rock in the middle of the Egean sea. possessing S
fleet one caique. which occaslonay y,eDs Goe' ~ W see
neghboring island where the steamer STOPS 70 SEE
- tbere are any communications IRON the outer
world and four rotten fishing boats winch seldom
venture more than yasasf Sf tSs rock ead
monotonous life in two villages oae oi Avn wrom and
two hundred years old. tortihed ana & or. ; anu
nasru Casu 'i and about five minutes walk from the
camp and is called "tbe other place y; SO nomGl-
era ndescended from certain refugees who two
hundred years ago. fled from Crete during II
tOn and built the q nrate vSe nnd 1emaed isolated
from the world ever since: Before they came,
Sikinos had been uniuhabted since the days OF lne
ancient Greeks. The only two men in the the pace se
Who have travelled-thst is to say, who have peen
ss far as Athens-are the Demarch, who is the chei
legislator Of the island and looked fse "P aS Es
must say. the last thing expected 10 near e 10
sknos ;5r T Sdt on the 0s object of w6n
away an hour paid visit to Nikola IN nh bis clean an
white house in 1.-THE hss1t oer We have we e we metz
Sade had me ait down on his divan, and sent his wlte-a
bright buxom young woman for the customary
coffee sweets and ras no 70 rOed %v horror u but Which
Tdared not refuse to smoke. cursed the weather.
and stirred the embeEs IN the cTazsr n ospnns
aIwavs disarn inquisitveness on such occasions py
being inqusitive myself How long nave nave yom om
cot :" allow old is your wifef' and by the tme
Rad asked half dozen such questions, Nlkoli.
after the fashion OF the S S. % desire to satisfy
mine. In Nikolas unparalleled success
attended this man@nvre ana from 'ne iui,t'9G fo
smiles which passed between husband ana wiie
smaI;rsJ that some mystery was attached to their
union. which forthwith made it my business 10
solve. ,
II always call her my statue So said the
,n,iateer lauqbnp amy marble statue" and he
slapped her on the back TO show that.at any r"'c
Size was of pretty hard material.
gCau Pygmalion have married Galatea after all J.
Iremarked for the moment forgetting the ignorance
Of nv friends on such topics but Greek never
admits that he does not understand, ana Nih"ia
renlied aNo; her name IS kallirhoe, and she was
the priests daughter Having now broacheu tno
subject. Nikoia was all anxiety to continue nun II no
ready To prompt him. if necessary ana remind hlm
of fo,gotten facts. | sat on the divan: between
us was the brazier the only canse Ior % %
came from An exceedingly naughty child, wnlch
existed as q living testimony that TINS modern
Calaea had recovered from her transformation INTO
stone.
81 was gay young fellow in those days" began
Niko1a.
sFiye wears ago last carnival time" put in the
wife, but she subsidized on frown from her better
half: for Greek husbands never meekly submit. Ike
English ones. to the lesser portion OF commanu,
and the Greek wife is the pattern Of weaker
vessel seldom sitting down to meals cooking, spin-
ming slaying-a mere chattel. in fact.
II was the youngest of six-twO sisters and fonr
brothers. and we four worked day after day 10 Keep
our old fathers land in o der for we were very poor
and had nothing to live upon except the prOd zee OF
our land. We worked every day in the year except
days starting early with oar ploughs our hoes
and our pruning hooks according to the season,
returning late. driving our bulocks and our mules
."nore used to look forward those days. for
then met Kallirhoe. the Rrests aaugn!er. WHO
DANCED the e Ss; S al oekgns gr
st his wife l had seen syrtos at Sikinos and
could testify 10 the fact that they danced IT well
now ouick now slo w. util YOU do not wonder that
the natives imagine those my tic beings they call
Nereds TO be forever dancing thus III the caves ana
grottoes. The sptos is semlclrcular dance 20, OF
alternate Young men and maideus. holding each
other by handkeI chiefs. not from modesty. as one
might at first suppose. but so as TO give more liberty
of action to their limbs. and in dancing this dance
it would appear Nikola and kallirhoe hrsI lelt the
tender passion of love kindled in their breasts But
Sei ween the two a great gulf was fixed for
"arr;aoes among a peasantry so shrewd as the
Greeks are not easily settled as they are with us
Parents have absolute authority over their
daughters and never allow them to marry without
q prospect and before providing for any son a
fathers duty is to give his daughters house and
romneency and ne expects any suitor for their hand
to present an equivalent in land and farm STOCK.
The result Of this IS to create an overpowering
from home i'll search OF fortunes and wives else
where.
This was the breach which was fixed between
l;rbo a homeless
for Nikola had sisters and brothers. ana poverty
stricken parents; he never could so much as hope
to call spade his during all his life he would
have to drudge and slave for others They could
not run away; that idea never occurred Z" tisIn'
for the only escape rom sknSs was by the sStarv %
sof how men from other islands had gone to far
off countries and returned rich but how could J..
who had never been Oft this rock In all nv life
Il shonld have had to travel by one of those
steamers which had seen with their tail of smoke
on the horizon, and about which ! had pondeTed
many a time inst like you, sir NAV look and ponder
at the stars and to travel should require money.
which well knew my father would not give me,
for ne wanted me for his slave. My only hope. and
that was a spall one. was that the priest. Papa
Nanoulas. KalIrhoes father, would not he too hard
on Us when he how we loved each other lie
had been the priest 10 dip me in thc font at my
baptism: he always smoked pipe with father once
q week he had known me all nv he as steady
lad who only got drunk on feasdays. haps he
will give his consent whispered my mother;
putting foolish hopes into my brain Poor old
woman she was erieved to see her favortc looking
worn and ILL., lisess at bIs work. and forever incur
ring the blame of father and brothers; only when
talked TO her about Kalrhoe did my face brighten
a little, so she said one day Papa ManOulas is
kind: likely enough he may wish to see Kallirhoe
happy SO "ns evil day consented to nv mothcr's
plan, that she should go and propose for me-"
Some explanation is here necessary. Al sikinos
a. in other remote corners OF Greece they sfil kee
up n Gu tom called proreaia rbe man does not
propose in person. bnt sends old female relntiv,
10 seek the girls hand from her parents this old
woman must have ON .one stocking white and the
other red or brown. "Your stockings of two color
make me think that shall have an nner." SING