Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-28

turned applied to the box office, where
l learned, and with some asperity from
the management, that my Gipsies, who
had kept the audience in an uproar the
entire evening of their visit, on receiving
the tickets by mail at Lyons had imme-
diately sent one of their number to the
city and secured an exchange of seats
from Wednesday evenings performance
to that for Friday evening. l could
thus see that their natural and unchange-
able race suspicion and caution of one
not of their people, though tried friend I,
prompted the cunning ruse to first defeat
my entire plan. then set a watch upon
me to observe whether my action was
consistent with genuinely disappointed
friendly interest, and then to deceive me
as to the true motive of such action /.
The latter was attended to on their part
in the following epistle taken from my
Gipsy relics, which is now before me as
make its exact copy:
LYONS, IL 9Th May, 1873.
i tax the tim to adres Won theas fu
Inns and Thanks for the Ticits we comely resefd
we cudn cum wensdy For The old Foks didn get
Hoam and the riverside rodes was bad we Cum
fridy and was Loken al Oaver for you And had a
Hi old Tim that Acten was wunful where was
you
hOpln TINS f1QS you IN GOQ melt /
Cloas and best RegArs from Al
your Fren
George W. Carpenter.
This George Carpenter is wonderful
fellow in his way; veritable American
Gypsy John Bunyan, and author of many
goodly Gypsy rhymes in my possession.
The letter bore every evidence OF seri-
Gus effort, and wisely let 1t stand as a
friendly regret rather than an unpleas-
ant deception. The entire matter was
simply a true expression of universal
Gypsy trait. Had they met me at the
theater according to agreement in a
straightforward manner, that would
have been indubitable proof that they
WERE NOT GIPsIEs AT ALL.
But in the home life of the camp, safe
and secure in the seclusion of the shell
tered spot which holds all he owns and
loves, then il Is that the Gypsy has a
happy heart, a radiant face, laughing
eye, a waggish tongue, and many light
some ways, merry, care free and jubl-
liant as the birds. Nor would l be just
to these strange people did l not bring
this truth about them into the strongest
light and best relief. To know Gipsies
they are so rapidly increasing in num-
bers through wonderful feeundity, care
of their children, with constant vast ad-
ditions from Europe, that by the close of
the present century they will comprise
from 2 to 3 per cent. of the entire popu-
lation-aud they must ere long
be well and wisely known, we
must be large and generous enough
to perceive and appreciate their wn
hearthhside, heartful life. We must
see that they love and treasure and
hope, not just in our way, but in a way
which, to their kind, is full of
the simple truthfulness, the
patient and true affection and the
devoted LOYALTY, which with us
have been set as types for the world TO
love by eloquent tongues and inspired
pens, since true sentiment thrilled the
heart of man. Hence, whatever Gipsies
are TO you and the world at large, while
you may judge them ever so harshly for
what you may call vagabondism, there
Is behind what you conclude in your SUI
perior intelligence to be wholly bad, n
condition you know nothing about Ehioh
must enter into any honest estimate of
the race. This condition is one which all
Gypsy instinct resents your participation
in or your knowledge of. But il is
condition which, if fully known and
the race from contumely and reproach.
And because the world mind is narrowed
and fixed upon q determined notion that
Gipsies are utterly worthless to society at
large, the task OF conveying any ade-
quate and true revelation of the slightest
good in them Is a woful OLE indeed.
Here is likeness to that which 1 wish
1 could convey fully: Take the average
10 ho ha hue
weighed down by interminable duties
and responsibilities, which none but
themselves realize. OF these how few
are there who have not gained a reputa-
ton among the most who lock horns in
business affairs with them, for cruelty,
hard heartedness, and,
may be, downright meanness. And yet
these men Is true natures are not that at
all. Within the circle of their chosen
friends, and IN their homes, these
mems true natures are in the
main of generosity, fidelity, good
ness. And it Is in some way like this the
Gypsy should be made known. Crafty,
stupid, wary hard, unworthy vagabond
though you deem him, as he faces you
and mankind in his battle for life and
those he loves, he has another side,
CHEEKY, good, and manly one, too,
which, without one iota Of the prompting
all modern society possesses, CLOVIS with
kindness, generosity, helpfulness, good
cheer, and
A SPIRIT OF POSITIVE LONELINESS.
An ugly word is never heard in Gypsy
camp. A selfish act is never seen in a
Gypsy camp. The eternal goading of
mean woman, the brutal obscenity of
bad man, the hateful jealousies of
the contemplate rivalries of
of pretended friends, each and all are
as unknown as poison in the pure air of
heaven they breathe. There is a quality
Of tenderness and sincerity in their doings
with each other that is ever simple,
and beautiful. Their mirth,
and jollity are all consider
ate. Raillery is tolerant; with never
a murderous weapon. With them good
cheer Is not license; merry making
leaves no sting; liberty never knows
lewdness. Ignorant as they may be of
your books ;obstinately as they refuse the
the civilization of which we boast;
secretly proud as they are of the ostra-
cism which brands them as an outlaw
race; hesthenish as you will continue to
call them because they hold your creeds
in contempt, they are yet more than the |
peers of any living people in everything |
tender and true and loyal growing into |
and out of the domestic relation, and in
all that which yields. without law or |
force, and as if unconsciously, the |