The record-union., 1891-10-03
A MODERN NAUSIChA.
But was her father King2 Was she
in the smallest degree Princess?

But was her father King? Was she
in the smallest degree Princess?
No.
She was neither more nor less than a
peasant girl of Corfu. Her home was
close by Kressida, on the shores of Lake
Kallikiopoulo-the lake which is not
really lake, but just deep, inclosed
bay behind the town of Corfu-one of the
most lovely hooks of the loveliest island
of the Mediterranean, where the sky is
of the bluest, and the clear lake waters
but a second and q liquid sky.
1t was brilliant March day; the sun so
hot that the women tied their thick cotton
kerchiefs well over their brows and left a
double flap on the nape of their necks.
Did one ever see such headgear as they all
wore under those kerchiefs? Huge rolls
of hair-was it real or false?-coiled with
red ribbon, the whole being SO wound
about their heads as to make the said
heads more than double the size nature
had made them. Could it be that fashion
had followed the order Of prudence, and
| that there was sense in that ponderous
coltfure? Surely no sun rays could strike
the brain through such thick mass. 1t
square on the top of the head, so that, un-
less you see what is under the penthouse,
you think for the moment of the square
headgear of the Neapolitan women.
But, as yet, Nastasia Petros was a young
girl, and she did not wear this somewhat
ugly, if quaint, addition to her own black
| locks. These were knotted i'll the nape of
her neck, in the fashion that it appears
nature ordains most women, who 90 not
give much time to hair-dreSsing, shall ar
range their hair. However, being so hot,
one only saw the curly fringe that tshowed
its tips beyond the yellow kerchief. For
the rest, her costume was the same as that
Of half dozen other girls and women
who might have been seen in the fields
and vineyards close about. This was a
short blue stuff skirt, loose white
chemise over her shoulders, with big
loose sleeves, and a smart apron.
1t was evident that Nastasia had her
vanities, for her apron was new and of
the brightest yellow, with red spots. She
had, too, swinging on her hand, an en-
broidered jacket of thick white wooden
stuff, its black pattern giving it gray
hue. so thickly was it worked.
The women working in the fields, no
doubt, had such jackets thrown down
somewhere.
Nastasia was not at work; so she car
ried hers, and would, by and by. put it
on. The girl went quickly over the level
shore of the hamlet of kressida, where
the garments of white linen were lying
out to dry. She was going down to the
ferry.
A small garment fiuttered in the sweet,
fresh breeze and blew away on TO tutt
of asphodel. Instinct made the girl stop
as If to recover it, for her mother washed
clothes for hotel in Corfu, and the har-
vest of white garments was the outcome
Of Nastasia'S morning work.
7, Il Il
special moment; SO she, on second
thoughts, left the flying garment TO be
the plaything of the winds while she
went on her way.
Her father was one of the ferrymen,
and she knew he would not wait for her
not likely. He had, she could see, q
boat full of stranger fOlk-peOple with
felt hats, and straw hats, and light coats,
and two ladies with quite Partisan heads.
Not that Nastasia knew one word about
Paris fashions in the sense that those
ladies did; she only knew that all the
party must be of the sort she often
enough saw when she fetched the wash
ing from the hotel. She did not know
what sort Of people they could be, for
they only talked unknown tongues to
her, and never word of Greek. How
should they?
But she did not fear them, for was not
her father the ferryman? and the ladies
sic udll seen Iiu always lllSd1lJ TO say
nice things TO her. She was quite sure
they had also said pleasant things of her,
to Judge by the expression on their faces,
and once one had made a picture of her,
and-Well, Nastasia had not the slightest
| objection to that picture, though the lady
would not let her put on her best Jacket
| Why a lady should like her best as she
worked Nastasia had never understood.
The jacket would have made her far pref
tier, of course; else, why did she carry it
with her now, for 1t was in reality too hot
to wear it?
That March day was to be a day of
mark for Nastasia. For seventeen years
she had gone on as her young sisters
were doing. As soon as she could wash
well she had gone out by the dawn to
| wash on those Kressida shores, on the
banks of little stream she thought moth
ing OF, but which of late she had seen the
foreign people come and look at and
smile as they read the scarlet books they
| carried IN their hands. She knew moth
ing of the picture her freshly-washed
| linen made real TO them; no, she knew
very little at all of anything.
OF Late, though, she had begun to learn
a lesson which most young girls learn,
whether they be Greek or English, an
| cient or modern. She knew that her face
was beautiful face, and she knew that
more than the peasant lads of Kressida
| and BeniZZe thought this. Did she not
see all sorts of people down in the busy
town over the ferry; the dark Greeks and
Albanians; the Italians who came over
| in the steamers; the fair haired strangers
who so rarely could speak a word of her
! tongue; people from far-away cold coun-
tries; but people who still managed that
/ \ NaStaSla should understand how beauti-
| ful she was in their eyes?
! She was gay and proud, and her feet
danced with elastic hghtness down over
| fl,1~ -l,~ l. r
/ thought, she felt how good life was for
girl; how full of bravery, how full of
conquest and victoryi
| And the whole of the morning had
| gone by as she had washed the clothes in
the stream of Kressida, and the glaring
afternoon had come, and-there was her
| father actually pushing off the ferry boat
| Nastasia shouted, threw up her arms,
| fiourished her jacket.
| The ferryman had his back toward her.
| Besides when he had good boatload of
| foreigners, was it likely he would have
/ put back If he had seen his daughter?
A young man in gray suit, with
closely-cut fair hair and yellow mus
tache, nudged the old man and pointed.
Also he spoke some few words in Italian.
Old Petros understood enough He
just glanced round, but completed the
| first stroke of his oar.
Isl, 81; that is my daughter. She is
late."
Put back for her," the young man
| signed.
! His action was clear, and old Petros
| did put back sufficiently for Nastasia
to spring into the ferryboat.
The fair, young man made way for her;
| but she was shy, and she threw herself
down at the very PROV Of the boat, where
| she had sprung in.
So they sailed away over the blue Kali
likiopoulo, and the ladies and gentlemen