The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-07

Hh catalogue of a
very famous bookseller-and it con-
tanned in its list great many items
that particularly wished to have. But
when had marked them off with my
pencil. and finally went over them and
added up their total, was annoyed at
the sum they represented. I felt that
could not afford them, that / ought not
to afford them, and in consequence
felt horribly ll-used, and that the
world was bad world, which suffered
SO many millionaires to exist while I,
the student of languages, the lover of
inguistics, could not afford to buy the
few miserable books which so ardent
ly longed fo-.
AS sat in this sullen mood heard a
great noise and shouting and the sound
of clashing instruments rising from the
street. On looking out perceived the
cause of the unwonted tumult. Oppo-
site to my quiet lodgings there is a
large stable-yard, which is cut off from
the road by high yellow wall, pierced
in the center by a lofty, Roman-look-
ing, red arch, which towers above the
wall and affords the only entrance into
the court. This court, usually the
undisturbed domain of grooms and
ostlers, of horses and hay carts, was
now in possession of motley and garish
crowd. 1t was a crowd of May mum
mers, pranked out in clean splendor
and busily occupied in making those
noises which had first attracted my at
tention. ! remembered that it was the
first of May, and began to feel the in
terest that student of Folklore al
ways feels in any survival of old-time
customs. The girls, who were in the
majority in the little band, glittered in
the cheap fnery Of pink and blue print
dresses. All the members of the merry
fellowship bore on their heads gaudy
wreaths of paper flowers with many
oolored streamers, and in their hands
they brandished Gathering ambourines
or fiourished painted striped sticks,
which they ratified against the ground,
and so swelled the din They were
shouting and rushing about the court
as if possessed of some midsummer mad
ness, and their movements lent an I'M
usually gay air to the somewhat somber
courtyard.
Round the archway fringe of duly
clad humanity had halted-passers-by
postmen, loafers of many kinds. From
windows round about servants thrust
out their capped heads, and doors open
ing in all directions off the yard dis
closed the stablemen smiling in good.
humored amazement upon the mer-
rymakers In little while the rev.
elers whirled out into the street,
and shaking their sticks and
tam bourlnes, their streamers floating
and their childish voices shrilling loud
in glee. The gaping knot of idlers hud-
died together and moved slowly after
them, gazing with surprise which had
in it something of the true town mock
cry for anything odd and bright and
pleasant. Yet, it seemed to me, look
ing down from my window, there was
almost like awe, too, in the
minds of those hangers-on at the fam
tastic gladsomeness of the little crea-
lures.
/ decided, as l watched, that there
was something pleasingly Pagan about
the whole scene. 1t was like some old
Roman rustic festival thrust suddenly
into the gloom of a London street. 1t
might almost be some procession of
lads and lasses singing and dancing for
very hghtness of heart in honor of Ceres
Dr. Pdles, or the god of the gardens Sure
" these fower-bound dancers are about
to welcome the Kalends of May with
cracking sulphur and salt, and flour
sprinkled upon the altar flame of the
Lares, and to burn laurels before the
little statues of the gods.
OF course ] knew well enough, though
it pleased me to indulge in these
learned reflections. that the troop were
but some poor children of the neigh
borhood, who had crept out of small
houses in small streets to shine Tor a
season in coats of many colors. They
lad put on their paper crowns in ODE
Hence to an almost forgotten custom,
lot without hope of picking up a few
pennies from the benevolent. Yet.
or the life of me, l could not shake of
he fancy that they were thus skipping |
md shouting and footing it in the serv-
&c of Flora, the fairest companion of !
he painted seasons.
was rapidly brought back to reali-
les. \ solemn gentleman, arrayed |
With that elaborate discomfort in which |
British respecta bility delights, entered !
he street and shattered my Roman |
-islon. One dininutive damsel of the |
,and separated herself from the rest !
md ran along by his side, holding out |
Ter tambourine and soliciting gift. |
The man was untouched by the appeal I
lie was afraid perhaps that he would /
ook ridiculous if he suffered himself to |
We led into any dealings with the oddly i
lad votaries of foreign gods. So he |
hurried away from the Haunting folly. /
The dancers disappeared. The bar /
,aric noises grew fainter. The merry |
was fading away from sight /
nd hearing. Il will know these mask
RS nearer" | said to myself, learn
whether they are indeed the shapes of /
IL antique world or but the sons and
daughters of London slums." l hurried /
nto the streets but my mumIners had ]
disappeared. turned down one street.
10 sign of them there. / tried another
nd another, all with no better luck.
ME earth has bubbles as the water has,
nd these seemed to be Of them. Ny
ar could catch no distant echo OF their
oyous charivari.
Suddenly, just as was about to turn
ack again to my lodgings l got a
limpse of color in dingy doorway. i
rev nearer. 1t ives one of the mum
aers: it was the little inpish girl who
ad SO greatly entertained me. She
ras deep down in the doorway-it was.
S l remember, the doorway of land I