Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-06-03
Wakema3's Wa3deTi3qs.
ODD INCIDENTS OF FOREIGN TRAVEL AND
OBSERVATION.

royalty. 10 be KING OF queen W
tatterdemalion crew Of wanderers
seems to us who are utterly removed
from Gypsy thought, feeling and con
ditions so trining and outlandish a thing
that we can scarcely contemplate the
regal status and It's odd dignities with
out feeling OF ridicule and contempt.
The first Gypsy ever saw was
princess; afterwards queen. That was
jus, forty years ago. She was a mite OF
a thing, and a great storm OF early
winter had separated her nom the rest
Of her band as it was fastening to sum
mer elimes. and driven her, desperately
near death from the severity of the
elements, to the door Of our ample and
ancient farm house. 1t was Thanksgiv-
ing day. A crowd Of relatives and
friends was being entertained after the
good old New England fashion. The
hundreds OF cattle, horses and sheep
had all been comfortably housed from
the bewildering storm. Three or four
tableiuls OF countryside guests had been
served, everything possessing kecncr
relish for the shuddering night and rs
binding snow While the good old
place was ringing with laughter and
Iolity and my mother, with the manner
of a severe commander, was giving an
eye to preparations for the hired
mems" repast, the storm clutched and
shook the old farm house savagely In
the rattle and clatter of u all there was
swept into the wide, low.ccilinged room
a sacred, trembling, tawny girl OF per.
haps fourteen years OF age.
The snow was beaten into her glossy
black hair, which was matted wildly
about her shivcring form. My mother
locked the hired men" out for q Bit
brought the girl to the capacious fire.
place and dried and warmed her; and
then with a genuine court-martial air,
and still with a brusquc yet certain
touch Of the waits immediate needs
which had real humanity In Il, set her NJ
the table and fed her until she could
hold no more.
Then taking both Of us-myself
rising FIVE" as the farmers say, and
this plump, glowing. heathen-she
marched us up stairs, away into the
garnet, and put us, still together, into
the Suggest Of trundle'beds beside the
huge, roaring chimney, where, cuddling
me In her warm arms as n for human
companionship, and mutiering words
OF an unknown tongue which surely
held the meditation and accent OF
prayer, this lost heather princess sob.
bed herself asleep
II would be long and even a roman.
tic story, how this Gypsy girl was found
at our home by n Gypsy lad the next
morning; how lad aud lass disappeared
hand In hand like ragged si'houettes
over the snow capped hills about our
valley farm; how when boysoldier
came upon the two, then man aud wife,
ground between the teeth OF war as
Hood was making his brave but iateiul
winter march upon Nashville, lust ten
years after the stormy Thanksgiving
lime, and at a then dreadlul risk set
them ON their way a Gypsy friends In
the North; how but q few years later
still again found them, this time in a
great Gypsy camp where the annual
May-day meetings and partings were
going on, and where, lor what little
and mine had done, this same Gipsy.gih.
now queen OF her tribe, made my
merits, through her gratitude, 20 great
to her people and race, that in all lands
and places since three magic words
have unlocked house, tent aud heart Of
all Ginsydom; but Il has brought me 10
sec and feel almost with Gypsy eyes and
mind, and to know that there is truly an
impressive reality even IN Gypsy royalty
In rags.
The accepted notion about Gypsy
kings and queens" Is that OF the
stage and stoybook Gypsy carrying
witch-crook, striding great strides,
dressed IN gaudy iincry, wearing a tin
crown aud bedrcked with Brummagen
beads and rings, who endlessly speaks
IN voice oil suppressed basso and who
"Thees" "Thous" HOSP "Ilasn and !
"Avaun,sl' trembling subjects until their
Joints are loose In their sockets aud the !
campfire pots rattle and clink In the |
crooks OF the iron kettle.sticks. Per- |
haps something OF this sort was in vogue
a lew hundred years ago. The history |
Of Gipsy tribes In Continental Europe |
shows that Gypsy "kings," princes" !
"earls," dukes and those OF lesser |
title roamcd about, under license of |
potentates, with retinues aud cavalcades |
that would have done honor TO truly |
titled folk OF the time. HUT all this sort |
OF thing Is now alone found In the shill- |
ing-shocker and penny-dreldful wlds |
OF literature. There was up to the last |
century some genuine royal Gypsy |
pageantry among the larger wandering |
Brush tribes. This was characteristc /
Of Scottish more Than OF English Clip. |
sizes The record OF the royal doings |
of the latter is indeed luminous and |
unique.
In the early part of the 10Th century. |
a nthRntng f.uttftwA .snVl OF
was so consummtely shrewd IN carrying /
out his assumption Of pilgrimage and OF |
being under commands OF the pope To
wander seven years without sleeping IN
a bed, that he actually secured the |
coun,enance, II not the favor, OF lanes
w. This Anthonius Gawino seemed to |
a diplomat by nature. lie inVeigled
King James into giving him a very
strong and sympathetic letter TO his
uncle, the king OF Denmark, in which
the Gypsy chief aud his vagabond
followers are spoken OF as "Anthonius
Gaawino, earl of Little Egypt, and the
other afflicted and lamentable tribe OF
ms reunue, whilst, through desire OF
travelling and by command OF the pope,
over the Christian world"
etc, which shows that their imposition
upon the melancholy Scottish king was
complete, whether or not his testimonial
ever benefited them in Denmark.
Until nearly a half.century after this,
although the Gipsies had ali eady be.
come troublesome, their true character
had not been discovered. lanes ".
shortly before his death in Isio entered
INTO league with John Faw, lord and
earl OF Llille Egypt directing all in