The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-04
BAHIA SY'RA'S QUEST.
BY EDGAR I. WAKEMAN.
.lCopyright, 1894. Al rights reserved1
TALES OF TEN TRAVELLERS SERIES.

/ aud cunning on those who idly came;
| until her lost child name was ever on her
| trembling tongue
"Tell her, if We come up wi her" the
desolate soul would say with husky voice
| and averted head, las hus doan't claim
her in law nor in force; but as hus do
| yearn after her by night an by day, by
! near an by far, an how hus jess wants
her hOmewise an kindly wi hus as is her
own, jess-less w'ensohever she likes!
For nearly twenty years this piteous
plant had quavered from the old GiDsys
withered lips. But now that the band
were again at the Wissahiczon camp, a
sudden and great strength of purpose had
come to Baoa syria. Bob, the grinder;
had bellowingly argued against it, Zeph,
] the chief, had kindly and firmly dis
4 suaded. All the raunies and racklies had
crowded about her tent, and, womanlike,
| had urged in garrulous and fearful ten
! derness the dangers of her quest. Even
/ shock headed Ephe, Griseldas Gypsy
! lover of old, and true to his younger day
| dream through all these years, had said
/ it must not be.
But nothing could dissuade or dis
| hearten her. Her to5tering limbs seemed
! to have regained the strength of youth,
and a strange light had come into her
pinched old face that filled the Gipsies
1 about her with something akin to awe.
Long llbO buG pitNibuH biRHb bl4C UlGu
sat smoking their pipes by the campfire,
/ consulting hopelessly.
"She has ma long to live. Huss might
| tell her what huss knows" suggested
Ephe despairingly.
''She'd jaw the drom (take the road)
sartin, said the chief slowly shaking his
! head.
"Or ne'er speak to hus agin 'Twould
| be tn KILN o. her belikes;' responded
Ephe.
Xii tells We, insisted Bob vehemently,
9Th the bahia morris a bit range i her
'ead (the granmother is bit wild in her
! head). 'Owsumdever all believes, Hi
says gil the poor body her own foolish
| ment."
"She be a rawnikie decking gueri Ia
! lady-like looking woman), an she'd COON
/ to no harm peerdein' (roaming) round OF
! Philadelphy fur Griselda a bit' sug-
gested the chief, thoughtfully. AN
husll bide about ERE till wen (winter).
Hus might git thu little mukto-tan
literally box tent; cottage3 by tn bridge
fur shel"
/ "Paracrow tutel paracrow tute! q
thank you gratefully" exclaimed Ephe,
grasping the chiefs hand warmly "Hrll
60 now AN dicker for it against tn morn"
With this Ephe hurried away over the
hill road TO Manayunk, the pretty village
hard by the Wissahckon bridge, where
the highway from the great Dutch farms
of Central Pennsylvania winds broad and
white to Philadelphia's olden market
houses and squares and after a little
whispering and holdings of approval and
delight between the chief, Bob and a few
of the older women of the band the fires
were banked, and the Gipsies, taking one
by one parting peep at Baba Sy'ra's
face, as peaceful now as a childs in slum-
Der, crept softly to the hooded tents for
| the night
So when the morning came old Bahia
| syria rose sprightly as a girl, placed
some coin and Griseldas picture in her
bosom, parted tenderly with all her Gipsy
kin, and stepped lightly down the path
! leading from the camp to the sun
! splatched river road below.
| She had hardly disappeared withim the
| glen, when half score of Gypsy men and
women, carrying all manner of camp be-
| longings, and with loyal Ephe at their
/ head, set out in the same direction along
the road above. Only few old spae-
wives, the romping chauvies and horde
OF those strange sentinels of the Gipsy
camp, the grizzled, gaunt and voiceless
Gypsy dogs, remained,
One OF the latter, ''Old Boze, battle
Scared aud grim, seemed sorely worried
| aud perpleXed. He ran a little way
toward the departing Gipsies, halted and
| looked long and wistfully after them,
and trotted back to camp. Shifting about
the vacant tent of Bahia Syria, Boze
whirled his head around and around with
open mouth and whining, gurglings of
grief and dolor. Then circling the camp
| with furtive looks, as is about to commit
nwarranted treachery or savage foray,
J he suddenly shot along the river path,
halted, raised his head and peered tremb-
| llngly toward the registering Gypsy chill
| dren sporting at the camp edge above, and
then, with dropping tall and lowered nose,
! glided swiftly, with weaving, searching
! motion, to Baba Sy'ra's side.
| Boze looked into the older pilgrims up
turned, lightful face, licked her withered
/ hand, tugged at her Huttering gown,
stopped her, retired a few PAGES, sat upon
/ his launches, beating tattoo with his
| tail upon the ground, and plainly said
/ with lolling tongue, half closed eyes, and
wagging head
! 'Now Bahia Syria, Wen 90 back to camp
together"
The old woman understood the brute's
affectionate pantomine instantly, but
seemed as if hesitating a moment in
| thought. Then she sternly ordered the
! dog to camp. Boze would not go He
sidled about her, sprang away as she
! shook her stick at him, always returning
in an instant as Bahia Syria resumed her
way. Finally the old woman turned and
looked at him with smile. Boze wagged
his tail furiously Then she said kindly,
Coon long; COON long, Boze. Well
find Griselda t'gether!"
With bound the faithful animal was
at her side, crowding his head against her
feeble limbs, as if Loyalty Offering her that
promise of support; and thus, old Baba
Sy'ra's hand resting upon the dogs
| stoutly poised head, the two battered old
lives, each firm in determination that
held them close TO the end, passed down
the enchanting valley path beside the
Wissahickon stream upon their quest to-
gether
To the most ignorant and darkened
heart, to the sorest and most desperate
soul, light and elation instantly come with
fixed resolve. Now that the pathetic
second childhood of this old benighted
pilgrim was Illuminated by her supreme
determination to find her only child, the
poor old heather heart glowed with a ioy
as blissful as could ill the very realiza-
ton OF her passionate dream.
In blessed sympathy the throbbing
hearo of nature there gave back
this joy, babbling to her in tongues
she had never until then heard disclos-
ing and revealing in unbound tints and
dyes and laughing and carolling in
myriad seemings and songs as had never
come TO other Gypsy ken.
1t was as though the olden Pilgrims
L.