The record-union., 1894-02-03

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 pa
thetic second childhood of this old be-
nighted pilgrim was Illuminated by her
supreme determination to find her only
child, the poor old heather heart glowed
with a JOY as blissful as could fill the
very realization Of her passionate dream.
In blessed sympathy the throbbing heart
of nature there gave back this joy, bab-
bling to her IN tongues she had never
until then heard, disclosing and reveal
ing in unbound tints and dyes, and laugh
ing and caroling in myriad seemings and
songs as had never come to other gypsy
ken.
1t was as though the olden pilgrims
load had looSened and rolled away among
the shadows of the long, hard stony way
behind.
With some swift instinct of recognition
she saw and smiled TO the saucy squirrel
darting like flash of flame from limb to
limb above her head, the little ground
hackle" chattering welcome as it leaped
across her path like beribboned pigmy
knight, and the SOlemn-faced rabbit wait
Ing upon his launches in ludicrOus de-
corum as she passed.
And how her old-young heart thrilled
at all the birds she loved and knew; the
sandpiper, the heron, the blackbird, the
robin, the thrush, the peeWee, the lark,
the redbird, the song-sparrow, the thistle
nnch, the bluebird and the woodpecker,
with his CHEEKY, drowsy tattoo, masters
without an opus, OrcheStraS without pipes,
singers without words, but gathered here
TINS radiant morning in this witching
Wlssahickon vale to greet Baba Syria as
she went her way, and touching her dim
old consciousness with such ravishing
numbers upon oboe and flute, piccolo
and pipe, Tyre and Lutte, tuned in low and
loving key, that the tender companion
ship she already felt was told again in
liquid cadences blended in note and in
whispering breeze, in voice of stream,
all as never came to mortal ears before!
Like many a one not of gypsy blood
before her time and since, she could thus
have ever wandered on. But at last the
highway was reached where the rumb-
ling of the wagons rolling countryward
and cityward, and the thunderings of the
forges along the Schylkill, dispelled the
the brief enchantment in a happy gypsy
surprise.
AS she climbed the little hillock from
the glen to the highway, the imperative
whining and tail-wagging of Boze drew
her eyes to huddled group of gypsies at
the wayside copse. They stood there
sheepishly grinning and and beckonlng
to her, and she went TO them wonderingly.
Zeph, the chief, taking her arm sooth-
ing y IN his own, as the women with Bob
and Ephe crowded about them and they
all moved slowly around the wooded turn
of the road, first spoke.
"Hus thought as you might like little
mukto-tan o. yer own, Baba," he said
endearingly.
jess all by yourself Wen We cooms
an goes" assuringly added one of the
women.
''Spick an span, tidy an purity" heart
lily piped in another dame.
''Ye gifts th' sun by day an moon by
night, right in yer tent door-I mean yer
on th' road, MOTHER" cheerily chirped
another.
''An' brave bit o. grass be i th' yard,
an siller poplar rustles an gills (sings)
| agin tother winder," Ephe radiantly re-
membered.
But it remained for Bob alone to below
the heart challenge rightly.
"Ay. ay, mother dear" he blurted with
something like tears in his kindly eyes,
''hits all jess for you an'-an' Griselda,
| Wen ye finds the racklie lassp'
Until this moment Baba Syria had
seemed dazed and troubled by the loving
demonstration. Bob had flashed enough
OF its meaning to her in an instant. They
were entering the little roadside cottage
| now, tiny enough indeed for this one
! lone lie of little needs, but fresh and
clean and bright as gypsy hands could
make 1t, with the dear old Kettle stick of
! the camp set snugly beside the fireplace,
! its hanging pot already singing above a
CHEEKY blaze, a hooded tent, freshly spread
with straw and leaves, fixed open mouth
ed before it; a pile of gypsy wrought
I t..,r,1 1-otr, -, hi
! rocking-chair between the kettle-stick
and tent, and all about the brick floor OF
the quaint little room scattered here and
there were objects of familiarity and
affection at least to gypsy life and eyes.
! But the tenderest conjuring OF all was
those words OF tinker Bob, for they held
the blessed promise clear to all these low
ing aids to Baba Sy'ra's quest.
My dearie Dubblesky!" tfor the dear
Lords sake she exultantly quavered at
last. ''Yes, yes, yes. Jess for me and
| Griselda wen she comes!"
Then she fell to kissing all the band,
and rocking herself to and fro in gentle
delirium of happiness, while these incor-
rigible heather of the road huttered about
her, much as men and women of the
| Christian race might do when moved to
! laughter and to tears.
A few days later frequenters of one of
| Philadelphia'S ancient and picturesque
market-houses noticed an odd little old
woman with turbaned white head crouch
! ing upon the outer pavement among the
| sellers OF flowers and herbs.
She nodded, smiled and crooned to all
who spoke to her, and to all Of kindly
tone and face who paused to examine or
| buy her dainty baskets for spice and
thread, her tiny cages or her little punches
of wild herbs, she would quaveringly
ask, Have ye seen Griselda th' NORM"
Or she would say with nod of seeming
understood between herself and the pur-
chaser, Tell Griselda I'm waitin 'ere!"
To the strapping. red-faced, huge
| framed, brawling market women about
her she was at first subject for merry
tests. These not disturbing the piteous,
CHEEKY calm of the strange old face, they
| fell wondering and querying who she
she was and whence she came. Her only
/ answer was:
Pm Baba syria, Griselda's mother.
Griselda's lost, th' deariel Ay, ay, these
( twenty year, but she'll COON. l knows
she'll coom!"
Then the hard harridans would shout
| with laughter, and she would childishly
laugh with them, until the puzzled mar
ket women would whisper together and
knowingly tap their frowsy heads. In
| time they became, in their rough way,
very gentle with her; called her Basket
Baba.n "Gypsy Greens" and "Griselda' s
Syria" which name she loved best, not in
reproach or petulance, but because they
must have a cant name for all they knew,
and with something now of the modula-
ton of womanly friendliness in their
tones, while, bless the rough hearts with