The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-08-05

uhld- Thorc were burrows and piles upon
thosc lighted places, beaps of sticks or
sheaves, or bundles Of weeds Tor burning
species and sort besAme lost IL that Rarish
glitter and everything was iHegad light
and jagged shallow. Again the music rose.
Slater and James and the other man de.
seconded BY winding path that felt dusty
and smslied filthy. Tho night was hot
and In this squalid place IL seemed IL pos.
sible, even hotter. When they came to ths
bottom, they followed the piping quite
naturally down crooked lane and the
turn brought them suddenly into small
throns Of folk. standing In front OF two
storied house, upon whose whitcwashed
front and stuffed panes the moon struck
full and glarlng The lower part was
oollarlike sort OF place, lighted with all
lengths OF candle ends, stuck In bottles
and on spikes. Some person inside seemed
to be out Of breath with much blowing Of
the pipe. Every now and then the inAtru.
ment gave cultural gurgle, and there
was little stoppags while the player
wiped his mouth and perhaps took sip
OF something, the oonoertina still ambling
along with a two chord accompaniment
until the pipe Joined 1t again. Slater and
james and the other man showed forward
through the tight knot and looked into the
tethA NAtI oyce Vi CuEAuditYy ilkc tut OLueI6.
This is what they saw:
Benches and few casks turned on end,
onions and green rubbish heaped and
pushed away into corners, a cleared space
In the middle and a large, comely girl
dancing q wild tarantella barefoot to the
playing of couple Of men, while short,
squat hag beat the earth with her boots to
incite the dancer, as friends will run be-
side one in long race. The girls bush OF
black hair was fast coming undone; she
pressed 1t with her hands as II to push 1t
together, and down 1t rolled over her
swarthy shoulders and breast, cloudy
mass, flying up and down, winding about
her arms, sometimes nearly brushing the
floor as she bent and bounded and whirled.
After while of this she suddenly drop
ped her arms to hor sides, her head sank
back and rocked over one shoulder, her
bosom shook like an uncertain sail Tapping
In the brceze. She cast q ianguorous, half
fainting glance around. Instantly the pipe
stopped, leaving the concertina aInbling
on with the accompaniment and ere the
fall could take place squarely built young
fellow In striped trousers leaped forward
and caught her round the waist, gripping
her tight with one arm and holding in his
other hand bottle. Some words he said
in her car, alternately caressing and
threatening, 1t seemed, while she lay quito
limp against him, her head on his shoul.
der, her hair hanging over him like a
black mantle, her eyes gazing into his
with lusterless, dazed expression, heI
full lips parted as one who dreams heavily.
He put tho bottle to her mouth, and she
took a little passively, as child might.
Then a light came into her dull look, she
raised hand, took hold of the bottle for
herself, drank long and deeply with greedy
oagerness and her feet twitched with the
fresh pulse Of tho dance that was arising
in them. She now struggled a little in the
arm that held her and when the man re-
.axed her gradually and returned to his
place she put her hands to her head and
stopped, as II in thought, with her hair
hanging still.
Then out shrilled the pipe notes. and in
stantly she flung her head back and sent
her hair round her in great waves, pressed
her hands over her bosom, that swelled as
If to burst her bodice, gripped hold of the
earth noor with her toes and bounded
high, like young panther, setting her
teeth and breathing hard-then down
again, twisting swiftly, shifting the play
ers with her skirt t-dancing-danc
dancing rs II fire ran in her veins.
II was u strange and thrilling thing to
see and Slater felt the contagion of move
ment as never before. He wondered how
the others could refrain from all bursting
also into action.
With such italian as he knew, he pres
entity asked what this might be.
An old woman answered after mo-
ment.~
SIT was In the fields this morning sign
or, that Mamma there was at work, and
the lazy creature lay down by heap Of
corn to take nap while We were busy.
Then presently she gives scream and
jumps up, running to u.s. We, of course,
killed 1t at once the nasty thing-but
therel 1t had bitten her, and right in the
breast too. So we did what we could to
save her-took her here at once and set
her off dancing. By the saints, she has u
good nights work before her now and
Carlo has kept her up to ii well. My own
son had TO dance for three days and nights
once signor, just like this; hasn't been
the same since, though it saved him, of
course. 1t is MS bad bite as I've ever seen,
this time, alas, indeed'-and so on.
They staid there for half an hour and
watched the grim sport, noticing at times
red, angry pustule as the bodice sunk
lower toward tho waist and showed more
of tho painting breast. Several people took
a turn Of dancing with her. Then they re-
turned to the vessels and Slater collected
his bets
Next day the malls wcro shipped and
the gangways drawn in. And in the in
terval of silence Slater thought he still
heard faint piping far away
Was it fancy, or was 1t that Mamma
was still in that squalid cellar with her
lover, dnneing-dancing- for her
lifeS-London Graphic.