The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-08-01
STORY OF IRENE.

The following sketch is taken from
Ludwig Steub's "Bilder aus Gretchen
land" C'Pictures From Greece'), publish.
ed by him few years after his visit as
young man Of four and twenty to Greece
and founded on his experiences during the
two years he resided there
During the last months of my stay In
Athens in 1885 1 lodged in the house OF
Spiros Bamburis in the quarter stretching
eastward form the Temple of Theseus to.
ward Mount Lycabettus and called by the
modern Athenians the Psiri. / chose this
house because it was fresh and clean
and because there was an extensive view
from the balcony over the newly born
metropolis and a greater part Of the envi.
rons-the valley of the Cephissus, with
the mountain chain beyond, Mount
Lycabettus and Hymettus and the Acrop-
oils being all within it's sweep. Behind
the house there was a courtyard which
was always sedulously swept, and in the
yard stood the humble dwelling of my
well to do landlord-a low cottage, possess.
ing door, window and q sitting room
but the door without lock, the window
without panes and the floor unboarded-a
curious contrast with the handsome house
erected In its proximity and suggesting
pleasant thoughts as to the wide field for
industry and thrift offered by young and
rising countries.
At first l had very little intercourse
with my hosts. Early in the morning,
long before we Europeans had risen, Kyr
(Mr.) Spiros had gone to his stall in the
bazaar, where he sold woolen and linen
goods, as also sugar. coffee and rum, and
in the evening he did not generally return
until l had gone out to pay visits to the
cafe, so that 1t was rare for me to see him.
His somewhat elderly sister, Kyria mis-
tress) Maria, whom I met more frequent
ly, would pass me in silence, evidently
considering the exchange of hgood morn
ing" sufficient conversation for the day,
while her niece Irene, an orphan whom
she was bringing up, was apparently COM
manded not even to look at me If she could
help 1t. At any rate whenever passed
through the courtyard she always man.
aged to find something to do which should
prevent my obtaining view of her face.
Either she would stoop down to pick up q
stone that moment before had in no way
troubled her, or something would be amiss
with her shoe, or she sat herself down on
a bench and put her little head in her
hands, And once when happened to ap-
pear rather suddenly nothing better sug-
gested itself TO her than to thrust her lit
tie head and ears into the big earthen pot
she was cleaning, from the depths Of
which, however, l could not help hearing
the smothered sound Of merry laugh.
But, notwithstanding all her precautions,
1t was not always possible for her to hide
her face from me, and before had been
fortnight in the house 1 had convinced
hot gha - thn l.
tiful girls in Athens.
Such were our relations at first, but
gradually, as my hosts came to know me
better-that is, when they observed that
I generally came home early In the even
ing, did not take too much wine and did
not beat my servant Jorgi-the Paidi as
they called him-our relations changed
sensibly for the better.
One Sunday morning early Kyr Spiros
appeared before me in all the glory of his
snow white AlbaBian skirt of kilt, his
rich Tunisian fez, his jacket Of fine blue
cloth embroidered with silk, a costly rosary
of amber in his hands. He had ccme to
pay me a visit, and as he slowly let the
amber beads drop one by one through his
fingers he gave me to understand that my
uncommon sobriety and steadiness had
greatly prepossessed both himself and his
maiden sister in my behalf and had de-
termined him to show me personally his
respect, sebasmata, by this visit. / thank
ed my worthy host heartily for his good
opinion of me and promised to make my
self still more deserving of 1t. At the
same time 1 shook him warmly by the
hand and requested him to be seated.
then ordered pipes and coffee, and while
we smoked and drank we Chatted away
about nutmegs and cufrants, arrack and
neckerchiefs, like two old cronies until, as
we warmed, our converse took higher
fights, and we discoursed at large on trade
and manufactures, church and state.
think may safely say we agreed on all
points, for Kyr Spiros left me with the
most fiattering speeches about the Ger
mans in general, and myself in particular,
and promised often to come and see me
again, promise which he duly fulfilled
by calling upon me thenceforth regularly
every Sunday morning.
Soon afterward an event happened which
was fraught with the most agreeable oon-
sequences. An iron stove that had or
dered from Germany arrived, and pending
the necessary preparations for its reception
in my room had to stand up for a couple of
hours In the courtyard. While was busy
up stairs instructing Greek tinsmith in
the intricacies of providing an exit for the
smoke by substituting metal plate for
the pane OF glass and constructing an
opening In 10 i remarked with delight
that down stairs aunt and niece were
gazing on the strange arrival with won
der, walking round IL and apparently