The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-07-10


The evening came-a cold and stormy
one. Kyria Maria appeared at my door
with somewhat hesitating steps, but o
friendly smile. She was not alone She
had brought tho lovely Irene with her I
received the two Athenian ladies with all
the courtesy and grace l could command,
but found 1t difficult to muster words
enough to express the pleasure / felt at
their visit We sar down, and when the
usual interminable inquiries after our
mutual health were ended Kyrla Maria
began to let her eyes roam inqairingly
over my room. At last they rested on the
stove.
"Truly," said she, "you Franks have
everything you require to make life de-
lightful You will no longer fear the ice
and snow of winter, Kyr Ludovike, for,
though l should never have believed it,
that thing makes your room so warm that
no frost will be able to enter. AS for us,
we often sit whole days at our hearth
down below rubbing our numbed hands
and freezing till our teeth chatter. The
Franks are certainly happy nation"
81 am very glad Kyria Maria, " an
swered, THAT you like my room, and 1
hope that you will ofted como up in cold
weather and warm yourself. And your
niece will come, too, will she notY" add
ed, looking toward Irene.
~ dare say we shall often come to see
you now that we have got to know you,"
Irene said simply, looking at me with her
large gazelelike eyes.
"Indeed, Irene" interrupted her aunt,
1--WE cannot often. What would men say
If when they came to pay visits to Kyr
Ludovike they found us women hereP No,
that will not do. But" turning to me,
"do us the honor to come and talk with
us at our own hearth as often as you can,
for you must be able to tell us about
many things. If l understood the Ian
guage of the Franks, 1 would talk to them
all day long. Look, Irene" she added,
chow beautiful this furniture and these
books and things arel They are not made
In our country any more than the 'ofeni,
which has been sent here from over the
seas. The Franks must be wise people"
"Some are, Kyria Maria, " 1 rejoined,
"but you meet them of all sorts"
"What, both wise and foolishP And I
dare say some are bad and some are good
People hereabout say they are all bad,
but l feel sure there would be here and
there one should like.
"Did 1 not say SO, aunts I always
thought
'Be silent, Irene" said her aunt, inter-
rupting her.
pray let me hear what she was going
to say"
"No, nor said Kyria Maria decisively.
"She talks so much nonsense it's not
worth listening to- But l may assure
you, kyr Ludovike, that so far as you
yourself are concerned we have from the
beginning had the greatest respect for you
And you, too, Irene?" l asked
ITO be sure, " she replied, smiling
why, then, did you always hide your
self when passed through the courtyard?"
81 was too timid, Kyr Ludovike. did
to dare to look at you.
"And now you are not afraid to look OF
me?''
"Not when my aunt is by me-.
Her aunt looked at her severely, she
blushed, and began at once to talk in
dustriously Of other things.
Our conversation lasted long time and
ended with the heartiest assurances on
both sides of esteem and friendship. &C.
companied the ladies to the head of the
stairs, where, as we parted, fresh renew
al of civilties took place. The aunt said,
Il lay myself at your feet, - an expression
you hear perpetually. The niece chose a
different form, which, though quite as
usual, sounded far sweeter to my ears.
She murmurcd hardly above her breath
"Na mas agapas" ("Keep us in your
hearth to which gladly and emphatic
ally responded Yes, yes. That l will"
l now began to call in sometimes at the
cottage, l found it very coy in the little
house, especially in the evening, when
Kyr Spires had returned from his days
work at the bazaar and was seated with his
sister and Irene around the low hearth
He, rs master of the house, would be en-
throned ON a small stool, while the wom-
enkind cruuched at his feet, and looked
at him trustingly and obediently from the
not very costly rug which was spread out
over the bare ground.
There we all three would often listen to
the tales which, enyeloped in clouds Of
fragrant smoke from his chibouque, he
would narrate to us, the tragic stories of
the defeat of Dram Ali and his 3d. 600
men, of KaraiskaSi's death and of the
sieges of the Acropolis in all of which he
had himself fought and suffered.
When the thrilling parts came, Kyria
Maria would sigh and praise the dispensa-
tions of the Lord. Irene would wipe the
tears from her eyes, while their Frankish
ance of the Hellenes. Then the sister
would relate the sutferings she had under
gone in her exile at Salamis and would con-
graduate her niece on having forgotten all
the sorrows of those days, and remember
ing only the glorious Good Friday when
the Turks handed over the Acropolis to
the warriors of King Ohio, and the tri-
umphal entry of the king into the city,
and the great festivals which were held
later on in honor of King Ludovikos.
Then in my turn l had to tell about
that enigmatical country in Europe and
those curious compounds of folly and wis
dom, the Gcrmans-one of the finest peo-
pies of the world after the old Greeks
whom all nations loved and none respect
ed, who possessed the well of universal
knowledge, lived quietly and peacefully
under five and thirty princes and "A cold sky
and some 90 years before had defeated Ma
poleon Bonaparte. Many We're the strange
questions which the aunt and niece put to
me, and while Kyr Spires looked on with