The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1895-12-07
Selert gtorp.
STORY OF IRENE.
From Blackwood's Magazine.

L ne ibllONlnS ShctCli IL '"NCH ii"'i'
Ludwig Steub's Bidder aus Griechen-
land ("Pictures From Greece, } pub
lished by him few years after his visit as
Il 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 III
Athens in 1885 | lodged in the house OF
Spiros Bamburis in the quarter stretching
eastward from the Temple Of ThcSeus 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 metropo-
lis and greater part Of the enrirons-
the valley of the Cephissus, with the
mounatin chain beyond, Mount 14ycabet-
tus and Hymettus and the AcroPolls beng
all within Its sweep. Behind the house
there was IL courtyard which was always
sedulously swept. and in the yard stood
the humble dwelling Of my well to do land
lord-a low cottage, possessing door, Il
window and 4 sitting room, but the do"f
without lock. the window without panes
and the floor unboarded-a curious CON
trast with the handsome house erected III
its proximity and suggesting pleasant
thoughts as to the wide field for industry
and thrift offered by young and rising
countries
At first | had very little intercourse with
my hosts. Early i'll the morning, long
before we Europeans had risen, kyr ( Mr.
Spiros had gone to his stall in the bazaar,
where he sold wooden and linen goods, a.
also sugar, coffee and rum, and in the
evening he did not generally return until
| had gone out to pay visits to the cafe,
50 that it was rare for me to see him.
His somewhat elderly sister, kyria Mis-
tress) Maria. whom [ met more frequent.
". would pass me in silence. evidently
| considering the exchange Of Il good 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 NE II she coulc
help it. At any rate. whenever | passec
| through the courtyard she always managed
| to find something to do which should pre-
vent my obtaining Il view OF her face
Either she would stoop down to pick up ;
stone that moment before had in no way
troubled her. on something would be am;s
| with her shoe. or she sat herself down oI
a bench and put her little head in he
hands. And once when [ happened IL
appear rather suddenly nothing better Sug
oested itself to her than to thrust her little
head and ears into the big earthen pot sh'
was cleaning, from the depths Of which,
however, | could not help hearing th'
smothered sound Of merry laugh But
Notwithstanding all her precautions, it wa
not always possible for her to hide her fac'
from me. and before | had been Il fort
night in the house | had convinced mysel
that she was one of the most beautiful
girls i'll Athens.
Such were our relations at first, bu
gradually, as my host come to know m
better-that is, when they observed tha
| generally came home early IN the even
ing did not take too much wine and dis
not beat my servant jorgi-the Paid. a
they called him-our relations changet
sensibly for the better
On Sunday morning early, kyr Spiro
appeared before me i'll all the glory OF hi
snow white Albanian skirt Of kilt, his ricI
Tunisian fez, his jacket Of fine blue clotl
embroidered with silk, a costly rosary G
amber in his hands He had come to pa
me a visit, and as he slowly let the ambe
beads drop one by one through his finger
he gave me to understand that my uncom
mon sobriety and steadiness had great
prepossessed both himself and his maide
sister in my behalf and had determine
him to show me personally his respect
) sebasmata, by this visit. thanked IN
worthy host heartily for his good opinio
of me and promised TO make myself sti
more deserving of it At the same tim
| shook him warmly by the hand and re
quested him to be seated. then ordere
pipes and coffee, and while we smoked an
drank we chatted away about nutmegs an
currants, arrack and neckerchiefs, like tw
old cronies until, as we warmed, our cor
verse took hig gher flights, and we discourse
at large ON trade and manufactures, churc
and state think [ may safely say W
agreed on all points, for Kyr Spiros lei
me with the most fattering speeches abor
the Germans in general, and myself
particular, and promised often to come an
see me again, promise which he dull
| fulfilled by calling upon me thencetort
regularly every Sunday morning.
Soon afterward an event happened whlc
was fraught with the most agreeable cor
sequences. An iron stove that [ had ol
dered from Germany arrived, and pendln
the necessary preparations for its receptlo
in my room had to stand up for coupl
of hours in the courtyard. While wa
, busy up stairs instructing Greek tinsmt
; in the intricacies of providing an exit 1c
the smoke by substituting metal plate fe
the pane of glass and constructing an open
ing in it remarked with delight that dow
stairs aunt and niece were gazing on Tn
strange arrival with wonder, walking roun
it and apparently questioning one anotne
about this great iron pot standing on 1t
four slim pedestals, evidently puzzled
to the purpose for which this extraordlnar
piece of furniture could be intended.
hurried quickly down, but before | coul
get to the bottom of the staircase lren
had fed and had disappeared behind tn
door of their cottage, so that the explaha