The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-02-20
EUROPEAN LETTE
Our Special Corresponds
From Spain.

adventure" has not all b, e k.Ained
by curious Americans and2 AScon-
tented English, and one the
people as musical, picture land
unclean as could be wished The
local color and life have tood
the comparatively little iny IN of
travel, and though GrsnaTa with
its incompatible Alham 5ha has
been the goal of more curiosity and
sight seeing than other Spanish cit
les, it retains many of Its purely
characteristic and delightful feat
ures. One of these is the gypsy
camp in the outskirts of the CITY.
We drove there late one afternoon
and saw the gypsy in his native lair.
Cervantes alone descr bes these
people as, "Just as God made them
and oftentimes worse.Ss Educatibn
has never laid her rule or ferule on
them; honesty and morality have
passed them in despair, and if the
proverb affirming the proximity of
cleanliness and goodness Is true the
gipsles are "way off" 1t has been
enough for them that they live and
they have never asked those eng
NAUTICAL questions whence, why and
whittier. Their houses are caves
and we were allowed to 60 through
one. The first room was the
kitchen and the last and choicest
one the abode of the pigs. There
were many of those compartments
about the size of steamer state
room, and as one CROPPED his way by
the aid of small candle into the
depths of the hill the smell became
painfully prominent. The pigs,
though, like the gipsies, were con-
tented and the fact of being kept in
the parlor or spare room added no
arrogance to their amiable manners.
Evidences of certain luxurious taste
were to be seen IN the cave such as
piece of carpet before each bed on
the floor, and stovepipe running
up from the kitchen fire place. In
deed artistic taste was also manifest
for hanging over the bed in one of
the rooms was highly colored
advertisement of German beer.
When we left the cave we were
told that we could see the real and
genuine gypsy dance for the modest
sum of seven dollars, but we de-
clined. Our Interpreters after
consultation with the gipsies told
US that our economy would be re-
spected and the dance given for five
dollars. AS we drove regretfully
away we were informed that though
it was a great sacrifice and alto
gether unparalleled in the annals of
history, we might see it for three
dollars. We accepted this PROPOSE
ton, though it developed that we
really paid four dollars, the last one
being in redemption of a counter
felt dollar that had been substituted
for the good one we had given. The
coin was probably a product of
gypsy ingenuity, land so far as | know
the transaction may be one of their
established ways of making an hon
est dollar, so to speak. The dance,
however, was quite worth the expe-
renee. Accompanied by our two
guides and two policemen who, it
was explained, were necessary for
our safety and, who only added to
our general feeling of insecurity,
We went up dark alley, and a
darker flight of steps and into tiny
room where the orchestra and the
dancers were assembled. The or
chestra consisted of three men who
played the guitar, msndoline and
tambourlne. The dancers were
four ugly women and pretty one
all gorgeously arrayed IN bright
calicoes and with artificial flowers in
their coarse dark hair. The servi-
ces opened with fearful song that
nearly deafened the audience, which
on account of the size of the room
was within two feet of the singers.
Then the women danced together
an active, spirited dance such as
X iraltv Ia hore ~, vain IN oat frbic