The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-26
FAIRIES OF THE FOG.
SCOTCH PtPERS AND DANCERS IN The
STREETS OF LONDON.

They Appear Only on Dreary Days, when
They Have a Monopoly OF Sidewalk En-
tertaining, and Usually Manage to Bag
All the Pennies Within Reach.
Out OF the thick fog that hangs over |
the square comes the Scottish piper, and |
with him the Scottish dancer, both clad |
in full Scottish regalia. Not since our
last foggy day had seen them. So far
as i know they never appear in clear |
weather. Their friend and ally, the fog,
drives away the thunderous piano organs
which curse London, leaving to them
clear field. They ccme out of it playing
merrily; they disappear into it playing
merrily, but not until they have tarried
long enough to charm away our pennies
Unhearable as the bagpipe music is
to any save the ears of the faithful, it
has an Undesirable charm in London
fog or in Scotch mist. 1t rouses you
out Of the dull, sticky phlegm that the
soot laden fog imposes on you. 1t brings
| you to the window Of your apartment to
wait impatiently until the gay, swag-
| gering figures appear from behind the
yellow curtains like living pictures at
music hall
Hho dancer carries two rusty swords,
the only thing about him that is not
bright and fresh. He lays them down
or the pavement. Meanwhile the piper
marches on straight ahead, staggering
and blowing, as if he were piper to the
whole Scottish people. So forcefully
does he march that we fear he is going
to pass us by for the wealthy household
ers III the next street.
Then suddenly he performs half cir
Gle, still playing and now marching with
finicky steps, which show off his great
white epats strikingly in the dim light.
At that instant the dancer looks up at
the windows bows and smiles and
Graves our wealth. If we are conscious
of proconcerted theatrical movement
Gil Tie part Of our canny, killed friends,
it only re-eufcrces our admiration, and
jingle, jingle, jingle, go our pennies
Americans Frenchmen S, Englishmen's
l.-Glcdies', servants pennies! A har-
vest Of pennies, reaped by canny fingers
and put in an extensive granary some
where in the most picturesque of all ma
tional Farbs. Still the fingers go up to
the fcarhered cap for few more pen
MES; still the piper plays for "A few more
pennics-which are forthcoming. 1t is
kept Up until the people in the windows
set Their faces hard against any further
payment until goods are delivered.
Then the player takes up his position
on tie sidewalk opposite the side Of tie
street which has contributed most lib
orally. and tho dancer gives us-vcll,
what 20 you suppose he gives? Not
highland cling, Of course. No Scot III
kill would lie guilty CT that any mere
than Scot In kilt would mention
Bobby Burns at the banquet of "a Scot
fish society.
But now here else is the highland fling
and the Lafpipe quite so attractive as Gu
London Pavement when the fog is
thick and one must work by lampligbt
at midday. The gayly clad piper who
summons the greatest of Scottish bards
and his guests to dinner, and after they
arc seated marches solemnly around the
/ lADit SlllbkinH tnC NtiS VI tbNSO oesbAS
guests, has not one-half the poetry OF
the piper Of the fog. l have heard tell
how the finest Of Scottish dancers dance
around fires in the open to amuse the
queen when she is at BalmoraL She is
welcome TO them. Though the piper be
royal gamekeeper and the dancer a
royal gillie, / rest content with my
Scots who march out of the fog and back
into it after they have emptied my peck
cts of pennies.
Another collection is taken before we
may enjoy the sword dance, which is
quite the perfection of the dancing art
as the Scotch know it. If that does not
get the last of your pennies, the farewell
collection will. All pennies, all collec-
lions. disappear somewhere in that
dancers kilt, though that dancer S kilt
grows no larger. How he carries them
an English penny is as large as sill
yer dollar-is a question, for after q
few collections the brawniest of hairy
legged highlanders could not dance un-
der the weight of his wealth But l
have seen the dancer now and then take
handful of something out of his kilt
and put it in pouch under the piper's
pipe. Often not a penny is left i'll the
block. After the messenger boy, who,
being in hurry, has reclined ON stooo
for a little rest and recreation, has part
ed with his last ha'pence the dancer
picks up his rusty swords, the piper
strikes up tune and they march away
into the fog. In one foggy day they
must earn enough to keep them in Scotch
"whusky' until another foggy day
comes. If it is possible for such wicked
thing as a London fog to have fairies,
the piper and the dancer are they
London Cor. New York Press