Evening star., 1898-12-10


! a. SEMyTf tent is an ideal shell
| $ FNSW II >NNi ter. But when win
MASr' ter comes 1t is anoth-
-y,N NkFA cr matter. What do
= Mt- the gypsies do then
| \E~ In Scotland, as any
| one may know Who has read Guy Man
| nerlns, the Eypsies hay, Villages or perma-
| nent camps to which th-y resort In tn,
! winter and in which for tn. last century
| o. more they have remained throuy hout
| most of the year. Bat in England and
| America the gyps!cs havr no such pcrma-
nent quarters, and they shift for them
| selves as best they can in many ways
! lhere are certain families, the CoSteuos
and Nhartons and others who travel
! southwark as autumn approaches and pass
| the winter in Florida or along th., gulf
| coast nave met them camped by tha
lcNeeS out OF New orleans. and in Mobile.
| They usually remain near enough To some
| city to permit of forum. telling and horse
| trading. Herr they live much as they live.
IN the northern states in tn summer. The
sNpSitS or California and those along the
| Pacific coast have such = mild clinlat &, that
| southwark migration is unnecessary.
| Bnt 1t Is ths gypsy who remains i'm the
| north VINO is confronted 10y serious prob
| lem, which he solves in various ways.
In Huts and wagons
Some families there are who by sheer
kardinood live through the winter With no
other shelter than huts ard wagons. Old
| Plato Buchland a gypsy, made famous by
| the writings of Groom I'm England passed
such winter when he first visited America
With his family he remained in fha- noun
| tatns of eastern Pennsylvania when the
| snow WAS up to the HUNS of the wagons
| He had small portable stoves in tn, tents
and boards We're put down VIII harever pcssi-
hl@ beneath tn" straw to keen the feet
| from coming i'm he
! ground. Paths wore cleared about the
! tents and wagons, and a rough shclt 7 was
l'nprovised for the horses No one com
! planned of the hardship, and there was no
sickness in The camp. The most serious
problem the food for the horses: hay
ana Other fed had 10 be purchased, as
there was no Pasturage.
Just out of Philadelphia / once found
some gypsy families living in a permanent
winter camp. Roard floors had been laid
! down in the tents, and there We're carpets
| and chairs and a stove that heated the
place very comfortably. The tnnt was en-
tered through low vestibule-like arrange
ment of old roofing tin and boards, which
served 10 keep out the cold air. ana from
the rear of the tent a like vestibue con-
| n9cted II with a sleeping tent. \ part of
the steep hillside had been dug away 10
form "A wall. against which a shelter IF
| boards and roofing tin had been formed for
the horses and chickens. Odd as it may
! seem, chickens are frequently TO he mot
| with IN gypsy camps, where they become
| d0mesticated and learn not to wander far
| from the tents When family is travel
ing they are put into coop. Bantams
and fancy chickens are most frequently
| met with in the possession of The roverS.
| who keep them rather as pets than for
the eggs which they lay.
| On the Road in Winter.
I have known a gypsy family to travel
from Denver to California in the dead OF
| winter with no other shelter than their
| tents and wagons afforded. The dangers
| of crossing the mountain passes at that
! season did not deter them at all There
| are. therefore, not a few cynsies who keen
| TO the roads as well in winter as in sum
| mer. But for the most part those gNpSieS
| who do not go south come in to the cities
and towns at the approach of cold weather.
| store their wagons and tents and bctakc
| them to very humble and inexpensive
| lodgings in some quarter where they are
| likely to be free from observation. The
| men of the family haunt the horse markets
and sales stables trading horses still as
| in summer or making themselves of use
| In various ways. The women either go
from house to house telling fortunes or Sc
| cure a position in some dime museum
| where they sit in a little conventional |
| tent and tell very short conventional for
| tunes to the stupid people who come to
| stare at them.
Once, feeling hungry for the sight of
| dark face and for the sound of a word of
| the Romany tongue, | went into one of
| these places in the hope of finding a gypsy.
| There, true enough, was the little tent and
the crowd of galderly gorgios tgreen gem
| uleSD. and within a dark-Skinned Young
| woman with black eyes | waited Until the
| crowd moved away to another room. and
then entered the little tent and held out
my hand- Pen meney. if mandyIl be
| ochaday pawdel for chorin'. a CRY or nash
| kado for morin a CAV mush?" 1 asked IN
| gypsy, quoting Charles Leland. The flow
OF conventional words and the conventional
| smile both ceased in an instant to be re-
placed by a gasp and stare. for | lid I
| asked, Tell me if I'll be transported Tor
| stealing horse or hanged for killing a
! policeman.
| We soon became very good friends as
1t appeared that the young fortune teller
| was married to a nephew of one of my.
| best gypsy friends.
City Home.
Later | visited them at their city quar-
| ters. There was the young husband and
his old mother and father, and a number
of brothers and sisters. They were living,
| in two rooms at No. . Wcehawken street
| in New York. There they had brought
| their silver in some big wicker hampers
and their clothing in boxes and trunks
| 1t was strange medley of richness and
| squalor. Once when | took dinner with
| them l had splendid silver before me and
/ professional woman tramp from Scot
! land, called Bessie, slipping her tea from a
| costly mug at my elbow These gypsies
| We're very fond of the theater, and | re-
| member taking them all one night to see a
play in which some of their own poople
| figured as characters. During the first act
| they sat quiet and attentive but when the
| curtain went up on the second act which
| was very realistic representation of a
| gypsy encampment, with hooded tents
| campfire and ali, it was too much. Slowly
one after the other, they arose until four
| gypsies stood in line looking down upon the
scene from the first balcony utterly forget
full of the eyes upon them.
/ In winter, II the gypsy has had a prosper
Gus summer, he is fond of seeing his wife
array herself gypsy-fashion and go out to
visit among any of her own people who
may chance to be staying in the same town
| or city. This gypsy friend of mine was
wont to attend the theater clothed in seal
skin and black silk. Rare old shawls and
gaudy dresses they are sure TO have: the
| oriental love of color is sill strong amnna.