The Cook County herald., 1902-11-29

With COmfOfC4OAe 0Oe0UOn On RAA~ Va
disreputable bedding, pulling st pipe
that had probably been handed down
through many generations. and hs
was apparently without care in the
world. He is an old patron OF the camp
lnggrounds about the city, Gus Stanley
by name, and % genial and hospitaole
Q man a. one would care to meet. Inc
mother, . plethoric creature. but with
traces still Of certain type of Gypsy
beauty, was busily engaged in an sP-'
rarently interminabls effort TO- waso
the dye out of bit Of red cloth.
The odd corners Of the establish
ment were filed in by Heterogeneous
collection of camp odds and ends and
young Gypsies. No matter where the
eye turned it rested ON . member OF
the family, and an effort to count them
only ended in bewilderment. One,
girl probably eight years Of age. was
busy forming circular slsbs Of dough
by the simple expedient OF slsPPing
them between her hands, which. by
this time, were clean, and then cooking
them in . gresss-hlled skillet ON the
stove
1t was . glorious stove, . humble.
looking affair, made Of sheet iron and
with real drs In it-no driveling little
gas blaze, but . general eondgration Of
wood that threw out heat in joyous
wealth and made the tent ~ warm ~
any home in the city and far warmer
than the most of them. And yet there
ere persons In the city, and many Of
Aem, who have thankfully huddled
ebout their wretchedly cold stoves.
with the gas playing tag between the
coal and the mixer, and have thought
of those same Gypsies with compes-
sion-thought how they must be suf'
fering from the cold. and not under
standing why they did not evsde these
cold months by treking to the south.
"Cold?" echoed Stanley, adroitly
balancing q coal ON the apex of the
herbage In his pipe. "Well, guess not.
Sit down and get warm. Not much
danger Of getting cold - long - the
wood lasts. and the whole outside is
our woodpile," and he gave . compre.
hensive wave of his hand toward the
woods that surround fhs camp.
I'VE tried going south Sc veral years
ego, but the women folks got sick, and
we've staid in the north for The last
three winters. No trouble about keep
ing the tent warm, and even If tn 70
vas, we're pretty well hardened, 30 ~
wouldn't feel it much. Look at jim
there" Jim, IN urchin, scarcely old
enough to attract the notice Of tho
truant officers. bashfully followed his
head into the tent and was duly in
spected. Without gloves. overeoat or
"esr bobs," with thin shirt open At
the throat one stocFing halfway
down and shoes unlaced-James was .
spectacle to give an Eskimo shlvers,
but he seemed not in the least uncom.
Portable himself. And the rest Of the
children seemed equally lightly clad
Ill with their waists or shirts open at
the throat and some even barefooted.
"Now we spend our winters in the
aorth," continued Stanley. "either in
Ohio, Indiana or Illinois. Indiana 10
The best state, though" and . quick
smile from his wife corroborated the
statement, "partly On account OF the
better roads in the stete:and partly
for business reasons" With porten.s
tous look "esuse psople in the state
ssem to Ike to haRe their fortunes
told. and that's where We make most
of our money. especially in the winter
~nothin' doing in horse Trading then.
How many childrenshaye I1' 3:
The queation seemed TO be some.
thing of poser, for he turned to his
wife with puzzled look. and, after
some conversations In hungarian, an
swered: Twelve and two married
sons. There are five families, each one
with tent, and se people altogether
In this crowd. The other people down
there got here about . month ago, two
or three days before We did. There are
three families-one for each tent-and
1s people. An the girls in the camp are
dow ntown now telling fortunes, and
snost Of the men are out somewhere. !.