The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-05
I TITLE ITALY
- KEEPING WARM

Little Italy lives out Of doors sumn..
and winter In the time Of the deep sno,
the Italian woman goes about harohpadsA
"a in June. or with heecy uuha finn,
lightly over her head In days Of ez,rena
cold she sometimes varies this headye,.
Dy donning bundle OF tagots
But she is not 80 cold. Siuce /, /. in,.,
sibe TO import her climate She -lgsss,
herself with warming up all outdoors h,
means Of little stoves. of larger stove, n,
bonfres.
She seems to pay little enough at,entio,
70 the warming of the interiors Small
girls bending under the weight u hue,
dishpans half filed with coal enter hsos
alleys and climb shalty stairs 10 dark apsrt.
ments ostensbly for this purpose but in thu
street everything save money is burned
in the giant effort to thaw Little Italy into
some semblance to the sunny Italy OF theo1
world.
Some small boy starts a bonfire ON snow
heap. Everybody adds his portion and III.
crowd collects.
Shawled and bareheaded girls gather
gaily about gossiping, their face, rosy IN
the light of the flames Snall BOYS lean
toward the light. They sit on irace bo1es
watching Il.
Shoes are held perilously over the aames
Rags catch. Friends rushing to the -escua
put out the flames, and laughter onsucs
Now and then one encounters a small
stove set comfortably and euticinely on
n street in Little Italy. A large tin bucket
il may be, containing smothered Goals.
but this il the occasion for warines- The
little unostentaitous stove + intended to
entioe the warmed foot OF the wayfarer
down near steps TO some restaurant or
perhaps to a warmer place yet whore some
thing more celebrating than hot steaks
and macaroni is apt TO be served
The girl in the theatrical corner booth
who sells frozen candies oranges and what
thermometer below zero. snow banked to
the height OF ten feet or more IN tho street
barricaded as il were. 10y wall of snow.
She sits bareheaded. but sic il wgrlner Than
she looks TO he. A little pipe.cs5 smoke
less stove burns at her feet
1t appears that the body comes In for
slight consideration in Little Italy 80 the
foot is warm,
Crowds swarm festivcly between snow
banks Bonfires Of banana peel Orange
peel old shoes, gum shoes, top boots fame
to the delight Of the rising generation Of
Now Yorl's Italy The higher the fame
the more screeching the n.Iarty Ash
barrels are SEARCHED frantlcally for fuel.
Potato peelings add to the heats Intensity.
Also old apple parings
II is astonishing the variety Of things that
burn and burn well OF cold Gays IN Little
Italy.
Small boys walk about with hand stoves
These are not the tiny, lukewarm Affairs
held in closed Palms in Venice and else
where. but the idea is similar. They are
small tin buckets that have seen better
days. filed with bits Of kndling wood sur
repti,iously acquired some whore or other
Run through the handle l. an iron stick.
The owner holds the end of this stick and
walks proudly about, the envy Of his neigh
borhood. waving the tongues Of fame that
leap on; from the bucket,
On davs OF exceeding cold furniture -
burned more or laer gscklessly m Little
Italy in this s,rcnuOus cfcrt Of hor IN
hahitant= to simulate .he climate Of their
native land AutiGu1ted chairs. TO say
nothing Of two or three legged tables, ara
sacrificed Trucbmen with feet wrapped
in gllnnvsacks often l9ave their work TO
warm redeemed hands and join in the gossiT
of the bare headed girls Of the wonderful
coifTures gathered in a circle a. near the tr9
as the small boys who own II VIII perml
them To gather.
1t might seem that fables and chair
should Ia the limit in IT, way Of furnitur,
in a neighborhood hardly distinguished by
wealth, but il il not. One cold day re-
Gently 81 small boys dragged from dark
door q mattress and mace noteworthy
hon fro ~ that