Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-15
REAL GYSPIES IN CAMP
NEAR EASTLAKE PARK
QUEEN RULES THE NOMADIC BANI
True Lovers of the Beautiful Live in Picturesque
Seclusion-Tell Fortunes of CredulOus Ones
Who Venture Within Confines of the
Settlement-Gain Much Gold

was there. rolling over ana over In
the soft dirt i'm a gurglng ecstacy. and
the middle-aged fat woman was there
All seemed perfectly content; no one
said much, unless the baby hurt its
head or the old folks wanted more to-
bacco.
Perform Queer Additions
One of the men, who had evidently
been lazy that morning, was just get
ting ready to go downtown. A child
held a bucket full of water, and when
he leaned his head down she poured
the water over his face and neck. He
shook that off, got a second dose, APP
piled the same process to his hands.
smoothed his hair down and was
ready.
The queen is supposed to be the best
fortune teller of all. and she isn't
bit proud about accepting money for
telling fortunes. Her queenship doesn't
seem to extend so far as that. She
crosses your hand with the silver you
are to pay her, draws a cross, and
then tells your past, present and fu
ture. About every three words she
lifts her head letting out with a quick
jerk:
"Understand?" and then goes on
again.
None of them seems to know where
they get their art of fortune telling,
but suppose it is just a power given
to them. In their own country il is
more common for them to tell fortunes
by shells, but here the hand is the
most favored.
The queens name is Mary Adams,
and she has a little Adams of which
she Is very proud. When she was
told that she was pretty she couldn't
do enough to prove her gratitude.
Is an Autocrat
All the gypses are subject to their
queens will and they obey her in
everything.
1t looks odd to see this little slight
gypsy woman tell a big. burly gypsy
man to get washed and go to work
and to see him do it without a mur-
mur.
The gypsy children are little imps
They can hardly be called anything
else when you see their big black
eyes and brown skinned mischievous
face peeping out from behind their
mothers skirts and a little dirty toe
drawing figures in the sand.
But the children are not usually
bashful. In three minutes they are
running about you. whooping at the
top of their voices and slyly touching
all your pockets.
Gut lDtIe lHe ulItT udy one OF Ine
Youngest in this gypsy encampment
was cutting a TOOTH and between
howls everyone was trying his best to
amuse the baby.
The old woman tried giving him her
pipe. but as that only started him up
again after the first Whit she num-
bled to herself and kept her pipe after
that.
The father was talking baby talk to
il in a mildly sceldng tone and the
mother was fitting from the baby to
her tent in vain effort TO find some
thing TO bring that white tooth
through.
Stands on His Head
The baby's brother tried standing
him on his head, but after a few sec
onds that failed and the sister took
him. She tried TO put him to Sleep
howled and he howled until the father
left in disgust
This band has just come from Seat
tie and the members intend to stay for
some time. When asked if they liked
America and the queen told them the
question in Egyptian there was per-
feet storm The queen said:
America fine country. In Egypt we
starve, ugh" and she clutched her
throat.
/ The gypsies are becoming scarcer
every year. and these bands with their
queens, their myriads of dirty children,
with their free and easy life, will be a
thing of the past, vaguely regretted
| but thing which cannot be replaced.