Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-01-10
IN A ROMANY TENT.
A Defence of the Gypsies by an Old
MRom."

"Rom."
1t was q dome shaped tent of dark
brown blankets stretched tightly over
plant ash wands, and in the midst Of
II was a glowing fire Of coke. Six faces
" ere lighted up by the glow Of the fire,
and five were those Of swarthy Roman
les in whose veins there was no strain
of English blood. All of us were seat
ed or lying on colored rugs spread on
the ground. Opposite the triangular
entrance of the tent-through which
the lighted window of caravan could
be seen-sat a handsome gypsy wom-
an. whose hair, in spite Of her sixty
years. was still Of raven blackness, and
whose features, brought into relief by
the freight. were those Of sybil-
keen, mysterious, necromantic. Near
her sat her husband, a gray-eyed,
white haired horse dealer, who was
one of George Borrows Romany
friends, and who could we'll remember
having had for a companion by the
campfire the walking Lord Of Gypsy
Lore" Stretched out beside him was
his daughter, a 1.-THE, dark eyed woman
With a scarlet and black shawl hung
loosely over her shoulders; when she
looked toward the fire her eyes gleam-
ed like stars. She was talking in a low
voice to her brother, who were loung-
ing. one on each side Of the entrance
tn tho 1T-hn fhaU Gould knQnI
watch upon the horses that were graz
ing near by.
Her voice was lowered because her
father was speaking, and the old man
was in no humor to be interrupted,
more especially just then, when he had
a sympathetic listener. He was talk
ing on a subject often discussed In
gypsy tents-the ill-doings Of the nu-
merous van-dwellers who are not Ro-
manies, but among whom the true
Rom" is frequently classed by people
who know nothing Of his contempt for
the travelling "mumpers." Never
once in all my life" said he, "have I
slept in house, and ever since my
father died I have got my living hon
estly by buying and selling horses.
All over the country my name is well
known to those I've had dealings with,
and no one yet has had reason to say
I'm not a straight man. I've sold car
riage horses to gentle folk and I've
been a good friend to many a poor man
who has wanted a horse and has had
only money enough to buy a cheap
one. l have brought up three sons and
two daughters, and not one Of them
has ever been in any trouble. I owe no
man penny, and 1 wish I could say
that no man owes me a pound. But
whenever travelling folk (van- dwell
ers) get into any mischief people at
once say It's them gypsies again,
though nine times out Of ten the gyp-
sizes have nothing to do with it.
ITO hear people talk one might
think" he went on. and a touch Of
sadness could be noted in the tone Of
his voice. that there are gypsies ev-
erywhere: but how many families Of
true gypsies are there today? You've
told me the names Of nearly all Of them
tonight. They are the Hernes, and the
Lees. and the Grays, and the Stanleys,
and one or two more, and even they
are dying out and will soon be gone.
I've heard my father say that when he
was boy as many as fifty true-bred
nj porona1 fnOpthar
on a heath or common; and that when
Fenella Lee was married to one Of the
Boswells (Bosvils) over 100 gypsies
danced to the fiddles at the wedding
dance. Now I often travel about for
months together without seeing a gyp-
sy who does not belong to my family"
"Ah my old man has kept to his
own people ;" broke in the horse deal
er's wife. IF all the gypsies had been
like him there wouldn't be so many
mumpers on the road. But years ago
a gypsy man here and a gypsy woman
there got married to a ouse-dweller
or to one of the show folk, so that now
there are travellers who have gypsy
names but who are no more gypsies
than Black Jake the bruiser, who used
to call himself the Romany King.
Black Jake used TO speak London
thieves patter and said it was gypsy
talk; but one day when l met him at
West Hartlepool I spoke Romans to
him and he thought 1t was Welsh talk.
mot long ago a bold faced miss who
took pennies at a shooting gallery be-
gan making eyes at my Rube there"
and she nodded toward one Of her
sons, who was apparently quite 80
years old. But one day l read the
lines of her hand for her, and found
out that she was to marry rich gen.
tleman. After that whenever Rube
came along she always looked another
way" Here the quick-witted mother
and her dark-eyed daughter laughed
loudly, while Rube. who evidently did
not appreciate these revelations, got up
and remarked that he must look after
the CRIES (horses)."
Then there was silence in the tent
Inc HOISe-uedlSI eyes were CloSCu-
he was falling asleep: but mis- wife
drew a pipe from her pocket and be-
gan smoking meditatively. Outside the
tent the horses were munching the
grass and a shadow moving across the
window Of the caravan meant that
Rube weary Of the discussion of fam
lily matters, was preparing for bed.
His sister gazed steadily at the fire.
at the same time turning a coral brace
let round her wrist, bead by bead. To
the alien occupant Of the tent it SEEM
ed that he was among a strange people
in a strange land, although the barking
of his own dog dispelled that illusion.
London Globe.
FATAL RAILWAY WRECKs.-It is a re-