Evening star., 1924-09-12
CONTINUED from Yesterdays STAR

Ortho watched the flying pair until
| they were out Of sight. and then
turned homeward, his heart pound
inE before him. Out Of sight.
Pyramus eased Rrena to walk
and. leaning forward, pulled her cars
affectionately. Ibid he roll all over
you and tug your mouth, my sweet
, meat?" he purred. We'll, never again.
| But We have him now. In year or
two he'll be master here and I'll Craze
, fifty nags where ! grazed twenty. We
Will fatten on that boy
! Ortho reported at the gypsy camp
shortly after sun-up next morning: h.
was wasting no time. Questioned. he
swore he had Teresa's leave, which
was lie, as Pyramus knew 1t to be.
| But he had covered himself: did
| trouble arise he could declare he under
stood the boy had got his mothers
| permission.
Ortho did not expect to be discovered.
| Teresa was used to his being out day
and night with either Bohemia or
Jacky's George and would not be
curious. The gypsies had the head OF
the valley to themselves; nobody ever
| came that way except the cowgirl
| Wany, and she had no eyes for any
! thing but the supernatural.
| The riding lessons began straightway
! on Lussha's red pony Cherry The
chestnut was by no means as perfect
| a mount as the black mare. but for all
that creditable performer. well
schooled, speedy and eager. refresh
I ing contrast to the stiff -jointed, IRON
mouthed farm horses. Pyramus took
pains with his pupil. Half OF what he
had said was true: the boy was shaped
to fit saddle and his hands were
/
the artist in King Herne. 1t pleased
him to handle promising material for
It's own sake, but above all he sought
to infect the boy with horse-fever to
. his own material gain.
The gypsy camp saw Ortho early
and late. He returned to Bosula only
to sleep and fill his pockets with food.
Food in wasteful plenty lay about
everywhere in that sip-shod establish
ment: the door was never bolted. He
| would creep home through the or
chard. silence the dogs with word,
take off his shoes in the kitchen,
listen to Teresa's hearty snores In
the room above. drive the cats on
the remains of supper, help himself
and tiptoe up to bed. Nobody. eS-
cept Eli. knew where he spent hts
days: nobody cared.
The Sypsies attracted him for the
same reason that they repelled his
brother: they were something new,
something he did not understand.
Ortho did not find anything very
elusive about the males: they were
much like ether men. If quicker
witted and more suave. 1t was the
women who intrigued and. at the
; same time, awed him. He had
watched them at work with the cards.
bent over the palm of a trembling
servant girl or farm women. '" hat
did they know" What didn't they
! know: What virtue was in them
that they should be the chosen
mouthpieces Of Destiny? He would
furtively watch them about their
domestic duties. stirring the black
pots or nursing their half-naked
hratS and wonder what secrets the
fates were even then whispering into
their ringed ears. what enigmas were
being made plain to those brooding
eyes. He felt his soul laid bare to
those omniscient eyes.
But it was solely his own imagi-
nation that troubled him. The wom-
en- gave him no cause: they cast none
but the gentlest glances at the dark
boy. Sometimes of an evening they
would sing. not the green English
ballads and folk-songs that were
their stock-in-trade, but epics of
Romany heroes, threnodies and cam
comets.
Pyramus was the principal soloist.
He had plant, tuneful voice and
accompanied himself on d Spanish
guitar.
He would squat before tho fire. the
women in d row opposite him, toss
verse across to them. and they
would toss back the refrain. rocking
TO the time as though strung on a
single wire.
The scene stirred Ortho---the
gloomy wood. the overhanEins rocks,
the gypsy king, guitar across his
knees, trumpcting his wild songs
of love and knavery; and the women
ard girls, in their filthy. colorful rags,
seen through a film Of wood smoke,
swayins to and fro, to and fro, bright
eyes and barbaric brass ornaments
Glinting in the freight. On the
outer circle children and men lay
listening in the leaf mold, and be-
yond them invisible horses stamped