San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-12-20
l Florentine hat market |!

Tuscans, Leghorns-in high colorfu
stacks.
Swarthy, bareheaded women eager
ly soliciting each passer-by.
Helen paused before riotous stand
where an earringed woman demon
strated the flexibility of her Leg
horns.
motto bene, signorina," rolling one
into a tight cone. solo venti-cinQue
lire !"
Not much over a dollar! And al
home a Leghorn that fine would BE-
at least ten. Ideal for presents.
At the next stand-hats Of Nea'
politan horsehair. So thin and trans.
parent they could be worn double
with varied color effects.
Before a cracked glass, hung on the
stand, Helen tried several combina-
tons. Brown over rust, and black
over white. A rose under gray was
most becoming.
All handmade. And their sheer
flexibility-so easy to pack.
She left the market with a large
paper bag-enough hats to cross off
several names from her present"
list.
Chimes! Dreamy, melancholy bells.
A church tower tolling the hour.
Only five. No need 10 hurry. Time
to walk back 10 the hotel.
CHARM OF ANTIQUES.
Through the narrow old-world
streets. The lure of the small Floren-
tine shops. Majolica, fooled leather,
tortoise-shell jewelry-old and new.
The leisurely earn of it all The
lowering sun, the smell of roasting
chestnuts the cries Of street vendors,
and the rumble Of the two-wheeled
carts.
An antique shop. An old oak
chest in the window. No, not so good
as the one they had bought yesterday.
Not so heavy.
Warren had been with her-a propi-
tious time, just after delectable
luncheon. She had long wanted an
old chest for the hall, and his we'll
fed good humor yielded to hear eager
pleadings. A fine old piece. Well
over a hundred years7-no duty. The
antique declaration he was getting to-
day-so it could be shipped direct.
That pathetic old begsar. His
mumbled blessing az she gave him
coin.
Another, a decrepit old woman, by
the next church.
The ever-importuning mendicants Of
Italy. But today Helen's glowing
gratitude included them all.
She had so much--so very much
These wonderful trips every year!
The tinkle OF bells-a "baroccio"
numbering by. The crude cart piled
With grass-bound flnsons Of wine. The
driver, walking by the patient horse,
Eeedlessly cracking his whip.
A small cavernous fruit shop.
Lcaflined baskets Of fresh figs.
MORE BUYING.
She bought n dozen-purplish green
ones. Warren liked them before
breakfast.
Another coral shop. Countless
strings-white, pink and red. Curious
how one ceased to care for anything
in quantities. Coral, canoes
and stamped leather no longer 1ured
her.
A basket dangling In the air! Let
down from a high topping balcony. A
postman dropped in a letter. The step
saving Florentine delivery.
Cheese, spaghetti, salami, and wine
shops.
More lace and embroidery! Cut
work doilies by the great gross.
Dry goods-tbe overcrowded win
dows. Bolts Of cloth piled outside.
At the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele
now.
That majestic square always thrilled
her. The Arch, the Monument, and
the outdoor cafes.
Before the Gambrinus every side
walk table taken. Slipping vermouth,
tea, or an ice and listening 10 the
late afternoon attrac-
ton OF Florence.
Across the Square TO their hotel
The Savoy.
Not waiting for the languid lift,
Helen ran up the one flight to their
room.
A huge, lofty stone-floor room, over
looking the Piazza.
Opening the shutters, closed against
the midday heat, she stepped out on
the balcony.
An impressive scene. The great
Arch and Monument now emblszed by
the setting sun. And those ancient
buildings. How frivolous seemed the
cafes under the stately colonnades.
TRIES ON HATS.
The orchestra still playing-an &C.
casional strain above the traffic.
Turning back into the room, she
switched on the three lights, insuffi-
Gent for the big high-ceilinged cham
Der.
The straw-market hats! A blissful
half hour trying them on.
The horsehair ones-the varied al
Turing combinations
She would give the black and the
white to Carric-to be worn singly or
together. The rose and the gray 10
Mrs. Stevens. TIE tan and tho rust
and that Leghorn for herself.
And the brown rough-straw turban.
With just a veil--ideal for travelling