Year: 1878




There are gypsies TO be met with in
this world even yet-genuine gypsies.
They are as nomadic as ever. They are
as black-eyed and as dark-skinned.
They tell fortunes as of yore. I've no
doubt they steal babies still, if they do
not happen to have enough of their
own; but they generally have super
fluffy.


L saw some in Connecticut last sum-
mer. They camped in large field, and
built their fires, and hung pots over
crooked sticks. and pitched their tents
in picturesque fashion. ....


Three men sat on the ground doing
nothing, and watched an old woman
stir great kettle of stew. A baby was
playing with a real silver teapot, and a
little girl was spreading picnic sort of
table, with a nice white damask cloth
laid over rag carpet TO keep the damp off.


The hangers-on of the party reconnoi-
tered us and reported and got US all
wrong as to relationships. Consequent
ly, when the Gypsy Queen-a much
better one than they get up on any stage
and entirely genuine-appeared to play
her part, she told the married ladies of
the party that their sweerhearts would
soon appear on the horizon, and arcbly
admonished the single ladies ''nOt to
deny as they was wives and mothers" :"


Her eyes were as black as any one
could wish, but any ordinary mortal
could have made better guesses as to
facts. There was not particle of the
wit and penetration that one expects of
those whO make trade, of deception,
but glaring stupidity instead.


Not one of that tribe could find out
anything about us, or even decide which
of us was the mother of the little child
we had with us, and who stared in as
tonishment at the funny little brown
babies who took everything so coolJy,
and frightened very large old gypsy,
with tinker written in every feature, by
quoting nursery rhyme appropriate to
the occasion, which the tinker gypsy
evidently thought was a mystic spell.


We all had our fortunes told. There
was the "dark-complexioned gentleman
with good heart toward you; but
your'n, my dear, is gone-if must speak
the truth-to a light party" and the
light lady of whom we were TO "'be-
ware" and our carriages to ride in, and
unlimited wealth and long life. l am
still looking for ga gent, my dear, as
isn't SO very dark, nor so very light,
nor he isn't so very tall-which l wish
TO tell you the truth and not deceive you
nor so very short, but good provider.
and one as can make home happy
And now and then | am troubled with
vague regrets that was so economical;
for my Gypsy Queen, casting candid
eyes upward to the sky, informed me in
whisper that, '.just at this present
moment, my dear, your planet is in con-
junction, aud that is never lucky, which
| don't deny; but if you've the matter
of two dollars about you, my love, III
have it altered against tomorrow night,
and luck will afterward attend ye."


regret that thought this rearrange-
ment of the solar system too expensive,
and retired contented with my "good
prOyider." Ignorant, tricky, cheating,
ibbing, thieving creatures they were, of
course; but they were very picturesque.
| shall not soon forget that picture OF
the camp-the wagons, the tents, the
sprawling gypsy men, the active gypsy
girls, the blacS-eyed babies and the
brown queen in her traditional round
hat and red petticoat; the green grass
under them and blue sky over them, and
a background of old trees. 1t seems
strange TO think that 1 actually saw
those romantic, mysterious creatures the
gypsies, in the heart of old Connecticut.