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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1922)
The Sunday Bee MAGAZINE SECTION VOL. 52 NO. 21. OMAHA, SUNDAY MO UNI NO, NOVEMP.KK B, . 1D22. ', F1VK I'KNTS ILEANA Bij Kanrud IUrannci She Longed for a Swain Who Would Come and Take Her, Even as Her Father's Bewitched Violin Con quered the Women and the Swains Came Begging and Crying UK olil fortress on thu Danube in w til. ti I bra II 1'iuilia, Ihe chief of I J 1 1 Mulncillkl H, hild attempted to I'.'llMW ft new empire has been from time liiuiicmnriul ttio center of nil tlit? gypuy musicians of tin? IJulkuns. From there, llltn filaments spreading from (ho kernel of a wuh, the gypsies, Willi their violins u licit r their coats, cim balom on shoulders, cover I hi; inn-rounding country )l.iyin? for llio dances nt the luriM on Sundays ami lit the wedding of the sons and daughters of the peasants mill boyars liv ing on llio shores of root of (hi? (Virpnthiun mountains. Ami It was in Hint town, JSraila, named after thrall l'ashn, that Milika, the gypsy vinlinint, lived. Although there were 100 violinists iih good as he, Mi-ika hml such fame that ho wan tin? most sought after viollniHt of the UilkanH. Tall, il;uk Willi it mam; of Iiih trotis black, wavy hair, with fiery eyes, glowing in the depths of their soikclx, it soft inuHlaehe hanging over his sinsunus lips. Mil ilia never went out of Ilruila in search of work, nor iliil he spring forwanl when some one came to the euffee house In search of a ha nil to play at a party or a wedding. He only responded when n man asked especially for him or had shaken his head disapprovingly after hear ing the other musicians assembled there. At such occasions the others would, pay. "Then what yon want Is Mitika." Mitika would then rise slowly from his eliair hehind the table and say to the visitor, "I am Mitika." Hut never would he (five a Haniplo of Ills playing right there In the roffoe house, as the others did. For If a man did not know who Mitika was there was no use playing for him. And of tho stories anil legends told uhottt Mitika the most credited one was that his how was bewitch ed. When ho played It brought people under his spell, and Mitika could then do as he pleased with them. Hich men emptied their gold bags Into Miti ka's pockets and became poor. Women left their husbands to follow the gypsy whose bow beck oned and called, cajoled and promised. There were sto ries of irate husbands who came, gun in hand, to find Mitika and kill him. Hut when Mitika played for them their weapons drop ped from their hands and they leaned on the gypsy's shoulder, crying- and begging him to return the woman he had taken away. (me night Mitika had played nt the wedding of a rabbi's daughter. He still swears be did not know how it happened. Hut the l.riili? was so beautiful she bewitched his bow, anil he " played songs mint beaut if ill than which had ever been played, lii t'Ue the night was over she bad stolen nwiiy fnun under the balil.ikin and was gone Willi him. And the violinist sin-. us tn Ibis i',ay be do- s not know how it h ipponed: h found himself the fallowing d.iv l" mil. from home with the ymnv l-iMe mi his iirm. WW n the m resulting then from had subsided Mtlil.ii tvtiui.i d to Iht.iki Will, Die eal As lu-r r lativ. s and pnivnt-i iif'i-d to Wise t.u'.Ihirg And the good uml superstitious folk would look at one linolher with tears in their ryes, shako their In ads, and mi ileiHtiuid. Tho woman was light. They w uild return home tc wait for the affair to end of IIH own iicennl. Then some Inght in Ihe week Mitika would appear and let himself Into the house In a thoroughly (hastened mood, Ileauit woiiM hear tho ci leu of the mother through the thin wall that xcp. Muted her mom from thai of her piirenls. Klin would listen to the arguments of her father, who said what the mother tii ii i If had told lo Ihe Inilo visitors, "It Is not my fault. Ihe how was bewitched." And ho himself would give her mi example. " "Do you remember what you did? Do you remember how It happened? t'nii you account for If.' ( an 1? " And he would cry, O! llow he would cry! The woman would then (ease nccuslng him only lo curse her fate which had brought her under thu spell of the luiiii and his bewitched how. The next morning the daughter or wife wis returned to her home and the violinist once more Milllcd forth through the town, his violin under his coat, and was back again at the coffee house where his friends re ceived him with million and nudges. Over n glass of wine, Mlllku told the story with great gusto. And those who had no place nt the table, the younger musicians, would stand veined. Hhe hud Inheiited her fither's shuip angiilnr lines of fain a ml possessed from ber mother yie round eofiinss of body, the wluluess of skin; iilso a fm nil y to eouiiol ber Im pulses; to iiiieoii llii tn into Inn tHItv. Hlie u both gpsy and Jewess Tho (niddeiiness with which Mltiku ha I ni:e, at .. d-atli of his wife mi Mowed nn.l subdui-d him so completely he was idilu to talk to his own i! lughter of his fiuim i self with siu h (ibJoeltvcncHS tluit it might haw been some one el,e In- wan speaking about. And tho story he told el out the coini.t of llnmii K own mother u one wlmli siupas,.eil In In lol-m imv other he find yot told. I'or hours and hours tit eventide father and (laughter would Hit on the flower trelliseil pop , ovi rlooklng a strttcli nf the Danub.. which they could s. through t lu ll' t work of brain lies uml lemes, and told of former days, h ana watched the passage of Innumerable b . it i and steam ers, and listened to her father. The long 'l ulii.di shallops with the half moon on tin- nml.i mast the d.ieks ovei crowded with countless pulleys mid os. mid the Creek kalks skim mliig lightly over shlmim i inn blue waters, followid one an other whllo the tnen nt the oars sang softie. The s iu.n Tartar bariues, like f,,niinK beds, coming fiom the other hide, from the Dubrudgea, hailed the helmsman of tin- infn heavily loaded wllli lumber cut down fiom the forests of Moldavia to be ficlchte.l to Ihe mouth of the Dan ube wln te II lowered In to the hold of ocean steam ers and can led lo all parts of the world. Mitika had no eyes for all that, lie urn telling stories to his daughter. "1 always loved your mother. I always rnm back to her. if she had only understood. Hut she did not. Hh" only suffered. She never understood. Ifers was n different blood. A gvpsy woman would have lllldej -lood ' As l.e bioke out Into team, lleana would try to pacify bun. "Why. father, ion were a r.al man! The I lie! of iirm 1 di sli'n when I shall choo one, I don't believe your bow was be- itch". I , Von just were a real man The kind of a mail V' .i 1 VV oini'li love n ''"nU"ror Km' 1 f hall marry only sin-h a man for whom a liioiwimil wotie ready to for and fortutn has haptineil I'ave aeed so Women quarreled and left their husbands to follow fw gypty whose violin bote berhoned and railed. rajoled and promited. lU do 11' VV . In n. li.. I 1 nt r. . tr. iln 1 :h In r -he it. ui i e ! the i.e. ., an. mm-h i. . f I i I p. . pie Mild J.M '.lab live tn rt , to a . i i i. i II. .na Hi. - . h i. I 'I f..i...lv 1 v I m a In..; -! i. e.l lie c. 1! I. ! - ,11 Wl . I l! ;V- H lie- J, VI . b o . I I f ll e . V . '1 1 :..!.. ,si I O. f. ' Ill lie 1 i ' S o (, th. T! I .. I,, tl parents . d e . ,r,!t,. I and unite IV l ! M foe' I . I of I, ! il,.- uiound and hang upon MltlKaa wonts, w ith eyes v. . i ,,. dilated and gapping mouths. For It was Indeed a great won der that Mitika should have such power over white people, lie was by far not us good u violinist as the hundred others who nt that moment assembled in the cotfee house And so while they listened to the man they pitied more than they admired him, for they were sure that be would ci lo a bad end -Mitika. Thill his body was doomed to the ,:,! lion of a knife or the dull point of a bullet: no mailer wh.-ilnr the bow was Lewi;- he! or tn.t. Hut In spite of th,. ni-i-nic he caus.-d Iter niotic i, b ans tibmrtd her father, .-die w:m.. for hint ni ! 1 ! imi wl.. n he was awiij at Some wcddlm- or party. And a d i! week It was ;r noihlm: not. .ward oe. ui.d. To Ih an i, l.-i f.rlo-r wa il I. -in And wle-.n-vir thti-g b.tpii-ned (... Pro ,i-v n :n s to uie e, s or le r ne tiier and in: rv 1. I.. I.-r it v. is i 'hi iy of Ins ; ,c,v. r, In- n,. i i To- ii d v . I , i i .. ,,f ,,i .. ,,f : a- , i ni .th -r w i-i l.ill. d l.v a bull- i tha 'P' ol. tie pi i n longer as I pr. li n.b d I - 11-. vvilll.ed 111 r. n!i in lo i tir' i iin n e ., . I .- si , a. I ,,f I il i . ! f.rst With ! I i : I l II.- I i i . r f tin . , . I- I ,le f 1 1. Ihe , h - IP f t . I . " r a i I .f lev i an 1 II . . ,v m s v . . I vv o. .11 1 i i ,!:, .1 H I th. I.. wl h 1 I V 1 .'If f ; t t I 1 ' 'I'hiit evening .Miuk: it wedding. When Mil , ing his daughter nsk.-. "He went home to leop," the fan.. "To sleep'.'" repeat, d 11. aim, She had lo come to her And he had goo. to .a mo to the -e, brici. koine that itn-ia,. puivcd as l.-.i'ililnli ,' on Ih. pnvio'i- lleai a his melodic- V el as the day before i,: ' an hour en bn-in. - d.Hir. riivana ep. . ..d . her waist and i-ii.I.i:i.-. upon her failn i s I ... I. timidalcd. I . s- in lo f i vvilh Ihe stl l ie i of h . . vva. he.l hpo ft i.t.i 'i,. . th" room pre'ei : g i,, p , ;h;t g I" .. Vile mole an. I i I . 1 e I V all . lo- k. Writ e i ' . I; e I .- .r U t hit Mil d..t W ".M - ... . i ' - 1' - t i-t. ..ptii.lv i, I..-. .i I. , I .,' 1 t.-r ' . i ia vval .d w ., :. ! - V . I . ,. ' llo ,- li l , ,- f , i . - ! - .i: . ! Iv ti 11. .11 VV I .. 1-1 il . 1 " I At 1 ,,t s , i. , i. I - . . I.. ."I :.v ' I t - . , r ii. t - V.-u d .''" t t . 5 11 . ,1 I I , ' 1 r ' , ' ' I . Hill liu- ; i - ' i ' ' T ' t (s'-5 t- f ' T. I. ' I' .!. ' ' i I te Ik- ' . i i i f : . t V ,.,' to '-. . ' ' h'W - 1 , V ... I ' .t ' K .e . ' ' -I !... . , l I I 1 . , M vVI i . 1 ' - en Would I, sake bom.' finly. vvhai lo y..u' T. rapidly'" (inn dar Mlllku i inn home iic.otitpanie.l by n voting gypsy Siepbiin was his name And when lie nnn saw ihn young man If seemed to her sis' siw ihe lmn,".' of the man she h i ; drean ed abnut. In nppea nnee he resembled her own father. Ai.rt when he pla.'. ed th" violin It seemed her she heard her own fa ther as be phive.l befot.. the death of her mollnr. Tic notes r.Jing fioc S'.- pbaf s bow were iciiml- nnd fre-h. Ilk" lambs giiiiibollt.g it. the slope of a hill and the young nam l..fi to pltiv a( i ret ui lied nil? the follow. u,; mm u "And where I.- St. j.h in,"' . piie.l '.p.-. I- ! Si- p :- p' When :1c It I .1 ...li.ed and I to n .i I t' iv I . 1 i