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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1922)
1 Tilt. SUNDAY r.F.K: OMAHA, XOYE.M KrTK 5. WTZ the other l fore you kiss in"." she advised sari n)-' li ally. Hi lui'U'-il out through Hi" open oor. m' l,ni.iinil behind a l-K ''" ' fiimi wiu-ie )ih wulchd Htophun l.iivn h' r homo, with bowed head I, Ml wailiing lik'i a (Iruiik.ii-J. "Mia boy," 'l'l MlUku to hi d.-.uchtir, when tin. returned liuiiin from bis en and. "Where Is ho? Why ho rone sway?" "Where he in? II" 1" Told itm be. lui'l never kissed a girl l"' fuic," she laughed. "Never told mm Mint ho loved her! Aii'1 ho waul ,.. to love him, a man who hn1 liev rr kiwi a Kill? And he l 20 year olil! Ha- ha." Ami tho f.itluT look Brent pride In ,lii daughter. The'riiffea house mid hi friend saw Ii-kii and U-kb of him lis the liny went hy. lie loved to (, wilh hi daughter inn! talk to hi-r. Occasionally some young gypsy iiiimli-liin w singled out and Invited to the house. Hut inviirlnl.ly Ibe young men were too timid to ult iicuna lili-ii of a i"1'"- And the rry that she wan the only one, tli flint una ever loved, only made liar t- greater contempt for tlu-iii. Flattered, Wlllkn flt hlinitelf grow younger beoaune of his daugh ter utllludo toward tha young mm. "1 shall ko out to look or one my self," Henna told her father one jy', "Tha ones you Invita here were horn old." Hha donned tha richest colored shawl she owned, plaited her Mark braid, wound tha rlchrgt necklace of (told and silver piece over her bare throat, and psssed through tho middle of tha town holding her Jiead provoklngly high, sniffing the air, looking right und left, her glance challenging the young men who watched her coma down the street. "And who of you dure to come near me? And who of you la man enough to try to conquer me?" No one ap prnaehed her, She took such delight In that first promenade, she repeat ad It the next day and the one fol lowing; the next. Her passing through tha length of the street at certain hour was expected. The young gypalna played a the proud ly passed hy. Impassioned swig followed her n ahe descended to the river mid back again. And while ahe watrhid the blue waters, or threw bread crumb to the fish hawk who dived to pick them, noma young man composed melodic love oiik und rhupHodiea to he played nt night lielow her window, l-'ew of Ihein ever reached tho atage nf being invited to ait with her on the porch and watch the pnaalng tout on Ihe liver. And woo to thom no favored. Ho grout u their ah.ime Ucauae of what they had been told by the fiery gypy j;lrl, they never repented her words to their frlemla. Pome left town, never to come back. And it was whiapeml that the watcin luid swal lowed many n too heavy heart. To the other gypey glr1, nd there were many more beautiful th.in Ilcuna U aecmed when a young man made love to them, that they were getting only what Ileana had refused. Had h wunted any of them she could have had them. And there was great bitterness amongst the girl" when they si'oke iilHiut Ileana. They u!d: "She has no heart. She only wants to spite us." lint the old woman who knew belter said. "It la the gypsy blood firhtinn the other Wood in lur." Thus In one year Ileana had hud at her feet and refused all the ell gitile young men in town. She wanted some one to come and take lur and they came l-gKlng and crying. Her father had conquered Women had come to him when h railed them. lleuiiil walked down to the ebon until ahe came to a bend of thi award, upon which homes pastured and there sitting with her tent In the water she watched the going and coming of the boats and rafts dreaming Ihe waters might bring ti lier the kind of men she longed for. The whole spring she mailed and 1. ned. The whole summer she longed. Her father wondered why he no lonper sought speech with Mm as frequently as before. It was five year now the "Jew bin woman ' had died. Ilia fingers were again levt.nung warm as they ou. hoi live limns and his U' priec he.1 and a.iiiedlie.1 1 every Uy In the coffee hue th.we who kl.tw lfHB to say. MUlk Is gel tin Mek the wiKhciaft into his t lbs grv h.ilr is tui lilng bl.uk agjin at tha temples. Itiil lino h4 lt alt pttien.-e to l;lii t h. (.-i!.s hlr sol ' i en the tok wuH her in th ler op to her knee1 Ktvm d t.i il.iwii tl .it the li. .re of th inn ,inii.iin t penwiig nm'ls 4 .ih wiping hi io lea (iiio ti'- t h .i. V- II'" ui. i w U-.it l .uirt bt l.H'e il" i ,l .. f II r ,lh I" jlH I 1 Ike mU1 !, (V...I ..,l '.' ..,! - , t, t. ,f I-. M f . :f- ia JkOif . A k. i i ii m ' J ' ' f, t i -.tl t9 n i ! ef t l-f M-l a i4 ii.. i h- r ' t.' t - e. ' in...-1.! Utn ' l i il MM k i V . ... U j . - Ate And If a wave burnt befora her alto would nddrca it: "Tiai had you should funk right at my ilour, Hut go on; you will coma built tomor row, tin. go fur uvuiy, t'oiuiin r the world, lin n come bio k and take luo. li.it don't coirt" crying luid begging. H'eul thluugll the Will lour, (iug me. Hum inn wili u blow If I cry, I.Ike a liuiji. A leul man." And the crafts, too. she recog nized an they pucseil by on their wuy to and from ihe oppomte Mhnn s or fiurn tho length of the Ininuhe, inmliig from or -going toward tho I'.luik am. Hha waited daily for tliii river to bring her tho kind of man aha longed for soma man from far away who had seen thou rands if other women, who had klsaed hundreds, who hud known many. One Morning a log raft, steered by a young Greek, Imbm with huge golden nuiMkmelons, hove Inlo sight, As the craft was going with tile current and tha eddies were swift, It paused her by ere she had time to make out the man at the rudder or answer bis greeting, lint the man had seen her and. endangering Ills improvised raft, he veered violently and beached a short distunes from where tha girl sat. The sudden news of hla movements brought Ileana to her feet. The young man left hla craft end sticking In the water find cam toward her! He was lull, brown, slim and swift. Hi gait waa tha gait or tha hun ter coming after the deer he lias wounded. His gaze mado Ileana conscious of her bare legs and arms. Tha open ahlrt exposed her throat. But there wa no lima to purotect herself. Hefor ahe could put up her hands the young Greek caught her head and klased her full upon the mouth again and again. Against her will her Hps parted and re sianded to tha touch of hla. And yet aha fought against his embrace and pried herself frca of the en circling arms. It waa the kiss! Running away from her pursuer, she arched her self away every time he caught up with her; their heads touching like tho apexes of two half curves. The young man followed her through tho forest. Twice ahe broke away and ran a font a her logs could cany hor. Twice she kept him at hay with her furious poe and her hlMnIng voice when he had caught up with her. "Hut, listen, I want to talk to you," ha said, standing still, hla body panting, his voice vibrating with emotion. "I have watched you for days and days from the other shore. Listen, maiden." Like a furious torrent came her anpry answer. "Hah, It Is because 1 am a gypsy girl with bare legs and arms that you think you may kiss me. Tou think you can! That's what It Is. Tou would not do that to one of the girls In your village. I know you -would not. You would talk to her first nt the dance before the tnn. 'You would send your mother to see her mother. I know you would." And after evading him again she ran so fast when she had finally reached her home he was far be hind. Angry with him and her self, her heartbeats like tripping hammers on a dull anvil, she went out on the porch from where she could see the spot upon which the log raft laden with golden melons was beached. Sho sow the young il reck return to the craft. He made as If to float it again, but re inalned standing, his face turned toward whore she had disappeared The house was so hidden hy lumps of biiNhes and trees one oiild not see It from below. From where Ileana was standing he young Oreek appeared even taller than he actually was, be cause of his slimness and the blue sky that stretched bthlnd him. She aw him alt down near the raft In v dejected mood with his back bent ind hla head between his knees V little later ahe saw him get up and move again as if to push the .raft bach Into the waters. Her heart went out to him as she saw nun make thes attempts to leuxe The Danube waa angiv. The ,er wera dangerous. The wave were high and noisy. The gypsy Wood In her urged her to run to the river and throw her arms at-out hw neck and ask him to stay She Ml like telling htm ihsl he the real man sh had born lit lug foi ail theM yrar. Htie 'ill lived in l e tt and Ihe wirmth of his V., Ihe imprint of wlii. h llngervd upon her hp ltolh limes whin Ii, f. r,l he ,H rertilV . IMOli h tn el fill t1'"l tt'-'d h.tlf v thrmia the young t i. AM U.lh Inn' the nun tin l-hl in !. Hinai 1.-4 that it f ih4 ww t. ihrvw i . if at n un Ik" l II U. ! t I -l fkhl I 4 .'tat lb ' . e I" I- ..- and wi B.4i M ': I ! iH K 4.1 (. I r 4. .. I t-m Hi, ll J- - t i'4 - wm uiv"4i.lit ihe vi.r i.,it Uk VxliM t-i.aj iixi at U at ! ' le " i. a 't ' i t- w w-al ti . i. I tfc. ie i n t ! ' -kt 1.4 . . iX t i I She saw the smoke tf a camp fir lining. Why ilid he not ronm to lui? Why did he not try to find her? Ah! 'J'hoHe golden melons kept lain near the rift. He fiunl to abandon them, sho rifh-cti-d for a while on the man's full to have his llfo checked becnusn of a few liiu:ikineliiiiM!Then the thought came to tn-r that they might be the whole, harvest of the year, that he w-ns carrying the bind to marhet; that uno had to prepare flour and bird fur the winter. How rhe would like to Hharn thu lard ami flour with him! Yih! She wmild go to blin u 111 tin later-at d.iun. Ho was Ihe real man. I In bad pasNed by on a log ruff. He hnd seen her for the first time. Ho had benched his craft. Hn had embraced her, nnd now, Instead f continuing bis. way down tho river, ho had lighted a rump fire and was walling. She would go to hhn. Yet maybe ho was only waiting until the river' anger had passed. He might not be wait ing for her nt all. She must wait until dawn. At dawn she would go down, casual like, to tho shore. Hut at dawn, although the river wns quiet and Inviting to a craft liko his nnd he was still there, her mother's blood counseled she must wait; wait to see what else he might do. Her mother's blood ad monished, "See what come from throwing one's self at a man with out knowing hhn. I did It Anl what have I suffered!" So Ileana did not go to Ihe shore, but re mained on the porch to watch the young man's movements. If he remained there until sun down she would then talk to him, she decided. Ileana repealed to her self all she would say to him. No, she waa not going to tell him any thing at all. For aurely he had dared to kiss her only because she waa a frypsy girl. Had sho been dressed In tha garb of her mother's people the young Oreek would never have acted a he had. Would he take her to hi village? But why should ahe care? Nobody else had ever come toward her with rapid feet and outstretched arms. Nobody had risked his life for her as this man hsd why should she wait un til sundown? For he might take It Into his head to meet, some other woman. Surely ha was the man the hind her own father had been. To him surely ahe was not the first one for whom he had ever risked hla life. And every time he had done that for a woman he had honored her! And now that he had done that for her, he who had probably kissed so many, many wo men and won them, he might soon be again on his wny down the river to meet a hundred others like heri a hundred others waiting on the shore even as she was waiting, hap py for the chance of being kissed. And yet, there he was! With his raft beached, nnd he had waited the whole night for her. Where was she to get any better man than that? She looked down the slope of the shore. He was sorting over his mel ons and throwing away those that had become overripe. Ileana watched him as he looked over his load of golden fruit, nnd when she saw how many melons he had hart to throw away she trembled lest h depart immediately. He looked lonn ;it the diminished load. In the crisp stillness she thought she heard him igh. It means so much less flour Very little Hurd. And the winter is old and long. As she stood there she began I" under why her father hud not been home that night. Wrhy should he have failed to tell her that he was to be away the whole night playing? That was not at nil like him sitir-e her mother died. About midday she learneil what Mad happened to her father. A half down men and an irate woman iHHimv.l upon the house, r.efore Ileana had had lime to Interfere hey had searched every nook and orner. There was no need for words. The fury of the men, I heir bloo.lt.hot eyes, and their ihnchln-; fisi told her what had happened. And hi r h'-ai t leaiel for joy. So It had come lk! V what a nun he w! And ih.tt Oreek hoy yonder there' I I was nearmg the .i-ond sunm-t m. the had S"n hint. She saw him over the gulden melon again The h-t of the tun had owrrip net! iiHM many. Me threw Ih.-m There hardly tuiouu-4 one bit If of I he k4 he htd br bed 'h day tf..re He btd u-ked hi" !.f nl now he u ihn'Wiiif twtt ii.i'f bis bsite-.!. b'f of ih f .-if m l l.tid he woi' l -t ! p b, i .I o.i.ti ih w.nu-r Slill h ilciI'M h.m. lit hi -,t Itr f iller wi.ui'l bv fui I (.i-t Wiiri llii tt.m lit .tv - u ,.i.i! l,-r e. hi ui l .r bi.imi nil n r r -il .,f h t-i."i J' kti'n i ,t I ... ii. l.i ii i ll I u.r t H-r i.j I mi 1. 1 h &, .j i,- l S-i t i I" to -" i i. , 4 :"'. .i ! 'i . .it llH l- .1 II .l :fi .1. .ll wtj lee g4--.l tf ii . VV .i to .V i t.ii . a. a -! ' -t i r r I '.. a .. u t i i.. u. i- r ' .' I duly she could umlerxiand uch a man ns ln-r fnihi-r. 'J hero, he had allowed life to uguln take hold of him. What in. hi. iv. I It if a half iliicri or a ilozeii rin'H Wcru scout ing the (ountry to find him and the woman be bad nlulm? What mat tered it if he die while attempting to live? How she lnvid her father! Ib.w sh" ndinlre.l lilin! Yet nho remembered the long vig ils of her mother. The anguish. The anxiety. She reculii-d vividly enough hi r mother's end. The sharp email as the bulb t paused through the thin pane nnd the dull thud of her mother' Irfidy as it fell limply upon the floor, without a rry, with out a word, like a toy broken by a wanton child Who was that fii-eek boy on th shore? Should she throw herself Into his arms just la'cmme he had dared to kiss her? And would be not mock her afterward? What did It matter to these "pulac.-irls" what a tziganca fell? Hut he was making ready to camp the second night. He was gathtrlng wood. He was sorting over tho rest of the golden balls of which only a small pile had re mained. He risked a winter of cold and hunger waiting for her. She watched him light the fire. As tho smoke began to rise ngnlnst th blue sky her resistance melted. In voluntarily her feet moved through the young forest toward the camp fire, She wanted to call out to him that she wns coming. She opened her mouth, but emitted no sound. As if a loud drum muted, she sat down to regain her composure. One could not. go to the eampflre of a man while one was unable to speak. What would he think of her! The brown smoke rose RgKlnst the tonus sky, denser and higher. The crackling of the fire punctured th splashes of the waves beating against the shore. From afar a. muezzin on the other side of the Danube was calling the faithful of Allah to prayer. The church bells this slda of the river were ringing. Sheep were bleating and calling for their young. The dogs barked to herd them together while the shep herd played plaintive melodies on his reed flute. Ileana, sitting o na tree clump, absorbed all that while she watched the young flreek feeding the fire. He sat down and began to sing a romance, the words of which she did not understand, except that word which recurred again and agnln, "glncka" (young lady). But why did he not look for her? Why did he not search the woods for her If he loved her? He might only he waiting for lietter weather. No. No. It was the wny of the conqueror. He knew she would come back. They had oil come back to him after they had tasted his lips. A pleasant, voluptuous warmth Invaded her body and sang In the blood of her veins. She awoke hours later. Tho crackling camp fire was smoldering slowly. The click of a fish coming up for air echoed on the quietly flowing river. The young man had curled up his brown head resting In the crook of his arm and was sleeping. Ileana watched him from the dis tance. The small load of golden f in i t shone under the flat silvery light. What a pitiful small pile It now was! What a proud load it had been the day before yesterday, when he hud veered the raft and benched It with ono clever, dangerous move mi nt of his arms. He had sacrificed nil that for her. Yet if he were n real man why. he would not have remained there to wait so long for her. He would have gone on and found other women. Suddenly she heard the voice of her father culling her. She ran toward the house. He caught her In his arms. ' Where have you Utn, Ileana?" he asked. Hut she knew he did not want an answer. "Tell me. Tell me." she lugged. Ilia face was young again. There w.ts the old fire In his eye. Has anyboy been here'"' he uuestloned. "A d-tten nu n and women." she ex .-ik-geiatitl. "with knives and pia lots and shuiguns. Tell me, who I vbe?" Hut ha would not ttll her et Father and daughter sat down in Ihe room and talked in the dark. He had found loule f-r thfl while lth a Tmt.ir filriul of his Ihe olhei side if Ihe raw. In a few weeks. 4 in h si Ihe lute!, he would itutn Willi b.r Mi nrd hlui ii. (h,y w.iil.l li. i l.nii.r ii,.M hlui ill Hie . l f, e ll.MI-" ' He a MillkB. i ha th'HD .' Vud if e.v i n wmiled i.i henr k 0 -ui in' he the . 1,1 y mo, Sl, kin Ik l"d h M- H.iil.W 1 . Ii II ill. d Hi fi i nf wi u . i it l it b.r ..,1 dm 1. 1 i t tl.i-in ll l W'-'V l i- I.I ,i Vt . ! Ili'i o. I ' l- -' -.-.it M ' :"-". l " , . r. f .! i- - .1 .1-4 d .i. it , l,.c it I I4' li ' ' " I -' ' ' " " " - l, I I, I I t - 1 . - I. . , i I-,. , I ,.!..' 1 1 , .i. i I r ... t . . I . ( 4. i . -1 - i- i a I1, f ig ? t I i . i - . ' i i ii i ii ' ' ' -.. 1 t 1 1 , ,t - I Mi tika a ho run townnl hi daugh ter. Hut even ns sho waved her arms and called nloiid, tho brown speck; lMcatue fainter und fainter as It went further down the river, rid ing on tho creat of a swift cur rent. Miiika did not understand, could not understand why she ran down to the shore, why she yelled, why she stood there and waved her iirms and tore her hair and beat her client wild her fist. It was broad daylight. Ho had to go. The wom an was waiting for him. Ileana threw herself down on the shore enh.'iiiHteil. tired. It seemed to In r that at all time there had been two Hennas a gypsy fill und a Jewess. When the gypsy girl was running toward lu r love, the Jewess barred the way. When she wanted to call out the other one choked her, stood between her and her life, advising her against her self. Why hail sho iK-en born two Instead of one? And Ileana beat her "head where It seined to her that the Jewess girl resided! Tho whole day she cried, ami quarreled with the other blond In her. Toward night the gypsy Ileana won the battle over the other one. Henceforth, she was going to net as a pure blooded gypsy as her father had. Happen what might afterwards! But will he ever re turn? In the sflllnoss of the night Ileana's father came home again The metal of his voice and the alert ness of his step told her that he hnd become young again. With one Jerk nt the yoke of fate he had shed the weight of years which had been bending his shoulders and strangling his voice. "Hush," he said to his daughter. "Have they been here again?" "Twenty men," lied Henna. "Twenty?" It made him happy to think so many were hunting for him. Ho did not even ask why she had acted so queerly early the previous morning. "Is she young? Is she beauti ful?" Inquired Ileana. "O, yes," Mltlka answered. "She Is both young and beautiful. And now I shall tell you who she Is. She Is the daughter of Ilyea, the baknn (grocer.)" r "She!" wondered Ileana. "Only a 111 t ie over my age." She threw her arms around her father's neck, and he had to tell her everything again. Hut she must not tell anyone of this! Not even to Nltxa. "Nitza!" she exclaimed. "My God! Did you think I was In love with Nitza?" she then told her father nbout the raft which bad passed by two days before and about the golden melons the young Greek boy had thrown Into the river, nnd about the battle she had had within her breast, and how, when she had finally vanished the other, sldo of her, the man and the raft had gone! "Poor, poor daughter," Mitika cried. "Rut why did you not go to him? He waited for you. Tic was a real man. Not offe who begs love. One who takes it. Even as I." "Hecause the other blood was still alive." The following morning found Ileana again on the shore nf tha Danube with her hah- hanging over her white, wide open shirt, and her legs In the water up to lu r knees. She was no longer Interested in the Turkish shallops nnd the Greek kaiks that passed by. She watched for that raft of yesterday at the same place and In the same kind of dress. And day after day, from dawn to dawn. Ileana, the daughter of Mit Ika, the gypsy violinist, and of the Jewish mother, waited for the re turn of the man who had conquered her. Fall followed fall. Many rafts laden with gold mi-Ions passed by. but not one was veered and beached suddenly. She would have recog nized him by bis movements abme, the way he would run toward her with open arms, halting midway, as a hunter approaching a wounded doe. Slowly, silver threads sl.de Into the long black hair. Year after year she w.titi-d from sunrise to Ntind.iwn fi.r the man who had not heard her rail him bark. Twenty years later. 30. 40 years later, a shrunken old wi.in.in, with f-.,e lurched and f..l.l. d bke a mummy's with hair as white as sun, and eye turned blur fmia gaiinc so long Umn the In. mil, mill uVr.vd in whit ulet.H-n still 1. hrr stiff blown bt bar to lit kne. Mill ;ul,.l I t tie n 'uro ,-f il, n.ih who. but f-.r the t.thi-r .,1 in her veins, wi.ul t h.n tak rn b.'l to h villi, ire. AM the r. tmt tou -knii l n t..w lbs h.i t.f tie rtr t yt ui tt l-i h.. I 1- l. I d !,. t.f . .l-i (.!. I . I n -.g II. ll'W i.ll . , . I i, (... I t) II--- I ii 1 4 I .. . . t-i ! I ' I -I ' r, 4 .i: ; It. I , I'l . ' ..ll.l f , .., 'h 4 v t -a j. , I . , Sir , . T. f i .- . v i -t -f 1 - ,ii f. -... u ' - I ll '-.itt fc'-..-'l ..." .1 ' 4 ii if f t