Wednesday, October 10, 1945
Page Four
f MI LA GBANDE EVENING OBSERVER, LA GRANDE, OREGON
. R. Williams
Our Boarding House
With Major Hoople Out Our Way
1
IF I wasn't born precisely In the
it was the next best thing, for I
spent the first years of my life in
theater and circus dressing rooms
in many lands, playing between
wardrobe trunks and slumbering
in an atmosphere of greasepaint
with the distant throb of the or
chestra as my lullaby.
Grandmother often told me that
I had been inconsiderate enough
to arrive in the world feet first.
But perhaps I should begin at the
beginning. . , .
. I was born on January 18, 1900,
in Wheeling, West Virginia, dur
ing one of the wildest storms and
coldest winters ever known in that
region. Mother was visiting my
grandmother, who was assembling
her company for the southern tour
- of the Hells-Floto Circus, Wheel
log being in those days a sort of
taking-off point for acts going
south for the winter circus dates.
My father was in 'Canada, and
mother had intended joining him
for the "blessed event," but I was
bom three weeks prematurely, the
result of an accident mother ex
perienced while out driving with
grandmama, in which she broke
her wrist. The shock not only pre
cipitated my birth but caused
complications which nearly cost
mother-her life.
My mother, Sofia Ouwaldo, was
an exceedingly beautiful woman,
with a dead-white skin and copper-colored
hair that enntrnsted
strangely with her vividly green
eyes. She was very tiny, with ex
quisite little feet but ujjly hunds
of which she was morbidly
ashamed, .especially when this de
fect was reproduced In me.
Grandmama used to say that
mother was a seventh child of a
seventh child and as a result had
second sight. I don't know just
how true this is, but mother In
sisted that she encountered ghosts
almost everywhere we went, oflcn
announcing she had just seen "Tio
Enrique, a favorite uncle, or some
other defunct relative who sent
his regards to everybody. Tills
happened so frequently w. even
tually took it us n matter of
course.
In addition to her beauty,
mother had a magnificent soprano
voice and was a finished musician.
She played botli piano and guitur
perfectly and had a vast knowl
edge of music. She hod made a
considerable reputation for herself
as a concert and grand opera
singer, under the stage name of
Maria de Lisle, both in Europe and
In the Americas. She had a child
ish dlsregnrd for the practical
things in life, living only for
music, yet she was devoted to me,
and looking back, I have a feeling
of intense odmlrulion for her and
the tilings for which she stood.
- In appearance she was totally
different from my grandmother,
who was also very tiny but with a
dark, almost oriental beauty fre
quently seen in the Andalusiun
gypsies, lovely feet and hands, und
jet-black hair so long she could
almost stand on it. She smuked
black Cuban cigars Incessantly,
loved to gamble, and, liko all gyp
lies, preferred to "borrow" rather
than buy anything she wanted.
GRANDMOTHER married very
(llluHtrattiil by doorKft Bcgrbo)
In Spain a woman in her early thirties is considered too old to
dance professionally,. so Grandmama decided to turn her uncanny
gift 0 nuke-ci(inniti0 to account. With this talent and her great
beauty, she created her famous act, "A Night in India'
out Spain as "La Maravilla" (the , playing specially written music on
young, In the Spanish custom,
and couldn't have been moro than
16 when she was alreudy a fumous
I flamenco dancer known through
Colorful Buys
Marvel). Her diminutive green
satin slippers are still prcrfrved
in a glass ease in the Posada de la
Sangre, an ancient hangout of
bullfighters In the gypsy quarter
of Seville, where the autographed
dancing slippers of many great
dancers of Spain aro reverently
kept, together with tho glowering
black heuds of famous buUs.
Grnndmnma's maiden name was
Lolita IJn7.il de Dclgado, and her
husband, my grandfather, was
Guillcrmo Oswnldo. lie must hove
been very handsome, to judge
from the little faded photograph
grandmama always curried. His
fumily had been owners for three
or four generations of n fleet of
small freighters that plied in and
out of the Port of Cadiz with
cargoes of fruit. Grandfather was
also an "abogndo, ' as lawyers are
called in Spain, and ho died rather
young to have had .such a large
family, for grandmama managed
to have 14 children and keep her
figure.
She was very slender as I first
knew her, and as she got older,
she seemed to shrink till there was
nothing left but her great black
eyes. After grandfather's death
she found herself obliged to return
to tho stage, for he had left very
little money. As far ns her own
people were concerned sho could
look for no assistance whatsoever,
having married out of tho gypsy
race, and thus, in their eyes, auto
matically forfeited her right to
mnko any call on them.
In Spain n woman In her early
thirties is considered almost de
crepit and far too old to dance
professionally, so after months of
struggling to make a "come
back," grandmama conceived the
idcu of turning to account her gift
of snake-charming which she had
learned from hor infancy and for
which sho had an uncanny talent.
WITH this talent and her great
" beauty, grandmama created
her famous act, "A Night in India,"
which rapidly became a star, at
traction throughout Europe and
tho United Stales. She hud her
own orchestra of Indian musicians
native instruments, with marvel
ous drum effects, and woro vividly
colored Indian costume. All this,
together with her ability as a
dancer, produced a sensational
artistic triumph.
Her power over snakes was
funlustic: she bought them wild
and trained them herself and
could handle any poisonous rep
tile without getting bitten, often
demonstrating this ability to direc
tors of zoological societies and
scientists. She said it was because
snake-charming was done not by
force but through the eyes and
with tho mind.
Snakes have to be washed
daily, and this was ono of my
duties. I would put them in a
bathtub of trepid water, stir them
around for a while, then take them
out and dry them carefully, after
which I rubbed them with warm
olive oil. Snakes love to be oiled
because it helps them to slide.
Some big ones (liko the boa I later
kept for years In my apartment
in Paris) lubricate themselves by
spitting out something that looks
like whipped cream. This has an
awful effect on servants, especially
if they happen to suspect where
it came from.
The business of "milking" poi
sonous snakes was a more serious
proceeding. Grandmama used to
put a piece of absorbent cotton in
a wine glass and cover it with
antiseptic gauze; then sho took the
glass In her left hand and tho
snake in her right, and with a
gentle pressure of her fingers
forced its mouth open and pushed
the fangs Into tho soft gauze. The
infuriated reptile would eject his
venom where it would drop harm
lessly on to the cotton.
She took the greatest caro of her
snakes, holding them in deep re
spect, and I can still recall her
when some momentous decision
was to bo made, consulting with
them in tho middle of the night,
by the light of a small lamp. The
greatest benefit I ever derived
from them was their usefulness In
getting unwanted guests out of the
house in a hurry and in negotiat
ing the customs when traveling.
(To Bo Continued)
5376
Behind the Scenes
In Wasliincloii
(Continued From Page 2
W5380;
nrd from San Anlnnio to Mex
ico, taking In many mure remote,
colorful villages than would he
Sim traveling by train. Another
14-day trip will lake tourists
through Virginia, the (.'aruhnas
and I ho Smoky Mountain Na
tional park.
To the ninth. thei"s in right
day trip planned from Yw York
In Montreal by t 1 a i n. then a
steiiiner to Quebec and a motor
trip through the Claspe Peninsula.
And now that "Is This Trip
Neeessiuv'.'" signs are coming
ilown, you tan c.o ahead ami plan
that pleasure tup with mi enn--eieliee
(alie,s.
By MMS. ANNE CABOT
The "spiral" rug is one you'll
r..'ver tire of eiurhel it in two
attractive contrasting enluis It
takes 4 balls of cotton nut y.un
in a dark shade, 4 ol lirjil color
Hug measures ;i;t inches in ili.un
eter. The rug in lower illus:ia
tion is imp uf those oM fasluoni .i.
colorful, hand-made braided
beauties!
To obtain complete instructions
for the lugs Crocheted K u v.
(I'atliun No. 5;i7(ll and the Miaul
ed Hug (Pattern No. .YIIMi send
15 cents in COIN (or KAi'll, plus
1. cent postage To reach pattern.
YOUR NAMI-", AI'DHHSS and the
PATTEHN NUMUKK tg A 11 11 e
Cabot, l.a Grande Evening Ob-
Official Records
Wuler turned off, October 9:
A. A Pulier. HU7 J fterson
.'Venue; Mis Paul tiersiel.
iV.lar stieet: Mrs. Ilelnur .lnl.n
mih. 2oii Y avenue.
Water turned on:
K. C. Willcnhurg. 407 M ave
11:.'. Mrs l.ulu IV Chlarson. 2711'
Thiitt stivet; A. O. Davenport,
llillli . avenue; Xena V. Ilullt,
l;lli Oak stieet.
.. .- 9
Iluilriirifj Permits
W. Y.d.ler. alter and lepa"'
one story brick business, lltllti1.
Adams .iv-.iuie, SHUHI.
More than :ii.tHI,0(l(l.l00 ctr.s
are consumed ill tile I' n i t f d
States in a normtil year.
,'ivcr, 7i'i Mission street. San
l-'i anclsco. Calif,
You'll unci gitt.; to knit and
Clocllet --tp.tlls to piece home
decorating ideas lovely sweaters
heiilooin doilies sevel al pages
of flee ilistluctlolis for quick gifts
in the newest .Anno Cabot Al.-
liL'.M. I'l lie 1 j eell'.s.
8928-
34-48
By SUE BURNETT
Here is a simple homo frock
with side buttoning, figurc-slmt-ming
lines ami a neat anil etti
eient air. 1 think you'll like it.
Pattern No. HtlLVS is designed
for si.es 114. ;ti. Hit. 4ll, 52. 44, 4ti
and 4 Sie ;ui renuues -I', yards
of ;t.ri or nil inch niateiial.
For this pattern, send 20 cents,
in COINS, your name, address,
sie desired, and the PATTERN
Nl'MHEU and Sue Burnett, l.a
Grande Evening Observer, "tin
Mission s'le't, San Francisco.
Calif.
Send for your copy ot the new
spring issue of Fashion just oft
the pi ess. Book full of smait,
uvi-lo-the minule styles. 15 cents.
MJtoJ'AFXMU ?P MJL mmML IETTLEHEA'OS REALIZE- CLOTCH, MK3Cra if THWS MOT
F B.Jfr' mLtk eEn.. D.vb m.u, I IHWASUDDE . WHATS.DESWIPedI GRAY- IT
ex4& Hi "Xff DET-lCIENiCY IN P6MENT ME WAS MHEU ff LOOKS LIKE J
JO' mm w QDikAnc Do-en K--. r--r- I vim v ckrTi MtroniH Tl1t -m 1 Jy,
. A GRAV HAIR. TO A MAN f CAUSED IT- PMARMACV Y
r fTgr I . - ; , - IN HIS PRIME ? BUT, $ YOO'EE ABOOT FROST. J?
.,. nf ;Sfe- I-'"'.' .."' BAH,- WHV SUOUL'D I J AS vOORRtED AS TO ME. y
MCrm py l"PU I funs kernels of- J- a grizzly tucked
. .ViltA cs?L A$i I :sfrWs: a wisdom, imto th& f in fog. thb r r
S MY WIFE AIN'T
, J HOME AMD I'M )
BUSY GETTIM' C
r' III
" " "7o-ii JRwiluv-S
1 S BORSJ IHIRTy VEAR5 TOO SOOM M;. . .
Boots and Her Buddies
By Edgar Martin
0Wf"AK5O A HUSBAND
OR VaJIKW
fOV2 f r-D, 1. Vki ; . J
i w r
LOrrtTwBV WE3EH?ICE, INC. T."M.' REG lJ PAT. OFF.
Freckles and His Friends
Merrill Blouse)
PTAIN COO, we NEED ) ME?
A MAM LIKE YOU IM Trir IN THE
SKITT CLUB SKITT
WHATWOULP lYOURRRSr
I DO IN A ASSIGNMENT
KIDS' CLUB? would be
iv lent, ur
ALL THESE
AWF0L PICTURES
OF YOURSELF
WMV DO YOU
IAA KT M P
N YOUR CLUB ?
TO ACT AS .) YOU SEE, IF WE GET INTO
LEGAL ADVISER.' ANY DIFFICULTIES WITH THc
I rif 11fTit , tA or r-s, len. ,P-
ON OUR SIDE WHO HAS
inn 1 leKirc I 1
s li T
Red Ryder
Fred Harman
JOSE, WHV M&? vf 1 HIDE , PAPA-' 1 (V 5! V 1 DO rtoT (' 5ELIE.VE' " (Tpat, rton.,u -t-, UMP- "
YOU fsVDT J JB(&KM ACCU5 F0R RPEIt-' Vf S. V JlJ SH.OOT-' 50r W ELSE. YOU -' feoU f Sv Ej 1?-m-?c rr f.cPl
CCTNE- GlrZfl EET HAPPEN WHEK 1 JtftiM -JJm HEE, SHOOT FiRsrj VOHERE EEsJ XMl X
Wash Tubbs
EASY.' THERE'S SOMB00Y 7 ARE '
N THAT BRUSH SPVINfi C?M I I'LL TAKE A LOOK-"
US." 1 SAW THE BRANCHES
rAOVEJ
By Leslie Turner
( f ) a. .1lia ynm self im formal subeemdeu 1
Alley Oop
By V. T. Hamlin
I Sure hope your hair
CUTS EASIER THAM OUR
VVHISKERS...WOW
Ti,r nr. rnfrrii ov;
hXTHINii LIKE "EM! f
IE
'A
you're the pastes rj
THING IM WATER ,T
I EVER SAW... OM. IT
V 6EE.' WHERE P i.f )
VO0 LEARN TO AXrA-L.V' J
W SWIM LIKE A I 6UESb.' J
T j:..-'! V
fEH, WE SAW HER VOOOLA, THESE THINGS V" anv ic. uC V
I 'Av.e VOU , BUTCH... ) ARE JOE. SAM, RED, ( HI, BOYSM THE AWSWER. 1
KI0C US DOWN, Si:OOP.,.ANPL.AL'&H-ri CM ) TO OUR J
WILL YUH r V ing gov THERE IS J ABOARD.' po AVERS'
v- . oavE' , )
A
4
1 -