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Show ' " I HI II I ! I I - .l OLD POLISH CAPITAL CORRESPONDENT WRITES OFTHE CHARMS OF CRACOW. City Has Many Beauties, and Its Citizens Citi-zens Are Refined and Gentle Scenes In tho Market Held'ln tho Great Square. Is It not truo that cities, llko houses, rolled tho characters of thoh Inhabitants? Inhabi-tants? Somobody said that Dorlln haB tho nlr ot a rich, well-fed woman who Is dressed by tho most uxpcnslvo modistes mod-istes and has everything that money can buy but novcr tlio unpurchnsablo quality of charm. Now, Cracow Is her opposlto; sho ls llko a lady of anclont but unhappy raco conscious but uncomplaining un-complaining of her groat sorrows; sho Is fascinating, distinguished, simple. Cracow, smell as It is, la tho heart of Poland, nnd In Poland'u days of freedom, free-dom, long ago, was Its capital. Hut tho object ot this littlo artlclo Is not to rolato tho tragic history of Poland, but Just to glvo a brlof .Bkoteh of tho slmplo llfo In boautltul Cracow, beforo tho war began. In tho middle of tho town ls tho great squaro whero stands tho splendid splen-did church of Our Lady. Thoro Is a cqvorod market, whero tho stalls aro mostly kept by Jews, but In tho open nro tho peasants from tho coun try with their milk nnd cheeso, vogo-tables vogo-tables nnd poultry. Tho peasant women wear gay-colored clothes and carry hugo burdens on tholr backs, a dozen milk cans, a bundlo of brushwood, brush-wood, a bushel of bread baked In great loaves nearly two yards long. In tholr high clumsy hoots thoy trnmp sturdily along, qulto nblo and willing to do a man's work In tho world as woll as to bear a woman's burden. A lady who visited Cracow shortly heforo tho outbreak of tho war was greatly Impressed by tho burdens hot no by pcoplo of a littlo hlghor rank than tho peasant. Theso burdens woro mostly geeso white, long-nqeked, long-nqeked, squawking goose. Evory other oth-er man, woman nnd child Bcomod to bo carrying a gooso. Sometimes they wcro carried under tho nrm of tlio purchaser. Often under each arm, sometimes In n carpot bag with long nock protruding and tho bright eyes eagorly searching tho passers-by ns though enjoying the novel rido. Sometimes Some-times a basket contained as many ns threo rocso and romtlmes they woro slung ii'icoromonlously over tho shoulder shoul-der of tho owner, their legs tied together to-gether nnd tholr necks crnnod up to provent a rush or blood to the head. Now nnd then a atout lady would pass with a gooso In tho otuplo bosom of iter dress or coat, only tho head ot tho fowl showing under her chin. Tho geeso woro generally treated with consideration and icspcct, children stopping to caress tholr snaky necks. It was nurd to bollovo that thoso pets woro doBtiucd for tho pot on tho mor-row. mor-row. To bo suro thoro wero other things for salo Resides geeso; rolls ot golden butter and lpavcs of cheeso folded together In a way that you novcr nov-cr soo outsldo Poland. In another part of tho great squaro Is tho vogotablo market, with ita grcon nnd purplo cabbages, cauliflowers cauli-flowers and Ilrussela sproutB; salBlfy, onions, and dried mushrooms on long strings worn llko a necklaco over tho necks of tho vonara. , Hut on gooso market day In Cracow Cra-cow -tho center of tlio stago bolongs to the, gooso. A fow abashed hens woro offorcd for Bale or a loncsonio turkey, but they seemed to fool thoy hnd no right thoro, and woro ready to hldo tholr heads. In tho center of tho square aat tho public wclghor with his scales. If nn old lady felt Hint alio hnd been given short wolght for half a pound ot buttor sho brought It to him to weigh, and ho oven took a hand In tho disputes about tho Blzo nnd quality qual-ity ot tho geeso. Tho pcoplo that you boo in"" tho streeta of Cracow aro beautiful to look upon. Thoy do not look rich, but thoy know how to wear worn clothes with a kind of natural olognnco. Then their fncos nro expressive, clean cut and flno: thoy know how to walk nnd how to stand, thoy aro not rudo, but gentle. What la to bo tho destiny of thoso clover, refined, unforlunato Polos wo do not yet know. Exchange |