Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-08-03
CUBA'S BEAUTIES.
Afternoon Beauty Shows in the
Streets of the Cities.
Broad, Cool Window Sllls, and
Their Loads of Pretty Girls
Fans Turned 10 Use in
Filtration.
Nav York Sun. ]

New York SUM-
Every Cuban city resolves itself into
beauty show every afternoon When the
hot suns rays slant so as to I'll the streets
with shade. the pretty girls, dressed in their
thin. lighthued costumes, poe themselves IN
picturesque attitudes in the windows, and en-
ioy looking out upon the street scenes and be-
ing looked ut in return. The windows are
rs big Us stable doors, and the sills which are
as wide as an ordinary sofa, and composed of
cool marble squares or china tiles,
are only foot, or, at the most,
two feet above the sidewalks. On
these broad sills, the pretty, big-orbed, Ian
guild beauties seat themselves in tailor fashion,
Or lie at half length, resting their backs
against the window frame and displaying
their small, high-arched, ard bigh-lieeled
shoes, and sometimes an inch Of gay silk
hose. | never saw one reading; in fact,
never saw anybody read in Cuba. Every
club has library, but the collections OF vol
unies are very slender, and seem to be usually
dusty and abandoned looking. The women
and girls sometimes hum a pretty Cuban
tune, sometimes chat or comment on tho
'assers by, but oftener are content to le III
dreamy indolence, flaming themselves with
that easy, graceful mastery Of their huge
fans peculiar to Spanish and semi-SpaIiisb
women
LANGUID BEAUTIES.
They lnck viyacity. They are inactive.
saw every sort of them. and the only olie
who in my presence exhibited energy enough
to run from mouse was a ballet dancer i'll a
theatre. In a parlor in Santiago six or eight
were entertaining company The night was
cool, as all nights are in that night of prom
Use, and a company Of healthy American
girls would have shone at their best. Some
would have romped. Some would have
Iaugbei outright OF the mental efforts of
others: not 70 the Cuban misses. Each girl
,anls=fanguidly in, dropped into rocking
chair, opened u huge fan, and took a light
part in a very light conversation. To be sure,
thew were proportionately as active in COM
parison with the men as American women
are for the heat subdues energy to such a
iegree that one never sees man hurry, or
Allow himself to be disturbed by work. A
'ew hours of GOODNESS in the evenings will not
suffice 10 overthrow the results of everyday
heat On boari the Wards steamer New
,,si, coming from Havana early in Navy
when the ocean atmosphere was INTERESTINGLY
eool, a number Of young New York men eli
ieas ored to arouse the ladies, all Cubans or
Spaniaryis, but they would not walk or dance
~ even talk very much The most that
,ould be coaxed from them was an occasional
Spanish or creole balled, sung SO sweetly and
with such unlocked for spirit every time and
,yevery lady, that all the passengers crowded
the social hall, and even struggled for room
il, the gallery overhead.
A STRANGERS SURPRISE.
The first time stranger walks along a
Cuban street and secs all the ladies lolling in
the Oriental windows he is greatly astonished.
MIR Randall, the superintendent Of public in
,;ruction in Rutland said he felt as if he was
intruding When he went in the houses he
saw trees growing there, and when he came
cut. where trees We're to be expected, he
walked between lines of ladies, until at last
be decided that he could not tell when he
was indoors and when he was out He took
to the park to make sure. But equally
astonishing is the difference between
these beautiful women and their not
very handsome husbands and brothers The
men are thin and dried-ip looking with very
dark skin and, SO far as could see, hair in
variably black. They dye their systems
with ncessant coffee drinking. and tan them
selves with sunshine and tobacco. But look
along the double row of beauties M the win
dows How many blondes you seel How
many pink checks and light tresses, And
nearly all the women are either plump or
evidently on the way 10 stoutncss. Tobacco
has not died, or coffee tinctured, or sunshine
baked those faces, necks, and arms, III the
darkest of which there is no hue except that
Of the blending of the olive and the rose
FAN FILTRATION.
There is IA love of mischief in some of the
full orbs that are turned upon a stranger in
the streets. and il he be inclined to flirt he
will he pretty certain to get revelation of
the possibilities of the pastime Cuban girls
hnNe got flirting down TO q science a New
York girl is clumsy AZ it beside one of these
maidens The Cuban girl must have her fan
with her or she won't engage in the tele
graphic combat. Without fan flirting is
raw and clumsy. With one it is artistic cleo
trio, and instead of requiring boldness is
heightened by sugg sstion OF mOdesty. Then,
again it is more safe, for il man who has
had dozen playful messages flashed
to him from behind fan should presume 10
hasten matters 10y any imprudence, the
Cuban girl has only 10 close her fan and look
nj him with cool surprise, and he will doubt
his own senses and 90 away uncertain
=, A.. a Il.
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of the fan, or just at the side of it, shot di-
rect at the mark, and then replaced by view
of demure round face, Respondent with its
coal-blacls eyes and ruby lips. turned calmly
In another direction, and wearing the expires
sion of a statue. There Is probably no more
Irritation in Cuba than anywhere else, but
this habit the young women have of resting
in The windows is taken advantage OF 10y the
young men. and curious custom has grown
out OF it.
CURIOUS CUSTOM.
IL . vn,,,s, man is Spiff.An iy tho cha rms ut