The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-07-31

Back Door View OF the Domestic and
Industrial Life of Cuba.

Back Door View of tho Domestic and
Industrial Life of Cuba.
1t was one sunny afternoon in Febru-
AIRY when We started, three of us, for O
little tour Of discovery up one of the
small rivers which drain the beautiful
island of Cuba
We left the vessel in our dory, the
only small boat We had, and rowed
past q spanish gun-boat and through
swarm Of fruit-hghterers to the wharf,
10y the side of which the river enters
the harbor. As we went up by the
wharf. the two guards. who are always
on watch there, came to the side and
looked into our boat to see that we
smuggled nothing ashore, but being
satisfied Of our peaceable intentions,
they sauntered back to q crowd of
loungers, while We passed on.
We pass first the fruit houses of the
different shipping firms, where we see
cocoanu's piled up, as we here are &C
customed to see coal in the sheds, and
then past battery OF back doors which
open right on to the river. Here we
have grand chance to study the do
mestio life OF the Cubans, and in some
instances the sights that we saw we're
very amusing. One thing that we no.
ticed which struck us as beng rather
peculiar. was that all the ladies smoked,
not the dainty little cigarettes which
some of our American girls have been
known to indulge in, but real long,
strong cigars, "casadoras" as they call
them. 1t was like listening TO music to
Al N. Il. al A1s Arrn
language / never before heard.
The next object of interest that we
pass is the cocoanut mill where oil
broken or bad nuts, and in fact every
thing that would otherwise be wasted,
are ground to make cocoa or palm oil.
This is on the outskirts of the town,
and soon after leaving it We pass mar
row, deep channel of the river, with n
banana grove OH one side and tangled
mass of wild grape on the other. Here
the sea breeze is broken and the stream
is as still as a pond. There is no sound
except the splash of our oars or the oc-
casional whistle of bird, and as we
float lazily onward it seems hard to be-
heve that it is not all a dream. Still
more unnatural does it seem as we come
W all OpoulhS ohu oCO uhC"u VI 40 ~
grove of tall, stately palm trees, and it
is no wonder that to our unaccustomed
eyes the scene is one of delight and
surprise.
Just beyond the palm-grove is ford
in the river where we expected to be
obliged to drag our boat, but we pass
it all right. and here novel sight pre-
sents itself to our view. All along both
sides OF the river, standing in the water
are women and children, mostly black,
washing clothes. Their manner of
washing is very different from what We
had seen anywhere else, and is certain
ly one of the most peculiar features of
the people. They stand in the river
and rinse their clothes, and then pound
them on the smooth, fiat rocks which
line the edge of the water, and hang
them to dry on the bushes all around.
Wekept on through the files of wash
ers, who paid no particular attention to
us, SO that we had good chance to
watch their operations. We noticed
that almost all of them after washing
their clothes took ducking themselves,
which is quite an advantage they have
over the American washerwoman.-
Cor. Portland Transcript.