Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-19
CUBA IN NEW YORK.
Clara BELLS Delightful Experience
With n Cuban Senorita.

win u CUBAN ScnOrita.
Last week wrote something about
friend from Cuba, and her admirable
methods OF keeping tolerably cool here in
New York. Beverages are an important
thing in her tre.tnent. But they are not
alcoholic, bless you. She calls negress,
and asks me what cooling drink I will
have-tamarind water, cocoanut water,
or juice of lines She recommends tam
arind water as the most wholesome and
cooling, but when she adds that there are
plenty of green cocoanuts fresh from
Cuba, and kept cool in the icebox, am
eager to drink cocoanut water. The du-
emma brings me glassful. 1t looks like
water from a pitcher that has had milk
in it, but oh, how delicious it is! How
soft and rich and sweet. Estella sips her
tamarind water in the other window,
caroling at the same time a Spanish drink
ing song that | cannot understand, but
which makes my very veins tingle with
pleasure.
Later, as we sprawl there in the win
dow, have glass OF tamarind water.
1t, too, is delicious. How well these trop-
ical folk understand how to keep cool and
comfortable in hot weather These drinks,
she tells me, not only keep them cool,
but regulate the system SO that they are
healthy and the blood is thinned and
kept in good condition. Why do we not
learn the lesson they teach? True, we
cannot all of us get, or all of us afford,
green cocosnut milk but tamarinds are
cheap, lines are plenty, lemons will do
as well, and the making OF them is so
simple no one needs to be told how. The
only question is whether you like them
sweet or acid, and that's mere question
of how much sugar you put in.
Pretty soon the luncheon bell was rung
and got lesson in eating. As passed
down stairs through the house 1 noticed
that every door and window was open,
and that everything was arranged for
GOODNESS. The hall floors were marble
the bedroom floors were OF hard wood
The upholstered rockers, chairs and So
fas had been put away in the garrett until
winter, and in all the rooms these articles
were Of cool rattan In the dining-room
stood table that | would like to have
had photographed. In the center rose
mound vegetation, small palm, some
coieus plants and some cobwebby, hair
leaved ferns, with a few blossoms above
the green. 4 great bowl of oranges and
grapes, dish of omelette, ): and few thin
sliced sandwiches of potted grouse and
white bread in another plate, kept the
fruit company. The colored man who
stood behind Estella with a fan-more
for style than for usefulness, think
poured our glasses full of light Spanish
wine from pretty stone fagon. could
not help noticing how cooling the lunch
con was designed to be. In an American
house would have had beefsteak, greasy
chops, or perhaps ham or sausages.
In the afternoon we enjoyed nap to-
gether, dressed as we had been, on the
roof, she in hammock and in her cot.
The canvas awning was drawn almost
completely over the roof, and the cool
ness and breeziness there surprised me.
The little palms rustled soothingly, the
flowers lent their perfumes to the air,
and the songs of the birds in the park
came family on the breeze. At half-past
o'clock we drove through the park and
upon the road, being permitted to take
the place Of the jelly-like duenna.
At dusk the father and brother came
up from down town, and clad in suits of
summer twilled goods like thin duck,
and we sat down to regular course din
ner-another meal especially designed to
meet the requirements of the thermome-
ter. First there was thin, clear conso-
mine soup, then boiled fish, then roast
chicken and lettuce salad, and after that
ice cream, fruit, Neufchatel cheese and
small cups of coffee. Before the coffee
and all through the meal light brand OF
claret was drank, every one thinning his
portion with settler water. In the even
ing the gentlemen proposed cards, and
Estella entertained us then and afterward
with Spanish songs, some of which so af-
fected her father that he clapped his
hands, hummed the refrain or closed his
eyes and rocked to and fro as the magical
music rose and fell on the air.
At night, when l disrobed behind the
screen on the roof acknowledged to my
self that had never spent a pleasanter
day. was little disturbed ut having
to undress in the open air, and could not
| help thinking that perhaps there might
| be somebody somewhere around, but !
was not too foolish-only q little so, and
UNDRESSING MS qulChiy 40 poosi"io So'
under the bedclothes. Then came new
torment. / imagined the air full OF IN
sects, spiders and beetles. Happily,
while I was thinking OF them, l fell
/ asleep.
had agreed to get up early and go to
church with my little Catholic, and the
sun was only knee-high in the heavens
when we started for the cathedral, she
and and the jelly-like duenna. Those
two went on their knees before the altar
and walked around the great cool tenn
pie and stared, am afraid, like barha-
rian.
When we returned to the house OF my
brown-eyed friend, the man servant
brought each OF us q cup OF coffee and !
biscuit, and l was handed two towels ane
hidden to take hath. never saw o.
/ dreamed nj Such q hath as that WAS The