Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-06-04
A CARNIVAL BALI IN CUBA.
81 snes In the Casino Espanol-A Laby-
rinth of Artificial Grottoes.

rinth of Artificial Grottoes.
The orchestra has taken their seats on
q miniature stage built in he corner
which faced both of the large rooms
stretching out at right angles to each
other, and whose floors of white marble
were covered with persons, most Of
whom were in dominos or fancy costumes
and masked. promenading up and down.
The few men who were not masked
wore ordinary afternoon or business
suits, only one dress suit being visible,
and few of the ladies, even those not in
dominos, wore low-necked dresses.
liter an Introductory overture, the
orchestra at the Casino Espanol on the
night in question struck into the first
dance of the evening in "Vals Tropical"
The Cubans have two kinds of waltzes,
that just mentioned and the "Vals
Strauss" which last more nearly resem-
bles our own American movement. The
~Vals Tropical consists of one move
ment, soft, melodious one of about two
hours in length, played over and over
again. The time is very slow and the
air is languishing and enticing. Hardly
had the first notes sounded when the
room was filed with dancers, and in a
moment it seemed as if human wave
rose and fell with the same voluptuous
measured cadence as the strains of the
orchestra. The step taken was the waltz.
but the movement was so slow that the
the dancers really only walked to and
fro in il. Without the exchange of a
word and with perfectly immovable
faces, couple would see-saw back and
forth for fully ten minutes, then sud-
denly stop, walk around or sit down,
and as suddenly go at it again.
A typical Cuban family were my near
neighbors. The father, short and very
stout gentleman, who was evidently an
officer of the club from the Difference
that was paid him, was nearest me.
Then came two daughters, aged, respect
lively, about II and 20 years, and both
very pretty, with the blacklist hair and
eyes, pearly teeth, and delicate complex
ion-their faces for wonder not covered
thickly with the white Cascarilla powder
which disfgures the majority of the
Cuban women; and then the mother, a
fine-looking, gray-haired woman of about
As. The daughters were dressed very
plainly in high-necked colored lawn
dresses. They wore gloves, but no
jewelry, and carried handsome fans ex-
quisitely painted by hand. The mother
wore plain black silk and velvet, with
fine old lace trimmings, and her few
diamonds sparkled with an unmistakable
luster. Every now and then the son, a
young man of about "a, would come up,
whisper few words to his mother, and
go away again to join some companions.
The party watched the dancing intently,
but did not converse much, the daugh-
tiers casting glances around from under
their long eyelashes once in while that
would make the average American want
to leave at once unless he could know
the fair archers, but as quickly and de-
murely dropping their eyes again if they
found themselves observed too closely.
As thu lancers neared its conclusion and
the "rumti-iddleum" of the grand chain
began, beaus began to arrive, at first
singly, then by twos and threes. These
youths, all well dressed and well man
nered, invariably spoke first to TIN,
father, then shook hands with the daugh-
tiers in turn, and then, after bowling to
the mothers, sat down and talked with
the latter. In a few minutes, conse-
quently, the good lady was surrounded
with beaus, all talking and gesticulating,
while the fair daughters still sat alone.
This continued until the next dance, a
@Vals Tropical" began, when suddenly
two of the youths left the mother and,
evidently by previous arrangement, Of
fered their arms to the daughters, and
were soon with the latter treading the
slow measures of the to us curious
dance.
After enjoying some delicious ices
brought in we decided to leave this ball
for one at another club some blocks
away. BY this time it was nearly mid
night, and the waning moon only half Lit
the streets still thronged with maskers
all shouting and laughing, but, strange
to say, in every few instances intoxi-
Gated. As we walked along tall, un-
gainly negress, fantastically clad in sack
ing, strobe by us muttering to herself
and with crowd Of gamins following
and hooting at her. The lady of our
party drew back in fright. only a
crazy woman said our Cuban COM
panions. "They allow them to roam
about the street here Coming to a
block where the sidewalk was under an
arcade we took the middle of the street,
and TO my wondering query as to the
reason for this procedure was told that
there had been several persons stabbed
of late under these dark archways, and
hence the precaution.
So through the narrow streets of the
city we pursued our way until a corner
turned. revealed a wider street filled
with people in front of low building
brilliantly illuminated and through
whose windows foated out again on the
warm air the strains of "Vals Tropical.
1t was the clubhouse whittier we were
bound aud where a second ball was in
progress. A delay of few moments al
the doorway while our invitations were
carefully scrutinized ensued, and we
then entered the first of labyrinth OF
rooms made to resemble grottos. the
walls and ceilings being covered with
papiermache, corrugated and painted.
II