San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-07-09

was little afraid we would arrive lata until
learned that it was the playful custom OF
the Jews to keep the poor bridegroom In
suspense by stringing the ceremony out for
a week, and that this wedding had already
reached its third day. In the neighbor-
hood Of the brides house the walls Of the
houses were ornamented with cabalistic
signs in red paint, which Jacob said were
placed there to keep the evil eye of. Inside
the brides house there were plenty Of indl-
cations that something Of a serious nature
was going on, and we were ushered into the
room where the bridal party was displayed.
The bride was seated at one end Of the room
on a divan surrounded by about a dozen
children, and all hands were busy eating pie.
At least the dish looked like pie. 1t appears
the poor woman had had nothing to do the
last three days but eat pie and sleep, and she
must keep it up for the four days longer. The
children seemed to stand it first rate, but the
blooming bride looked weary and ennuye as
she handed me piece of pie from her own
fair fingers l hope some day my stomach
will forgive me for the dastardly act was
guilty of in making it absorb that mouthful,
but it rebelled at the time
At the farther end of the room the bride
groom reclined with a hope deferred look in
his eye and a chunk Of that beastly pie in his
hand He looked sheepish enough. and do
not wonder, for If five minute ceremony
-rill make a cheeky American forget whether
be put the ring in his pocket or In his boot, q
a week of this sort Of a thing would land q
man in the asylum for feeble minded The
bride wished to know whether In America
the women were married the same as in
Morocco, and when told her they could get
married and go to keeping house in fifteen
minutes she sighed, looked sentimental and
took another bite Of pie Evidently inter
ested in what we were saying, the poor OUT
cast of bridegroom got up from his seat
and came over to take a hand in the CONVEX
sation, but before he had advanced five feet
the children started up, the bride screamed In
madenly alarm and he was pulled and POM
meled back to his seat by his infant tor
mentors, where he solaced himself with more
pic. There were serious indications that pie
was about to be passed again, so beat q
hasty retreat with indignant thoughts Of the
aendish cruelty which would keep that
youth and maiden stuf1ng pie for the next
four days and nights with twenty feet Of air
space between them s....
.@uuaIng q HOUSE IN Cuba.
One Of our oldest experiences was a visit
to genuine "cobijar" or Cuban house rails
ing A couple had been married About q
cabelleria Of land had been given them by an
old Montero father, and planters and yeomen
alike, some from as far as twenty leagues
away among the mountains, had come to
make q sort Of festivity out Of setting the
queer home upon its legs Over 100 men
were bere and their little ponies were teth-
cred for half mile up and down the road.
Two fat bullocks had been killed and roasted,
and there was no end Of roasted pigs and
tender lambs from the mountains, with all
sorts Of unnamable Cuban country dishes.
Perhaps a score Of men were employed in the
cooking alone There were casks of aguari-
diente and flagons Of cheap Catalan wine,
and these splendid, swarthy fellows made
many picturesque groups among the laurels,
palms, tamarinds and mignonettes which
here grow to the height Of our own Towering
locuSts.
But to me the construction Of the house
itself, as it arose in the wilderness garden,
under the lazy, visiting" sort Of efforts Of
the crowd, was fully as interesting. 1t was
built of quebrehacha lax breaker1 wooden
posts, interviewer with the long, straight
and thin saplings Of llaya, until complete
and most dsxterous network Of side walls
was made. 10lS woven Work Is perhaps
eighteen inches in thickness, and as rapidly
as it progressed upward a score or SO of qua
jiros forced into the chinks and interstices
hard plaster made Of clay, water and the
tough espartillo grass; SO that by the time
the casa de vivienda was ready for its roof,
as two or three days are consumed in Gu
! ban house raising, the sides are dry and solid
as a brick wall This particular structure
was about forty feet square in area, making
pretty comfortable home for a newly we'd
ded pair The roof went to tremendous
height at the ridge, and with its bellying
: arch of naya poles reaching out over rude,
wide porches, was matched with the broad
I leaves of the palma de manaca, a small spe-.
cies of palm, which serves for perfect shell;
: ter for aperiod of seven years.-Edgar l.
Wakeman's Cuba letter.
1uo UDsracIe IN the way.
; 81 fear it can never be. George" said the
maiden, sadly; '.there Is an insurmountabls
| obstacle in the way"
81 am sure can remove II, Laura" said
George earnestly, ''if you viii only let ma
Try" .... $1,000.
Laura pointed silently TO portrait Of her
father--a large crossed eyed man, with red
hair, square Jaw and foot like q canvas
covered ham. and George took his hat and
grouped his way out through the hall toward
the front door. He wasn't large enough %
=ea "a oostTUcJlon- ana he kn@w ~