The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-08-24

further south the peasant mans dress ID
of red calico, shirt ana paataloons, the
shirt coming outside the pants and
beIted at the waist, aud his feet are COW
cred with sort of coarsely woven straw
shoe and his ankles are swaddled in rags.
The better class of poor people or the
ordinarily well-to-do men here wear
long coats, with top boots, and the Ma
t1onal cap is worn by nearly every
one. This is to a large extent the
costume of the rich, though the wealthy
all over the civilized world dress much
the same as we do. The difference here
is largely in the quality of goods worn,
and St. Petersburg may be said to be q
city where the people wear ulsters, caps
and high boots the year round, no mat"
ter whether it be as hot as Tophet or as
cold as Alaska. These Russian boots
are worth looking at. They are about,
the only cheap thing in Russia, and you
can get a pair made to order for tivef.
dollars. The same leather and the same
work in the United States would cost
you twenty-five dollars, and the finish OF
the best leather is as fine at that Of o
portfolio or pocket book. These boots
reach to the knees, and the best of them
shine like patent leather. The panta- Z
looms are always tucked inside Of them.
and there is q fancy section about six
inches wide above the ankle of every
boot. in which the leather lies In
wrinkles with the regularity ef wash
board. It takes at leasatkiSe>as much
leather to make a psiiH-ess=RRHssiaB- boots
as it does an American pair, and the
:;;; :;:;: .;!s +: :: II sl,i e.;
over. It takes more Of good cloth--for;
the blue goods they wear seem to be OF ex-
cellent material-to make droschky
drivers coat ttanao make ladies'
trained ball dress, and this coat has 20 be-
padded and quilted. This coat has long
skirts, and it is made very large so that
the caboy can stuff his body out, aud
especially his back, to give himself the
appearance of prosperous fatness. Nine
tenths of these drivers are padded in this
way, and no well-to-do man would own
q lean coachman. Lieutenant Allen, the
military attache of our legation here,
told me yesterday that his coachmsn ap-
peared to be of dime-museum fatness
when he engaged him, and that he sup
posed his great frame was that OF naturer
until one day he met him before he had
put in his pads and he was as thin as @
rail and looked so different that 1t was
some time before he knew him.
Speaking of Russian caps, the officers
whom you see here by the thousand all
wear them, and the most of the soldiers
have caps as part of their uniform.
Every servant or messenger wears cap
and the boys from the age of four wear
long.visored caps and little overcosts
Just like their fathers. Even the little
girls wear caps, and the favorite head.
covering of the little maidens OF from
two to six or seven years, whom see
running about with their nurses in the
parks, is a jockey cap OF the brightest
red, blue, yellow or green silk. The
colors of the caps of the men are usually
dark, though they are trimmed with all
shades of borders and bands, and each
color denotes something. The police
men, as rule, have red bands about,
their caps. Some of the private soldiers
wear caps Of white. Others wear caps