The Portland daily press., 1893-06-26
A HAVANA STREET.

A HAVANA STREET.
These cigarettes are Of three colors-
yellow, white and brown. The yellow
prevails among natives, while the white
cotton paper is preferred by strangers.
do not believe there is a resident of
Havana who does not smoke-old men
and boys, hags and beautiful ladies. I
have seen women walking the streets
with the longest and blacklist of cigars
in their mouths. To foreigner the
sight is disgusting, but custom sanctions
it. A gentleman whom I met in the
city informed me he smoked on an aver
age five packages Of cigarettes day and
two or three cigars. Cigarettes are put
up IA in bunch, and wheel contain
ing S3 packages can be bought for 81,
Spanish. Henry Clay cigars are SIS and
$3.50 hundred. They are Is cents apiece
in the United States. American money
commands premium of from to 10
per cent over Spanish money. The mar
ket fuctuates greatly, however.
The great tobacco factories in Havana
never fail to astonish the visitor. Every
detail is open to inspection. Cigars are
rolled in countless hundreds by machine
and hand, and cigarettes are spun out in
a never ending roll, chopped off at one
end into the right length. Girls of vari-
GUS ages and compilations put the little
cylinders into packages. With such IA
cilities at their doors, it is no wonder
the Havanans live with light between
their lips. The people deny that the
habit effects them. But stranger is at
once struck with the sallow, lifeless faces
of the men he meets. The cause may be
the heat, the fever or the tobacco.
In no city in the United States is SO
much courtesy shown the stranger. Po-
likeness is bred in the Spaniard and Gu
ban. Ask the dirtiest figure that pushes
an oar or basks on the levee for a light
for your cigar. He draws out his box,
scratches a match, and carefully shield
ing it from the wind holds it to the end
of your weed until the smoke is putting
in clouds. Inquire of anybody on the
street where certain place is, and he
cannot do too much to find it for you.
You may speak but one word of Span
ish and give that with distorted
brogue, and no one smiles at your at
tempts. Yet these same persons will
charge you four prices in business
transaction and swear they are giving
the cheapest figures. To rob an Ameri-
can is legitimate. transaction.
The vivacity of the Havanan lies above
the hips. His legs are languid and slow,
but his hands, arms and face are never
at rest. He talks like Frenchman, US
ing his eyes and hands as well as his
mouth. 1t is amusing to watch crowd
of Cubans, creoles or Spaniards. Arms
swing violently, and the owners act as
though engaged in quarrel. Black eyes
and white teeth fash. These people Of
Spanish blood have the most wonderful
eyes. was disappointed in the small
number of we'll built, handsome men I
saw, but was bewildered and astonished
at the beautiful eyes, shaded by long
dark lashes. Good humor seems to be a
legacy to these smiling, olive hued be-
ings, who constitute the bulk of Hayana's
population-thec common people, mean,
often of doubtful blood, who drive on
the donkey and OK carts, or throng the
wharfs, or give the narrow street busy
appearance.
The women we meet on the streets
would appear much prettier to the
northern eye if they had few inches
less powder on their faces. Young girls
and older ones use it. The heat may rem
der the custom comfortable one, but it
is not agreeable, especially when white
powder is spread thickly on very dark
skin. Women are seldom if ever seen
alone. In front walks the daughter, and
close behind is the mother or some other
elderly lady. The middle classes of both
sexes arc abroad all day and part of the
night, and so Of course are the lower,
but the upper circles are not SO careless.
The gentlemen ride, and the ladies stir
but little during the day. At night the
parks and drives are very interesting
with the open carriages, in which re-
cline bewitchingly handsome women,
and the well dressed gentlemen sitting
their horses with ali the grace of
Spaniard. Alady of Havana, no matter
what her station, is invariably distin-
grishcd by small hands and feet, dark
eyes and pretty mouth. But have
seen many American women who were
far more beautiful.
The fan in Spanish fingers is all that