The Republican journal., 1895-10-31
The Republican Journal Thursday Morning October 81 1895

ing been former priory. The refectory
Of the monks and their narrow cells are
now the family sitting and sleeping rooms,
and from the veranda you may look up
upon long swells Of the Atlantic, where
within half mile of the doorstep the sea
is unfathomable. You may easily walk
to the nearby village of Criacao Velha,
(Old Creation), which is even quainter
than Magdalena and more intensely Por-
tuguese than any spot in Portugal 1t has
no water, and troops of barefooted women
are constantly jogging over the stony road
carrying heavy buckets on their heads to
and from the seaside well, two miles
away-in each full bucket some sprigs Of
fresh ferns to keep the water cool and
prevent splitting. You are struck by their
tall, erect figures, we'll developed chests
and graceful carriage, and especially by
their full, liquid ''ox-eyes, such as Ho-
mer gave to his goddesses, fringed with
long black lashes. The women of Pico
are said to be the handsomest in the Azo-
res, and some enthusiastic travellers have
pronounced them the most beautiful in
the world. Certainly they are superb
pictures Of health and contentment; and
if worldly lore is lacking, 'swhere igno-
rance is bliss It's folly TO be wse.''
Their round, delicately featured faces
l, Il 1,;.,
the stranger they are courtesy personified.
The Pico costume is very pretty; dark
blue petticoat Of heavy stuff known as
''pcot." bordered with rows Of scarlet;
a hussar Jacket Of the same reaching lust
to the belt line, with many seams in the
back all heavily corded with scarlet: the
hair, eombed smoothly back from the
| forehead, confined in a classic knot be-
hind and covered with red cotton
| handkerchief knOtted under the chin.
on top of the handkerchief a low crowned
sailor hat, such as the men wear, made Of
the fiat braid of the island. trimmed with
a scarlet worsted band. Mr.. Edgar L.
Wakeman, who recently visited the AZ
ores, discourses about them in these flow
cry terms: Even the old married women
and grandmas possess that lustrous beauty
which remains with fadeless eyes. But
the ninias and sinhoritas, (girls and mis-
ses), are physically winsome past all tel
ling. This Pico maid has the delicately
arched foot of the Spanish woman, and
her short skirts disclose limbs as graceful
and shapely If her splendid figure has
one fault it lies in her lack of height, but
in nearly every instance the compensation
is found in perfect proportion. Her com
plexion is waxen and creamy, with no
carnation in her cheeks Her mouth is
large, mobile and tremuIous. Her teeth
are fauitless, and an enthusiast would in
sist that her lips are maddening Her
hair, net black as iii most southern types,
may sometimes see on the sides of noun
tain opposite the sun. But her GROWING
glory is melting, languorous, vet flashing
.eyes. Her facial beauty is not greatest
! IL ltppoe. men, IL unconscious OF 90
servation, as with the women Of all tropic
countries where intelligence is lacking,
her face has the trace of a splendid animal
in il. and i noticeable touch OF helpless
ness and pathos. But bring her features
INTO active play with man at the other
end of the effort, with her large, dark.
dreamfnl glowing eyes, firing and melting
behind long, dark, half hidden la>hes,
with the endless supple and willowy move
ment OF every portion Of her splendid
body-for her every mental ana physical
faculty play il responsive harmony with
her tongue or her eyes-and you have
come close to something which makes you
long for an artists power They say here
that the women among American and
English tourists call these winsome maid
ems perfectly horrid creatures. Doubt
less the Pico girls forgive this, for it some
how increases the surreptitious admira-
ton of the defamer's husbands =
FANNIE b. WARD