The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-06-11

fluffy, but an abomination, affordiug van
things of every description. Take for ex-
ample the home pro tenn of an English
family of our acquaintance which we
frequently visit. The casa is at the cor
ner of the Gale del Flamingo and has a
huge red bird painted on one side to in
dictate the name of the street. 1t is of
stone, with good deal of alleged adorn-
ment in stucco over the doors and bar
red windows, and one storied, like most
of them. Its grand ''sala,'' or reception
room, is 25 feet long and nearly as wide
in fact almost square, like an immense
box, the vaulted ceiling being 20 feet
high. One feels lost and lonesome in
these vast apartments, which are scanti-
ly furnished after the Mexican fashion.
with queer little corner tables, straight
| rows of chairs against the walls and one
small oasis at the far end, of a square rug,
thanked by sofa and four American
rocking chairs, where the hostess receives
her guests. Beyond the sala is broad
arched and pillared corridor opening into
| a courtyard. The latter is 80 feet square,
surrounded by high stone wall, with a
fountain in the center. Around the foun-
tain olive trees, lines pomegranates and
bananas are growing, with flowers bloom
ing beneath. At one side of the corridor
is an immense sleeping apartment, like a
town hall, and back of that the dining
room. 1t is a singular fact that while
| throughout all Spanish America, the beds
are invariably ''single' ones, barely wide
enough to accommodate one person, the
domitories are generally large enough to
hold Iegiment-in 1ucatan but one big,
lily; an idea rather too social in one sense,
and not quite social enough in another, to
satisfy the average married American
Beyond the courtyard are the store rooms
and kitchen, with an other great dormi-
tory for the several servants; and back
of that is another courtyard, larger
than the first and with walls equally
high, where the horses and mules are
stabbed, and hens, peafowls and even pigs
are usually kept The hire of this
house, furnished, costs our friends exact
ly 91l month-more than the average
price we are told; and it is said that the
owner of the casa is chuckling at the
smart bargain which he has driven with
los estrangeros! They pay so cents a week
| for the combined services of a man and
his wife, and real, about twelve and a
| half cents) to the mozo or Grand boy.
And OH the blessing of perfect weather,
which money cannot buy-the cloudless
| blue of the sky and the breezes from the
nearby ocean tempering the tielcest heats
of eternal summer, OF course, lying so
far to the southwark, Merida has eli
mate hot As the hottest, averaging be-
tween 10 and 30 degrees; but day and
night the wind, blowing where it list
eth,' renders life endurable. Northern
ers would naturally suppose June, July
and August to be the hottest months but
here March and April enjoy that distinc-
generated by the tropic sun is increased
| by burning grain fields, which are then
fired all over the country. In all the
houses of \ ucatan you will notice many
little wooden knobs protrlding from the
whitewashed walls and from the beams
overhead-not pegs upon which to hang
one ) effects, as might naturally be sup
posed, but for use in fastening up the
| hammocks OF henequin fibre or sweet
| scented Panama grass which constitute
the usual beds, sofas and lounging places
of Central America. At first the North
erner find these hammocks decidedly awk-
ward, and it requires not a little practice
to learn how to get in and out of them
without tumbling upon ones nose or ex-
posing the color of ones hosiery. None
but those to the manner born can ever hope
to acquire the graceful and killing pose
which a native lady instantly assumes in
one of the swaying, sack-like concerns
fan in hand, the dainty toe of one slipper
just peering from beneath her rutf1ed
skirts, raven hair falling about the face
and lustrous, dreamy, love-lit eyes cal
culated to produce most violent pit "a pats
beneath the waist-coats of all masculine
beholders.
| As to social customs in this queer town.
! it takes some time to ''learn the ropes,
so to say. The Yucatecan, like his Latin
! brother across the sea, talks quite as much
with his hands and eyes as with his
tongue, land that is saying a very great
deaD, and shrugs his shoulders as fire.
/ quently as Frenchman. Among the
many gestures in general ase, that known
as the beso soplado is one of the prettiest.
1t is made by gathering the fingers of the
right hand closely together, touching the
lips with them, then throwing them out
ward like fan, at the same time blowing
lightly on the hand as it is outstretched
toward the person for whom the demon
stration is intended. AS everywhere in
Spanish America gentlemen manifest their