Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-02-18
LIFE m HAVANA.
MUCH MILITARY DISPLAY IN TIVE Gu.
BAN CAPITAL.

BAN CAPITAL
Cafes and Promsnades Filled With
caudiiy Uniformed Spanish Soldiers
The Gay city's Mosniag and Evening
Sights.
While Cnba, AZ q whole, has been
terificaaly and completely changed by
the violent upheayals Of war. its chief
city still sits on the shores of the NORTH
ern sea, calm, sunlit and odorous.
Havana Is full OF marching soldiers
that signify nothing but harmless dress
parades, relief detachments and the
like. The Owl Guard still form on .he
Prado and sweep down between the
trees to the tune Of lively Spanish
quickstep, with their rifles at all sorts
Of angles and their hippy.hoppy hats
cooked over their eyes in style that
would he considered aggressive in any
other country.
But the real life Of the city, says the
New York Herald, moves on steadily
and quietly, just a. II will continue 10
move until the day Of judgment. unless
stricken by some mighty cataclysm.
Across the blue waters Of the bay the
low white houses OF CASA Blanca sleep
under the shelter of the bushy hill.
Farther away, beyond the tile rooted
sugar houses that are empty and desert
ed now, and on the high mesa OF the
palm-dOtted prairie hill, are the sleepy
houses of Regia, and further still the
village of Guanabacoa. where the insur-
gents have made things lively the past
month.
In Havana proper, while business is
comparatively stagna. ed, there Is still
enough to give the usual air OF slow
and easy life to the streets. The mar
row thoroughfares are swarming with
low topped carriages, beasts Of burden.
jOstling drivers, and women with such
huge panniers on their heads that the
mind tries in vain to grasp the effect OF
such burden on the Caucasian brain.
Some of these panniers are filed with
bread. Others con'ain fruit and vege-
tables. / have seen a Havana colorc1
woman walk along the streets with a
basket upon her head the size Of n
bureau. and smoking n cigar which for
general size and suggestions Of nicotine
have never seen equalled.
The morning life Of Havana is brisk.
Then everything looks dewy and fre&;,.
and bright, and whatever odors there
may be have not yet risen. Odors are
Late risers In Havana, although ii may
be truthfully observed that many of
them never go TO sleep at all. In The
morning come the pedlers, with thcir
strange wares and shrill cries. Here
and there half dozens of asses may be
seen waddling along with full udderS
of milk. They are attended b. Il rag
ged owner, who milks into measure
wilma tever you may choose to buy. This
is decidedly comfortable way Of run
ming a milk route, and you are sure Of
getting the pure article.
This asses milk is said to b. very
healthy, too. There rs no tuberculosis
about jackass, except in his heels.
ly and intelligent beasts kick yellow
dog over the counter Of casa dc cam
bio" or money changers" and knock
down $1S7 in gold coin that was
stacked in the rear. Only one stack
was left standing, and it was generally
regarded as spare" But the jarkass
didn't care much about it. He simply
closed his eyes and kept on thinking
long cared thoughts.
All Havana breakfasts on black cof-
fee and oranges. Somehow | have al
ways found this poor fare for n matu-
final Anglo-Saxon stomach. The or
anges are the best in the world, but the
coffee has the strength Of porous
plaster. After coffee Mt 8 o'clock comes
a period Of comparative activity for
Cubans. They hustle about and attend
to their marketing and other necessary
duties. They go shopping in the little
peseta carriages, drawn by small and
sturdy Cuban horses.
But young and pretty Cuban girls do
not go shopping unaccompanied. In
fact, they never go out on the streets
alone. They are always accompanied
by aforbidding and severe duenna or
an equally forbidding relative with
machete a yard long. All the counting
of Cuban sweethearts rs done through
perpendicular iron window bars three
inches apart. This is pretty hard lines
on anybody accustomed to the delights
Of solitary parlor, low gas jets and
rocking chair built wide enough for one
and strong enough for two.
In fact, the Cuban youths have
rather hard time OF 1t. l have seen
more than one of them come into tbe
cafes with the red marks of the iron
window bars along his face. But just
now the boys are all away to the wars.
and the maids have no sweethearts.
About noontiroe the average Cuban
becomes too strong TO work. He must
have his siesta, and the world may wag
on as it will while he takes 1t. Each
member Of an establishment has his
own particular spot In which to take
a nap, and 1t Is very rude thing for
another to preIempt It. 4
Siesta time lasts anywhre from
noon to 3 o'clock. Then Havana yawns,
stretches itself and resumes business
where 1t left Off n few hours before.
Even the beggars, who have also had
their siesta, begin to show signs OF al
most human intelligence. They creep
out from their various lairs aud begin
languldly to ply tlielr trade.