The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-02

on Cl6 I'VE CntcheIS or DlEO- dS lLeg jos
along on the front or rear platform. By
the time they have arrived home the poor
creatures are almost bare Of covering. and
keenly suffering they are pegged down by
string to the Door Of the kitchen 20
await their fate. When the creaking OF
the front gates announce the arrival OF
the master or mistress Of the house. it is
time enough 10 wiring the necks Of the
unforunates and shove them into the
boiling pot or roasting pan. but seems 70
accentuate a certain toughness which all
cooked meet freshly killed possesses. !
never visited our kitchen o6tener than
necessary, for TO ap erson brought up
under the Influence OF a S. P. c. A, the
sight just before dinner WAS narrowing.
The stoves used everywhere are but
small, shallow earrnenware structures OF
a peculiar old-shoe appearance, the toe
Of the shoe representing the hearth, the
opening in front the place for putting in
the small sticks Of wood, and the encIos-
ing upper" the rim on which rests the
single big pot OF kettle. In our kitchen
there were six stoves-one for each course
and their cost being but q cents apiece
II was a simple matter to keep half a
dozen spare ranges on hand in the bread
closet. And, speaking Of bread, Il 0 Manila
cook ever made mis- own bread, but al
ways went across the street and bought
Of ChinaInan at Hide ''tenda" what
quality of bread being uncertain, toast
was in general favor with the foreign resi-
dents. and was to be found on every table
at every meal. Ice was cheap and plenty
and for the small sum of s. a month the
wogon would leave piece Weighing ten
pounds at your gate every day in the
week.
Good servants IN Manila get IS 10 SO
Mexican dollars per month, or "a to $ in
American gold. My head boy got Sc dol
lars, was married. had two children, and
bought AL his own food out OF this modest
stipend: and I don't think he stole from
ne, though he may have done so from
somebody else now and then. To be sure,
he besought a1vapces on MS salary to
bury a sister or brother, as he said. and
It was not until he asked ne 70 pay for
burying the same member Of his flock
twice chat I saw the necessity OF tabulat-
ing MS family and checking of such as
were defupct
Although servants are cheap. Il Is necAs-'
sary to have plenty OF them so that
certain given few shall be awake when
wantel. 1t is always easier to get up
from ones chair. ring a bell on the center
table. and let a boy come to fetch you a
book from the next room than It IS to
step across the threshold yourself In
fact, have even known q young foreigner
whose beard was no heavier than a
school-boy's 20 take with him barber TO
keep his face clean-shaven during some
privincial trip.
Onas wahing bill in Manila is absurdIy
cheap, and for s. q month as many clothes
can be thrown into g hamper as one cares
to use. Two full suits Of clothes a day,
for thirty days, makes an item of no
mean dimensions. and yet the laundry
man turns up each week. with his basket
fun, and perfectly satisfied with his re-
Enumeration. Then. too, he washes well,
and although, when you see him standing
knee-deep in the river whanging your
trousers from over his shoulders down on
a fat rock, you fear for the seams and
Although he builds a small bonfire in a
brass hat-iron, which looks like a warm
ing pan, and runs it over your white
coastal blazing as it is-the result is
excellent, and scorched spots are con-
spicious only by their absence.
one more peculiar institution in the
is the regulation bed. Ana to
the newly arrived traveller its peculiar rig
and construction make il command a good
deal Of interest, If not respect. It is a
four-poster. with the posts extending high
enough 20 support a light roof. from which
ewes hang copious folds OF cheap lace
The bed-frame IS strung lightly across
with regular chatr-bottom cane, and the
only other fittings are piece Of straw
mating spread over the cane, a pillow
and a surrounding val of mosquito net
ting that drops down from the roof and
Is tucked in under the mating. How %
get iuto one OF these cages is the first
question that presents Itself to the new
arrival and what 10 do with yourself
after you have got there, the second. It
took me half an hour % make up my
mind as to the proper mode of entrance
when I was. for the first time. alone with
a Philippine bed. and 1 couldn't make out
whether you got in through the roof or
the bottom or the sides. After finally pull
ing away the netting found tha hard
cane bottom about as soft as the teak
floor, and looked in vain for sheets. mat
tress and blankets. In fact. II seemed as
II I had got into an unfurnished house,
and the more I thought about 4, the longer
7 STAYED awake. Az last I cut my way
out OF the peculiar arrangement, dressed
and spent the night In q long chair, pre-
ferriug not 10 experiment further with
the sleeping machine until I found out
how It worked.
Later on Joined the ranks Of those who
think none is 50 comfortable for no.
weather as a hard Manila bed. with Moth
ing but its pillow and a piece % straw
and for nights after leaving the
islands I failed % appreciate the return
to soft mattresses and woven springs. In
fact. such IS the change Of life all around
after sailing away from Luzon. that for
DAYS and weeks one longs for the peculiar
conditions that make Efe easy IN the
capital.
Remarkable Rescue.
Mrs. Michael Curtain. Plainfeld. H..
makes the statement that she caught
cold. which settled on her lungs; she was