The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-04
HOW THEY COURT IN CUBA.
stephen Crane Describes the Slow
Process to Win n Bride.


Stephen Cranes Havana Letter in New
York Journal
Cuban counting is on a plan that is
strange and wonderful to us. 1t is full or
circumlocution and bulwarkS and clever
football interference and trouble and delay
and protracted agony and duennas. There
is no holding hands in it at all, you bet. 1t
is all barhed wire entanglements.
In the higher orders OF. society young men
and young women have conventional OPP
portunities of meeting each other and be-
coming acquainted, but that is not the sit
Uation among the masses In the latter
case a young man almost invariably falls
in love with a fair face seen through u
grated window. He could not tell II the lauy
was deaf and dumb. AS for her disposition
she might, for all he knows, be accustomed
to dragging her mother up and down sIaiTs
by the hair and beating her father daily
with the cooking instruments. she mlghe
even have a wooden leg successfully con-
cealed by her reposeful attitude. But. any
how he takes this wild whirl into romance,
and only the gods know his end.
The first thing to be done is TO attract tne
attention of the lady This he usually ac-
complishes by process of heroic patrolling
to and fro in front of her house. she slts IN
the window and observes this scene. If she
adoring. acts like an ass.
This Stage may be long or short; that de-
sooner or later there comes a time wheh
he shys up to the window and Hips let
ter behind the bars. and the girI c4Ice 41ss
supposltion is that she takes 1t Immediately
to her mother. And this letter! 1t breatheS
a passion which could only grow from the
yoiing mans lack Of knowledge of the OBJ
ject Of his devotion. 1t sings perIect
alteration, which could emanate only from
a young man who is not thoroughly famll-
lar with his subject From it arises a per-
fume of love which could be created only
by young man who had &C. acte1 "a always d
a spectator from without the Dars.
Very well, then, this parolling ana GRIN
ming and this note have an erect, or else
they don't have an erect. Ley US s S3tgo1,,
to and fro, wearing out the paVenentS o.
a beneficent city government In tnat case
IL is a race horse to a corn dodger tnat sne
will not write an answer to his note with
out communicating news OF the soieInu1y
of the crisis to her anxious parent. ~
then becomes the duty Of the anxious
parent to collar the young man at some
good time and ask him what the devlI are
his Infections any now ne , Iepi has,ov "a
reproach and he hopes-he hopes-if ne 10
not too unworthy-he-he will be allowed
to pay his suit -, -,
ton and prospects are weighed, and II they
are satisfactory he is admitted to call upon
the young woman. The young woman >
opinion in the case is a blooming small mat
ter The young man is put on the scaies'
and If he don't tip them properly ne goes,
and If the girl wants to cry her eyes OUT
She cries them out. without moving the dis
position OF the ironclad parents.
The young man being ACCEPTED; men badI DE
is established, and the young man runs on
time. He turns up every evening. say az
o'clock. and goes away, say, az ~ cI CLOCK,
tuality 1t is the length of the siege. II
endures for ages. 1t IS common Ior TINS
sort of thing to last as long as elgnt years.
rive years, or perhaps three years, Is the
habit.
q drawing room, sit down IN cnair neaE
tine young lady and talk in subdued ana
downtrodden voice, half to the young
woman and half TO the imDlacable mother,
VINO holds her position with courage porn
of the noble cause. She is always Some-
thing like the Western man who cheWed
tobacco, and yet in certain poker games,
acknowledged that he dared not turn his
head long enough to perform t6bacc certain o.
Imagine this state or affalrS enduring Tor
eight years or even for three years! II mas
ali the fiery excitement Of being cashier IN q
This cali becomes a function of the daily
life of the family. precisely like the MORN
ing coffee or dinner. II he failed TO appear
for one evening there would be panic in
the household. and the young woman would
be heartbroken at this Scandalous eXnlpl-
ton OF infidelity. He would be oDlgeo 10
make elaborate and fervid explanations
Time moves at it's allotted speed slowly
over the years; nothing changes. routine IS
routine And in the end, what? VINO knowST
Perhaps our fine young man sights Wonaan
WIN rightly or wrongly blots out IN four
minutes the memory or the girl tnat ne mas
arduously courted for three years. Then
After ali. there is small use of discussing
any such matters Men seek the women
they love- and find them. and women wait
for the men they love, and the men come.
and all the decentralization and bulwarks
and clever football interference and troubla
and delay and protracted agony and du-
ennas count for nothing, count for nothing
in Cuba or Omaha controlled by the same
moon