The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-12

nothing whatever in Spanish. except
that romantic account familiar to al
Annapolis students, beginning, The
island of Cuba is the most beautiful OF
all the Antilles, went through it with
much eloquence, deity inserting
Luzon' for Cuba and Philippines for
Antilles. but he brought confusion
upon himself, for the subsequent con-
| versation, all addressed to him, was SC
deep that he arose in despair, remark
ing that he was off soundings,' and we
took our leave, shaking hands all
around as before.
Il heard the older officers, who had
been in Manila years before, talking
among themselves about the Mestizo
young ladies and their charming COM
partnership. The MeStizos are the Gre
oles of the Philippines. They have
Spanish, Malay and native blood in
their veins. In many the Spanish blood
I predominates. and then the Mestizo is
a most attractive human specimen.
Some Mestizos are very rich, and they
J go in the best society in Manila Com
monty, however, the Spanish look down
on the Mestizos. The Mestizo girls are
uncommonly beautiful. Robert Louis
/ Stevenson has told about that in rhyme.
Ali the naval officers who have ever
/ stopped fortnight have much to tell
I of the charms of the EIestizos. Well.
+ the second week the Powhatan was at
Manila l happened to be among those
invited to a ball given at the home of
rich MestiZo rice merchant by sew
eral of his English and American GUS
I toners. Promptly at o'clock we
drove into the basement of the house,
assembled the stone stairway, and an
array of brilliant colors and black eyes
burst upon our view. The MeStizo
girls were sitting in a row on one side
of the room, about 40 of them, some
decked in gay plumage, yellow, pink
and green being prominent colors;
others were dressed in somber hues
They were very pretty, with 1.-THE
graceful figures, and eyes as black as
coal. The men lowered near the doors
of the grand Sala like hawks eying
chickens. There were a few informal
/ introductions, and some of US were pre-
sented in whole squads, no names be-
ing used.
The girls had a funny way of kiss
ing each other all the evening, and the
fanciest kisses I ever saw; first, both
kiss to starboard, and then both to
port. The first time l noticed a young
damsel kissed my partner goodbye as
she started to dance with me. 1 was
astonished, and said we were not go
ing far which made them laugh.
found that the girls in contiguous
seats kissed goodbye before every
dance, as if to say: You will elope this
time, sure When the time for supper
came, 1 fell into line and escorted a
blooming Filipinna to the table. 1
asked a resident American what 1
should help her to, and he said, en-
phatically: Ham and turkey; give her
plenty of ham and turkey! 1 gave her
full plat, which she soon despatched,
and then she called for more. Every
body ate ham and turkey. The gentle
men acted as walters, and afterward
sat down together. Spaniards are ter
rible eaters, and no wonder on this oc-
casion, for they came to the ball at S
o'clock, and danced until am. We
held ourselves in dancing trim by re-
freshmentS. The ladies kept even with
rs and deserved great praise.
The third following evening we gave
ball on board. The spardeck was cur
tanned in and decorated with lanterns,
/ flags and designs. The ball was an i'm
mense success up to about 1 o'clock,
when, to our CONSERVATION, it began to
rain. 1t never rains in the winter. It
had not rained for two months and did
not rain for about a month afterword,
but down it came then, pouring
through the fiat awning and all along
the edges, and slowly and surely NOV
ing inboard. The music flickered and
went out with a mournful discord, the
merry laughter gasped and expired,
and the ladies clustered within the wet
boundary, which narrowed and mar
rowed, and drew them together in a
little bunch. Finally, so small became
the dry spot and so tight was the
squeeze that the silence was broken by
shouts of laughter and little screams.
The water splashed up, the ladies
pressed their skirts in and stood on the
little toes of their Spanish slippers. 1t
was moment of peril.
RESCUED FROM THEIR PLIGHT.
The crisis now having come, when
it was sink or swim, we took the ladies
by their hands and made rush for the
cabin, which was soon slowed chocka-
block with Spanish beauty; even the
bath tub and vegetable box were full
of Castillian loneliness. We had no
other shelter, as the wardroom was
in use as a buffers pantry pro tenn.
Suffocation began to set in among
them, so we signaled for the small
steamer, which soon came alongside,
and then up came the dark eyed beau
ties from the cabin; out they crawled
from the bath tub and bin. The deck
was afloat, so we rugged sedanS with
arm chairs and squilgee handles, and
thus carried them in state to the gang
way to save their satin slippers and
silk open work.
we were IN the season or the 1eteS
Christmas holidays and the new year
At dusk one day a large procession of
the church began. First came large
golden image of the Virgin, borne on a
gorgeously-trim and Illuminated
platform and drawn by little Indians
carrying torches. There were other
images equally rich, and as each passed
the people knelt and removed their
hats. The procession chanted as it
moved along. There were little tots
of Indian boys dressed like priests,
with tiny coyvls, who toddled along and
looked very funny; then little files of
monks with long dresses, who also
toddled; then girls with wells walked
hand in Land, and little girls with lit
tie wells carrying tapers. The houses
all along the route were Illuminated in
a simple and effective way by red, blue
and green tumblers half filled with oil