The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-07

I were bold enough 10 laugh at his Span
| ish. and this ne was taking In the
| greatest good humor
Whatever may be his temper toward
| Spaniards. General Lees good DumoT
toward this party OF loving refugees was
absolutely angelic. lie Is o man OK the
utmost bonhommie anyway, but no one
could have done otherwise tnan take
with delight any amount OF chafiing from
such a group as this. doubt II the
equal of II could have been produced
outside Of Cuba. The beauty OF these
girls, at the girl age. be Il understood,
il something almost ineffable. They
have great black eyes. which shoot In
nocent llghtnings all around. Their
compilations are not like Boston complex
ions e is hard 10 tell why II Is that
poudre de riz seems 10 be all right ara
proper on such a complexion and not TO
degrade t. One wonders what a cuban
girl would be without p0udre de riz; but
anyway her complexion for some inscrut-
able reason, seems to be lovely with 1t.
I have decided that while face powder
should never DO used by any one else,
1t may be used quite freely by Cuban
girls.
In their ways these lovely Cubaus are
a shade coquettlsh, perhaps, but they
are also perfectly highbred and proper.
IL IS the same with regard to c0quetry
as it is with regard to poudre de riz;
Il seems 10 be a perfectly normal and
unexceptionable part OF their equipment.
Nearly every night these Cuban girls are
az the Tampa Bay Hotel. and they are
always chattering IN Spanish at the most
incredible rate % speed and arc always
laughing unsteady and showing rows OF
pearly teeth ard shooting those glances
Of lightning about them. There are
sundry duennas. az n rule. with them.
but the duennas seem 20 be OF slight con-
sequence. Moreover. they seem TO be
very little needed. The Cuban girls are
as good as they are pretty which IS say
ing a great deal.
This evening they were giving General
Lee sort of Spanish rehearsal, and he
was meeting the test I'm excellent style.
TO be able to stand such a fire as he was
undergoing. and meet II with perfect cool
ness calmness and the utmost good ma
ture. proves that a man possesses great
qualities. So far as L could tell. General
Lees Spanish is good but the girls new
ertheless. derived much amusement from
IT, However. they derive amusement
from everything. on the evening OF his
arrival these young ladies were among
the very first to greet him. and thoy i'm
mediately asked him when he was going
back TO Havana; and they were amused
a. the somewhat eyasive and n0n-commit-
tai way in which he answered them. He
asked them when they were going back
themselves, and they intimated that they
we're only waiting for him; that they
couldn't think OF going without him.
Then they laughed that merry and rip
ping Observation-Disclosures sort Of
laugh Of theirs, which is not 10 be daunt-
ed by war or hardship or exile Harshlp,
at least. relatively 90 their ordinary cir
cumstances, these Havana people Of
wealth and position have 20 endure.
Their fortunes may be wrecked or con-
fscated IN their absence, and when they
go back. II II is 10 free Cuba, they
may go back 70 quite other circumstances
IN life from those they left. But they are
always. men and women, as gay as they
can be.