The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-27
CALIFORNIA FIG SYRUP co.

NoUIsviLLE. " NV YORK, n: z
! fruits, but to be eaten only in ones bath
! tub.
When not busy eating mangoes. the
! greater portion of these people parade
| the streets of the Ponce roads in search
Of wealth. They peddle mangoes, cocoa
nuts and other fruits and variety of
| indlscribabe pastes in which cocoanuts
/ appear ODE the chief ingredient. Many
| Of these are quite toothsome. and would
! be wholly enjoyable if one could bat feel
any sort Of reasonable assurance with re-
! gard to the conditions under which the
stuff is manufactured Feeling it 10 be
my duty to this paper and to its readers
! to investigate all local conditions as close
/ ly as possible. ! have experimental with
every kind Of fruit. paste, confection.
and compound solid or liquid, offered for
consumption and guaranteed to be OF To-
! cal production or manufacture. l think
that the most generally satisfactory ex
pertinent which have tried thus far was
with a local ice cream served after the
manner of that variety known in America
| as the 'hoky-poky." A dusky damsel in
none too abundant and not over immac-
ulate raiment intimated in sign language,
backed by a pleasant smile and the
word dos" which, under such circumstan-
ces does not mean two centavos, but two
articles or measures for one centavo,
that it would be her pleasure to serve the
americana" Not wishing TO die alone
If death hay in the cup l invited a group
Of soldier men who stood by to risk their
/ lives with me in an experiment on the
material 1 think there were ten of them
and l treated the whole crowd for the
sum Of seven cents, in our money. But
1 was quite agreeably disappointed. The
stuff appeared to be nothing more than
frozen cocoanut milk slightly sweetened.
I recommend it. It offers great possibili-
ties in the hands of an artist. l think
less highly of the local mango. It has
a distinct flavor of turpentine, and the
fibre of its pulp getting immovably fixed
between ones teeth. it is far too greatly
conducive to profanity.
Along this main road and about the
streets of either of the terminal cities
one sees scores and scores Of these lit
tie, scrawny island ponies hardly larger
than good-sized rocking-horses, gaunt.
bony, and pitiful, with their fruit-filled
basket-work paniers surmounted by the
proprietor of the outfit. who sits much in
the attitude of one sitting on chair
with his bare feet hanging in front of
the horses chest, and tapping about with
every step which the animal takes Some
of the women and children carry baskets
of fruit or of the fruit-paste, while others
carry their wares in trays born on the
top of the heal. Four-seated carriages,
dawn by the sorriest. most scrubby and
bony little horses imaginable. thread their
more rapid way by a serpentine course in
and out through the slowly moving thrpng
Of wagons and carts. One cannot help
feeling sorry for these poor brutes of
hack ponies, though as their structure
seems 70 consist entirely of skin and bone
the constant and almost rhythmical move
ment of their drivers whip appears to
nave but little effect upon them. That
whip movement is almost as methodical
as the stroke of a piston Of a Corliss
engine. But the horses do not seem to
mind it, and most of us are unable to
deliver a lecture, in Spanish. on the sub
ject Of cruelty to animals. There is work
in our new land for the S. Z. G. A
The legal fare between the city and fort
is fixed. l believe at 12l5 cents, Porto
Rico money. But the only Americans VINO
get out Of It for any such figure are the
lucky and the assertive who are willing
to hacgle or battle for their rights II
one he sweet-tempered and philosophical.
he can obtain an endless amount Of enter
tainment in essaying some commercial
transaction with the local merchants I
wanted a rubber blanket Rubber blank
cts do not seem to be a common article
In Ponce. ! visited some twenty or thirty
stores Half of them displayed the sign
OF English spoken" I found no differ
ence between those and tha others. I
began my researches by a distinc, enunci-
alton OF y want a rubber blanket"
This invariably produced something white
some times il was white duck trousers.
sometimes shirt or collar Ny blanket
was supposed 20 be my best shot at
"blaneo" which supposed to be a Span
ish word. 7 then fell back on s.cr Ian
guage For two hours I went through
this process. 1 tried words and then
gymnastics. I put my muscular system
through a series OF antics and coatortions
that in America. would either have land
ed me- in a lGnauc asylum OF a circus
I goj everything hut the thing I wantel.
The range Of articles offered IN response
20 my gibbering and my antics extended
from & macintosh TO box OF sardlnes.
l failed 20 see where the sardines came
in But We are teaching these people
some new ways. The walters now look
for TIPS. tn eboys chase an American
horseman 10 earn 8 copper by holding
his horse. Prices are advanced Tor the
benefit OF the rich "Aerfcanos" In s+or:.
We ar ebeing worked for ell We are
worth" and for the tine being. We are
almost helpless. But as transactions at
this juncture are mainly of small cali
bre. We shall probably be able 70 stand it
until some enJerpriS;ng, strictly one
priced Americans come down here and
set the pace for retail business. WHAT
we go through now IS no, very costly
and there Is quite bit % entertainment
to be had from it Z one has Il fair stock
OF patience, - q. r.