The evening times., 1898-06-27
BRFDHLl -PEHST
- ,;:.,.s, =. =. In HHWHII
All Daya Are Festival Days
on the Islands.
Nothing to DO Bat Eat, Driak and
BE Merry, Like Little Ckii-
dren 1t Play.

ly five hundred people. With our usual
Chicago luck we were hidden to the
,.luau.'' or picnic. after the ceremony. TWO
o'clock found US at the house away up in
one of the loveliest of valleys. These ma
they did a few years ago. as the natives
shrink from the white element and do
not care for their company at these old
time feasts.
AS we drove up to a very small house
in very large handsome grounds. our host
and hostess received US on the ''lauai.
or large veranda. The house was deco
rated outside and in with palms. vines
and tree ferns (some of the latter had
fronds four feet in heightD and many
beautiful blossoms. The newly welded
couples received under bowers of stepha-
notis the waxy sckish-sweet flower that
grows in such profusion here. 1 think
every guest. man or woman. wore from
one to four .'leis.' or flower wreaths,
made from strung petals of carnations,
corn flowers or pomeria. Mine was Of
pink carnations. two yards long and l
felt l was il Hawaiian, even if my tam
ned face and hands did not have quite a
good color yet!
We offered our congratulations and
were introduced to great many whose
names l do not pretend to remember. All
then went out of doors to await the ar
rival of the Princess Kaiuiani who was
momentariiy expected. The quinter club
of natives sang and played the loveliest
old Hawaiian folk songs. enough pathos
in them TO the bar to draw tears in short
order and the guests in all shades from
darkest brown, kept arriving in all kinds
of conveyances Many came horseback.
the women astride and riding very well.
We left our hats tno wraps in this
country except at the very bottom OF
steamer trunks. awaiting the return trip
in a tiny bedroom furnished with an old
fashioned koa fOur-poster bed and many
native mats and ornaments. Pictures of
old royalty down TO eX-Queen LiiNoka-
lani graced the walls, and g ..what-not
in the corner held many curious things l
could have accepted as souvenirs Of the
happy day. On the bed which was high
and seven feet wide. was spread a tap
Pa made OF vegetable fiber and thin as
paper There We're dozen or more thick
nesses. each stained in pretty colors and
odd. crude designs. AS this tappa is the
only bed covering used. layers are thrown
back as the weather demands. Often an
entire family sleeps together on beds of
this size.
Suddenly We were startled by a low.
wailing. or chant. and noticed that an
old woman with gray hair a face that
belonged on a penny and dressed in a
.'holoku,' or Mother Hubbard had
gone down the steps to welcome the
princess with this old-time custom of
chanting or singing the "olioli' to royal
ty. The princess herself held the reins
driving spanking team of Grays, with
her friend, Miss Parker. attended by a
footman in livery. She approached the
house quite as a stylish, pretty Chicago
girl. in a new light blue organdie gown,
might have done. She wore white shoes
a good style sailor hat with .'leis'' or
orange flowers. the royal color. round hat
and belt.
The chanting continued until she pass
ed into the house to her room for a mo-
ment (where saw her powder her nose a
wild dab. just as We all do. and it began
again when she walked with Prince David
to the feast. We all went to the large
hall in the rear and | shall never forget
the sight The building was formerly a
Chinese josshouse, adjoining the old Chi
nese burying ground. and was a long.
bare building. Two long tables a foot
high ran the length of the hall. and beau
iful decorations of tropical foliage
decked the rough walls. The tables We're
spread with leaves of maidenhair fern
solids. before the dishes were put on. Ma
tive mats all over the floor, and a most
gorgeous "tappa" for the prince and
princess to sit on at the head of our ia
BILE. We all stood until the wailing wom-
an came with royalty following. Then all
sat down-"tailor fashion'-on the floor
and ate the elaborate collation. with our
fingersi
Not knife, fork or spoon on the table
but. luckily. finger bowls and paper
napkins at each place. Everything was
in small. individual dishes, and each
guest had "calabash." or native bowl
made of cocoanuts, and holding a pint
OF poIs. No bread or cakes couId 7
discover. but several KINDS of raw fish.
chicken. sucking pig. that had been
baked in hole in the ground. filled with
red-hot stones. This was good, There
were also lots of dishes l could not name
put the piece de resistance" was roasted
dog. have eaten horse in Paris so gar
nished and disguised that 1 could not
guess what 1t was but never thought to
come to dog. They were very small and
looked like young pigs. and were deli
ciously roasted.
These little dogs are an especial breed.
called poi dogs as they are fed only
on poi from babyhood and are only
served where people of wealth give a
L
may say tEat / did not know but it was
pig until ] finished. Poi is about the
consistency. color and taste of sour paper
hangers paste. and the proper caper is
to dip In one two or three fingers. ac-
cording to your deftness. twist a chunk
Of 1t around and quickly convey II to
your mouth. The natives have a two
gallon or more wooden bowl of it, which
they make once week, eating little else
not even bread. Taro root. that moi ia
made from. is also served as a vegetable
and Is very wholesome. Beer, soda and
gin flowed like water and a generally
free and social time followed, l learned.
lasting well into the night.
-Four pretty girls in white waved beau
tiiul wands or "kahilis," made of fine
white feathers and tied with orange rih-
bons over the princess table and the ma.
i've songs continued throughout tho
feast. Every woman there. save n fan,
white residents and me and the nr;n.
"ess. wore "holokus." These were of
black silk. Of scarlet of orange. all NOR.
or less elaborate in STYLE and all trail
ing on the hoor! Well. 1 simply asked
my friend on my right. former Chit
cago man. and now city physician In
Honolulu. to pinch me good and hard.
and see II was the same girl that rode
in elevated trains. chased bargains in
the big stores. drank soda In State
Street and enjoyed a lobster at Rector's
six weeks ago! After we had finished
and struggled up with stif knees, we
went again to the house, where a table
was set with Strawberries. cake and cof-
fee for the white people! We sat on
chairs this trip. and how fell on tina.
chocolate cake, like mother. used to
make!" More music. a look at the prin- |
cess pouring coffee on a tiny tray for
her immediate circle. and we drove away |
vainly hoping to digest what we had eat