The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-15

the curio sharp Insisted was a human ear.
Ii certainly resembled that appendage in
"a way, and fastened 10 ask whose partic-
ular ear it was.
1T once was part Of an ilustrious Amer
lean general" the man replied soiemnly.
An American general gasped.
'WAo?"
Gen. Sampson, senior. Il very cheap.
1 sell il Tor S25?'.
BoOtbIacks in a Barefoot City.
The evolution Of the bootblack in San
tiago de Cuba is rather interesting. The
genus did not exist prior 10 the war, as
the Spanish military officers and the citi-
zens wore white canvas shoes, which were
attended TO by the house servants. II
was not long after the occupation of the
city by the Americans however. that sew
cral of the street Arabs-as shrewd in
their way as their Yankee prototype-be-
gan to discover that the newcomers liked
20 have their shoes polished.
A good-uatured soldier constructed a box
with the appropriate foot-rest and con-
tents. ana started one of the boys in bus
mess lie did not hold the monopoly more
than one day Within forty-elght hours
The vicinity OF the clubs and the Cafe
Venus swarmed with half-clad youngsters
eager 70 earn an American dime They
picked up English ian a remarkably short
space of time, and they even went the
Yankee bootback one better by varying
their request according to the color of the
prospective customers shoes. If the col
or was tan, they would invariably say.
''Meesteri Care for shoe browne" A re-
fusal was met with choice collection Of
profane words learned from the army
teamsters but utter in such whimsical
English that il was impossible to show
anger.
HOISey-POSey of New Kind.
The "hokey-pokey" Of cuba and Puerto
Rico is liquid. II consists of sweeten-
ed, unfermented liquor, made from plant.
and is as much a delight TO the native
younester as the Italian microbe- bearing
ice cream is to the American boy. The
'fresca,' as IL is called is vended from
saily decorated carts, and the huckster
announces his presence in a street bv
sounding sonorous blasts upon a cows
horn. After the manner of such men In
all climes, he usually frequents the vicln-
ity of the schools.
Cows Deliver Their own MIX,
1t is a sad commentary on human ma
ture when the purity of the milk of com
merce IS only accepted when the COW de-
liver it In person. That is the peculiar
condition of affairs in our new possessions.
The good housewife of Cuba and Puerto
Rico insists on seeing the COW MIXED at
her door. Hence it is no unusual spectacle
TO find the narrow street obstructed by a
collection of bovine animals one of which
is being industriously robbed of its milk
by native dairyman. In this operation
a calf plays no unimportant part ii hav-
ing been found by experience that the
mother COW win surrender her store more
easily when the calf is given the first
chance. There are not many dairy farms
in the Islands and butter is almost I'M
unknown In fact the Spanish word for
butter, 'mantquilla," is a recent addition
to the vocabulary, it having been derived
from 'manteca," the word for lard.
Buying Ice as Curiosity.
The selling of ice is another innovation.
1t is only within the last few years that
ice has been known to the natives, and
even now II is COMPOUNDED with snow in
the minds of most. In Santiago de Cuba
it is Unfortunately called 'neVe and
'hiele, the former being snow and the lat
ter ice. II is hawked about in the streets
from small covered carts, and is sold by
the pound and half-pound al exorbitant
prices The natives from the interior new
er fail to buy a piece as a curiosity and
their childhke wonderment on seeing ii
used in the southern islands is manufac-
tured.
Finger Mil Artist.
An odd profession in Cuba and Puerto
Rico, and one undoubtedly native to those
countries IS the finger nail artist. Among
certain members of the lower middle class
the clerks and bookkeepers, il is consid-
cred the correct thing to cultivate a GER
tain nail of the left hand. In fact it is
visible proof that the wearer does not per-
form manual labor. They argue ingenious
ly that man cannot shovel or work with
his hands if he has finger nail two oil
three inches long The artist" has his
regular customers and he calls daily and
polishes and rubs and labors until the pet
nail is in proper condition. Ii is not un.
usual TO find him at work in his custom
er's store while the latter attends to affairs
of trade. 1t is safe to venture that the
custom will not invade this country. 1t j:
useful, however, as an additional peculiar
ity for the edihcation of Yankee visitors
Henry Harrison Lewis.