The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-19

packages under their arms, most of
which probably contained whiskey bot
ties, and the Argentiros and Spaniards
drove before them light porters, who
carried baskets well filled with the good
things of life. In the evening there
were the usual rows between the young
Englishmen-not including the Amer
leans and Germans-who tried to run
the theaters to their taste and got run
in themselves in consequence. Then at
II o'clock began the midnight mass,
and then the bells in all the churches
and towers made a fearful racket for
an hour or so, and more young men
got into trouble, and by an early hour
of the morning there was standing
room only" in the lockups- and mighty
little even of that. The faithful went
to early mass and came out ahead, as
the day was fair and hot: the staid
Britishers dug out their top hats and
frock coats, and, despite the intense
heat, went to st. Johns church to hear
the service, just as they would have
done "at 'ome,' and few Americans
and a number of dissenting British had
service in the Methodist church.
BY breakfast time it was hot for fair,
and it grew worse during the after
noon, until finally it broke the record
for the year. How is that for Christ
mas? So behind drawn persanas we
sat and thought of cold things, mint
jueps and ice, and let the day go by
without any attempt to help it until
o'clock, when a function was to event.
uate, if that is what function does.
That was the unwilling of a statue to
Alvear, the first mayor of Buenos
Ayres. 1t was somewhat of an effort
to put on ones clothes again, but the
sound of military bands acted as a
spur, so we braced up and Joined the
crowd to watch the presidents escort
in the street in front of the Recoleta
park. The escort looked well, and the
regiments of the line, drawn up on
either side of the Avenida Alvear,
looked COOL comfortable and business
like in their linen dress uniforms At
ter warm wait the bugles began to
sound, and then the president came In
sight. Then the bands got in their fine
work: each band played the same tune
to a different time, and each half lap
behind the other: it was remarkably
we'll done, sounded fine and was unique.
The troops presented arms; the landau,
preceded by a few cavalrymen and
f1anked by some generals or things,
swung down the avenue and drew up
smartly in front of the monument.
footman hoped down and opened the
carriage door; the president descend
ed promptly, and began to mount the
steps to the platform: the swells on
the steps took off their hats, the bugles
blew louder than ever, and the crowd
never stirred-not a cheer, not hat
removed. Before the president had
reached his place. some one pulled the
string and the statue was unveiled.
Then the party took positions on either
side of the monument and locked their
prettiest to be photographed. The bands
stopped, the people moved and gasped
and a priest stepped out and began to
pray. This was the signal for the bands
to start up again, and his words were
drowned in the torrents Of the national
anthem which were ground out. This
proceeding was repeated every time any
one tried to. speak, and rather tired the
crowd, which began to dribblea away
without waiting for the ~orade of the
friendly societies, which inevitably
seize an occasion like this for showing
themselves.
By o'clock we, began to wander
along toward home, for the scent of the
turkey was in the air. AS ours was
cooperative dinner, we all took a
hand in managing it, and the cooks
life was made miserable for while,
until she ceased to heed our susges-
tons. So the turkey was good when 1t
came, and, as it was big fellow, we
lived on it for the rest of Christmas
week. The plum pudding was great,
greater and our appetites smaller The
toasts We're numerous, and, as is the
case with most wanderers, we drank
to ourselves first and the absent friends
last Anaconda hour being over-ana-
conda hour is the time that wise man
devotes to doing nothing after he has
had good dinner-we went. DOWN to
Palermo. All the world and his girl
had gone there or was going there with
us. The long avenue was crowded for
all its three miles in length; the Corso
was formed Just as it is on Sunday
afternoon, and the cafes, half con-
cealed by the trees, and lit brilliantly
by electric lamps of all colors, made
fairylike scene. The small tables under
the trees were crowded, so our party
pushed on up the river. The banks are
covered with trees. and the pretty wo-
men in their dainty dresses made it
most delightful spot. over all was the
moon. There we found good breeze.
and, after enjoying it for only too
short a time, we returned to our car
riage and drove along the river road
until we reached a sand fiat, on which
we drove out into the river to cool the
horses. AS we waited in the middle of
the river we looked back to the bank
and to Palermo. In the distance the
lights and the figures. the music and
the laughter, the moon above, and the
water underneath and stretching in
silver streak all around us, made a
most wonderful and strange picture,
the noises seeming to be part of the
picture, and not an appeal to differ
ent sense than that of sight. Twelve
o'clock came entirely too soon: but the
dawn comes so soon after the night
begins nowadays that one can't wait
much after midnight if he wants to get
to bed in time to get up for breakfast:
so we hauled the reluctant heads of
the horses up from the water and drove
slowly back to shore to join the crowds
thronging back to town. And that is
the way we spent our Christmas on the
other-no, you're on the other side of
the line-our Christmas on this side of
the equator.
BOARDING HOUSES IN PORTO RICO.