The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-23

which he places the box while he waits
for his customers
Chickens are peddled about in much the
same way. A score of fowls are put in
wicker crate and the nuckster walks with
this crate on his head from helse to
house. the chickens king lighting
and Growing as he moves through the
streets.
BRAZILIAN STORES.
But let us look at the stores The Ouv-
ldor has good show windows, and walking
through it is like passing through the
aisleS OF a museum Here is a jeWelry
establishment. What lot of diamonds
and precious stones are displayed in the
windows Brazil is one of the best dia-
mond markets Of the world. and the peo-
pie. 1t is said, care more for their dress
than their stomachs.
You can see this better by looking at
the tailor shops and millinery stores. The
styles come from Paris and the goods
are marked with such prices that cold
chill runs down your spine as you look.
Think of paying 10000 and 10000 a yard
for silks. and over there among the dry
goods you may see common dresses
marked 1900. 5000 and 1900 per yard.
What can those figures mean? II they
mean cents they will bankrupt US. Don't
lars. They are Brazilian refs. and it
takes LOCO refs to be worth Is cents of
our money, so that you get 1000 reis for
dollar.
I changed 200 gold dollars at the bank
today and received in exchange more
than a million and quarter refs. This
seems to be an enormous amount, but at
my present rate of expenses 1t will not
last me three weeks.
I have spoken of marked prices. The
fact that the goods are marked Is no In
dex of how they are sold. Everything
gees by decker, and the wise buyer al
ways offers to pay less than Is asked.
Trade Is a matter of bargain. and a large
part of the business is done in the auc-
ton ships. found this also in the Argen-
tine. There Is scarcely street In Bue-
nos Ayres or Rio Janeiro which has not
several auction establishments. Every
thing is sold in such shops. and they even
sell drugs at auction. You can, In fact.
bid on anything, from a pill to palace.
from a plant to plantation.
IN THE MARKETS OF RIO.
The markets of Rrio are not far from
the Ouvidor. They are right on the bay.
so that the fish are brought in boats and
laid out on the stone wahrves and there
sole in lots. Here the hucksters come
with their baskets and peddie them about
from house to house, and from here they
are also taken to the fish stalls in the
markets.
The most of tho peddling is done by
Italians, who carry fish and vegetables In
baskets hung at the ends Of poles which
rest on their shoulders.
Let us go into the market houses. They
are In long buildings back from the water
and we shall find that they are filled with
all kinds Of fruits, vegetables and meats.
There are tons Of onions, car loads OF
tomatoes and peppers OF all KINDS, from
the big green sort we use for pickles TO
chillis, little red pills of liquid hell which
will take the skin from your stomach or
tongue.
How queer they sell things. Onions are
put up in strings about two yards long,
the stems of the onions being interviewer
with straw What fine onions they are!
Some are as big as your fist. Those came
from Portugal, and If you ask you will
find that great quantities Of things are
imported. Brazil has as good climate
for fruit and vegetable raising as can be
found anywhere, but the people make
their money off of coffee and pay high
prices to the farmers of Europe.
AMERICAN APPLES IN RIO.
Grapes are bought by the ship load
from Portugal. They bring from 80 cents
to So a pound, according to quality and
the state OIL Tie IudIkSl. 1uSIe are hioHy
fine apples from Spain. They are shipped
wrapped in paper and bring from 60 to 80
cents dozen. There is no reason why
quantities of apples should not be sent
here from New England, for 1 am told
that the captain Of an American sailing
vessel comes down with a cargo Of ice
and apples here once year. He sells
his ice at high prices and his apples,
kept by the ice as they cross the equa-
hon he Of no fri,
Meat is sold by the kilogram. 1t is
cheap, steak bringing about cents a
pound. 1t is queer thing that dried meat
brings more than fresh meat. 1t is worth
10 cents pound. 1t is the food of the
common people and is much liked by all
classes. 1t is brought by the shipload
to Rio Janeiro from the Argentine and
Uruguay. being corded up in the stores
as we cord up hides. The meat is sold
inches thinck. 1t has a strong smell and
is salty. When sold it is cut up in strips
and weighed out by the kilo.
I Another high-priced meat Is fat pork
This is stripped ffsm the hogs, sailed
and rolled up in rolls of about foot in
diameter and two feet in length. A slice
from the roll is cut off for each custom
er and then weighed. The fat is used
for cooking with beans, and, together
with the carne secca or jerked meat, it
forms part of almost every Brazilian
meal.
There are plenty of chickens and game
TO be had. The chicken stalls are walled
with cages, in some of which are guinea
hens. chickens and turkeys, and in 9TH
ers black sucking pigs. who squeal as
they lie in them, apparently apprehensive
of death. Chickens bring about 20 cents
each Eggs are worth 20 cents dozen,
and you will pay 81 for fat sucking
pig.
THE PORTERS.
Among the queer characters Of the Rio
markets are the porters, who move about
among the crowd with fiat baskets as big
around as a washtub and about half a
foot deep upon their heads. While wait
ing for a job the porter carries his basket
balanced upon it's side upon his head. 1t
is only when he gets job that he turns
1t down and rests it on the bottom. For
the baskets are so large that all others
must stand out of the way while the port
ers go through. All the porters are men,
mostly Italians. Among the market SELL
ers are many negro women, some Of
whom wear turbans. They wear low
necked dresses and their arms are bare
to their shoulders. Not a few still bear
the wounds of slavery days upon them,
but they laugh as they sell, and they
are, 1 am told, very sharp traders.
IN THE CAFES.
There are restaurants and cafes near
the market There are, indeed, cafes
everywhere In Rio. The people drink cof-
fee like the Germans drink beer. They
plexion. and every other man you meet