The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1899-11-09
LENT IN OLD HAVANA
Sights Of the Cuban City In carni.
val Time.
TAs street, at Might Are ThEOn~sd
with ceOwds OF ooatumsa
Notwithstanding az
the ThoateR.


olution" celebration, for Lent had a.
ready begun, and nothing could be less
Lenten than the carriages and cos
TUNES which, about four o'clock. began
to pour past our hotel (the Pasage). all
making the round of the Paseo Isabel
la, and then out to the ffado and back
"a circuit of couple of miles or so.
Recalling the old proverb about
Rome and the Romans, we accepted the
invitation of friends to join the gay
procession, and were presently seated
in a fine barouche drawn by four
horses, their tails plated with red
white and blue rlbbon-a delicate CON-
pliment to our nationality-and tied
to the saddles in true Cuban fashion
while our negro driver was gotten up
in the height of barbaric splendor.
In spite of our determination to be
Roman, we had instinctiyely put on our
hats to go out, but although the use of
bonnets is becoming quite general in
Cuba, they are not so during the car
nival time, for nearly all the fair Ha-
baneras whose carriages we met or
passed had their own magnificent hair
elaborately dressed and ornamented
as their only headgear; and many of
them were costumed as If for a ball
with uncovered shoulders and arms
and richly ornamented dresses of white
or delicately tinted silk, with profu-
sion of jewels
A few persons, both male and female,
wore half masks, and good many, ap-
parently not of the haut ton, were
draped in fancy costumes, some of
them rather funny, but generally in
poor taste; indeed, the same rule ap-
piled here which is found universal all
over the world on such occasions-the
best people were the quietest in dress,
manner and department.
Afew volantes, richly ornamented, as
were the harnesses of the horses and
the livery of the valeseros guiding
them, Joined the procession; but these
carriages are almost banished from Ha.
yana by the more convenient victoria
or barouche, while few misguided
emigres have brought home coupes,
which look sadly out of place in thi,
out-of-door climate.
In the evening we attended the ball
at the Tacon theater, and from a coipne
of vantage in the first tier of boxes
looked at the motley crowd of revelers
below. Here again fancy dresses were
the exception, and plain black DOM
inoes and masks the rule; a farorite
disguise being complete and tight
fitting covering of black for the head.
neck and shoulders, passing down in.
side the dress, so that not one line or
point of those portions remained posi-.
BILE to recognition; while handsome
bandanna handkerchief was wound, ne
gro fashion, around the head.
Many of them also had their skin GOV.
cred and wore wigs otnegro wool, with
black gloves, but no bona fide negroes
of either sex were admitted, and the
company is as select as can in such
cases be managed; plenty Of balls be-
Ing available at the same hour for per-
sons of other classes.
Two bands at opposite points in the
gallery furnished music of an exceed
ingly inartifcial nature, but wei,
adapted to its use of marking time for
the dancers, who filed the floor with
out intermission from eight o'clock
until three or four o'clock in the morn
ing.
The only dance, however, was the
danza criolla, or Cuban waltz, occasion
ally ampiifed into the four simple fig
ures of the quadrille, but always COM
ing back to the waltz movement pecul-
lar to this climate and people, and
more resembling the graceful postur-
ing and undulatory movement of the
Egyptian ghawazee than the rapid
heating, ungraeeful gyrations Of our
American walters.
Returned to our pretty apartment
we seated ourselves in the balcony and
for another hour enjoyed the gay life
of the city spread out at our fret, for,
although it was past midnight, the car
riages rolled by US as merrily as ever,
the plaza in front of the house was
thronged with promenaders; the dance
music floated through the fresh air
not only from the Tacon theater op-
posite, but from French ball going
on at hotel upon the Pasco Isabella.
while the brilliant row Of gaslights.
branching away in every direction.
mapped out the streets more clearly
than by day.
Night is, after all, the time to see
Havana and its people to the best ad-
| vantage, for it is seldom until about
sunset that the ladies venture out ex-
cept to early mass, while the evening
is always chosen for the most ceremo-
nious visits.-Mrs. Frank Leslie, in
| Frank IesIie's pouular Monthly,