Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-03-18

$ am not as hungry or thirsty as tn.
I friends OF the deceased seem to ex
pect. 1t is too bad not 70 enter in
TO the spirit OF the thing. but | can
t not help II.
The fiesta of difunto Ia different
: II Is held at the end OF short period
: OF mourning. A mass and process
sion are held and then feast ending
with toasts In wine to the deceased.
There are birthday fiestas and fes-
tas whenever any possible excuse is
christenings rank high on the list.
a new fiesta was sprung on me
lately-a fiesta de banarse, or bath
Ing hesta. The senoritas invited the
officers to attend this fiesta at house
Just outside the town and near the
river. Let me say first that wom-
an bathing in stream with nothing
around her except the scenery and
a piece of cloth that is tucked under
the arm and reaches below her knees
Is too common sight to more than
! barely attract ones attention. Any
and every day as we travel the roads
we see women bathing and washing
clothes all along the streams, and
they are as utterly unconscious of
and oblivious to their surroundings
as If they were asleep. One grows
| accustomed to brevity of costume in
the tropics
But the Idea of making a bath the
subject of fiesta was novel, We
went, and the girls were in the river
and Just as unattractive as ever, and
after we had stood on the bank
awhile and watched them ducking
each other and splashing about they
came out and went to the house and
put on their clothes. All this time
the band had been squatting about
blowing their alleged music, and
then some drinkables were brought
out, cigars and cigarettes were re-
newed, and amid many protests we
left before the luncheon was served.
Therefore We had our stomachs avail
able for necessary service the next
day.
The senoritas OF this town have
several times intimated that they
would like to come to the commanding
officers quarters for a baile and their
representative suggesting the thing
again We had to invite them to come
Christmas night They came and in
honor of the occasion they had got
| themselves up In American costumes:
at least that is what they said they
wore. We told them to come at 8
o'clock, but they were so anxious that
they arrived at 6. We heard them
coming, for the band was blowing
at the head of the procession, so we
sent an interpreter out to drive them
off till the appointed hour, while we
had our dinner. After awhile they
came back again. and filed in and
shook hands. OF all the sights |
have ever beheld. this crowd got up
in so-called American costumes was
the most excruciatingly funny thing
| have ever seen. Their dresses
we're made of prints and the waists
were loose sacks, with various styles
of sleeves. The skirts were, 30 far
as | could tell, all right. The hats
were broad brimmed straw affairs OF
various yintages back of so. and
each had huge punches of gorgeous
at all angles.
From various grabs that | saw the
girls make somewhere above the knee
and then pull upward, / Judge that
they had on long stockings. Their
shoes were high-heeled slippers and
this part was quite too much for them.
One OF the poor creatures would limp
around the room few times and then
| sit down and take off her shoe and
| hold 1t in her hand awhile.
Finally a man asked II we should
| like him to pronounce discourse"
We assented, and in the excitement
and exhilaration due to bottle or
so of beer he discoursed with most
theatrical gestures Oh momentous
topics such as the war and the in
surgent leaders and the government.
and the quality of the beer. and how
well the colonel danced. 1t was
great speech, in Spanish. of course.
and then one of our officers replied
and said few foolish things In poor
Spanish, and wound up with the re-.
mark that 1t was evident there were
no more Filipino women here. for
they had all become Americans. And
may the Lord have mercy on his soul
for the slander.-"B. II. A In Chicn-
go Record.