The Opelousas courier., 1901-12-07
A coURTSHlP IN HAVANA.
Language OF the Fan and the PedestrIa
Eeats OF an infatuated Man.

Language of the Fan and the Pedestrian
Feats OF an infatuated Man.
When the sun goes down life begina
for the Havanese. writes a correspond.
ent of the New York Sun from Cuba.
Then they come forth to enjoy the
cooler air of the roofs and balconies.
For the stranger it Is a pleasure to
watch the constant stream of car
riages, passing and repassing on San
Lazaro street, and to peer at his
neighbors on the balconies or roofs
or standing at their windows.
Here, for instance, is a pretty SEN
orita leaning forward from one of the
windows further down the street, fan
In hand. There is a novio who passes
n repasses her window, not once in
the evening. but scores of times. When
the mother is safe in the background
you may see the senorita as she leans
forward. carelessly counting the sticks
of her fan. He understands that sig
nal and knows that she desires to
speak with him. He approaches and
pauses before the window. See, they
are able this time to have quite q con-
v~ersation.
All, now her mother must be COM
ing. He walks outward to the corner
and crosses the street. Certainly,
this young man has enough exercise
in walking. He carries himself grace
fully, with a peculiar pose one often
sees here. and you always recognize
him by his walk as he approaches
each evening in the distance.
AS the senorita walks toward the
window from the room tanning her
self he knows she intends to say to
him: This evening | am going out"
OF cours he wonders when. She
shuts her fan very slowly and he
knows that she does not leave the
house until quite late; so there may
be opportunity for further converse
ton.
She returns to the window and
holds her fan closed against her right
cheek. She feels sad that she must
go out this evening away from him.
Will her mother never leave the room
and give him another chance to ap-
preach? No, tonight the mother es-
pecially favors the front room.
After a while the novio loses hope
of speaking with his sweetheart and
enters a carriage which has already
passed and repassed him three or four
times, with two friends OF his. This
coach will be driven past this partic-
ular window not five but 20 times dur
ing the evening that he may have at
least the pleasure of looking at his
sweetheart. He Is untiring-this thing
has been going OF for months.
Usually in such a case when al
young man is strongly attracted he
obtains an introduction at a dance or
through a friend of her family, andI
is invited to call at the house, provid-
ed the mother approves OF her daugh-
ter's making his acquaintance. Evil
IDENTIFY in this case the mother does
not approve, but the young lady does
What will be the end of this little
romance? The neighbors all wonder;
and, as all mankind loves a lover,
they do not feel that they are taking
a liberty in watching this game of
hearts.
See, she opens her fan as it is turned
in her hand. She is ask
ing him to write to her. Tomorrow
night you will see a letter transferred
from one to the other.
You are doing nothing unusual In
watching your neighbors thus closely.
AS you walk down the street In the
evening you car see into the interior
OF each house. If you see q pair oil
lovers in the corner of q salon, you'll
also e the mother nearby with pa
per or embroidery in hand. Howl
would you like that, you American
girl?
Do not make the mistake of think
that Cuban SENIORS and senoritas I
DO not find a way to communicate
sweet nothings. There is the
ever-present fan, and moments. in the
lance when q whisper can be spoken {
hat no chaperon can hear.