Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-05-19

small box with a slit in it, in which
the owner carefully banked his gains
for safe keeping until he returned to
shOTe.
Landing the passengers was always
done in rowboats, which tied up at a
small pier from which wheeling
little steam launch made daily trips
to Fort Royal, several miles down the
coast.
Chief among the attractions for
visitors were the market place, which
was enclosed in a huge shed covering
city square; the botanical gardens
on the outskirts Of the town, and the
drive up the slopes of Morne-Rouge, a
hill which is situated between the
city and the heights of Mont Pelee.
The great gathering place of the
town was the market place, where
every article of tropical food, clothing
or the other necessaries of life were
to be found
The native was one moment mer'
chant, the next a purchaser. He
would enter the market with few
fish, vans Or tropical fruits, seat him
self in the first unoccupied spot and
dispose Of his wares in exceed ngly
small quantities for cash or trade and
the racket kept up was deafening, inter
mingled with the shouts of the natives
being the barking of hundreds of lean,
h91f-Cfn rUn6 60OC who cnnoIyn1 IN 4
out among the stalls, stealing and de-
vouring any stray bit of food which
was left unguarded.
The botanical gardens were extern
sive and were filed with a profusion
of tropical plants and trees. A special
attraction to all visitors was a beauti-
little waterfall which leaped down q
precipitous and deeply verdant Cliff
some sixty feet in height.
AT Morne- Rouge, which was reached
by carriages, it was said by the
natives to rain every day in the year.
The rain was seldom more than a
slight drizzle except in the regular
wet season and the natives seemed
to think umbrellas very unnecessary
luxury,
The French Creole residents of the
town and the better class of trades
people were the personifcation OF
politeness and hospitality to stran-
gers
One American traveller tells the
story of an illustration of courtesy
which seemed to him unusual to say
the least. He was walking along the
| Rue Victor Hugo, the principal bust
hess street of st. Pierre, and stopped
t. examine a number of well-mounted
stuffed fish and big bullfrogs which
were on exhibition in a shop window.
Entering the store the American at
tempted, in very broken French, to
ask the price of one of the frogs.
With some difficulty the storekeeper,
g. French native, explained that they
were only for show and could not be
purchased. The Yankee offered d
good price for the frog, which he tool,
from the window and admired, but it
was refused with many apologies.
to its place and turned to leave the
store. AS he reached the door he was
surprised to find the shopkeeper fol-
lowing him with the desired curio in
his hand. 1t was extended with the
| accompaniment of very low bow on
the part OF the native. Mystified q,
the sudden change, the American took
the frog and preferred a silver cciY
| IN return, but the latter was n
dlgnantly' refused. Finally he man
aged to understand that the frog was
a gift made to the American because
OF the latter's apparent admiration.
This, it was explained, was one of the
usual customs of the town.
The American returned to his shin
with the frog under his arm and with
MS mind made up that the inhabitants
OF st. Pierre were very polite and at
the same time decidedly unbusiness-
like.