The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-13

boys were Jumping up to the basket and trying to knock out the contents with sticks. When they succeeded, of course. there was an exciting scramble, compared with which a college football scrtmmage seemed a mere circumstance.
 'Buenov said Castro, in high gleo That sort of fun appealed to him strongly. 'Juan," he ordered, turning to one of his aides-de-camp. run and fetch the band Luis. get me some boxes of cigars and a few bottles of aguardiente. We must treat the crowd. Rolando. buy some more oranges and candies for the boys. and be quick"
 The band arrived, and the game went ahead with a musical accompaniment. The cigars and drinks were handed around. the basket was filled again, and everybody votel Castro the best ruler Venezuela had ever possessed. Mean while. he stood on the sidewalk. laughing as if he were a boy himself and making bets with his American guest as to which of the youngsters would hit the basket first.
 In the evening, after dinner, His Ex- cellency honored his faithful subjects by joining them in the plaza, where every body had collected to hear the band play. He strolled around the square, talking affably to peasant, priest and general SAAOs anu SIOPptH6 hOW lhCl IO CItoh the prettiest of the girls in a town where nearly every woman Is pretty.
 But this grew dresome after awhile. Hearing the band play was not exciting enough for man of his temperament. Stop" suddenly shouted to the band | master. and lifted his cane. Enough of this! We will go to the palace and dance Everybody Is invited. There Is room for all, and I hope everybody will come.'' In Venezuela Cipriano Castro's wish is equivalent to a command, and the conse- quences of disobedience are not usually l pleasant So everybody trooped after him to the palace, from the Indian peon in his osnaburg smock and canvas sandals | to the Governor of the province in his gold-laced uniform.
 Castro made no distinctions. All of hts guests had the freedom of the palace for | the night, and he did his level best to see that everybody had a good time. He | handed around the drinks, found the girls l partners, chatted amiably with the dow | agers, talked politics with the old men. showed the bandmaster how to put more | spirit into the music and, incidentally, | found time to dance more than any body | else. He was as ready to waltz with the pretty peasant girls as with the blue blooded senoritas of Castilian ancestry, but 1t was noticeable that he only chose short women for his partners He is very short himself. and rather touchy on tho subject He does not care to be in the | company of a tall woman.
 | Many of the women did not seem par ticularly glad when he asked them for | the pleasure of the next number. AL | though constantly tripping the light. fan tastic toe, he is one of the worst of danc- CTS. In a ballroom he is not unlike the proverbial bull in a dnina shop. Moe than one poor girl that night paid with a torn frock for the honor of dancing with | the President. And some of the men against whose partners he bumped in the whlrl of the waltz looked as if they would have liked to express their feelings had he not been at once their host and the | man who could order them to be hanged before breakfast If he chose.
 | For a couple of hours the ball proceed ed in a stately, dignihed way, as most Venezuelan functions do. But as the drinks circulated and the hosts magnetic enthusiasm warmed up the guests, the fun became fast and furious.
 After midnight Castro developed a new line of activity. Every quarter of an hour or so he insisted on stopping tine music and making a speech. Of 'cou- SC hs I was applauded to the echo by the dancers | In Venezuela it is healthy to appreciate Castro's oratory.
 But there was one speech which evil dently hit the merry crowd hard. The cheers were so hearty and so spontane- ous that the American asked what 1t was about. He didn't understand Spanish.
 'Is it." he inquired eagerly, ''an import ant political pronouncement? Has His Excellency declared his policy toward the Powers? Pray translate his words for me-"
 Well. sir" replied an European mer- chant who traded In La Victoria. ''ii isn't exactly what you would call po- litlcal pronouncement. but 1t is a weighty deliverance on a great social question"
 Indeed" said the correspondent, more anxious than ever. And what is it?"
 "The President says that he regrets he is not yet enough of a despot in Vene- zuela to make the laws exactly what he