The Republican journal., 1904-07-07
portly matrons and their lean gray
bearded husbands. who find themselves

l
that other splendid boulevard known
as the Twenty fifth of May street. The
most notable object in the Cargancha-
aside from the gray boards and matrons
aforesaid-is its lofty marble column
and pedestal, surmounted by bronze
statue of Liberty holding flag. This
alleged work of art cost a great deal of
money and is the pride of the Monte
videan heart. A recent American trav-
eler describes the beloved statue per-
fectly in this way: "The pose of the
figure is so unfortunate that it sug-
gests a lady in distress making signs
with her umbrella to stop the tram
cars"
Paso del Molino, the aristocratic sub
urb, is distant about half an hours
ride by tramway from the central cathe-
dral, and has splendid avenue skirt
ing the bay. Here are the quintas
or country houses, of Montevideo's
wealthiest merchants and officials, amid
a display of luxuriant extravaganza
akin to that of the Roman villas of the
golden age, as described by Horace
The casas are mostly one-storied, of
quaintest architecture and gaudiest
paint, each appearing to out Herod it's
neighbors in grotesque effects. The
styles of architecture include severest
Moorish and ford Gothic, Chinese, In
dian, Hindoo, and some present rare
combinations of all known styles, with
a good deal of originality thrown in.
All are surrounded by statues, foun-
tains, gravel paths and marble benches,
empowered amid flowers and fruit trees;
and SO genial is the climate that the
flowers preserve their color and frag-
rance throughout the year, making the
Paso continuous garden of perpetual
spring.
By the way, one of the handsomest
of these ideal homes is owned by for
mer Philadelphian, Mr.. w. D. Evans,
whose romantic story is worth telling.
Nearly fifty years ago, when a boy, he
| ohlppCo 1lOul y ulGCu CVdVCS I'll
board sailing vessel bound for Uru-
quay. Just above Montevideo he was
wrecked by pampero, as many anoth-
er seaman has been before and since,
and cast ashore penniless, a stranger in
a strange land, whose language even he
did not understand. His whole earthly
possessions were in the water soaked
clothes upon his back and battered
boat which he managed to save from
the wreck. But he was rich in Drawn
and courage, and having patched up
the boat began life anew as a car
gador, conveying passengers and their
luggage to and from vessels in the
harbor. He got on famously for a
week or two, when another evil-dis-
posed pampero caught him outside the
harbor, overturned the boat and left
him for drowned. For hours he foated
around, cllnging to the keel, till rescued
by the crew OF passing steamer. The
officers of the vessel, pleased with the
mans evident pluck, offered him good
place in their employ, but he respect
fully declined it, asking only for assist
ance to right his boat that he might
sail back to town. They told him the
old tub was good for nothing and would
better be left to drift; but he replied
with tears in his eyes that while she
was not pretty to look at, she was very
dear to him, having twice saved his
| life and being all he owned in the world.
So they helped him to get her right
end up again, and he sailed to Monte
video and to fortune. In the center of
his private park, which is said to be the
finest in all South America, is mag
niticent bronze fountain and in the basin
thereof among gold fishes and speckel-
ed trout floats the old boat, still as well
preserved as her owner. The million
aire declares that she is his most prec-
ious possession and, rain or shine, he
goes to visit her every day. When
showing her to visitors he says: "She
never was much of boat in the way of
beauty, but to me she is the most beau
tiful object under the sun. Twice she
saved my life, and when l was dead
broke she was my only friend-and a
faithful one too.''
Do you see that man galloping pell-
nell with infinite clatter down the
street, dragging a strange brown bundle
behind that bounds over the stones like
huge rubber ball? You would not
imagine that he is making butter-now
would you? But that is just what he
is doing. All the butter that is eaten
in Uruguay is made in the same primi-
tive manner. The modus operandi is
as follows: the dairyman pours the
milk (warm from the COW, without
straining) into an inflated sheep skin
which has the wool side turned in; he
ties the skin securely, bitches it to his
saddle by a good strong lasso and gal
lops off to town, perhaps five or ten
miles away, with the sack humping
along behind. OF course the churning
is thorough, and by the time his destin-
n& ~, 4