davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31

cuba at an early age and took refuge
in Florida. At times he returned TO Cuba
with Lis parents and received his educa-
ton in snatches. 50 10 speak. during the
periods IN which Spain was not making
active war those who favored the
SeDardt ton of Cuba from the mot her couu-
try. Senior Ybor having early emigrated
from the land of his birth and having
prospered in his adopted home became
iilibuster of the most fearless type. and
collected about him all those who ia
vored The war of the independence.
Young Garcia joined this group. Then
came his marriage 10 Senior Ybor's young
est daughter. There arc three boys In
the Garcia V VeleZ family. the eldest
named for the heroic warrior who died
in Washington. and the second one bear
ing his maternal grandfather's name,
Carlos Ybo- Garcia. which he has writ
ten Carlos Garcia Ybor.
The sonora speaks English perfectly.
and she is also master Of French. Gar
man and Spanish. sSle WAS carefully
educated at home. and. having married
a the age OF seventeen. She did not have
an opportunity of testing whether higher
educ alton makes for the happiness OF
woman. But she is exceedingly cultured
and liberal. and favors all the advantages
Of education and travel which girl
can obtain. She plays skillfuly on the
piano and on the guitar. and IS In every
respect a pleasing type OF the high-born
intellectual woman of the Latin Ameri-
can race.
this country. said Sonora Garcia .by
Tic aversion which Americans have 70
long. complicated names which prevail
in Latin Countries. They have cl.ristened
my husband and myself MIR. and Mrs.
Nel.z. Now. Senior Garcia's mother was
narled Ee;eZ. ard he. with the courtesy
which tie Latin always accords tie
mo;he-. includes ii In The names on his
visiting. cards. / might add parenthetical-
X that among the T.atins woman does
,ose her identity so completely
among the nlatrons of the United States
and other countries.
MY visiting card is entirely distinct
from my husbands. Mine bears the in
scrip,ion .Amalia NJ. Ybor de Garcia
NeleZ. ard TO taose Ne.s ed in tho ways
II the Latins il means thar Amaiia
Ybor married a man named Garcia. whose
mother was named NeeZ. To use the
name Senior Ne,eZ in describing my hus-
band conveys to the Latin mind that re
had the dreaded bar-sinister across his
ess utcheon. Some of my trends IN
Havana have been horrorstficken VIXEN
my name was thus recorded in soc:Gl
chronicles. But l have explained tina
names are only names. end the last ORE
on ones visiting card Is the one known
in the land OF our great friend. Uncle
Sam.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31

AMERICANS in the beauties of Cuban tours.
The roads for touring cars arc now a
near perfect as may be found in Masss-
chusetts and the OIL! world. In Havana
cars MAJ be obtained st prices which
make tie Americans open their eyes and
an excellent system of road inns ADDS 10
the pleasure of the trip
I'VE are intense lovers OF the dance"
said Sonora Garcia. The entire winter
We dance ard dance The married people
as we'll as the young bellies and beaus
enjoy this pleasure. Three or four dances
may he given il prominent homes the
same evening. and every one will be ill
ed with guests. Then We love music and
we are seldom without some musical at
traction during tile season proper. Amer
leans who formerly sojourned in the Ber-
mudas and the Bahamas come now to
Havana and to Santiago. and they seem
TO find the winter amusements more va
ried.
Il can scarcely put into language the
feelings which animate the Cuban toward
Americans. From the earliest day of the
trouble with Spain we always found
ested friends across the bay. You can find
few families in Havana without per
sonal reason for gratitude 10 some Amer
lean or to the great nation In the ascre-
gate. For this reason alone Americans
can enjoy life to the fullest when they
they are the most welcome guests We
are SO glad that they are row coming In
larger numbers than formerly.
Then ] find that Americans ieel with
us the tremendously historical sgni:-
canoe of our land. II was of Cuba thar
Columbus wrote: This country sarpasses
all others as far day surpasses the
night in brightness and sDendor. We
grieve with Americans that our grand
cathedral no longer contains the bones o.
the great discoverer. bu. the deathless
memories OF his exploits lend charm
to the Island OF Cuba which nothing can
take away. Cubans glory in the beauty
Of their native land as tina, intrepid hero
described t-aS a lard of blocin and lea
and shining palm ard dropping coca tree
and spiced lnimosa and trem bling banl-
boo and giant cedar IN air o. balm.
Our flowers are gorgeous. bU: our trees
seem 10 open a new world 10 nearly all
American visitors. The acacia alone
seems familiar in the great forest OF
flower bearing trees which make car for
oss glorious.
Sonora Garcia was married nlne years
ago in the Church Of Our Lady of Mercy
in Havana. Her husbands family, Ike
her own. had been for years under Spain's
displeasure. and the romance which
terminated in s happy marriage was one
which began in exile. Senior ,iarcia left
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31

Boreia. He returned 10 Florence in fJ1;.
Went on pleasure jarnt 10 Venice in
i.ss'. returned and went TO Milan IL
1906. That is not four years OF loving
cor tsmpla ton. is IL?
The truth il that Leonardo painted the
portra" gratis 70. his friend. the hts
band Dropping il when business called
I. bears every mark OF such a non-paid
purely friendship portrait-to the last, IN
which tie painter sells II 10 a third party,
Obviously the painting itself was not
much either 10 Leonardo, the husband or
Ia Mona lisa herself
ies its execution was eNeryth.nS A
word OF Nasar put Solomon Re!rae.l o.
the tack o. tie mystery Leonardo was
very good trisrd OF francesca rel Clio
,'ondo ard painted lis wife. when f,c ..sd
time. Il distract aer mind from great
AND abiding sorrow.
Nasari says tsat when he painted Mona
LISA leonardo surrounded his model
with musicians singers and buffoons 10
Keep her +. Sent!c gayety and so avoid
the melancholy aspec, We observe in
mos; portraits"
Tire conclusion is pIre Eassr says
itelaaca. Eui lie TACT is studio trad!-
non Wnlca Nasari could not have invent
cd. VIA, melancholy Of Mona Lisa did
her husbands friend tie painter go Ia
tie expense Of employing professional
entertainers 20 drive away"
Solomon Reinach has found IL; We
Know the melancholy OF Mona Lisa Ma
RED in 1879. she Lad no children until
1889. Then came little daughter Salo-
mon Reinach remembered that once a II
5rarian OF Florence communicated 10
Muntz. the great French art historian
an extract from the ancient "I.ibre del
Mortf-records OF deaths in Florence
BY this L appears that June l. 1901, the
little daughter I'anciula) of Francesca
del Giocondo and his wife, Mona Lisa.
was buried from tic Church of Santa Ma
ria Eovella.
W ny. the very costume of Mona Lisa
IN the picture is heavy mourning.
How is 1t that none OF the transcer dent
experts observed it, She has no rings
no tewelry. She IS in severe black Her
costume is even the heaviest mourning
Eeinach proves BY letters OF Isabelle
d Este and her mother written from Flor
erce at exactly this date that mantle
of Irish lace over ''somber-tinted'' cor
sage might have been worn in fun mourn
ing for a sister.
Mona Lisa Is in heavy mourning
" lat Is she smiling at?'
You Sec now. Her smile is a constrain-
ed smile. the best She can do TO please
the kindly painter who has paid singers.
musicians and buffoons to entertain her
Rachel IS mourning for little child and
will not be comforted
STERLING HELLO.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31
The Hotel Clerk Gives His Opinion Of the Modern Woman

yes said the Hotel Clerk. Modern
woman has a sphere if She can only find
it. and she generally lants for it hard
enough. goodness knows. It's fine and
lovely boating for the ladies. but a tri'ie
wearing. at times, on their husbands.
I'm thinking particularly of the case OF
my friend, SmeltZer.'
who's Smeltzer?" asked the House De-
tective.
These days he's best known as Mrs.
Smeltzers husband" said the Hotel Clerk.
His is sad case. very sad case. When
the family is travelling the order of pro
cedure. giving each separate article its
relative Importance. is follows: Mrs.
Smeltzer. Mrs. smeltzers maid, Mrs.
Smeltzer's dog, Mrs. Smeltzer's baggage
and Mrs. Smeltzer's husband, carrying
Mrs. Smeltzer's handbag. But | can re
member when Shelter had an identity of
his own. Sometimes he comes in here
and talks about the old glad days before
he married. thinking he was going TO get
wife. only to find he'd got club woman.
1T seems that in the early days of
their. married life she was of a very
emotional temperament. From what
Shelter tells me about her you'd have
thought she was the favorite child OF
old man L. Mosher himself. She was
one of those lady dreadnoughts for size,
but by nature highly emotional. She
belonged TO very exclusive. slant-browed
Emerson club where the members used
to assemble once week and read his
essays and see IF any of the other mem
bers We're wearing anything new She
was also very strong for the Ibsen OF
blue mass school Of drama and frequently
went to plays that had been written by
the great Norwegian when he was feel
ing sort of morbid and low in his minG
shed go to matinee and sit Their,
and cry through three or four long IbseT
acts and come home with red nose and
a raging sick headache and go tn bed
and say shed lad perfectly lovely
afternoon. But after awhile these com
parativey simple pursuits OF the higher
knowledge failed to satisfy the cravings
Of her soul. She began to go in for civic
uplifts and great economic movements
where if "A member wore the same gown
to two meetings In succession it amounted
to scandal And also she began to daily
extensively with those very superior
societies that are made up entirely Of
descendants.
Smel,Zer was telling me about ii the
last time he was in He'd been around
among the retail liquor stores, shopping
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31

day about my maternal grandfather be-
ing one of the Virginia landed gentry
with the best blood of the Old Dominion
coursinG through his veins He'd have
been astonished. too. He may have been
an aristocrat.' says Shelter but
he never knew il. He never got a chance
to work at the trade. He did a truck
ing and general contracting business all
his life. when he might have been
prominent in the aristocrating line. Only
l don't think he was suited for it by
nature. lie wouldn't have given up his
lfe's habit OF breaking the bread into
his coffee and eating his boiled cabbage
off the end Of his knife with an over
hand swing like man putting ia coal
With scoop shovel for anything in tho
world, says Shelter.
J s'pose she's pretty strong with the
MayfloWer bunch, too. says. having
noticed says, that being a tagged and
certified Mayfower descendant is pretty
much the same 10 lady joiner as get
ting into the Shriners is to a thirty-sec-
ond degreer.'
''.Oh. she's long way past that says
Smeltzer. I've been able to gather from
her conversation that when the May
flower first hove into view Off the Massa-
chusetts coast. all loaded down with Pill
grim Fathers, Pilgrim Mothers and Pill
grim Kids. spinning wheels, warming
pans. ducking stools. ingredients for maxi
ing the New England boiled dinner. baked
bean pots. pumpkin pies, leg irons for
OBTAINING witches until enough dry wood
could be collected. Goldfish balls and other
necessities Of life. there was large CO.
lon.al mansion standing some distance
back from shore surrounded by well kept
grounds with pea fowls and an iron dog
on the front lawn. And that was where
Mrs Smeltzer's ancestors were living and
had been doing for some time past.
he says. Anyhow. that's what ! gather
from her remarks on the subject, SAYS
Smeltzer sadly, and then he invited me
to go out with him and take seven or
eight drinks more. For a man with such
A progressive wife he seemed very low
in his mind. Several times in the con-
versation thought he'd he moved 10
tears
We'll. This talks drifted a long warS
from the Suffragettcrs, said the House
Detective Tell me. if you had the
power would you let the women vote:
Il would 3d.. said the Hotel Clerk.
anything for quiet life.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31

ing in a uhiper If il is the right one.
Tourists of all grades of culture know
they ought TO like this picture. the most
famous portrait of all time. the 'Sphynx
OF Beauty" Leonardo's Mona Lisa
treasure OF the salon care of the Louvre
Greatest portrait in the world they
murmur.
i've seen prettier women
Miracle of painting treadinS from
guide book. in which the art OF por-
traiture has probably approached nearest
TO parfe ton"
What Is she smiling at"
Occupied the artist four wears. and
then he pronounced il unfinished-
Wife of Francesca del Gio-con do
More divine than human. held TO he
marvellous and living: equal 10 nature
"She looks elderely.
she looks sly.
Looks like a servant girl.
No sne looks lady, anyhow,
Even those whose first expressions is
.Huh.' and proclaim frankly that they
cannot see her beauty or her interest.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31

mach. This Solomon Re rach-bro,her %
the Reinach Of the Dreyfus affair is the
very type OF the exact modern archaeoio-
sist refusing geniuses the RICH: 10 create
facts. enemy OF wind and fapdoodle.
Breaking in OF lofts theories with a
marriage OK death certificate He i tu-
rator OF St Germain Museum. a re
marka bly, distinguished mar, perfectly
well known N America.
And Solomon Reinach has pscked the
bubble OF the Mona Lisa.
Solomon Reinaca has nothing against
the Immortal portrait itself or The con-
trar:. lie delights III il unaoproac ia be
naturalness nd the charm Of its perfect
execution. Up 70 Nasari. lie Says. lis
IS what the word saw in Mona Lisa He
quotes taSarl:
"He Who would know t. what point art
can initiate nature has but to study this
head: because Leonardo has rendered the
leae: details with extreme firessr.
And Felib.ef
There is such s.ace aid sweetness in
those eyes ard features that they appear
living"
That is al right. approves salomon
Rsinach: and tic good people VITO. stand
ing before a painting. get themselves
laughed at for saying 1t is nature say
IN a word what the critics Of ancient
Greece ard the Renaissance developed
more amply. II IS only Photography that
has Gisgusted Us with II. Leonardo him
self asked nothing more az a portrait.
Il have seen" says Leonardo, = por-
trait so full of resemblance that cog
belonging to the original took il for i s
master and manifested his delight.
But with romanticism, says Solomon. a
new element forced itself into art crit
cism It became subtle, refined. nys
terious. Works to be admired had to
have something enigmatic; must develop
an unknown something which the crit
les would disentangle. And no chef
d'oeuvre has been so much solicited as
Mona Lisa by the amateurs of hidden
meaning.
All this so annoyed Salomou Heinach
that he finally began to look Mona Lisa
Up. What did he discover" He discov-
cred very pathetic. very tender thing.
What is she smiling at:''
You shall learn what she is smiling at.
No one would have dreamed il
Leonardo da Vinci took four years
n5O1-15O4) to paint tie wife Of his friend
Francesca del Giocondo. and so far
from him being in love with her or her
with him. he dropped both portrait and
sitter again and again on moment S
notice to go on pleasure or business trips.
Reinach is a terrible man. He chaSes
a date through hundred MSS until re
trees it. Leonardo quit Florence in 1899,
to return only in 1901. In 1902 he trav
elcd in Umbria as architect for Valentine
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31
A DE GARCIA Y VELEZ, WIFE OF THE CUBAN MINISTER

north. My father was forced for
political reasons to leave the land Of his
birth and seek an asylum in the United
States. lie built up a great business
rear Tampa, Fla, and We lived there
until ] was quite well grown girl.
Invariably we came north for the sum-
mer. Sometimes we went to the springs
of Virginia. and we always stopped for
few days in Washington. where ny faith
er had many friends. OFTEN We went 10
Saratoga. and I am among those who
sincerely mourn the passing OF that ire
Eowned spa.
Il have recently come from Havana.
and 1t affords me much qualification TO
tell Americans that a Cuban Rip Van
Wrinkle would now experience much trou-
BILE in locating his native town when he
came down from the hills 1t was for
merly Joke among my American friends
that Rip in Cuba could sleep for cycle
and find things at home just the same
when he awoke. In appearance Havana
and the great centers OF shipping are
much changed. But doubt II the social
habits and customs Of Cuba will he dis
turbed. Frankly. We hope they will not.
We cling to the old conservative Ideas
about the Sacredness of marriage. and
nothing afforded me so much pleasure as
the overwhelming negative placed on
bill permitting divorce introduced in
recent legisla tive assembly.
We cling to our leisurefy social method,
and nothing would persuade the Cuban
matron to work as hard TO have good
time as her American sister. OF course ]
can allow that the difference in the size
OF the two countries VIII give the Cuban
social leader much greater opportunity
for leisure than the chatelaile OF all Off
cial home In Washington. BIZ. We per-
form our social duties after a different
scheme.
ny Washington friends surprised
when ! tell them that odf visiting hours
in Havana are from 10 al night until
in the morning. But the china e must be
considered and the lIavanese are not in
tie habit of deserving their beloved city
Just because the thermometer rises. We
are not fond OF the formal en- ertalning
which enthrails the northern people. our
delight is the inrromptu the almost I'M
conscious social gathering. Few families
eat the last meal OF the day wi;lou q
guest. bu. they come wthou. the osteu-
IL ton OF written invita- ion. The formal
functions are always state affairs. After
dinner those who are on intimate terms
visit each other from 10 until about = in
the morning.
Generally engagements are made al die-
ferent homes. and large parties meet in
one house by general accord. There are
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31

joining in the Indignation? You did not
Nor I didn't, and I've been listening very
closely. II I was an Enslishman hus-
band. Larry-which Heaven forbid-but if
! was, and l had wife with one OF those
time-lock expressions on her face and q
Jaw that worked on ball and socket,
and II she fell into the habit of going
out and waking up stewed cabmen TO
getting that an Englishmans souSe is his
castle and may not be invaded, and IL
she tried to send herself through the post
as second-class female mail matter, and
If she spent her mornings beating on
Premier AsQuith's front door with cot
ton umbrella. yelling Petition. petition
and went to parliament of afternoons and
chained herself to an iron grating and
yelled II some more. and then came home
to tea and yelled it some more and went
10 bed apd woke In the middle OF the
night and yelled some more. and II a
London bobby. or Robertacop. arrested
her and the judge gave her three months
in Norwood Scrubbs-do you think for
popular Indignation? Not a pop. not an
indignate, not even very small dig or
nate for mine! No. sir: If his worship
gave her only three months I'd send him
a box Of cigars, and II he'd made 1t SIX
It'd be two boxes OF the cigars and a
case of fine old crusted port at two and
sixpence the bottle for him, with my COM
pliments.
Il think 'twouId be better for the Eng
lish suffragettes, everything considered. Il
they'd cut out the knockabout stuff and
copy after the example OF their American
co-workers who do a turn that is more
refined and at the same time mildly
amusing. The American suffragette
doesn't make her act one big scream
from start TO finish. She's more of a light
style OF suffragette. doing
chatting dish sufYragetting. as YOU might
say. and the comedy isn't SO broad. In
we haven't begun to laugh
at her so very hard as yet, and until We
do begin she ought to last quite spell.
And besides we've tried woman suffrage
in several Of our western states and have
found that those states don't send any
worse grade OF senators TO Washington
than they did before the women began
TO vote"
1T looks like these days woman don't
think she's properly organized onlessen
she's forever ioinin' some movement or
some club or somethin',' said the House
Detective.
With few unimportant exceptions,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-31

town at work. They sprout over night.
sometimes her ancestor and mine do, he
says.
Yours too? ! says to him in sur
prise I didn't know you had any ances-
tors. ! says.
Neither did l. says Shelter: she
grew them for me from time to time
Shes been Very generous that way. says
he: first there's a new ancestor for her
and then a new one for me, turn and
turn about. only they're all working for
her he says. Every blessed one Of EN-
he says. is kept busy night and day quail
flying her for new memberships some
where Twas only here the other day
he says. that l learned quite by acct
dent while looking over some papers in
her writing desk that her grandfather
had got her admitted to the D. A. r. re-
member him distinctly He was tall and
light yellow hair that stood up straight
on his head. He looked like one of those
prophylactic tooth brushes and he was
one of the hottest revolutionary heroes
age, in the year 1866. He'd a-been fixed
all right for membership in the Society Of
Cold Winters in the Northern Part of
Minnesota. but I'm blessed if l could see
where he cut in anywhere else. But she
fixed him all up with his proper record.
showing that he was the only son of Il
colonel of Vermont Riflemen. or some
thing equally nifty. and otherwise made
MIN competent. IWOuld be proud day
for him if he was alive says Smeltzer.
. She's done wonders with my an
cestors. too, says Shelter: you'd be sur
prised 10 notice how easily she's turned
them into blue-blooded aristocrats. Take
my respected grandfather on my moth
ers side. for example, he says. Accord
ing to my best information on the sub
iect he came from the southern part OF
Ireland the year after the big famine,
and he had an accent that made him call
graham gem a grim Jim He never
had his vest on or his suspenders off
in the house Il lie could help it, and his
idea Of the correct thing in dinner
coat was one that you could take off just
before sitting down to the table and hang
on the back of the chair. He had a
strong right arm and clay pipe that
was a good deal stronger.
He was fine old boy at thar. and
I'm proud of him. says Shelter. but
knowing him as I did I was astonisled
to hear Mrs. Smeltzer ragGing the other