Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-12-15

the country is brush OF round shape, and
the streets are swept with twigs tied to
stick.
AS to the sleeping arrangements, the beds
here are stuffed with cotton, and the most
OF them are exceedingly hard The pillows
are like so many stones and the beds have
few springs. In travelling in the interior one
is lucky if he gets more than board and q
blanket.
| wish | could show YOU how the washing
is done. My room at the hotel here is on
the ground floor, looking out on court.
The room is much like cave. It is hole
in the wall, lighted by a window which is
very high up and by the door. which looks
out on the court 1t is in the court that all
the washing is done There is a concrete
vat there filled with running water, and
about it the washwomen stand and kneel
and pound the clothes, or slap them on the
stones. SO that there is a continual splashlng
from breakfast until dinner. The vat IS five
feet square, and the water in it IS as cold as
ice The sapping breaks the buttons and
frequently tears the clothing to pieces
This kind Of washing goes on throughout
the laundry work is done in the streams, the
clothing being rubbed on the stones by hall
naked women. Here in Guatemala and also
III Costa Rica there are some public laun-
dries consisting OF concrete tubs led by
streams from the mountains.
saw such laundry i'll San Jose It was a
galvanized shed covering half an acre. The
floor OF this was Of brick and concrete, ane
in the center a concrete tub, SO wide thai
YOU could drive buggy through it ane
about 300 feet long had been built. 1h1s
tub or vat was higher than my shoulder ant
was filled with cold Water. Outside the tut
were steps built at intervals along its whole
length on both sides, and upon these steps
at least 90 women stood bending over ane
securing their wash on the stones. Some
we're pounding little with flat sticks, ant
others were lifting the pieces with SWING
high in the air and slapping them down OF
the wall OF the tub Most of them were
deeollete, and as their bare arms were ra1set
high III the air and the linen came dow
with a noise like pistol, il formed cufl
Gus scene.
do not know where the ironing IS done
but the clothes are dried on the grass or OF
bushes. My shirts are not starehed, ant
the turnover collars instead OF beng tolde,
are laid flat and tied together one on top 9
tile other They appear TO have been lroned
but the fold IS almost lost by this treat
ment As TO the cuffs, they are seWed to
gether with one or two stitches to keel
them il place, and thread IS ased TO hold tn
folds OF the shirt where our 1aundrymen us
pins. The prices OF hotel washing ar
about the same as at home.
In the Business Section.
But let us leave the market and take
walk through the streets. We are now I
the business section The shops are moth
lnp ike our stores at home. Most OF ther
have no glass windows and some have II
windows at all. The doors open right o
the streets and the only light comes frol
the. The counters are at the backs OF tn
stores instead OF in the middle and the
usually run across the room facing til
front, The goods are poorly displayed an
the prices as a rule, are not fixed. Much
the buying is done by bargaining and les
price is taken than is marked on the good
And no wonder! For, look at the mark
That cotton is 81 yard, and that bolt 6
silk IS marked at SIS per yard. 1t is not $
bad when you remember that 81 Guatt
malan is only y cents and that the price {
the silk per yard is about an America
dollar.
Business in these stores begins about
o'clock in the morning and ends ar nigh
fall Everything is shut for two or thre
hours in the middle Of the day, when bot
employers and clerks go nome for the
luncheon or breakfast and the siesta Whie