a figure like an artist's model. One
little foot crept out beneath her silk riding skirt, and to my surprise
it was devoid of hosiery. The skin was like polished velvet, and was of
a pinkish gold of an exquisite tint. It was shod with a slipper of satin
or silk, embroidered in color and had an arched instep which made the
foot all the more charming by its setting.

"The time to see the women at their best is on Sunday morning, when they
ride from their homes to mass in the nearest church or cathedral. On one
Sunday morning, while riding leisurely into a small village on my way to
this town, I met a crowd of worshippers on their way to mass. Nearly all
the women were on mule back, and sat or lolled as if they were in an
easy chair in their own homes. A few, probably wealthier than the
others, or else delicate in health, were accompanied by little darky
boys, who held over them a parasol or an umbrella.

"On Sunday each woman wears a huge rosary, sometimes so large as to be
uncomfortable. I saw several that were so unwieldy that they went over
the shoulders and formed a huge line, larger indeed than a string of
sleigh bells. These are ornamental rosaries and are not used for prayer.
The praying rosary is as small and dainty as those used by fashionable
women in our own Roman Catholic churches. Besides the fan and the rosary
every woman was provided with a neat and often handsomely-bound prayer
book and a huge lighted cigar or cigarette.

"This is indeed the land for women who love the weed. A few smoke
cigarettes and pipes, but the majority like partajas, perfectos,
Napoleons and other rolls of the weed larger than those usually seen in
our own land. They smoke them at home and in the streets, at the table
or on the balcony, lying in hammocks, or lolling on their steeds, and
only desist when within the sacred walls of the church. The moment mass
is over and they emerge into the sunlight the first thing the women do
is to light a fresh cigar and then climb into the saddle.

"They make a beautiful picture upon the roads. Imagine an intensely blue
sky above, with below rich green vegetables and startling dashes of
scarlet, crimson, vermillion, orange and white from the flowers which
seem to bloom the year through, setting off the bright hues of the
costumes. It combines the picturesque side of New Orleans life, of
Florida scenery, of the Maine lake country, and of the New Hampshire
hills."

At Guayama there was even a