imaginary stray hairs into place
in their sleek black coiffures, and settled _camisa_ or _panuela_
with indescribably quick and bird-like movements. Those of them who
could speak Spanish talked clothes and babies and servants, or smiled
politely at our mistakes in the language, laughing out-right at their
own futile efforts to speak English. They were astonished that the
quartermaster's wife should have attained the remarkable height of
five feet eight inches _so young_! Was it possible there were other
women in America as tall? Taller even? _'Susmariajoseph!_ But surely
that was a joke? One never could tell when these Americans were joking.

One of the officers presented the _Burnside_ women with some native
hats typical of the island, and the Filipinos were overcome with
surprise at our interest in such ordinary headgear. What were we
going to do with the hats? Wear them ourselves? Oh, no, we hastened
to explain, they were to decorate our walls in America, that all our
friends might see what pretty hats the Filipino people wear. Decorate
the wall with hats? What a very curious idea! They chatted volubly
over this idiosyncrasy, and even laughed at it, but quite decorously
so that our feelings might be spared. Suddenly one of them, a most
vivacious girl, and evidently the belle of the village, leaned over
and in persuasive tones suggested that we women leave our hats,
each real creations of millinery art, for their walls, at which
witticism they all giggled explosively and shrugged their shoulders
in rapturous appreciation of our confusion; all but the presidente's
wife, who looked shocked at such presumption and spoke to the younger
women warningly in Visayan.

She was a shy and rather fat old lady--the presidente's wife--and
seemed greatly impressed by any statistics translated into Visayan
for her information. Speaking Spanish but indifferently, she made
up for her linguistic deficiencies by a pair of eyes which let
nothing escape them; and she stared at us continually throughout
the afternoon, seeming to be studying this new species of woman
as intently as a naturalist might some strange butterfly under a
microscope. Whenever we caught her eye she looked away hastily as if
detected in an impropriety, and then furtively resumed her inspection,
taking in every detail of our wearing-apparel, from the real hats
upon our heads to the stout soled walking boots on our feet, the shine
of our patent leathers seeming to ins