THE LAST CRUISE OF THE MIRANDA. 



CI 



But needles attracted no more attention among the 

 inhabitants of Sukkertoppen than did fish-hooks. Some 

 knowing ones liad probably been here before us and flooded 

 the market. Ribbons were the things that went like hot 

 cakes, and a man with enough ribbons could soon have owned 

 the town. All the women wore ribbons in their hair, which 

 was tied up in a top-knot. These ribbons were worn not 

 only for ornament, but also 

 to designate the lady's con- 

 dition. Maids wore red, 

 married women blue, wid- 

 ows black, and those who 

 were neither maid, wife, 

 nor widow, green. Some 

 of the widows wore black 

 and red ribbons interlaced ; 

 these formed a sort of 

 quick or the dead colors, 

 and indicated a willingness 

 to marry again. It chanced 

 that a young theological 

 student of our party had 

 brought with him a great 

 roll of green ribbon, and 

 when he saw how popular 

 ribbons appeared to be, he 

 brought forth his roll and 

 unwound it before a lot of 

 maidens and their mam- 

 mas. The hilarity that he 

 produced embarrassed him, and when he attempted to 

 hand his ribbons for examination to any one of them the 

 manner in which they ran laughing from him embarrassed 

 him all the more, and filled him with astonishment. Never- 



