Saint Stephen's Fete in Budapest 



551 



the best display possible of their wares, 

 and some of the arrangements of vege- 

 tables and fruits were exceedingly at- 

 tractive. This being a market for a holi- 

 day crowd, there was a large quantity 

 of the latter, and one was particularly 

 struck by the enormous number of water- 

 melons — there seemed enough to supply 

 all Europe, but none too many, we dis- 

 covered, for the throngs of merry- 

 makers, who equal our own Southern 

 pickaninnies in their love for this luscious 

 fruit. The farmer's work seems over 

 ■when the contents of the vi^agons are 

 unloaded, and he lolls about, smoking his 

 cigarette, or goes for a long glass of 

 -native wine in one of the many little 

 cafes. He is rather a picturesque fellow, 

 €ven in his every-day clothes. He still 

 clings to the national costume, with its 

 flat black hat, wide white trousers (so 

 full that they look almost like a divided 

 •skirt), and high-heeled knee boots. 

 Should the day be warm he is sure to 

 remove his short, and sometimes braided, 

 coat, but never lays it aside. He slings 

 it over one shoulder in a manner we are 

 apt to associate with the dashing officers 

 and men of the picturesque hussar regi- 

 ments. The women wear short skirts 

 ■of rough material and generally boots 

 similar to the men. Fancy handkerchiefs 

 are sure to be tied over their heads, which 

 makes many bright spots of color among 

 the piles of green vegetables. 



OBLIGING POLICE 



All day Saturday people came stream- 

 ing into the city, and by evening the 

 scene was full of gaiety, color, and life. 

 The streets were crowded, and the beau- 

 tifully lighted cafes were jammed to the 

 ■doors, and out of doors as well. To ac- 

 commodate the extra patrons, tables had 

 "been placed not only on the sidewalks, 

 "but quite across the roadways in some 

 places, the police obligingly closing that 

 portion of the street from traffic. These 

 •tables were attractively arranged, lit with 

 little colored lights, and, as the night was 

 ■warm, seemed more popular than those 

 indoors. 



Fancy our famous traffic squad shut- 

 ting off Thirty-third Street, that the 

 Waldorf-Astoria might accommodate its 

 extra patrons at overflow tables placed 

 outside on the asphalt ! But in Buda- 

 pest this was a people's festival ; so 

 busses, cabs, and wagons willingly took 

 another street, that the city's guests 

 might be accommodated and made com- 

 fortable and happy. All the hotels were 

 quite full, and many peasants seemed 

 contended to wander about the streets 

 all night, catching a nap where they 

 could, on park bench or doorstep. Their 

 sleep, or in fact the sleep of the entire 

 population, was not to be a late one, for 

 at the first sign of dawn the bells began 

 a great variety of sounds — from the deep 

 boom of those of the cathedral to the 

 sharp tinkle of the small bell of some 

 little chapel. Every church seemed sup- 

 plied with them, and the ringers seemed 

 to be particularly active on this August 

 morning. If the bells were not enough 

 to arouse one, there were plenty of other 

 sounds ; for no sooner had the sun ap- 

 peared than the streets became full of 

 tramping, talking, shouting crowds ; and 

 now and then came the roll of drums or 

 the music of a military band, as detach- 

 ments of troops marched to the scene of 

 the festival. All were moving in one 

 direction, across the bridges and up the 

 winding, narrow streets of Buda, to the 

 plateau on which the Royal Palace and 

 the Matthias Church are situated. 



THE BRIGHT COSTUMES OF THE PEASANTS 



The procession was to start at seven, 

 and at least an hour before that time our 

 carriage was at the door and we were 

 off" to our position in the Palace Square. 

 The first tilling that attracted our atten- 

 tion, as we drove by the walking crowds, 

 was the change of costume of the peas- 

 ants from the day before. Then all were 

 in their working clothes, but today they 

 are arrayed in all their glory. The men 

 had retained their flat hats, but had gen- 

 erally adorned them with flying ribbons 

 of the national colors — red, white, and 

 green. The white divided-skirt-like 



