Unofficial letters of an official's wife [by] Edith Moses.

UNOFFICIAL LETTERS OF

IV
THE ROUTINE
MANILA, August 1I2, 1900.
W TE went to a ball last evening given at the Bank
House. This is the residence of the manager
of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank. It is, situated beyond the town in the open country and as
an uprising had been announced for to-day all the
officers serving with troops were ordered to be on
duty. Only the staff officers were able to be present,
but so small a number of women and girls are in
town compared with the men that there was no
dearth of partners and everyone had a good time.
Our guard was tripled yesterday and the men insisted we ought to take a gun with us to the ball.
So with much reluctance el Sefior was finally induced to put his unloaded pistol under the seat.
Our progress was slow for at every few blocks we
were challenged, the carriage stopped, and we had
to get out and have our pass examined. It was not
exactly agreeable for a slight rain was falling. The
ball was very pretty and the supper delicious. One
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