Page:A La California.djvu/160

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132
IN THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO.

One may wander far and wide over the earth without finding another such a motley crowd as that which on a pleasant evening pours in a living stream through Kearney or Montgomery Street. Natives of the soil of every State in the Union, Englishmen, Irishmen, Scotchmen, Welshmen, French, Germans, Italians, Greeks, Russians, Swedes, Norwegians, Lapps, Fins, Portuguese, Spaniards, Mexicans, Panamenos, Chilenos, representatives from every Central and South American country, Canadians, Chinese, Japanese, and Kanakas, abound; and here and there in the throng, at wider intervals, you may at times see the supple, silent little Lascar, or Hindoo, gliding stealthily and serpent-like through the throng; or note the tall turban of the Parsee, or Persian, merchant, who is waiting for the steamer of the P. M. S. S. Co. to bear him back to the shores of Asia; or the red fez of the Turk or Algerine, as he wanders dreamily along, unconsciously lending his assistance in making up the wonderful panorama unrolling itself before you.

In walking two bloc s you may hear every leading language of Europe, Asia, and America spoken, and see every type of female beauty, from the blonde of the north to the brunette of the sunny South, the dull, almond-eyed daughter of the Celestial Empire to the olive-hued senorita with eyes of liquid flame, from Andalusia or Tropical America. The ever-changing scene is always one of interest, and often at the most unexpected moment one may witness incidents and gaze upon sights such as could not be observed elsewhere in America.