The route to Cuba is _down_ the Bay. To attempt to make the journey by the Sound route is to go a good day's journey out of the way, so it never entered the heads of the officers on the cutter that the _Silver Heels_ would start for Cuba by any such out-of-the-way route. Putting off from the Battery, which is the extreme lower point of New York city, they steamed up and down the Bay, looking out for their prize. The _Silver Heels_ did not put in an appearance, however, and after waiting about three hours, the officers decided to go up the East River, and intercept the vessel while she was still in the river. The night was dark, and the river full of shipping, but every craft that approached was carefully inspected, and still no _Silver Heels_ was discovered. After several tedious hours of waiting had been passed, the officers decided to steam up to the wharf and find out what had happened to the ship. On reaching the pier it was learned, to the consternation of the marshals, that the _Silver Heels_ had cleared nearly four hours before, and had been towed up the Sound, instead of down the Bay. With such a start as that it was felt to be useless to attempt to overtake her, and the marshals left the cutter, and returned to their homes, wiser but sadder men. * * * * * The young Cuban, Miss Evangelina Cisneros, about whom we told you last week, has lost no time in putting herself under the protection of our flag. The very morning of her arrival she went down to the County Court-House in City Hall Park, and there declared her intention of becoming an American citizen. It is a very unusual thing for foreign-born women to become naturalized Americans. They rarely do so unless they wish to hold property in this country, for, having no vote or voice in the conduct of the Government, it is not so necessary for them to become citizens of their adopted country. When a woman marries she assumes the nationality of her husband, and can hold any property by right of her marriage, and the fact that all foreign women who marry Americans become Americans by their marriage is another reason why it is rarely necessary for women to take out their naturalization papers. Miss Cisneros was, however, afraid that the Spanish Government might insist that the United States should send her back to her prison in Cuba, and so she hastened to give up her allegiance to Spain, and shelter herself under the protection of the American Government. * * * * * For some time past there has been a terrible epidemic of yellow fever in the South. An epidemic means a disease that affects a large number of people at the same time and is widely spread. The disease was first noticed in a little summer watering-place not far from New Orleans. It was not recognized as yellow fever, the doctors thinking it a harmless little summer fever, of which the symptoms are very similar.