New-York tribune., 1870-08-26
NEWPORT.
THE POINT-THE YACHTS-BUSY BEES AND
IDLERS-TwO HOUSES AND A PICTURE.

| NEWPORT.
THE POINT-THE YACHTs-BUsY BEES AND
IDLERs-TwO HOUSES AND PICTURE.
BAYsIDE, Newport, Aug. 22.-I have been
here six weeks in this perfect air. under this Italian sky
waiting laZily for else to make you see the
Point of Newport But as no one else has done So I
look in your behalf out Of my window. To look out Of
ones window at the Point Is something very different
from the outlook of Sister Anne from the tent while
Bluebeards wife saying her prayers. Instead of
long, still road, and far off cloud OF dust, you see
highway of the waves full perpetuay Of life and motion.
Big ships, little ships, steamboats, from everywhere,
pretty girls with floating hair rowing in dainty
| little shells, sail boats with white sails, spread
like wings to the morning breeze; fishermen
putting off from shore In heavy looking punts, merry,
wide-awake life all about This gay begins with
the first lifting Of the mornings fog and goes all day
long, Every moment there is something new to see;
fresh SAIL which, for all you know, may bring you
destiny is rounding into sight Watermen abound here,
and you have only to Whistle and I'll to you, my
lad" for and kind of boat and go out yourself upon the
glittering highway. neghbor from Rocky Point, or
another from Providence, sails up to shore and makes
you call; and "Wil you sail with me 2" is
question as "Will you walk 7" is elsewhere.
To out upon the water here at sunset isl pause for
an adjective superative enough. should have said
heavenly, but we have heard OF Heaven as place
where there is sea-" and every Newporter has
been less anxious to go there since Nowhere believe
away from Italy suoh sunsets seen. grace
full maiden, not unknown to THE TRIBUNE and its read
ers rows you out perhaps you so happy as to be
her friend, in her little blue boat. remember such
row, when the waves below crimson, and the sky
itself scarcely blushed with deeper glory pulled
away from the sunset shore Of this happy island On
went through the soft dusk watching the sis go home
and fold their wings and lghts begin to glow from the
lighthouses, and the clouds turn from crimson and gold
to purple, and then gray, and afterward dsperse
sky and sea grew full Of a glory. We fosted once
into darkeneG by the high cliffs wlseh shut 1t
in that you felt suddering awe, your wsvo being
borne in Plutonan boat into tie regions OF ever
lasting darkness. vontarily the two idle passengers
clasped hands, and bresed softly bit the little oars
woman rested ON her oars and said Now for the eohO
And then she called in ,ear, ringing voice, and the
"fair maid Echo behed Of man answ sred as clearly,
bidding goodnight at LAST, Like tender reg1etfu
woman.
Rowing away from her charmed cave. we sawthe View
York boat in the distance coming toward us, like q
floating palace outI Of oriental taea "jeweled
wonder gnttering with lights from stem to ,earn aof
which we're perfectly reflected In the Of glass below
even the red light in the CENTER glowing again with
deeper crimson under the translucent waves After sho
had passed quite ont Of sigh the long swell she made
reached back TO and rocked bOnny bua boat like
cradle; and then 1oated dreamily home, and went
in Of the moonlight to slubers which the pash Of
ths against the pier soOthed like lullaby,
and dreams Though which phantom fleet glided loc-
ever.
This is only the water side ot our deghtS-a side at
teinable in m perfection in part Of Newport the
Point Across the island, the other sda the ocean
thundered N and go and look at its immensely,
grow sad with its melancholy and come cheery back TO
our sociabs bay where the worlds work Is going
and where there Is always the excitement Of something
new Last week IL the whole yacht squadron which
rounded Point Judith and made their hems among for
rAkb xpbit dOvyioO
ing and music and salutes, and little excitemenfs of
short races, and wellseryed dinners, or chanpagne
lunches for favored citizens The Phantom in her ghosy
beauty the Elaine graceful enough 30 have horne the
Lily Maid Of Aselat TO her DOOM the Cambria with the
laurel OF victory her short English bovsprit, the
Dauntless full-couraged STILL faSailed-an these
have gone now, and would they coad have stayed with
us :" but still the bay Is gay, and plenty OF snowy sails
futter to the favoring winds.
Landward life at the Point is different thing from
life elsewhere in Newport. Our excitements local.
and we do not depend on ths Ocean House and the
Avenue though and look these and then at
the painted show with the air Of superior beings who lead
more virtuous lives than our neghbors 80 looking, we
saw extremes meet yesterday-Gov. Hoffman and Edmd
Quincy walking fraternally down the Avenue together
the Democratic candidate for the next President and the
original Aboltionist Quincy Of the Quincys Partan
of the Puritans-New-York and Boston, as you could
have told walking behind them from the very cut of
their ats People have not been gay usual in the
fashionable part of the town. Only balls of note
have vet given; neithey the turnouts
trc or 80 numerous during the unforgotten glory Of
some other years. Buthe Avenue is still gay sight Of
an August afternoon and who are In but not Of it,
have all the fun and OF the trouble, as we may
BY under the modest umbrellas Of phaetons, and
look out at four-inhands with the monogram OF the
ory house of Fisk at dashing tandems, and periousy
high dogcarts wherein some Lord Dundreary dispors
himself Then we go home to our usual occupations and
inst here IL occurs TO ask myself what they are
Walt Whitman, in enumerating the changes and pur.
suits OF his rhythmical he loaf upon somebody
or somebody loafs upon me"-and believe. after all
that that is what most of do at the Point and is
the absolute rest absolute azness which makes the
life here 80 delightful There two or three busy
| among us. Mary Clemmer Ames is hard at work In a
pretty cottage: and Kate Field, In her lovely room In
'Mrs. SanfOrds palace" as notice some OF the news
papers call It, Is writing her lecture Dickens which
part we loaf" and delude ourselves with plans for
heroic impossibiities, toward which we are gaining
| strength.
There are two noted houses here-one the aforesaid
"paace" and the other the old Hunter House,, where
| Col Hgginson wrote his "Malbone," and where the
characters in that congregated The air Is full
Of them here lust the house is often full OF pilgrim;
who come 10 look for the painted tiles and the cherubs
heads and wings that go asray and lose themselves In
closets and behind glass DOORS" and the carven pine
annie over the hosptable western entrance. They art
Ali here The secret staircase up which poor, passion
ate. lovely Emilia stole, opens into my very chamber