Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-09-30
a YACHTMAN'S ROMANCE.


the waters OF the SOlent. Blighted beings had
repaired to COwes, and shattered hearts to Ryie.
Gentlemen who were, in popular Parlsnce,
about ''dOne up" were enjoying themselves with
an hilarity that might have betokened the zen
it'll of worldly prosperity and commercial sue
cess, in different crafts belonging TO the pleas
ure fleet which covers the English Channel with
animation during the months of July, August
and September. OF al social phenomena there
is none probably more curious than that thus
stated by distinguished novelist: =" How is Ii
that men whom in their palmy days have seen
haggard, careworn and detected, by the simple
fact that they utterly and frretriey ably
ruined, suddenly become the most Ii ght-hearted
and jOlliest Of mankind?" The explanation,
probably, Is reaction-reaction from the sus-
pense of anxiety to tn e certainty of despair. Or
possibly the philanthrOpists who propose to
themselves the extinction of impecuniosity at
modest profit OF eighty per cent 1t m der
fact that these volatile human wrecks are blest
with expectations in the background, and usu
ally have reversionary interest more OF less
The scene at Ryde Pier, and the hour about
TX m pretty spot, and by no means an
hyde Pier and the view which it presents may
be visited with signal propriety by the pale
moonlight or in the pale twilight: The eter-
nal promenade on the pler-head, the perpetual
accompaniment Of brilliant music and inter
minabie scandal, the ceaseless tide of demon
strative fiirtstion-these things are pleasant
enough per 80, but they have, no doubt, ten
dency TO become mOnotOnous. 1t Is very
different thing, Ryde Pier, after dinner. You
secure society WITHOUT crown ana company
without effect. You may mediate solUs, or
soius cum solo, you may fiirt. And the pros
peet is not without its charm. There in the
Solent is the squadron OF dainty craft, their
sails fIIrled still and mOtionless at anchor, the
lamp fixed to their mastheads rejecting itself
with quivering motion In the tide below and
the whole effect being that of a marine illumi-
nation. A little further on, and you can see the
Eue OF light on the mainland and distinctly
trace the terraces Of SOuthsea and Portsmouth.
Ii Nu turn round you viii see full in your face
the Lille town of Ryde, alive with gas and the
wintoSs of the Victoria yacht club all agow.
Then, probably, to enhance the sentiment OF the
moment, the strains OF music steal upon you,
and were il not that you are seasOnably reminded
OF contingent rheumatic pains, you might be
tempted to lapse into poetic Teyery.
Mr.. Jim Lawlesse, to address him at once by
his familiar title was scarcely a gentleman OF
poetic temperament, yet from the prolongcdin-
tentness of his gaze upon the waters as he
BOUNCED across the ratings of the pier, and the
fact that he had suffered his cigar to become ex-
tingushed IN his hand, he might, for all one
sonnet to his MISTRESS eyebrow or specializing
deeply on the philosophy of the uncondition.
OF that little yacht y0nder-the one nearest the
shore with its tiny light twinkling from amid
its rigging-the Sea Fan was her name-Mr. Jim
Iawlesse was temporary proprietor Jim.s
friends were in the habit of saying that,
having made the land too hot for him he had
taken to the waters; and there may have been
reasons which rendered st. James street a
slightlytoo public place Tor our hero. IS, 50 Mr,
old college friend to 60 on a yachting trip in
the Sea Fan. But the Sea Fans owner had been
called away, and Mr.. Lawlcsse was the man in
possession pro ten. A boat containing gentle
man and two ladies pulled TO the pier, and Mr..
lawlesses attention was aroused. The party
had come from the Petrol, about a mile out, ard
consisted of the prophet of the Petrol Sir He'd
worth Dare, and his two daughters, who stood
TO each other in the relation OF steP-ssters, as
Sir Hedworth had married twice, Edith and
Kate. When Mr.. Lawlesse went up to the two
as they landed, 1T was pretty obvious that SIT
HedwOrtiI Dare would have been quite as well
HaH NJ IL tO cent
himself; for the barODet regarded Mr.. Lawlesse
as detrimental, and had a wholesome and
All, LawIesse; thou ht it was bloomington, y
said Sir Hedworth; ''sald he would be here TO
meet us"
of the heir OF Moonshine, and desperately smit.
ten with Miss Kate Dare. Sir Hedworth-so
said Ryde society-was bent upon the match.
The Hon. sam was certainly a catch; 50 said the
ladies; bloomington was an ass; 30 somewhat
abruptly said the gentlemen in general, and
Mr.. Lawlesse in particular.
Jim, however, was not to be taken aback by
this very tepid welcome, and walked down the
pier with Sir Hedworth and his two daughters
- Are you going TO the ball tonight, MIR. Law
lesse!" asked Kate Dare. 1t happened to be
within few hours of the commencement of the
or course. Mr. Lawlesse was going; and so
was Mr.. bloomington. That gentleman hac
just Joined them; 20 they all were. "And jim
Iawlesse sauntered OF after having babe The
ladies an du reroir-in decidedly better spirit,
than when he had first met Sir Hedworth and
the Misses Dare, too.
al don't think should mind backing my lucl
against that of the Honorable Sans, said jim
Iawlesse as he proceeded TO dress Miss Kat
Dare had promised Mr.. Lawlesse the first waltz
III.
The dance given by the Royal Victoria Yacht
Club was unusually and brilliantly successful
that year; said everybody; and the ball i:
certainly one which, III for no other reasons than
those OF srectacul ar nature, Is well worth see
ing. The elegant devices which convert a bal
cOny into a corridor, the prOfGSion of banners
the trophies of yachtmen, the decidedly nauti
cal features in the dresses of the ladies-aI
these add a charm which is exclusively theiI
own to the affair.
Mr. James Lawlesse entered the room almost
at the same time the Dare party. On the
arm of Sir Hedworth rested the eldest daughter
on that of Hon. Sam, Miss Kate Dare. The
Baronets tone was more chilled than ever wher
he caught sight of our hero approaching in the
distance.
Amid an indescribable chatter. strongly fia
vored with marine jargOn, the first quadrill,
was danced. Mr.. MOoningtOn's partner wa,
Miss Kate Dare, his ris-G-uis the gentleman
whom We have for forms sake christened th'
quadrille. As even first guadrilles some tins
or other, was over at last, and within a very
few minutes OF its termination Mr.. Lawlessl
claimed the younger OF Sir HedwOrth's twC
daughters a. his partner in the.first waltz; anC
Mr. bloomington surrendered the lady who wa
without doubt the object OF his affections ant
ambitions, certainly not with the best grace IL
the world. Miss DarP, however, was close b.
and disengaged. Would Miss Dare give him
the HONORABLE sam, the pleasure OF that waltz
Most happy; and the pair whirled off, The
elder of Sir Hedworth's two daughters was fal
from displeased at the e0ntretempS, and she de-
termined TO make the most Of It. She did MOI
see why the heir to the Moonshine peeragt
should be calmly appropriated for and by hel
younger and half-sister. For her part, she
could never quite understand what there par
ticularly was 70 charm people in Kate. Be
sides, Kate had her time before her; she haC
only finished her first season, and Edith Dare:
first season was an affair of the more or les
long past II Kate did not choose to know heI
opportunity, such charge OF ignorance should
not be brought against Miss Dare. In plain
truth, this young lady was as little pleased with
her father as with her sister, in the present
matter. 10 would be no such bad thing, she
thought, IL the event would prove that the cal
culations OF the former were at fault; as FOR
Kate, the child was far too ignorant to calcu-
late at all.
The fair partner Of Mr.. bloomington put forth
- all her attractions-and they were not inconsid-
erable-to captivate and please. She suggested
walk in the corridor-it was 50 hot in the ball
room. Curiously enough, Kate and Mr.. Law
lesse had proceeded in the same direction only
a few minutes previously. Curiously enough.
also, the keen eyes Of Edith Dare had noticed
the movement.
81 think, y said that young lady, In low tone,