The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-08-28
Scenes at Old Orchard.
OLD ORCHARD BEACI


Aug. oath, 1873.
For nine days past the same fears have op-
pressed me that weighed down the naturally
buoyant spirits of the French Countess intro
duced into Lord Lytton's ''Devereaux', Ycu
will remember that she averred she always
cried after saying her nightly prayers. Sand
why, you see.' replied the fair sinner. 81 pray
every night for the Lord to make me good,
and then cry for fear he will t: Ike me at my
word.''
For some time have prayed early and late
for second deluge, bavipg been driven to the
verge of madness and profanity by the per-
sistent but abortive attempts of the occupant
of neighboring room to acquire control of
an asthmatic and refractory instrument, that
may be is flute and may be isn't; and my
agony hasn't been materially aba.ed by the
efforts of young lady on the floor aLove to
hammer out music on grand, square, doion-
right internal old piano. She is called mu-
sical prodigy, and she certainly does have pro-
digious strength IN the arms or she would now
be wearing them both in a sling. She goes it
strong on classical music and as her voice is
no better than her playing (if possible worse)
I feel deeply grateful to Mendelssohn for COM
posing his Songs Without words" As I
was saying, have been earnestly praying for
another deluge, being willing to be put to
some personal Inconvenience if peradventure
the aforementioned amateur musicians might
come to violent end. But the steady drip,
1rin Of tho IoSf nina h1,,
alarmed me lest might be taken at my ord,
and l rejoiced and was exceeding glad at the
sunshine of yesterday and to-day. have ev-
er listened with resigned meekness to per-
formance in sections of an exceedingly tan
gled and intricate fantasia by my neighbor-
ing Tityrus, while my fair iiiend's chopped-up
ndjerky way ofinterpreting Chopin's sonatas
has melancholy attraction for me.
There are many more peoole here than one
would expect to find after such duration of
rains and fig, but the ass of people that
come here, are, as a general thing, not of the
sugar-and-sat species, and thoTe who have a
well-developed streaK of New England econo-
my and hatred of wastefulness rather like it,
as it gives .hem chance to wear out their
o.d clothes. In the matter of dress there is a
very wide latitude. Some people have acquir-
ed a certain amount of money during tho
year and must spend it in some way, and
these will make grand display of dry-goOds
and millinery. At Old Orchard, as elsewhere,
1 observe that the wealthiest people are those
that dress the plainest and make the least dis
play. The gentleman here who can draw his
check for the largest amount is one whose
living is of the plainest and whose dress is OF
the quietest.
The crowds of excursionists who have
focked to Old Orchard this season, though a
source of profit to the transient houses and
saloons on the beach, have beccme a disa-
greeable fact and source of much annoyance
to the guests of the larger houses. ALTHOUGH
for the most part composed of orderly per
sons, yet they are dreaded from the fact o.
that ever-active curiosity which is enclosed
within the breast of the average excursionist,
and leads him with his omnipresent basket
and pail here, there and everywhere. Some
of these picnic parties, am sorry to say inc
tably several recent ones from Lewiston) have
not limited their carrying utensils to baskets
aid pals, but have brought along ''the little
brown Jug" and this has been the cause oi
much disgraceful revelry and disturbance.
The regular, weekly full dress shop" at the
| Ocean House was the feature of last evening
Large parties of gentlemen came from Bos.
| ton, Portland and other cities, on the after.
noon and evening trains, and all of the fail
ones, whose loc $ were not erect in tie con.
scous dignity and stiffness Of curl papers
made periodical excursions to the pretty little
railroad stat on on the beach. And,by the by,
this forms one of the most systematic adver-
tisements of the habitues of the beach houses.
Crowds of tourists go over this road, and SO
this offers an irresistible opportunity for the
display of any exceedingly well-ftting and
pretty out door costume, and these young la
dies are not slow to avail themselves of it.
| To return to the ball. 1t was a success as
have been all the large shops" at the ocean