The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-09-12
from the Boston Courier.l
Maine Watering.Place Bellies.
The Various Types and their Personal
PecuIiarities.

This is very dull season for watering place
bellies, and in all the fashionable resorts of this
region they present a rather dropping appear
ance. There are different varieties of these
bellies, and they attract in different ways. At
Castine the other day we remarked the con-
trast between those of that place and those Of
Bar Harbor. The atmosphere of Castine is
unlike that of any other summer resort I have
ever visited, 1t is a Boston watering-place,
and those who have not the true Boston man
ners and ideas are by no means welcomed into
the very select society which is to be found
there every season. The young people do not
tiirt over croquet or under the influence of the
dreamy music of the waltz, but go botanzing
together, and come home with the discovery
of other strange and new things besides plants.
They discuss scientific books and at the same
time exchange tender glances with,lspectacled
eyes, They dig deep into the wonders of geol-
ogy and find untold things; they sit on the
balcony on star-lit evenings, and though they
do not talk sentimental, still the sentiment
oozes out somewhere and large words slip
rather sleepiy from rosy lips. The bellies Of
this place would not pc burdened with beaux
in many localities. They are too self-asserting,
they have too much angularity of chin; wear
too stout boots, and knowitoo much altogether;
they pinch their noses with glasses, and are
calmly Indifferent on the subject of trees.
They scour the country in short skirts; they
are amply able to talk politics, they sketch
from nature; they converse in German and
French; they read Greek; they are conversant
with every science under the sun. On frivo-
lous minded young ladies with huge gaps ex-
isting in their intellects they frown: on all
young gentlemen they smile, but young gen
tlemen of frivolous order they bewilder and
frighten to the last extremity, though their
manners be of the most gracious quality They
are not the class of young ladies who keep their
eyelids closed or waste their hours in bed. They
are up with the lark they do not deprive the
parlor of their presence until the small hours
of the night. They inspect the books which
strangers drop in the intervals OF reading, with
the most intense curiosity, bnt touch them at
first as if they might be poisonous. They
speak with contempt of those who carry about
'fyllage library literature, apd one little hint
of slang gives them such shock that they are
well nigh deprived of their reason. Castine is
a charming place, bat still there are drawbacks
to ones enjoyment of its charms. Not every
one is at home in the society of the hotels and
boarding-houses, though all may enjoy the
scenery, the lovely, quiet and dropping laves of
Ln6 main SLre6t, the ruln6Q I0rb on Ln6 n1Il, the
old historical houses, the ancient wharves and
mossy woods. The Acadian hotel which sits on
the hill overlooking the blue waters of the bay
is a pleasant abode enough with cool Chambers
and well spread table, There are lovely
walks and drives all about. Meadows green
and fresh as meadows can be though it is past
midsummer, and plenty of jolly little craft
are ready at the pier below when one is in q
mood for sailing. But who is fitted for Castine
society? Who is able to stand before Castine
belle?
AT the watering-places around Portland there
is another style of belle, one who talks slang,
wears very pronounced hat aud handles her
oars like professional She is likely to be q
Canadian, though there are those from other
quarters. Her tone is loud and her manners
daring, but she is very fascinating to the gen.
tlemen who frequent these parts, and is entire
ly satisfied with herself in every respect
There is another style which one finds eyery-
where Whatever her age may be, she apes
the childish. She opens her round ewes in PER-
petual pretty wonderment. She is Continually
asking for information on every subject which
is brought up, in sweet lappealing tones. Her
lovely mouth IS forever smiling. She clasps
her infantile hands and gives tender upward
glances. She joins in all the rough tramps
which are started at the hotel, and is so frail,
so babyllke in her helplessness that more than
one tender masculine arm is required to help
her along, to support her steps on the rough
road, to lift her over rocks and brambes. Then
she must continually be told what flower is poi
sonous and what is not, what is marsh and
what is dry land. She is afraid of echoes and