Morning journal and courier., 1882-08-25
How 8 Great Man Bathes.
New Nork's Shapely Ex-Senator at the
 Mercy of Briny Breakers.

New Nork's Shapely Ex-Senator at the
 Mercy of Briny Breakers.
 Correspondence Philadelphia Press.l
 NEW YORK, Aug. 19.-It my fortune to behold at Manhattan Beach few days ago one of the most remarkable and beautiful spectacles afforded by modern civilization. shall I be forgiven for reporting it? Say, rather should be forgiven for not report ing it? Mir. Conkling has been for several weeks a guest at the Oriental Hotel. He spends the day in town hard at work over the papers that come to him as one of the rising corporation lawyers of the New York bar. Then he runs and catches the crowded f.; boat for Bay Ridge and the beach. He sits on a stool in the bow of the steamboat and removes his hat, allowing the breezes of the bay to toy with his chestnut and silver curls. One evening last week, half an hour before the sun went down, there was move ment of people toward the place where the Oriental bathers enter the water. The stir so unusual, and the spectators so evi dently interested in some object upon the sands, that left a comfortable seat and made my way to the palings. The eyes of all spec tators were directed, not to the water, but to solitary figure that had just emerged from the batting pavilion and was standing at the edge of the ocean in the attitude of Greek god
 Shall I describe his bathing suit He wore a close-fttng tunic of diagonally striped blue and white material cut rather dec0lletc, and with short arms that left posed fully one half of the biceps. Brooches of the same striped material came just below the knees his calves glistened in the slant ing sunlight his pink feet patted the warm sand one after the other-shapely feet, which might well have made the Rev. Dr. Deems falter in his belief that the feet of the late Commodore Vanderbilt were the most beau tiful ever seen. In the case of the Oriental bather, perhaps the heels were trife long fOr ba 0f plaSSlC standards, but they were not excessively long, and as he stood erect upon the sand they seemed to lend additional stability to his pose, guaranteeing to the eye as 1t were, that he should not tumble backward. A ri- diculous straw bonnet covered his head, par tially concealing the features from view. This useless and disfguring appendage, how ever, was soon discarded. An involuntary murmur of admiration ran through the crowd when the straw hat was flung aside, and wealth of chestnut and silver locks were abandoned to the amorous south south east wind
 We now the figure advance into the water with superb march like that up and down motion of the fore legs of high step ping steed, which the French cali Didfer. He paused when the cold water struck his an kles, and for an instant seemed disposed to draw back. The spectators waited, breath less. The faces of the bathers ut the ropes were all turned toward the new conner. What would his decision be {? Would he re- treat, resign, abandon the enterprise, would he display physical courage equal to his physical beauty and push right on, up to his knees, up to his hips, up to his chin, up to his curl if need be? Suspense was not of long duration. At that moment the flashed out from behind 8 feecy cloud that had temporarily obscured it Gilmore's band, some hundred yards away, struck up lively march; combing wave swept in and caught the hesitating Apollo to it's bosom, rolling with him over and over on the sand leaving him surprised, but not discomfted, stranded in two feet of water, his features set with the determination to venture all, his curl dank but not demoralized. Then, fol- lowed by the partially suppressed applause of the increasing crowd of spectators, he slowly rose to his hands and knees and final ly to his feet, and, with movement quite as stately and little more cautious than before, pushed his way toward the nearest rope. It was magnificent exhibition of intrepidity- physical manhood in action, battling with the elements. Slowly and more slowly he pro- ceeded, as he got in deeper and deeper. Ev- cry incoming wave he confronted with well squared breast pausing and carefully balancing himself for the encounter His legs were out of sight now, and the propor- tions of his torso were not fully distinguish able; but even when nothing was visible but his head and shoulders, tho dignity of his carriage was still apparent. The graces of his entire person seemed to have assembled in that part of him which was still above water.
 When he reached the rope he laid hold of it with both hands, the bathers in possession respectfully making way for him. After a while the boldest of them approached and seemed to be giving him advice of some sort, probably ill regard to bobbing. He heard them courteously, but without encouraging further familiarity, and persisted in his own management of the case. His method was to bob while the crest of the wave still some yards away, and thus he encountered | the force of the water under dsadvantageous l conditions. In fact, he brought up with a | kick, a splash and splutter every time. Be- fore long 1t seemed to strike him that he was | probably in too deep. A little further to the | east and little nearer the thickest throng of | spectators (many ladies had by this time pressed their way to the brink of the bulk head, at the risk of thorough wetting) there 1 was another rope wholly unoccupied. To 1 gain this 1t necessary to venture across nt ioast Q dozon yards of fonming brine, whore the depth was fully two feet and half and | the wind, which had hauled of point to | the eastward, was blowing with increased l freshness. Nevertheless, the passage from l one rope to the other was courageously un- dertaken. The drum major or the Twenty second regiment could not have waded along | in front of the spectators more majesticaliy or with more perfect self f-possession under
 
 had discovered by this time what he must do to preserve his balance when the waves struck his legs. The passage, no doubt, would have been accomplished in a triumphantly successful manner had not the notice of the adventurer been attracted by the well meant but untimely salute of an acquaintance on shore He paused to smile and to wave his hand, and in fulfilling this social obligation he relaxed for an instant his attention to the matter of physical equilibrium. It happened that at the same instant there came rolling in from the (, ,O0O miles of ocean to the right of him 8 ridge of water which might have been a tidal wave for it's size and malignity It struck him just as he was smiling and waving his hand. A second later nothing was seen above the turmoil of waters pair of legs partially incased in blue and white brooches wildly churning the air. An other brief interval of terrible suspense anG there Sat on the strip of sand at the foot oi the bulkhead-blowing the ocean out of his throat and nose and trying with his knucklst to clear his eyes of brine-one of the mos distinguished of American statesmen, man whom Oscar Wilde mentioned by name tc Sam Ward as the finest specimen of manly beauty to be found outside the Caucasus.
 Old Shoes.
 A Great Trade in New York in Cast or
 Foot Wears