Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-08-08
PKETTY MRS. PEN ROSE.
BY ALFRED Y0UNGE.

BY ALFRED toUNuE.
IL would be hard to find a more en-
chanting place than Newport in the
height Of the summer season, and
though in itself only an old barracks,
the Ocean House is transformed into a
veritable paradise under the influence
of beauty and fashion.
Well. l was passing the season at
Newport, and had taken a suite of
rooms at the Ocean House to beguile
the time and make myself as comfort
able as was consistent with my state Of
ngle-blessedness.
People called me an in orrigible old
bachelor perhaps was, but whose af
was happy, we'll off in this worlds
goods, and contented besides, for a
brief space l had pretty Mrs. Penrose
all to myself.
And who was pretty Mrs. Penrose ?
She WAS az fair creature as the sun
ever shone upon, the young wife of a
Wall street speculat0r, and the most
consummate tlirt ever met.
She came down to Newport and to
the Ocean House in charge of a French
maid, one Celeste, an artful creature,
eminently prepared to set her fair mis-
tress up in anything of which she
might chance to be ignorant.
The baggage they brought, and the
gorgeous costumes my lady wore
Dear me, what pity am not a wo-
man, and able to describe one and all
tor the delectation OF my gentle read
ers.
Suffice it to say that Penrose MARI
must have spent com Portable fortune
on the dresses and jewels for that one
eventful season.
For some reason or other the ladies OF
the hotel did not cotton to pretty Mrs.
PenrOSe they studied her toilets
with the keenest interest, but they
fought shy of her. I'm sure | can't tell
why ; possibly it was because all the
men, married or single, declared her
ust too sweet for anything.
We, that Is, Mrs. PenfOse and | were
never formally introduced. She drop
ped her French novel on the piazza one
day, and from that moment we were the
best OF friends.
We talked together, promenaded the
piazza, went to the Casino to hear the
music, AMI even drove up and down the
avenue in broad daylight.
The ladies of my acquaintance flew
into paroxysms of pretty rage, and de-
clared that they would cut my acquaint.
ance if l continued in my mad course.
But only laughed, and told them |
was Old enough to be Mrs PenrOse's
father.
Whereupon, one more daring than the
rest averred that.
"There is no fool like an old fool
Never mind, | enjoyed myself, and
so did Gabrielle, for such l soon learn
ed was the name of pretty Mrs. PEN
rose.
1t did strike me as strange that her
husband never appeared, and when l
asked her if she never missed him, she
laughed gayly, and said:
of yon were married man, you
never would ask such "a sill Y question, y
From which inferred that there was
not great amount oflOve lost between
Mr., and Mrs. Peurose.
Old as was, and proof against wo-
mans wiles, could not but be tiattered
by the evident preference which pretty
Mrs. PenrOse showed me, when all the
other men were at her feet suing for Il
smile or a word.
On the night of the first hop at the
Ocean House, pretty Mrs. PeArose beg
ge,, me to keep her on the breezy piazza
III the moonlight she told me she pre-
ferred talking with me to dancing.
To nv diving day shall never forget
how encbantingly lovely she looked
that night.
Her faultless figure was swathed in
some snowy eauze of silken texture
all over with gold butter
flies. and her heecy blonde hair was
quite dotted with the same airy insects
encrusted with precious stones.
1t certainly was attire suited to "a
princess of the blood royal, and bell We
me. the women stared and exhausted
in saving bitter things of my
partner.
About the middle of the evening, a
coming out of the ballroom upon
the piazza attracted our attention stimuli
The man was tall and distinguished
and escorted one of the bellies
of the hotel.
At sight of this man, Mrs. Penrose
leaned towards me and grasped my arm
with such a grip Of iron tina she was
in imminent danger of stopping my cir
culation.
"Come, quick Let us go!" she
breathed, and sprang to her feet.
OF course followed suit when, lust
"a | was about to offer my arm, the
cause Of her alarm abruptly left his
partner and rushed towards us.
Gabrielle, he exclaimed )" found