The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-02-27
Montreal Girls.

The correspondent of the New York
Sun at the winter carnival discourses OF
the girls of the frigid metropolis after the
following manner: "The English girl is
tall and strongly built. She walks with
her figure rigidly erect and her head held
up, from consciousness of strength rather
than from PRIDE Her cheeks are like the
sides of peach that has just begun to
ripen. The rose blush blends with the
pink, that is in turn lost in the general
creamy tint of the whole face. Waves of
faxen or light-brown hair curtain her
forehead, or perhaps her hair is pulled
into cloud that projects beyond her seal
skin cap. She has big deep-blue eyes,
eloquent of good health and good nature,
and blazing at touch of excitement.
Being an athlete, she is model of good
health, and the equal of her brothers at
the dinner table. Her nose and mouth
are not too fashionably small. They
match her fine stature, and the healthy.
graceful carriage that tell of stout limbs
and developed muscles. What lesson
the Montreal girl teaches to the New York
mothers, who bring their daughters up in
doors, like dollhouse plants, for fear they
will not be ladylike and womanly These
robust girls, in modesty, in grace, in soft
ness of speech and femininity generally,
are the peers of the daughters of Murray
Hill, and yet there is hardly one that can
not stand by her brothers side in what
ever sport he is enjoying. These girls can
climb mountain like deer, they can
skate like the women of Holland, they are
at home on snow-shoes, the mad sport of
the toboggan hills is everyday fun to
them. As these words are written they
are scudding on snow-shoes on the hill,
applauding the curriers' in the government
sheds, driving their ponies at a three-min-
ute gait ahead of their sleighs, skimming
breathlessly down the slides, cutting
threes and Fights in the skating Kinks, and
busting along the streets at gait that
makes New York man feel as though he
was taking root in the snow. Il didn't
know my own girl when came to dance
with her. said New Yorker last night.
Il had been around with her, walking
about or driving, and she had the usual
six thicknesses of clothes on. She was
good deal bigger around than I was, and |
supposed she was built so; but when
met her at the ball she had shrunk just
about one-half. l found could get my
arm around her waist, which is great
deal more than 1 was able to do in the
sleigh In window on Craig street there
is displayed the clothing of a Montreal
girl. There is only one sample of each
sort of her garment, so that it is just as
if girl had undressed there and gone to
bed in an adjoining room. Consequently
the big store window is filed. The New
York women hang about the window all
day. First, there is pair of arctics two
sizes too large. A New York girl would
faint if man saw them on her. Then
there is pair of ribbed woollen stock
ings to 60 over the shoes, and then the
regular shoes, of size midway between
the New York and the st. Louis average.
Then a pair of clicked silk stockings,
garters, flannel drawers an eighth of an
inch thick and made to button at the
knee, a flannel under.chemise, a linen che
mise, flannel skirt shorter than the two
linen skirts, thick dress, a velvet basque,
sealskin sacque, sealskin cap, a red
worsted muller, sealskin gloves, and silk
wristlets. These garments altogether must
weigh between twenty and twenty-five
pounds. In the next window are seen
several varieties of blanket or snow-shoe
suits. They take the place of the dress,
basque, and sacque in the other win
dow. They are made 60 as to display all
the variegated border of first-quality
blanket. The prettiest are the white
ones with the red, green, yellow, and
blue borders. The sac9ue has big
hood tied with silk bow, and banging
like pointed bag between the should
ers. When it halls or SHOWS, the girls pull
these hoods over their heads, and the
long, cylindrical points sticking high in
the air look very comical. When the
girls wear these snow-shoe suits they put
on buckskin moccasins trimmed with col
ored porcupine quilts in the place of arc
tics. Il dressed up in the full rig of 9
girl friend I'm staying with said four
teen-year-old New York girl yesterday
'and it made me waddle like big
Dutchman. couldn't get my knees any
where near each other, and felt as if
was in steam bath. One thing is Ger
tain, you can't get hurt when you are
dressed that way. felt as If it would bt
perfectly safe to 60 on the roof and rol
over on to the sidewalk. You feel as il
you were done up inside ball of worsted.
But the Canadian girls find no trouble
about locomotion. They walk very beau
tifully, and the impression of stiffness
and unapproachableness that they Civ,
to stranger bellies their natures The
young men say that they thaw right ou
in the society of any man that pleasel
them, and are as ardent in affections a.
they are enthusiastic in sport. The spor
they like best is tobogganing. A tobog
gan is nothing but thin, fiat board
curved up in front, and provided will
handles at the sides. The young mel
build slides on the snow down the noun
tain side, coat them with ice, and ther
ride the girls down them for hours at
time. One youth said to-day that having
to drag forty-pound toboggan up tn
mountain, hour after hour, was wha
drives the men to drink. Up on the to-
of the slide, which is decked at the side
by evergreens and lighted at night will
torches stuck in the snow, the girl gets Of
TO the toboggan, slows her legs under tn
roll of the board ahead, grasps the sid
handles, and holds her breath. The yount
man gets on behind on one haunch, will
his right leg free to steer with. He edge
the slender board to the edge of the pre-
cipitous alley of ice and gives stronl