The Wilmingtonian. (Wilmington, Del.) 1882-188?, 1884-08-23
PENNSGROyE PENCILLINGS.

lhnocently inquiries the travelling miss, whose
grace of sweet seventeen has already become
conspicuous ornament all tho way along
the Atlantic coast from Bar Harbor down to
Norfolk. OF course the said sweet little
nynph is much to be enved when she dis
plays the solid lining of her fathers purse
and her own taste in dress to the admiring
dudes of Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Reno
both and Cape May. Of course she is envied
we all envy her.
But to some Of us theic is given the
crowning virtue which is content with a
little, and to whom fine clothes, evening
| hops and a never-ending chatter ON society
| topics are secondary matters as compared
with economy, rest and fresh air. In this
spirit We can be we'll content with Penns-
grove, and can feel when we return home,
after eXpending our modest quarter" that
we can face The grocer when we meet him
on the street, and that we have have not
discounted the profits of the Christmas sea
son to pay for our brief term OF enjoyment.
PenEsgrove would be a highly popular
resort with Wilmingtonians of all classes,
were it tif instead of only four miles away.
There is peculiar incongruity in the con
stituton Of the average pleasure seeker. He
desp!scs the beauties that surround his
home, and yearns for some place whose dis
tance must perforce be the principal
enchantment of the view. To put it practic-
ally, Pennsgrove is prettier than any place
on the river between Philadelphia and Cape
dull hideous mosquito-btten, sun-baked
delusion. Augustine is a morass, with
malaria thrown in; Collins Beach ditto;
Port Penn ditto; Delaware City relic of
civilization, with legions of mosquitoes and
blood thirsty horse flies; New Castle a
mixture of gaol, q tomb, and nightmare.
So much for the Delaware shore. On the
New Jersey side, Billingsport is picturesque
and Red Bank is historically interesting,
apart from its desolate beauty of the present
day Salem is fairly interesting, but Penns-
grove takes the cake by all odds, and .he
Wilmington people ought to have no trouble
in giving the reason.
In the first place it is a cheap ride, and
| Just long enough to give pleasant taste of
the sailors life, without any Of its discom-
forts. Secondly the Susie Mccall runs at
convenient hours. The heated "ct" may
| creep aboard at . p. M, when the region
about the Fourth Street Wharf suggests
impressions of Shadrach, Meshech and
Abednego in the fiery furnace. He can sit
under the awning, and feel ten degrees cooler
at once. When the boat clears the Chris
| tiana Lighthouse, the mercury drops still
another ten degrees. Just for Il few minutes
he will be subjected to renewal of the
baking process as he passes over the Penns-
| grove Pier. But he is soon cool, comfort
able, and at home under the shade trees in
| the garden of the hotel, with near by three
hours Of perfect rest and comfort at his dis
posal.
''What is there to sce?" will be the query
of the society young lady just returned from
Newport or Old Point Comfort2 Well,
fsweet madam, that depends OH tastes, and
tastes differ. The writer paid two visits to
Old Point Comfort and the only thing he
saw was maze of white dresses, some
feeble limitations of gentilty, and drowned
man. For the privilege of seeing these
things the charge averaged three dollars a
day. But at humble, despised Pcnnsgroye
panorama, something of the following
order may be witnessed for twenty five cent:
the cost of the eseprsion ticket; you know
| Up and down the river, hour after hour
in ever-varying prospect ocean-steamers
clipper-schooners, fishing boats, pungies
tugs, and timber-ships glide along with the
noiscless grace of the shifting scenes Of {
dream. In the ore-ground happy childrel
sport i'm the wavelets, free from all danger
and intent on the progress of their tug-boats
From the wharf sides and the sponsors o
the Susie Mccall, number of ladies an,
gentlemen are engaged, very successfully il
the refined pursuit of Grabbing the chief az
OF which consists in lifting the liue so daint
lily that Master Crab finds himself posturn
OIL the boards before he recognizes that b
has exchanged one element for another
| Then there is the innocent joyous sport Z
| the young people i'll the pavilion close by
3 Twenty youths and maidens are playing a
: kiss-in-the-ring, and the pretty girls wit
! rumpled black hair, rosy lips and burnin
:, checks enjoy it immensely, while their les'
/ favored sisters vdae the game ''chldish an
n stupid, you know" and wonder how Fanni
e can allow herself to be mauled about in ths
! way: Among the on-lookers is wei
, known preacher of Wilmington, whose eye
d twinkle merrily at the fun.
5 Then there is the picturesque little fishin
4e hamlet below and to the left of the hot
grounds. A schooner lies high and dry Z
{, the beach; around her the men fit busi
IN about painting the sides and keel befDe I'll