The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-10-23
A TRAGEDY;
% R
The STORY OF The CHAIN PIER.
CHAPTER 7.

CHAPTER T.
Most visitors to Brighton prefer the
new pier: 1t is altogether more mag
nIncent affair. 1t is in the fashionable
town, for fashion will 90 westward; it
Is larger, more cOmmOdlOUs, more fire.
quenJed. Go to the West Pier when
you Will, there is always something to
see; beautiful women, pretty girls. fash
lOnaDle bellies promenade incesSantly.-
1here are times when il is crowded
I ana there Is even a difficulty in making
room for all who come. NOwonder the
eLtte of Brighton like the West Pier: it
IS one OF the most enjoyable spots in
England, every luxury and comfort are
JHeTe, good library. plenty of neWSpa-
peTs, elegant little shops excellent re-
1reShment rooms. fine music; and then
the lovely blue, dimpling sea. the little
DOatS with their white sails, like white
winged birds OH the water, the grand
stretch Of the waves, the blue sky over
mead, and the town, with its fine, tall
houses shining in the sunlight. the line
OF white cliff, and the beach where the
children are at play. EOu 90 down TO
the wonderful jetty. which, to me. was
one OF the most mysterious and roman
TIC or places, there the water is of the
deepest, choicest emerald green, and it
washes The wonderful network of poles
with a soft, tapping sound. beautiful to
hear. You can stand there with only a
rail between you and the deep, green
water, watching the fisher-boats out on
the deep; watching. perhaps, the steam
eT with its load of passengers. or look
ing over the wide, sunlit waves, dream
lng-dredmS born of the Sea-Out of the
world; alone in the kingdom of fancy:
there Is always something weird in the
presence of deep, silent. moving waters.
There Is always plenty of life. gaiety.
and fashion tho ANagt Jliar =,
famous place, not for lOve-making but
Tor tllrtatlOn; famous place for study
ing human nature: a famous place for
passing pleasant hour. You NAV
often meet great celebrities on the
W est Pier; faces familiar al the House
OF Lords, familiar at Court. familiar at
ine opera are to be seen there during
the season; beautiful faces that have
grown pale and worn with the excite
ment of London campaign. and here
aS they are bent thoughtfully over the
green waters. the bracing air brings
sweet roses. the lines fade. the ewes
brighten: there is no such bedutifier as
a sea breeze, no bloom SO radiant and
charming as that brought by the wind
from the sea.
On the West Pier you Will find all the
beauty, rank. and fashion of Brighton;
you VIII see costumes q rdrir, dresses
that are artistic and elegant: Won will
/.
You VIII hear a charming ripple of con-
versatiCn: you Will witness many pleas
ant and plQuant adventures; but if YOU
want to dream: if you want to give up
your whole heart and soul to the poetry
of fbe sea; If you want to listen to
yOm-~,t away from the world; if you
want to ilo. the music of the winds.
their whisper their lUlIabies, their
mad d@SLcs, the. frantic RACES YOU
must 60 to the Ola %ain Pier. As a
rule YOU viii find few ~r but You
may know they are a special fe,s EQU
viii see The grave, quiet face of the
thinker. who has chosen that spot be-
cause he does not want to be disturbed
by the frOu-truu OF ladies dresses, OF the
music OF their happy voices. me wants
to be alone with the sea and the wind.
1t often happens that You find q pair
OF very happy lovers thcTo.-,Gcy go to
the side and lean over the railing rs
though their sole object In life was to
watch the ripping sea. B0 not believe
them. for you VIII hear the murmUr of
two voices. and the theme is always
love" If you 90 near them they look
shyly at you. and in a few minutes
move gently away. All. happy lovers.
make may while the sun shines; it does
not shine always, even over the Chain
Pier.
If YOU want to watch the waves, to
hear tGoir rolling music, if yOu want to
see the scagulls whirl in the blue ether.
i you want to think. to read, to be
alone. to fill your mind with beautiful
thoughts, go to the Chain Pier at Brigh-
ton.
There is a jetty-an old-fashioned,
weird place, where the green water
TuShes swiftly and washes round the
green wood, where there is always a
beautiful sound of the rising and falling
of the sea: where yOu may sit on one of
the Oid-fashiOned seats. seeing nothing
but water and SKY around you, until
yOU can fancy yourself out in the wide
ocean: UnulyOU can wrap your thoughts
and your senses in the very mistS Of rO-
nance. Time was when the Chain Pier
at Brighton was one of the wonders OF
England. and even now. with its pic
tuTesque chains and arches, | like it
better than any other.
/ may as well tell the truth while |
write of it. ! know that if the dead
can rise from their graves | shall re-
visit the Chain Pier at Brighton. /
spent one hour there.-that was the hour
of my lite.-Oue madly happy. beWilder-
ing hour! ! remember the plank of
wood on which my feet rested; | re-
member the railing, over which / heard
the green. deep water. with the white
sailed boat in the distance-Sail like
the white wings of angels beckOning me
away: the blue sky with the few tieecy
white clouds. the wash of the waters
against the woodwork of the pier; and
| remember the face that looked down
into mine-all Heaven lay in it for me;
the deep water, the blue sky, the hand
some face. the measured rythms of the
sea. the calm tones of the clear waves
are all mixed in one dream. | cry out
in anguish at times that Heaven may
send me such another. but it can never
be- If the dead can return, | shall
stand once more where | stood then. /
will not tell my story now, but rather
tell of the tragedy with which the Chain
Pier at Brighton is associated for ever
more in my mind.
had gone down to Brighton for my
health, and | was staying at that most
comfortable and luxurious of hotels,
The Norfolk 1t was the end of Sep
tember. and the only popularity of the
month that | remember was this: the
nights grew dark very soon-they were
not cold; the darkness was rather that
of soft thick gloom that spread over
land and sea. No one need ever feel
dun in Brighton. If / could have liked
billiards, or cared for the theatre, or en-
loved the brilliant shops on the crowd
ed pier with its fine music, / might
have been happy enough; but l was
miserable with this aching pain of re-
gret, and the chill deSOlatiOn of a terri
ble loss. | tried the Aquarium. If fish
es would sOOthe the heart of man, solace
might be found there; but to my NOR
bid fancy they looked at me with wide
omen ewes of WOnder,-they knew the
secrets of the seattle faint stir of life
in the beautiful anemOnes had lost its
interest. | could not smile at the King
Crabs: the reading tables, and the mu-
sic had no interest for me. OutWardlV