Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-28
THE THOUSAND ISLES
PICTURES OF COTTAGE LIFE ON
THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER.

strics-Pretty Glimpses ef River Lif>
Young LoverA
Nowhere Is life 50 unconventional, 50 COS
mopolitan, 50 picturesque. fresh and delight
full as in the pretty, quaint cottages which
crest the cliffs, crown the islands and line
the shores Of the St. Lawrence from Clayton
to Alexandra bay. The inhabitants Of this
water girt city arc birds Of passage that
come with the daisies and depart with the
golden rod, and hold continuous high carnival
and perpetual holiday. They perch their pic
turesque cottages on the craggiest Of cragS
chain them down to the rocks If need be,
hook on to them tipsy little porticos and fly
away balconies all fringed with fretwork, as
q ladys kerchief Is bordered with lace, deco
rate them with all the brilliant hues known
to the painters craft, spell out the fantastic
names with which they are christened, ''Neh
Mahbin." "Wawinet," ''Sans Souci,' slim
lithgow, "Cloud Rest" and thousand moro
on the bastions of rock for the information
Of every passing tourist, flinging wide to tho
wild breeze yards on yards OF bunting, array
themselves in the most picturesque Of apparel,
and troop down to meet every boat with
kaleidoscope scene of brilliancy, illumine the
river at night for miles and miles with chains
of colored lights, and greet every passing
steamer with a whiz Of rockets and galaxy
of colored stars.
COSTLY SUMNER VILLAS.
Near Alexandria bay, where the largest
and gsyest hotels are located, clusters con-
stellation Of costly summer villas, in beauty
of architectural 6osi0y, rioAnocc Of nd
ment and elegance Of appointments eQualing
the most luxurious Of modern residences.
Their owners, people Of wealth and social
sminence, have here constructed little city
of their own, with all city's conveniences
and some Of its disco-nforts. Edgewood
Park, tho most exclusive and conservative
resort on the river the Hollywood of the St
Lawrence, is adjacent to the bay and q
social center for the islanders. The mag
nifcent club house blazes with beauty and
brilliancy every night, and is crowded with
pretty dancers. The wealth and display of
equipage seen at some resorts is here re-
placed by the elegance Of river craft, the
daintiest skiffs, the swiftest SAILING boats
and best appointed steam yachts. The peo-
pie live, move and have their being, call,
shop, and entertain their friends in boats.
Whether they 60 to market or to a reception
it is in the same floating vehicle, and all
goods purchased are delivered in skiffs.
Fancy your butcher coming up through the
sunset like Lohengrin without his swan, his
paddle cleaning like slice cut from rain
bow and his white apron glorifed with fri
descent light, to bring your chops for break
fast. Picture your green grocer kneeling in
canoe piled high with glowing green like
harvest god in festal barge, and your laun-
dryman coming out Of the mist in a spectral
boat laden to the guards with snowy linen
cleaning white in the cleaning.
The majority of people who frequent this
resort are people Of moderate incomes, many
of them from the small northern cities and
country villages in the vicinity Of the river.
They build unpretentious, inexpensive
wooden houses, paint them in gorgeous hues,
christen them with romantic titles, drape
them with bunting and decorate them with
colored lamps The interior is usually fin
ished with pine in its natural state, carpeted
with cheap, bright rugs, the walls fcstooned
with pretty dropping grasses, and bright
soft draperies and cushions Of scarlet Canton
flannel or felt finish the coy little rooms
Three or four hundred Of these pretty SUM-
mer houses line the avenues Of Thousand
Island park, which is typical Methodist
park, neat, clean. orderly and prosperous.
The code Of laws of this institution is more
rigidIy enforced than the articles of an inter
national treaty. The naughtiest sippered
foot dare not tread the measure of a waltz OF
polka In the hotel parlors. and the merriest
of maidens Unjust remember the Sabbath
day and keep it holy" The main articles Of
cocta1 dict ha,ra peiiOtnp nd
Irritation. Piety is served up In all sorts Of
of seasoning, with little entrees Of missionary
work and relishes Of temperance.
EXCURSIONS WITHOUT NUMBER
Excursions are arranged to and from every
wharf on the river, and at such astonishinsly
small rates that it is prophesied another year
all people who 60 on an excursion viii re-
ceive chrome or be presented with an
island. Let's get up an excursion to the
postoftlce," shouted q pretty girl in car
dinal hat as the mail steamer swung into
port, and away they 6uttered, dozen Of tie
brightest, phmpest, girliest girls in their
brilliant dresses up the shady walk Tbs
captains Of the excursion boats seem to run
them just for q joke, and Will stop at all the
small wbarves along the line to accommodate
a single passenger. One small, sharp proved
steamer. the island Wanderer, keeps I'D q
perpetual twice q day excursion throughout
the season, and is always filed with most
crowd
Around the parks one sees the prettiest
ghmpses Of river life. Here young mother
is rowing little shift slowly, gently Groom
ing q soft lullaby TO her baby graded in the
bottom Of the boat and rocked TO sleep By
the waves; there group of children in scam
bathing dresses, and with bare legs and arma,
disport in the shallow water among the rocks
and dozen more Of them have olar,bsred
into an old scow that is full Of pretty faces
as O vase is filed with flowers, and are ronp-
ing and tumbling about In happy unconcern
as to whether the boat capsizes or not, while
a tall young girl IN a sleeveless dark blue
bathing drcss, with q pair Of Baltimore
legs crowded into cream colored seockine1,
and arms as shapefy and almost as white as
those Of the carven Venus in the Milan gal
lery, svirs slowly round and round thszn,
with her handsome blonde head On her arm;
there q pair Of lowers como up slowly
through tho sunset, looking in each oeherS
eyes
Height on height Of purple cloud waves,
trimmed with silver and vsined with Ere, rou
back in the west from . royal highway Of
clear, luminous opal down winch the day
god SINKS slowly ind YEARLY 70 rest on tie
breast Of - river. White bands Of foam
i1s I'D TO wslcons him, and the rivers bosom
rises and taIs end ttuobs % met him. In
The east, whero ths gay storm CLOUDS At tho
recaat tenpcss st.u hng9, rainbow arches
tho river With beauty from shore TO shore.
Esr eyes ora full Of elcYy and har lap =
running over with fsFrs nd vasr 1iss,