New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-21

Pier for brief belledom, just to see what the
taste of it is like So-and-so's daughter, the
pale girl in the yellow chiffon, who appears to be
quite the belle of the hops, Is never asked out
anywhere in town. and saves up all winter for
this brief summer life. That is why she mas
so many beautiful clothes, and as the girl she
speaks Of trips by with an attendant cavalier ami
face aght with smiles the speaker puts up
her lorgnette and eyes her carefully from the
feet up, appraising her clothes and passing 1udg-
ment her style.
But the married ladies with histories" really
come in for the severest handling. Carmela
has quite big stone ready to pelt at them as
they sweep by. She has no good authority
for the history, and it is not particularly nice
one but there Is some singular, esoteric pleasure
to be derived from the recital Of 1t. She Will
impart it to any listener. modifying 1t slightly,
according to the hearers sex. Its subject Is
quite torn to pieces when the last word has Deen
said when the historian, shifting her pale pink
parasol ogles about for her victim, finds her. des-
ignates her, and follows the usual formula OF
looking her curiously up and down. And then
the comments begin She used to be pretty, but
now she has grown too fat or too thin or too
coarse too pale, the case may be. She Is
rather distinsuee till, is she not None would
ne .cr. to LOOK at her. suspect that she had had
such an adventurous career, would they :
But IL Is always those demure-looking women who
do the wild things etc. etc.
The trademark Of Narragansett Pier, its main
difference from all other watcring-places, rise,
from this prominence, not alone Of the scandal
monger but Of the object Of the scandalmongers
stories In no other place do men and women who
hang upon the ragged edge, and sometimes drop
over, enjoy the strange prominence that they 40
at the Pier. People, that in town, the American
Cornelia would pass by the other side. or
never dream of abiding to in her general CONVEX
sation are now the objects Of all her glances.
the subject Of her most vivacious talk. The
cracked and Clipped earthenware Jar not only
sais along side by side with the fawless brass
pot. but ostles against il, and passes it by in the
fierce rush Of the stream To be an object OF
local interest at Narragansctt is to be the pos
SCISSOR Of a fy-blown reputation, to be known to
have had n past"
Cornelia herself seriously enjoys good healthy
stare at Of the ladies with histories. More
than that, she will follow the radiant charmer IN
all her dazzling briliancy Of white lace and cream
coored vcil and hat full Of nodding roses and lit
tie white suede feet to the beach or TO the Casino
She will ANONYMOUSLY hang about her, glare at
her clothes through the lorgnette, speculate as to
cultivated voice note the way she has her back
hair rolled and her front hair parted listen openly
and without shame to her conversation with her
satellites Cornelias main sport at the Pier Is
found in hunting and staring at her less particu-
lar sister. The owner OF the history enjoys
prominence that is not hers when in town. There
they may talk about her and wonderingly ypecu-
late or the vIclssitudes Of her career, but they
don't sit about and stare at her, don't drop into
silence when she passes. don't force her into the
position OF the lion Of the summer, an obIect OF
general curiosity, interest and admiration.
This altitude on the part OF the visitor, who has
come TO Narragansctt determined 70 be amused by
n surface sight Of that brilliant ephemeral. un-
known half world Of which one hears so much and
sees so little, il what has given TO the Pier its
commercially valuable, but socially unenviabe
reputation. II Is not the fast people who have
given Narragapsctt its bad name, il is the slow
people The respectable majority Of the crowd
have forced the not-quite respectable minority
int, an undue and unlookcd-for prominence. The
respectable majority il never going TO he any
thing c-e but respectable; but now and then
has hankering TO look down from its snowy
peaks on the disrcputabe minority II wants to
see the wheels 90 round like Teddy and Bulge.
Il wants TO look on through its lorgnette at a
class toward whom IL cherishes correct ami
mostly, but about whom il feels a keen and lively
curiosity So Cornelia goes 10 Narragansett 10 see
what ladies who are not mothers OF the Gracchi
look like, and all her world follows in her foot
steps