The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-02-24
A QUAKER JULIET.

In tho beginning of the present CEN
fury Philadelphia was quaint and pic
turesque city. Commercial greed had
not obliteratcd old landmarks, and pic
turesque features were protected alike
by municipal ordinances and public sem
timent. Rows of fine trees bordered
tho streets, and these were tended and
cared for by householders. This was
especially the case on Third, near Wal
nut, which was made beautiful by line
of sycamores reaching to Spruce street.
On the Walnut street side were three
two story brick houses, each having
gardens on tho street, and in tho one
nearest Dock at the close of the eight
zenith century lived Richard Pencil,
an Englishman and Quaker. He was
tall and strongly built and 80 austere in
face that it was generally believed he
had never laughed in his life and was
regarded rs an excellent illustration of
the popular opinion as to Quaker babies.
But although dry and saturnine in man
ncr Pennell was an upright Christian
man and did many kindly acts in
quiet way. But all the samo it was an
instance Of the caprice of nature that he
should be the father of girl so peer
lessly beautiful rs Polly Pcnncll.
Sho was now 10, his only daughter
Her two brothers were at sea following
their fathers calling, as he had been a
mariner the greater part of his life
Polly's mother was a member of the
Church of England in her youth, and
although her daughter was ostcnsibly Il
Quaker she secretly rcbclled against the
narrow, colorcss life that pcrvaded and
ordered hcl father household.
1T goes without saying that Miss
Polly did not want admirers, but the
father was unceasing in vigilance and
rcpulscd advances with Il bluf1ness un-
mltigated by any conventional civility.
AT this time there was but one family
in the state that, tried by recognized
standards, could claim to be aristocrat-
ic, and that was tho Hamiltons of the
Woodlands.
Tho eldest and most beautiful of the
Hamilton girls was Rebecca. This
young lady regarded the usual social
conventions as restraints made for com
mon people and so disdained them,
made friends with whom sho pleased
and yet was every inch an aristocrat
and grande demoiselle
After much persuasion Mr. Pennell
had permitted his daughter to take les
sons in music from Mime. Genet. and
here Polly met Becky Hamilton, who at
once became tho beautiful Quaker girls
fast friend, and not long afterward, Just
as the Arch street meeting was dismiss
ing on Sunday, after enjoying an exhil-
arating period of silence for two hours,
they were amazed by the appearance
of Miss Hamilton of tho Woodlands sail
ing down Arch street in the dress of tho
tlmc-a beaver hat two feet in the brim,
crowned with feathers like bunch of
broom corn, leg of mutton sleeves,
muff and gloves laced to the elbows. at
tended by her colorcd groom in laced
hat and coat The dauntlcss young lady
folded Polly in her ample embrace,
kissed her, and in her usual resolute
voice proposed then and there that she
come out to the Woodlands to dinner.
Like Il flock of startled hens the
Quaker matrons rescued Polly from the
wilderness of tulle and india muslin,
the fashionable dress of the time. Miss
Rebccca laughed joyously as she re-
signed her friend and walked away, and
then poor Polly was taken in hand.
warned, cntreated to avoid the world s
people and their vanities, etc., and
reached home upon the whole not dis
pleased with the adventure.
Before the week was out she had WIS.,
tied the Woodlands, had seen the pic-
lures and was led in to dinner bv a very
handsome young gentleman from Viz
ginia described by Miss Becky i'll her
curt speech as Il Jimmy Jessamy from
the Underwater, name Francis Dulaney.
The dress of this gentleman would sur
prise nineteenth century belle, al
though it was dc regle 100 years ago.
"A canary waistcoat rugged with flowers
III red silk. claret colored coat with
deep cuffs, laced steel buttons big as
toy saucers, claret brooches and stock
lngs, buckled shoes and steenkirk era
vat smartly laced. Very commonplace
people looked like stately gentlemen in
such apparel, while in the hideous uni
form OF today the Apollo Belvidere
might without discrimination be taken
for the butler or undertaken.
Mr.. Dulancy made himelf very agree
able. He told of his life in London
when he had been a student, of his lone
ly plantation in Virginia, his widowed
mother and sister who had married in
England, and Polly, to her surprise, felt
as if they had been friends for n long
time, and then Becky carried her off,
warning Mr.. Frank that he must not 20
philandering about Third and Walnut,
as it would make trouble. On the road
home the girls had long talk, and
Il t.aa.A y. l.