Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-03-30
A QUAKER JULIET.

In the beginning of the present CEN
fury Philadelphia was quaint and pic
turesque city. Commercial greed had
not obliterated old landmarks, and pic
turesque features were protected alike
by municipal ordinances and public sen
timent. Rows of fine trees bordered
the streets, and these were tended and
cared for by househoIders. 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 the street, and in the one
nearest Dock at the close of the eight
eenth century lived Richard Pennell,
-Englishman and Quaker. He was
tall and strongly built and so austere in
face that it was generally believed he
had never laughed in his life and was
regarded as an excellent illustration of
the popular opinion as to Quaker babies.
But although dry and saturnine inman-
ner Pennen was an upright Christian
HIGH anu oi0 lAdlly h1Adly oStfo Ill q
quiet way. But all the same it was an
instance of the caprice Of nature that he
should be the father of girl SO peer
lessly beautiful as Polly Pencil.
She 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.
Do11 vy3, how Of fIn
Church of England in her youth, and
although her daughter was ostensibly
Quaker she secretly rebelled against the
narrow, colorless life that pervaded and
ordered her fathers household.
1t goes without saying that Miss
Polly did not want admirers, but the
father was unceasing in vigilance and
repulsed advances with blufness I'M
mitigated 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 the Hamiltons Of the
Woodlands.
the 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 she pleased
and yet was every inch an aristocrat
and grande demoiselle.
After much persuasion Mr.. Pencil
had permitted his daughter to take les
sons in music from Nine. Genet, and
here Polly met Becky Hamilton, who at
once became the 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 the Woodlands sail
ing down Arch street in the dress of the
time-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 colored groom in laced
hat and coat. The dauntless 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 a flock of startled hens the
Quaker matrons rescued Polly from the
wilderness of tulle and india muslin,
the fashionable dress of the time. Miss
Rebecca laughed .joyously as she re-
signed her friend and walked away, and
then poor Polly was taken in hand.
warned, entreated 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 by very
handsome young gentleman from Vir-
GINA described by Miss Becky in her
curt speech as Jimmy Jessamy from
the Tidewater, name Francis Dulaney.
The dress Of this gentleman would sur
prise nineteenth century belle, al
though it was de regle 100 years ago.
A canary waistcoat rugged with flowers
in red silk, claret colored coat with
deep cuffs, laced steel buttons big as
toy saucers, claret breeches and stock
ings, 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.. Dulaney made himelf very agree
able. He told of his life in London
when he had been 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 long
time, and then Becky carried her off,
warning Mr.. Frank that he must not 90
philandering about Third and Walnut,
as it would make trouble. On the road
home the girls had long talk, and
Polly made up her mind that the first
era in girls life had opened for her.
She had lover, and, as is always the
result, such knowledge gave her, with
q sense of responsibility, a new feeling
OF self confidence and respect.
It was a fact, Mr.. Francis Dulaney
was in love with the beautiful Quaker
ess, and Becky Hamilton took charge of
the courtship with characteristic energy.
After three months spent in alternate
hopes and fears Francis Dulaney pro-
posed and was accepted by Mary Pen.
nell, and at once Frank announced his
intention of calling on her father.
Next morning that gentleman found
himself standing in front of an utter
stranger, handsome and we'll dressed,
who announced himself as sutton for
the hand of his daughter. The old sailor
had never been 50 taken aback, but aft
er many earnest words and entreaties
declared himself as firmly and unalter-
ably opposed to such union, and his
visitor departed.
And now the hardest was to come
to see and reproach his daughter for her
attraction of duty and respect to her
parent. He sent for her. Never had she
seemed SO beautiful, but there was
something matured, quiet firmness in
her eyes he had not noticed before, and
l. L:o Lo 1oorpo1 fbot che