The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1894-11-02
A SEASIDE NIGHTMARE.
Pat Donan on tha Summer Decay Of
Modesty,

Pat Donsn on tho Summer Decay Of
Modesty.
| was raised under the courtly old
regime, which taught a boy that
| 'ladies do not have legs"-that
''ladies float like seraphs, or glide
like sylphs, or move like queens, but
never walk, because they have nothing
to walk with" From my little boy.
hood uptll the evil hour that brought
me to one Of these ocean shore wallOw-
ing place OF blackguard fashion, these
dainty and delicate myths were cher
ished articles Of my creed. l believed
in them as devoutly and unquestion-
ingly as once belived in the emptier
myths OF American statesmanship
and unselflsh patriotism. In all my
globe-girdling peregrinatlons l had
never learned any better--Or worse.
had seen ballets and opera choruses,
OF c0urse but, simple son of the
wildwoods and plains that was, l al
ways, supposed those stuffy things
that form so large a part of modern
music and drama were artificial
mere automatic devices to pirouette
and kick with. But now, alas a-lady
| have eaten the Dead Sea fruit of the
/, tree Of acknowledgement am SO asham-
ed that dare not look up without my
t sombrero over my face. l beat a beet
! blushing, as | think how much too
j much know. am wiser than | was,
e but am no happicr-and, fear no
r better.
i. No legs Ladies have no leg'l Great
: centlpedes and Black Crook, kickity-
G wnks Then, among all the tens Of
thousands Of girls and women have
n seen this summer there has not been
r lady? No legs, indeed They are
I, like boarding house chickens-all legs.
IT There Is nothing but legs. The Amerl-
rs can orient is hedged and riprapped
Is with legs. The Atlantic Ocean is firing
l. cd with legs. The snow-white sands,
from PassamaQuoddy to Pasquetank,
N from Cape Cod to Old Point Comfort,
Is are strewn with legs. The bounding
1t pillows below Legs !" The surf has
le surfeit Of legs. Land and sea are all
10 awave with legs. The horizon Is
er bounded by legs. The air is full of legs
ad My days are endless panoramas of legs,
er and my slumbers are haunted by
th thousands-legged Nightmares. l am
to fast becoming legomaniac. Necro-
ly' nancy is baby-play compared with
legromancy. Much of the worlds
most treasured lore lies in legends aud
10 al-legories and all law at last is but
la legs islation. | now understand why
people sclamor for the Legitimate
ne drama and demand that all deeds and
u documents shall bear the legal stamp.
OF Leg-bai Is often the best security,
he aud leg-ible handwriting is univer-
us sally commended. A handsome leg
ef, acy is always priced, and handsome
leg-I.see at every turn. No wonder
&C. Gray won Immortality by single
en- perfect LEG.
lp. Black legs and white legs, red legs
he and blue legs, yellow legs, green legs
d. voilet and gold and royal purple legs
IN Ashes-of-rose, onlight-on-the-lake
rs, Elephants breath and crushed-straw'
IT. berry legs; and legs Of every other hue
ne and color Of the hosiers and the
dyemaker's art and nomenclature,
he Rainbows and irises, sundogs and
IL aurora -borealises Of many-tinted legs
IN All the radiant glories of sunrise on
or the sea and sunset on the plains In
oe the glinting and the cleaning of gay
lr. prismatic legs.
ne From Mount Desert and Martha's
lly Vineyard to Fortress Monroe and
er Beaufort the whole Atlantic coast Is
OF a thousand-mile-l0ng Summer Les
40 Show, and it is growing, at cy-alont
oK rate, in immensity, popularity ant
indecency. This years display has
ny been the biggest and the widest evel
iy known-has, so to speak, Outstripped
oy prccedents. have drifted in and Out
NJ from Bar Harbor, Newport and Mar
ny ragansett to Manhattan Beach, Brigh
~ ton, Long Branch, Asbury Park, At
W. lantic City and Cape May, and ever.
spot has been jammed as it,never wa
o before. The mighty multitudes 0
' strippers and dippers and modesty
rippers have overflowed the highes
-. expectational hlgh-water mark Of al
-. the hordes of landsharks who run sea
~ side hotels hasheries and lighthouses
" 1t has been the greatest season the
ever had.
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