The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-26


ems Fair, Though Sunburned, With
a background of the .0IiIitarv
Element"
(Copyright)
Hamilton, Bermuda, April 2O.-There he
those who. stationed in Bermuda by mill
tary necessity or stress of business. rail
at It as a dull place and long and long
for London drizzle. despite the Eden skies
that smile on them and the odor Of the
Easter lilies in the fields and the olean-
ders in the hedge rows.
And others there are who, chasing the
spring all about the world, come hther
for a few months or weeks, on the way
perhaps from st. Augustine to Lakewood
or Tuxedo; and these find in the white
washed Villas Renaissance of Italy, in
the blue skies a foretaste of heaven and
in the palms and palmettoes. bamboos
and mangroves all the poetry Of a tropic
jungle.
What were even an Eden without dress
and Irritation? There is no finer coign OF
vantage whence to view the summer girl
in all her glory, months before her peri
gee in New York, than Hamilton of a
sunny afternoon. And as for fiirtationl
There are more soldiers in these little
toy islands than in either New York or
Washington, and the pretty girl who does
not receive delicate attentions from two
or three commissioned servants of her
Britannia majesty is singularly unenter-
prising.
There are three phases of Bermuda fem
ininity; the summer girl on the street;
the ceremonial dame at Governor General
Lyons receptions. and the dancing girl
at regiment ball or hotel hop. There
ought to be more varieties, but there
aren't. There is very little yachting con-
sidering the unequaled opportunity; there
is no sea bathing at all for women, though
there ought to be; golfing interest is as
yet but a faint f1utter, and tennis has its
seasons, whereof April is not one. The
bicycle girl is legion, but she is just the
same as the summer girl, with her skirt
cut three inches shorter. No bloomers
bloom in the land of the lily and the
Just as she is, the summer girl is by
far the most interesting of the lot. She
is really prophetic of the summer styles
in the states. She has brought with her
summer silks for lawn parties, in Dres-
den and Persian designs; but chiefly she
has added unto herself waistS-waists bet
ter fitting than last years, waists with
removable linen collars for which ribbon
bands and bows can be substituted, waists
waists with strong tabs sewn on behind,
from which the skirts may more securely
hang Many of them are of Persian eff
fects in reds, or grass linens, beautifully
embroidered with forget-me-nots or little
rosebucfs. The waists are more elaborate
than last year. They have frequently Jokes
nainsook, the Jokes cut square, the sleeves
big and white and breezy and lacey. A
pretty waist in nainsook is quite white
behind, the big sleeves are white, but the
IL oil arnb n faint q
delicate fawn or blue.
Such a waist would go we'll with fawn
or blue shirt. But blue will not mean
the standard navy blue serge which has
been so convenient. The full skirt of nine
cores and a box pleat is safe for the
season; its colors are much gayer than Of
old; checks and stripes taking the place
of solid colors and pale tints substitute
ing the darker ones we have known so
long.
The military element is strong at lawn
parties, and upon riding parties and pic
MICS but at balls 1t is positively reSplend-
ent. The Hotel Hamilton, curiously, be-
longs to the town and is thus a local in
stitution, which doth not lack officers or
dancing girth and the most tanned faces
it is possible to conceive. Handsome fel-
lows they are, though, well set up, attn
letic and manly Nor is their tan of
much deeper tint than that the girls wear,
in spite of the universal veil and wide
through any amount of rice powder, looks
queerly enough above the white necks,
evening
New York and London mingle Queerly
in the styles, the tourists rather shining
| by comparison with the officers wives
and colonial magnates who get their styles
many weeks late from dear, dowdy, old
London. Colonial dressing is less daring
| than that of New York in one respect. A
married woman of mature years may put
| on the most startling of raiment, but the
| young girls, as well as unmarried bellies
not so young, go simply and modeStly clad
| in pink or white gowns cut but moder-
afplV n 10 a
| OF decoration. 1t is custom worth OBJ
serving everywhere.
Other skies have other customs. The IA
| Vorite amusement of a Bermuda swell,
| apparently, is to get into one of the absurd
little donkey carts, the knees almost touch
ing, the chin and in this attitude:
clothes, be photographed. After this du-
~, the donkey can be induced to travel
process of constant beating with an olean-
der stalk, or by rafting a few stones in
a tin can, which may be worth remember
ing as an easier method; One donkey
named Prince, especially desirable because
OF his light color, has looked pleasant
! before before a camera probably five hundred
times and is a privileged character.
The sailor hat have mentioned. II has
a wide brim and is generally a pattern or
white and dark blue. Climatic reasons
doubtless render it more universal here
than it will be in the states, but ii Will
everywhere have a great and glorious run;
Tan shoes are quite much favored
as ever and tan or brown leggings are ad-
ded by bicyciennes, with whom tan or
drab skirts find favor because Of their re-
luctance to show dust. The bicyclist wears
sailor hat and cool looking tan gloves
or none at all. She has an Easter lily at
her belt and is altogether an adorable
creature.
A tam O. shanter and a knit blue or gray
or white sweater is a costume more atm
letic looking.
have left nothing to say about the gov
ernor generals receptions, but ii doesn
matter. They are like any other reeep-
tons with plenty of uniforms, and tea IN
a big dining room overlooking green
shrubbery. big palms and blue water
Ellen Osborn.