The San Francisco call., 1899-07-09

~ piazza of the huge wooden hotel.
How SOP" asked his compan-
ion.
WELL" said the Englishman. 81 got
here too late for dinner, don't you know,
and when 1 went to the dining-room they
gave me-what do you think?-beetsteak,
potato chips and ice water; the first real
ly American meal have eaten. AND no"
this-so Americani'
The Briton again looked up and down
the long porch thickly set with rocking
chairs where white forms swayed to and
fro in the moonlight that flickered through
the LEAKAGE of shadowing trees. From the
ballroom fioated the strains of waltz;
in front bicycles carrying slender white
figures glided noiselessy past. and groups
of girls, white clad, bareheaded, strolled
up and down.
Il suppose he said tentatively, glanc-
ing at the rocking figures, from whose
hair or corsage an occasional CLEAN of
light woke the answering spark of dia-
monds that these ladies out here are
chaperons whose daughters are dancing
inside?"
VERY possibly" returned his compan-
ion.
The Briton gazed silently few minutes
into the garden, where other young girls,
their arms twined about another, con-
tinued to pass bare-armed, heads uncov-
cred lifting with their unoccupIed hands
the skirts of costly evening gowns with
an air Of satisfaction he presently repeat
ed. $50 American"
And almost the Briton was right. Del
Monte, with its huge wooden carayansary:
many-windowed, containing hundreds of
roome, where people swarm like bees IN a
hive eating together, dancing together in
the hotel parlors in the evening iounglng
together on the hotel piazzas day and
evening, is far more American IN ITS os-
tentation of wealth and dress, and Its
unequaled frankness and good humor and
al 1aT1lnP 10 q
port-that enormous and brilliant Euro
pean garden, beautiful and stately, but
SO walled and fenced that the townspeo-
pie are barricaded even from access to
beach which from the days of the first
settlement has been their own.
There is very little privacy at Del
Monte. There is partition through
which one cannot hear. Ten minutes ago
there appeared on my threshold couple
old possibly, of the progress of whose
toilet as performed in the next room my
ears had for some minutes Kept 4, me bito IL
pique, but where the boy glanced at me
with a certain timidity, the girl advanced
boldly her little round neck lying IN
creases of fat, her round brown eyes sur
veying me with audacious curiosity
when did you come m, and and how 6 long are are
turned to examine the room before join
ing her mother, a rather young, hand
the child's. who paused at the door on
her way down to the piazza.
A white taffeta dress was this lady
porch toilet, with an elaborate effect of
lace in the makeup, and an accordion
plated sash of pale blue chiffon. A dainty
fichu, also of blue chiffon, carried down
with much frillng of lace to a point at
the waist, gave a decided slope to her
shoulders. AS she lifted her skirt, 1 saw
that she wore small white shoes with
blue bows and Louis XIV heels. In her
ears were diamonds, and the hands that
held some brilliant trif1e of fancy work IN
vivid cherry color were covered with
rings. 1t was like no place but Del Monte
that smiling to see that the children mad
found amusement, this stranger expressed
no surprise at their taxing possession or
white was the color of the porch col
onv: white lawn dresses, white piqueS,
, white ducks, white cloth gowns, white
: veilings, white dotted Swiss frocks, white
point d'esprits, white book muslins made
of the porch a harmony in white.
Next to white dresses and jewelry the
impressive features of Del Monte are it's
large women-stout women. l mean of
, whom it has more than any other resort
who promenade the parks and gardens
of the springs, and whose effect in their
white robes is that of SnOw-clad noun
tains.
AlI-pink hats are favorite wear with
perfect compilations. Crowned with
roses ''-Brobdignagian roses-are many of
the Del Monte girls one meets-for in
spite of the large women there are girls
at Del Monte-thOugh some of them are
too sallow and, some too ruddy to bear
now and then one sees a beautiful young
face that looks adorable under its rose
laden headgear, and for the sake of one
such uralloyed success all failures are
freely forgiven.
Duck and pique skirts dot the fields.
embroidered with fleur de lis and Frenchy
looking boW-knotS, for Del Monte has
never resigned itself to being severely
tailor-made. Here goes a girl in scarlet
pique, and there one in blue, but these
are the punctuation marks, the tabasco
sauce; they give variety and emphasis;
but the skirt of skirts is white, trimmed
perhaps with strapped seams in some
With the white skirt white waist
may be worn in lawn or pique, or per-
haps one of sheer, pale blue batiste or
something heavier in blue pique-, There
may be- , pgue Jacket but St the i5pe
Jacket, shaped like an Elton, of white or
some delicate color and so embroidered
that with exceptions, the Del Monte girl
game" Of sc course VI eO' the s Experienced golf
girl scorns, for purposes of play, white
taffeta jacket embroidered with thistles
in their natural colorsi but at golf
luncheons or at a fete champetre even
she may relent, while in the eyes of the
girl to whom athletics are of secondary
Importance, the Jacket is mitigating
There are Del Monte girls who are not
fluffy or white. A smart costume was OF
large plaids of lavender and white pique,
worn with little black silk Eton Jacket
turned over with white and opening upon
mannish white vest and tall collar. The
owner of this costume still stepped in low
heeled bulldog-toed shoes, where the fluffy
girl is wearing high heels and pointed toes
altogether.
And the most stunning girl at Del
Monte, straight-nosed but of an English
rather than d Greek type of beauty, wears
dresses that, soft as the fluffy girls, are
as severely patterned as the tailor made.
Beautiful erpbroideries are the stunning
girls hobby. embroidered on cloth, on
yelling, on muslins. Other of her sue
. | achieved
| adorned some with plumes and some with
| giant roses. One of the pink hats OF
which l have spoken is hers, of white
Italian straw and trimmed with pink and
white comet ribbon and pink and white
paradise feathers dropping about the
face on each side.
In evening dresses there are dreams. for
dancing is the order of the night, and
every girl who comes brings her trunks
full of laces and muslins. White India
; muslin is one of the summers favorites,
dotted with incrustations of lace and
made with the inevitable circular fiounce.
A recent success. was a gown of white
point d'esprit yelled bv tunic of fine
black lace MauVe chiffon trimmed wit