The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-11-28
THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
IT CLEANS LIKE A DIAMOND ON THE
BREAST OF THE SEA

The Beauties of Cowe.. the Fashion.
able English Resort, where Moth.
ing Ever Gets Dirty-what One May
See ON the Historic Island.
The Isle of Wight is shaped like q
diamond, and like diamond ii CLEANS
and flashes on the breast of the sea.
Like diamond, too, 1t is the luxury Of
the rich.
As your steamer approaches the road
stead of Cowes you might well suppose
the little town TO be fashionable ham.
let far inland ON the bank of a river.
The esplanade looks as near TO the
water as towpath. and the green
woods that rise behind the white
houses are as thickly punched and as
brightly verdant as the uRsalted trees
Of Pangbourne. The coarse beamed,
dark sailed smack Of the sea fisherman
Is rare sight on those social waters.
Everywhere you behold among hover
ing gulls and rocking buoys the craft
Of pleasure and the shipping Of de-
light White yachts, with sails as
white as summer clouds, ride there
with the grace Of swans, and white
steam yachts. with brasswork fash
ing blindly in the sun, rest royalty at
anchor or that little shore.
Nothing ever gets dirty at Cowes.
The tamarisk which lifts its fine feath.
srs above walls at the seas edge is as
clean ~ the sails Of the yachts. The
roads Of red gravel make neither mud
nor dust and lie as smoothly a. gar.
den paths. The Virginia creepers.
which swarm up the pillars Of white
houses, overspread the tiers of bal
comics and almost cover the dark red
tiles Of the roofs, are every whit as
green and every little as radiant as
the shaven lawns beside the esplanade.
Flowers there are at every point of
view-red geraniums, golden calceolari- |
as, blue lobelias, crimson hyssop, ched- |
dar pinks, roses Of every hue and ferns
Of every form-growing in neat flower |
beds, lifting their bright colors above
garden walls and swaying gently in
baskets hung from balcony and sill.
The windows Of the shops are as
polished as lady's mirror and shine
In the sun. Prosperity waits behind
those counters of plenty and puts itself
completely and genially az the COM
mand Of the wealthy. The butcher and /
the greengrocer announce to the pass
erby that French and German are
spoken In their establishments. The
yacht OF the most necessitous million
aire can obtain In those narrow, clean
streets all that she desires. Royal war
rants, as big almost as the shops them
selves, gleam over shop fronts, and ar.
tistic signboards obtrude from the
smart little doorways The shine of
the sweet windows 10 a magic induce.
nent to buy.
On the esplanade, where Is a tall
white fagstaff at every few PAGES, and
waiting at the little granite stairs,
washed BY green waters. you meet no
buriy and rough clad fishermen, but
only the white capped, blue jerseyed
hands from the crews Of yachts In the
roadstead. Fresh faced, well groomed
girls walk there with indulgent papas,
and jolly schoolboys In nannels, carry.
Ing paper bags of green gooeeberries
and red cherries. stroll down to the
dingey at the stairs, munching as they
30. There Is no haste and no exertion
at Cowes. At half past u on a lovely
morning heard In my hotel the voice
OF the manageress giving an order to
one Of the maids. Her ladyship says"
she cried, that she must half a hip
bath In her room Immediately, or else
she won't be down for luncheon"
Foolish and lazy little ladyship to
lie abed on such good morning in so
'air a place as this diamond of the
tea! For 1t is not only the esplanade,
he bright shops and the pleasure of a
aunter to Egypt point which are
within the reach of the visitor to
owes. The whole Wight is within a
lrive of the Medina. You must 90 to
Newport, and, paying the tax which =
vas demanded of me, not requested, :
or entering the church, you may see
he lovely memorial which Queen Vic =
oria set there to the poor little Prin- Y
'ess Elizabeth, who died Of a broken
Ieart beside an open Bible for love Of
'harles /. You may also 90 to Carts IL
,rooke and enter the splendid castle q
where that poor little princess died in
md where her unhappy father was si
Imprisoned. You may see the donkey
acob summoned by a word from grass VI
Iibbling under fig trees to enter the al
'ig wheel Of the well and draw up nine in
'allons of water from the invisible dc
pring at which those royal prisoners fo
uenched their thirst. But you, IL wise r,
Vill quench your thirst with tea under
be spreading trees of the Eight Bells ~
leasure gardens In the village below,
stening there to the comments of en-.
,usiastic Americans and watching
be elderly gentlemen playing bowls
n a smooth lawn, as King Charles
layed that ancient game in the castle -
n the hill.-London Mail.
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A Cresier In a Plight. -
FormarIv the archhishona NJ yorL Pc