Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-03-14

oreign bric-abrac. You can Judge OF
he amount Of business that Is done
here when you know that the mer-
chants pay from $1,000 to $4,000 rent
Tor . season Of three months. Their
windows and showcases are filed with
the most alluring articles. and the rich
people who come here. being In
spending mood, are good customers.
1t isn't q beauty show by any means.
There are comparatively few hand
some women here now. but Solomon
in all his glory would not have at
tracted 30 much attention as the brew
er's wife who sits In big red rock
ing chair in richer garments than the
Queen of Sheba ever wore.
The bathing suits are rather start
ling. The bathing beach is on the
other side Of the island and is reached
by a broad walk about quarter OF
a mile long, shaded by palmetto trees.
It is the fashionable promenade. There
is a little tram car drawn by a mule
to carry the lame and the lazy, or
they can ride over in rolling chairs
propelled by colored men as tricycies.
That is the favorite form Of locomo-
ton here. There are no carriages on
the island, and the only horse Is the
mule that hauls the car. You pay
dollar an hour for the use of rolling
chair, and the wheelman pushes you
at about the ordinary speed Of car
riase. There are several pleasant
drives or rides. There Is Jungle two
or three miles away through which
a narrow, circuitous trail OF hard ma
cadam has been made. and Furnished
quite a fascinating excursion. Their
Alligator joe has q choice collector
of crocodiles and gators. large ant
small, in a corral two or three mile'
from the hotel, where people can rid'
In a chair and for 80 cents can se'
them basking In the sun. There Il
a palm-shaded walk several miles lonl
on the banks OF Lake Worth. with
lovely sheet of water on one side an
row of handsome cottages with ol
namental grounds on the other. Their
are motor boats and launches, and 81
cursions are made to houseboat u
the lake for luncheon and dinner. Q
,fa-- -refreshments between meals.
one-third as large NJ Is..shor
stands on the bathing beach. 1t wi
accommodate about 500 people, and hs
an immense pavilion where everybod
goes after the bathing hour to drin
cocktails. juleps. lemonades and othe
refreshments, while the band -i----
hnt eli A--ix 30 loud that nobody ca
hear the music.
Tho beach IL only fair. 1t Il NO
nearly as good as those OF New Jerse
or Long island or those of the resort
In northern Florida. The water 4
very warm at all times Of the yea
because the gulf stream comes within
a mile and = half of the land. Tn,
surf 10 heavy; too heavy for delicat,
people. who prefer q big swimming
pool that 10 surrounded by a pavilion
Nearly everybody who goes into tn
surf also tries the pool for a littl
swim before dressing. and the CALLER,
around 1t is 80 situated that the good
looking ones can show their shapes I,
a large audience. The bathing dresse
are made for show, usually of blacl
silk or satin trimmed with Irish poin
and other lace and with elaborate col
lars and cuffs. Those who have .
pronounced" taste appear In brigh
colors-purple. blue and even scarlet
with stockings. bathing slippers ant
poke bonnets to match. It is needles,
to say that these bathing dresses have
been ftted to the form with great nc
curacy. Some OF them appear to have
shrunk SO that they are uncomfortably
tight The skirts are shorter than
have seen In the north and would be
promptly ruled on at Asbury park
But here they are greatly admired and
large audiences gather every morning
at IL o'clock to see that part Of the
dress. or rather undress, parade.
After the band concert every one
goes back to the Poinciana for lunch.
con; then most Of the women take a
siesta before they dress for the after
noon exhibition and the tea concert
In the cocoanut grove They 20
to their rooms again and dress for
dinner and after dinner they sit
around the rotunda for an hour or two
criticisins each others clothes before
they 80 to the ballroom or the Beach
club" which 10 . regular gambling
house in full blast. Roulette and has-
ard are played from .. m. until the
last straggler leaves In the morning.
The Royal Poinciana hotel is an I'D.
mirabls place for millinary display.
None could be better. It is the largest
hotel in the world today. although the
Pennsylvania Railroad hotel, which is
to be erected over the new terminal,
between Thirty-hrst and Thirty.third
streets and Seventh and Ninth ave-
nues. In New York. will be much
larger Thu Rova1 poiu alan. ~. a.,