Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-10-06

leigh would have to come to the
Moorings, that was settled, and his
man must be told to pack up his things
| directly. Migntn't word be sent by
messenger at once?
Haven't brought man, thanks aw.
| fully. Shed that habit long ago." said
my cousin. 1--WE got precious little
| luggage, too; picked this thing up in
shop as / came along and they
charged me the deuce of lot for it.
| You're awfully good, you know, and
| all that, to offer to put me up, but l
only came prepared to spend a night
| or two"
Then Potter insisted and blew all
Mohunsleigh's objections away one by
| one as if they had been threads of
cobweb, still my cousin wouldn't give
| definite answer, perhaps not under
| standing American hospitality, or per-
haps having other ideas which he pre-
| ferred. At all events we went to the
bathing machines (Which weren't bath
| ing machines at all, but dear little
| houses without anything being decid-
ed. The only invitation which Mo-
|
| Mrs. Pitchley's, for her husbands
/ bathing box.
i She kept her word and called him
"Lord Mohunslelgh" in quite a high
voice, just as we passed the man who
had refused to let him go on to the
beach before, but the man didn't seem
impressed in the least. l think he
didn't even recognize Mohunsleigh as
the same person, or If he did he pre-
tended very cleverly not to.
had forgotten the horror of the
bathing dress in my surprise at meet
ing Mohunsleigh, but it fell over me
again like cloud as soon as l was
shut up in the bathing box with those
wisps of green silk. 1 wouldn't have
the maid help me and wrestled with
the ordeal alone. 1t took me some
time, but when everything was on
0here were only four things, counting
the cap and smart little sandals)
couldn't say to myself that the effect
wasn't attractive. 1t was, and / did
approve of myself in the quaint head
dress, which was more like fetching
silk toque with an Alsatian bow in
front than q mere cap.
But the awful moment came when
was ready, with my hand on the door.
I'm sure Joan of Arc must have felt
like that when she had let her hair
down and put on that graceful white
dress of hers one sees in the pictures
J TO be burned. She may have been
dimly aware that she was looking
: quite her best, as was, but even that
+ couldn't have buoyed her up much al
the moment. and it didn't me.
) AS i stood hesitating, somebody
knocked. I peeped out. and it was
< Sally-quiet, unassuming little Sally
: with her middle aged airs-lookins
like one of STAINS gaiety girl photo
7 graphs, in q short, low necked dress OF
: bright poppy color. with silk legs as
: shiny as an archdeacon's, only witt
, quite a different effect.
"Come on, my green Undine," sale
Y she, and I came, because she pulled
: me so suddenly that otherwise l should
! have fallen fiat on my nose.
: Having seen her dressed so mucl
! in my style, it wasn't quite as bad a:
before, and when / was out of m!
: box--like one of those little barometel
: women that tell fair weather-thert
n was Mrs. Pitchley in crimson and Car
= olyn Pitchley in white, and lots o.
j pretty women, all with the same Lowell!
1 stockings. There hadn't been any
j standing about when we arrived, be
e cause we were early, not having gon'
to the Casino first as the others had
a and it was a relief to find them, O
:, it was, until / had great shock.
e Instead of the men being away a
l separate beach of their own, the.
o We're put with us, and kept poppin:
d out Of boxes every minute, and run
q ming up to talk to the girls they knew
s just as calmly as if they were in even
I. ing dress. My eyes almost came GU
t of my head for an instant. Then
G just swallowed hard and leaped owe
v about five centuries of prejudice as i
: I were jumping across a tiny beck.
a "Everything's a matter of custom.
d said l to myself. and in another min
a ute 1 was racing gayly down TO tn
n water, hand in hand with Sally, as
we had been little girls with sand pail
stuu ShONGlS.
E. / expected to feel as if / ha
=. plunged into a million gallon bath O
r iced water, when l got out among tn
l. creamy breakers. but, judging from th
y sensat ton, Americans have had thei
e, part of the Atlantic beautiful
1t warmed from underneath with som
y patent heating apparatus. 1t would b
Ir inst like them
E. The sandy beach is so level you ca
is patter out ever so far until you fnall
D. have to bob up and down for the rol
t. ing waves as if they were royalties.
n, l can swim little, and Potte
to took me beyond the breakers. 1t wa
Is great fun under that arch of turquois
.e sky, with the sun dancing ON the clea
ID green water as If the millionaires c
,e Newport had been sprinkling gol
ID pieces. But the best of all was th
floating platform about a hundre
1T yards from the beach, where we Sc
k and let the emeralds and pearls spra
over us.
" At home when you are at the sc
4 |