The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-09

from the water. He wore q full black bath
ing suit. but ono brawny arm and shoulder
were exposed. he seemed In some danger
Of swimming out Of his clothes: and she.
whose only obvious raiment from our
viewpoint was a dosp pair Of atsouldHE
straps, seemed to have provided precisely
against this mischance.
She was presumably a widow. for the
straps and what n might guess Of the rest
were black. and her black hair was studded
with purple flowers. How he hunohed his
shoulder and she presented her pair OF
shoulders 90 high above the waves was
explained as we rowed nearer. They were
lolling upon q rock nearly awash, a most
deleotable couch In these warm seas.
II h was widow she had the look OF
being ~oonsolable. Her person ives more In
evidence than her grief, and soon a portly
individual who had the air Of being her next
husband hailed her from the shore. The
skin OF this leviathan-or SHALL say lobsterp
" tinged ruddy by the sun. They swan
In TO meet him and all forezathered by a
convenient boulder. whore a tertium ovid,
also Plethora and pink. Joined them.
There was much talk and the pink pro-
PtIotOi 81 tlhiO pIOuuO0u CiHAI6IU63, pre-
sumably from some recess OF his person,
and all pulled c~ontentedly In the green
water. Upon the widow these ~sociabilities
palled. for the last We saw Of her the purple
blossoms were disappearing around a rock,
with the attendants in hilarious pursuit.
On tho way up the steep path toward the
town we met whole families strolling down
to the strand. Often the bathing a~ocoutre.
ment for an entire group was tightly wound
in. a single towel and carried by the smallest
child. Few Of these courteous peasants
failed to wish us a smiling good evening.
In general the bathing, like all the life
at Capri, is piquapt because Of the close
association Of the natives and the foreign
colony. The island Is small and thiokly
peopled. the bathing accommodation
smaller still. and we necessarily swim
cheek by jowl--as II Bath Beach should Join
the Monmouth county "~washday."
But should do injustice to those praotised
bathers. the Capresi. II I lfkened their water
sports to the unoouth gambols Of the hardy
ANIMALS OF central New Jersey. Nor
would It be quite fair to the foreign colony
to imply on their part the degree Of SOU
brettism that is said to exist somewhere
east Of Bay Ridge. Our Capri beaches
only occasionally resemble the advertis-
ing sheets Of the semi-religious weekIes,
and then the exhibition of stookingette is
seldom made on the form Of an Italian.
Every appearance inS a cosmopolitan
colony must be closely sorutinized il the
truth is to be known. This / realized the
other day as 1 approached the familiar
bathing place and saw a new and enticing
vision.
She stood poised on one leg beside a high
rock. the top Of which she srasped with
high stretched arm She looked out to
sea unheedful Of the miscellaneous Italians
who eyed her admiringly
Her abundant dark hair had been planned
to lie In the fashion Of Cleo de Merode. but
the dampness had relaxed 1t into deep
waves. A mans knitted bathing suit
banded with broad stripes Of heliotrope
prohled her slender form sharply against
the blush rock. The little waves tried to
climb up the sinuous legs. but only sue
ceeded in reaching the tops Of short hello
trope socks. There she stood. oblivious CT
everything. even OF her WI strange come
illness. wholly rapt in the waves tapping
golden under the descending sun.
As my nature is I could not but moralise
the scene. and there came to my rescue
memories Of the analytical novels, mostly
French, over which I pored in the earnest
college years. What q oonsummat to type of
the attn woman. I Thought! Here speak
Thousands Of years Of civilization Here in
epitome is the charm Of the sirens, Of the
Roman expresses. Of the lordly beauties
OF the Renaissance. Here is calm con.
~sciousness OF power.
That slender eager body is the type OF
all that makes Latin mar what he Ia. How
pale beside this incarnation OF the double
ton Of the body and the mind seem
our own golhng. waltzing girls. How
! ~onotonous seems q civilization Of which
something like this woman is no the ulti.
mate bait. the supreme reward!
So was musing quite in the youthful
manner OF the late Lafcadio Hean when
from a villa far up the slope came distsntly
the argentine s~alutaton. Mamie, amt YOU
ever coming up for your cocktail!' The
1.-THE form enveloped itself in a peignoir,
the mysterious mouth replied. Just watch
me- and the type Of all Latin and neo.
Latin seduotvenees vanished.
Susan. at my guarded request. has
her up and reports that she ia an
American matron with no suspicion OF
Roman naughtiness about her. She PLAYS
excellent game Of bridge and WIS born
in Kansas City.
All Of which goes to show that the sea
about Capri Ia by way Of being a universal
which makes the task Of the etbno.
analyst indeed hard.