In the Gale.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 187, 15 January 1887, Page 2

In the Gale.

I hid an experience in crossing from Bou - logne to Folkestone the other day. It was an anxious moment when the train from Paris drew up alongside the quay close to the spot where the steamer was rather uneasily floating. But there was not much time for consideration. The sailors, wearing oilskin coats and overalls, were hard at work getting the luggage on board, and, if we intended "going on," now wag the moment for following our boxes. Some of us looked at the purple mist just beyond the head of the pier, and made toward the town on the other side of the harbour ; the rest stumbled down the ladder and found ourselves on the wet and slippery deck. We were not very numerous ; but we had ladies and children amongst us. Some of us now went into the cabin, some on to the upper deck ; the wiEest remained between the paddle-boxes on deck. I, as an experienced voyageur, seated myj self on a chair wnich I had wedged close to the arm of a bench just in front of the midship private cabin. One lady, who had only crossed the channel once before and then on a fine day, expressed her pleasure at the change in the weather, and announced her intention of keeping quite well until she reached England, "as it all depended upon will, and she was determined not to be sick, " Another person of the same sex was confident. She asked a sailor " whether it was likely to be rough," and received in reply a very decided affirmative. However, she derived some comfort on learning that it was " not a gale, " but only ' ' dirty weather. " The bell rang, the ladder was removed, a couple of seamen let down apiece of canvas on the port side, and then with v, bang and a leap and a rattling we were off and in ior it! I closed my eyes, and clung to the arm of the bench ; for I felt that my body was being tossed about in a most eccentric fashion. I heard voices — one asking mo if I required an oilskin coat, another proffering me something I immediately refused ; and then I was loft in peace A tearful rush of water, and some giggling from a youiig lady ; and the giggling became another moan. Knowing how important it was to me to keep calm, I tried to sleep, and did my best to imagine that tho noise of clashing crockery was simply the tinkle of neighbouring tea-enps. An American had seated himself on the bench beside mo, and, to my dismay, I heaid lam giving up his ! place to a lady. Then there was a more terrific crash than ever, and I opened my eyos to find that tho female with tho great power of will was being assisted |by a sympathetic tar to rise from a recumbent position, unconsciously assumed, and that .she was imploring to be j taken downstairs " It rejoiced me to see her disappear. I looked round about me i Ju«t boforo mo woio a newly-marriod ' couple and an old gentleman, seated un-eat-ily upon frail arm-chairs Another crash; and tho three were jerked from thoir seats and fell, slipping in much confusion towards the side ot the vessel. The btidc was picked up, and with the assistance ot a sailor (wow <o I fancy owed mo a grudge ior refusing his pi offered gifts), i-eated next to mo. Her ghastly husband (whose chair was broken in the collision) was placed opposite her, standing with his back to an iron partition. The old gentleman was tied with a ropo to a pillar. The American observed that "it was a veiy rino sea, and he had noticed nothing better on tlie Atlantic " Hearing this, I ventured to eriance at the ocean, and forma for the fitst- rime in my iifo that I wn« tray elling through wovps " mountains high.' It. re.illy was very grand ; but having onco i-eon tho .sight, 1 came to the immediate rie-oi-uon that I .-hould nevor care to look upon the like again There was a terrible lurch, and 1 felt a feeble but pc sistent hand clutching at my coat sleeve. It was the biide, who w.is doing hei best not to tumblo over me. Until that moment I had imagined myself a courteous man, and it was only then that I realised with a blush my natural, or un natural, selfishness. •'Madame," I said, ''it you will take my advi^o you will go below '' The poor woman moaned, and continued clutching at in«, and then it) broken accents appealed to her husband ' % Oh, " she exclaimed piteously, '"bo w>nt> to p^rtd me away! — Don't let him. ilei -catcely better-half (^he poor fellrw was terribly ill) could not spe-ik ; but he gazed upon me with ckoco-)ato-cnJoured orbs, raising his hand in feeble Another man carried tho bnde away, and once more I tried to d<zo. But what sucoe-fc- in that could be hopoct for, since 1 had to cling liko grim death to trio arm of the bench and hear the crash of ciockerv, and the crashing and the rushing •>f the water? This wont on -so it seemed to mo— for hours and hours. At length I heard a seaman telling some poor creature close to me that "he was obliged to go iway now, and would he ploaso to remember him?" I opened my eyes— to a con'uiion worse than ever. Moet of the pa-tengers hud disappeared below, but the American wa3 still there, but now tied to Uio uon pillar, and bending down was looking through opera glasses at a large .ship close to the shore that was dancing about liko a cork in the trough of a watertall. "Wo shall get into the harbour, I rhir.k," aaid he, and a few minutes later (but such minutes !) we were safe alongside the landing stage. I shall never forget the faces of my fellowpas?engerB as we crawled up the steps leading to the upper dock. Misery was stamped on nearly every countenance. The ladies (with an exception here and there) were utterly indifferent to appearancoa. In the polting rain we gave up our tickets and parsed on to the pier Even here we were nor, safe, tor the sea toJlowed ua up, actually da-hitig over the carriages of the train that was waiting to take us back to town. As we landed wo saw the grinning face, of a large number of Folkestone visitors. One of these, a plump maiden with repulsively red cheeks, exclaimed, "I am so glad we came ! This is delightful !" — Letter in the " St. James's fiazotte."

Many of the newest Paris hats are very peculiar in form, with brims turning up and down in a wholly irrelevant fashion, rdeves in front, case's at the sides, and curled up behind with indented crowns filled with flowers or fruit, which is now made in a new way — instead of being hard and heavy it is soft and light, apparently filled with cotton wool or some substance of that nature. Course straws and rushes are greatly used with cream, ivory, and puille ribbons, which are often interlaced with the straw. The prevailing siiape will bo high, with rather narrow brims turned up at the back, or at the sid?, very often both with the trimming rising from behind, and massed on the crown, the reverse order of ornamentation to the bonnets, on which trimming arranged immediately in front is the rule. S r eils are very generally worn both w ith hats and bonnets, and are of the very finest spotted net or tulle ; so fine, indeed, is the net that were it not for the spots it would be almost invisible ; jpoudre 'Ie p/'z tulle is one of these ii-ne fabrics which can bo had in any colour, '" l " "