Page:A hairdresser's experience in high life.djvu/109

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now go back in my narrative to the season of 1850. I was that year at work at Saratoga. The nephew of President Polk coming there with his family, consisting of his wife, two children, a man and maid servant, and the lady wishing to have a maid and hair-dresser, I gave up my situation at Saratoga and went to Newport with them. We stopped at the Ocean House. I found the most of the company there from Saratoga, as it was a habit with many to go the early part of the season to Saratoga and drink the water, after which they sought the seaside to bathe. I found out this season why many of the ladies liked Newport so well; it was because at the latter place the ladies and gentlemen were thrown more together. As there was but a small hall to promenade in at Newport, ladies, gentlemen, children, servants and all were together, while at Saratoga the ladies had two very large galleries and the gentlemen one, so they were never thrown together, except those who had families or acquaintances. This season the Germania Band was there, and I have often been amused, while listening to the music, to see the different dresses, different appearances, and different cliques.

There were five ladies there from the neighborhood