LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2237, 14 January 1897, Page 43

LADIES' GOSSIP.

' . * The newly-made bride -of the - Duo d'Orleans is an accomplished musician and a composer. One of the beet-known Hungarian patriotic hymns is from her pen, and she onca composed an orchestral piece under romantic circumstances. A certain Hungarian band was reduced to .penury, owing to a spell of bad luck : its popularity had waned, and its loader told his troubles to the father of the 5 oudc: Archduchess Maria Dorothea. " Oan'fc jou do Aomolhing to help these poor fellows, Mariska?" asked tho Archduke. In a short time she prodaced a very original deaoriptive V>'iece, wbioh she presented to the company of Tzi^&nen, who, having the sole right of per(••rrqine- it, «p«>edily became both famous and prosperous • . • Kii'.tfw, or stones out of them, have an uncomfortable habit of getting continually lost or mislaid; but the stories of their recovery are often curious, while some even border on the marvellous. A gentleman dropped a valuable ring as he was alighting ftom a carriage on the Underground at Gloucester road station. As he oould not find it he left, bat returned in au hour's time to see if it had dropped in tbe carriage. As the train again entered the station after having made the complete round of the "Inner Circle,", the first" thing he saw waßhis ring on tbo footboard, where it had lain unobserved during the whole circuit. A Glasg- )w lady visited a shop, when the diamond iropped out of her ring and could not •>c found, in spite of careful sweeping of the shop and passing the duet through a hair seive. The ring had ijeen reset and tho loss almost forgotten, when the owner's daughter (who had acoom- > anied the mother on tbe occasion of the j iocs) remarked : " Something in the heel of ray right boot catches the carpee every step I r,hke." On examination it proved to be the closing diamond firmly embedded in the leather. For two months the daughter had oden in the country, walking over hard macadamised roada without in any way injuring the diamond. • . • A blind girl on a bicycle is certainly a departure in .the world of wheels, but Chicago can witness it. She is Miss 2dna Morris, 17 years of age, whose home is in lowa, but she is visiting Chicago just now. She pedals along by the side of her cousin, a young fellow, scarcely more than a lad. He always holds her Lanrlebar and it was his constant attention which first attracted notice to her. Although totally blind, Miss Morris is an enthusiastic cyclist. * . * The Queen takes great interest in the family histories and the incidents in the careers of her most distinguished subjects, and has a wonderful memory for ancestral legends. Many a new maid-of-honour has been set at her ease by tbe kindly manner in whioh her royal mistress has asked after the health of her relatives. Her Majesty Also notes in her memory the records of good work done by the soldiers, sailors, clergy, diplomatists, politicians, and philanthropists of her kingdom — a habit whioh has of ten enabled her to suggest the right person for some vacant offiae or appointment. And if at these times any privileged adviser has ventured to question tbe wisdom of the royal choice, the Queen has always been abl^ to give convincing reasons for her opinions. A distinguished general was once greatly struck by her minute acquaintance with the various incidents of the military career of an obscure lieutenant. " I believe, ma'am,' that you know more of the army than I do!" said the veteran, officer. The Queen smiled, and the lieutenant was promoted. • . • A method has been lately discovered for completely hardening and petrifying natural flowers (preserving their colours), by embedding them flush into tbe surface of a kind of liquid marble or alabaster. The latter, after several coatings of a transparent polishing substance, dries as bard as a rock. Some dadoes and friezes in a new house in London made by this method, with sunflowers, peonies, and dahlias, are said to be very handsome. ' . * The Princess Helene of Montenegro, who was recently married to the Prince of' Naples, would now be Czarina had the late Czar had his way, inasmuch as he desired her to marry his son, the present Czar. Nicholas, however, had fallen in love .with the Princess Alix, who in due oourse became his bride. * . - It is stated that a lady has devised and patented a detachable motor, which shall be alike available for a family carriage, ■a farm waggon, a common oart, a plough, a threshisg m&oMne, cr a chafEcutter. She hes giver, her motor the figure of a horse, on which the driver may or may not sit ; but obviously the shape does not affect the merit of the idea. ■ . ■ There is one interesting little fact in connection with tbe Czar's reoent visit to England which ia worth noting, says a Lon* don correspondent. During the hospitality offered to the officers and crews of tho Imperial yachts it was discovered that there was scarcely an officer who could not converge* in English; while, on the other hand j there watf only one officer among the whole staff a-j Portsmouth, who could converse in Russlarj This fact was pointed out to Mr Gosohetf,! The Russian officers did not appear to have,! the same dash and j?o as the English officer^.

ft Ds&tfS?°* raSf C^iatloally, \<(Mp^% certainly th«ir superiors It la ejjcf -tl»at there are not half a dozen British 'offioers who oan speak Russian fluently. * .'. ' There are " mounted " nurses in India Jo connection with tbe army. The Indian OoT«mment now grants a monthly allowance \tl 30 rapees for the keep of a hone to eaotf lady of the Indian Nursing Service. Theie tobunted nnrses must all be ladiea of good flooial position, and they are requiied to undergo three years' training In a general hospital. They wf called ocr Majesty's nursing sisters, and may be ordered on aotive service in any war. A* R reward for special service, they receive the Order of the Royal Red Cross. ' . ' They manage f ome things muoh better In America. Over here, «ay« a writer in a London paper; when we have snob a thing as an interesting breaoh of promise case, we are generally satisfied with the bare, bold, cold-blooded publication of the correspondence in tbe case, with its attendant "langhter In court." In New York, however, May and December have just fallen in love, ' and fallen out, too. Dscember wrote Hay, daring a rather extensive courtship, a matter of 50C love-letters. , Hay was in a quandary at to how she could best obtain the wherewithal to proseoate her breach e£ promise aotion, bnt she has hit on a unique way ont of the difficulty — one aa clever as it is commercial. She is now singing oomlo Bongs at a New York music hall at lOOdol per week, and one of the conditions of her agreement is that she is to read one of tbe letters every night. * . * The recent marriage between the Prince of Naples, only son of King Humbert of Italy, and Princess Helene, daughter of Prince Nicholas of Montenegro, is declared to have been a pnre love match, and without regard to reasons of State. Previously, in response to the "eligible" parties tbat were offered for his choice, the Prlnoe of Naples always replied, "There is no hurry " ; bat at Oettinje, on the other shores of the Adriatic from bis Neapolitan borne, he at last found his idyllic *' fate," in the shape of a princess who is a member of tbe smallest Court in Europe. The Princess Helene is just 23 years of age. She is very dark, beautifnl, and intelligent; whilst the simplicity of her manner and her winning ways are .regarded as being certain to conquer the hearts of tbe Italians. Her father is tall, dark, and well-made, and is the embodiment of all the qualities of the hardy race of warriors over whom he rules in his little Balkan State. * . * Every visitor to Japan is impressed trith the many curious uses to which fans are pat. The umpire at wrestling and fencing, matches uses a large fan, shaped like a butterfly, and the various motions of this fan constitute a language whioh tbe combatants lolly understand and promptly heed. Men and children, as well as women, ase fans at all limes. The servant girl has a flat fan, made nf rough paper, to blow the charcoal fires with, or use as a dustpan ; the farmer baa a 'stout fan to winnow bis grain ; and another variety is made of waterproof paper, which can be dipped in water, and creates great coolness by evaporation without wetting tbe olothes. • . • Miss Winter, who for several years has fceen the governess to the yonng Queen of Holland, has fulfilled her mission, and is returning to England. This lady has bad to 3be very strict' in maintaining tbe regularity jof the young Qaeen's studies, and she even jpat out the hoars duriDg which instruction tin music was given by an experienced processor. On one occasion the attempted to wliimiss her obarge to her bedchamber aa ghonr before the customary time because she fftras remiES in bowing incessantly to her subjects in publio, bat this act of discipline was jjsucces&fully resisted. The sobolar's work (began at 9 each day, and lasted for a couple tbf hoars, a similar period from half-past 2 feeing also devoted to "desk" work. Her pMajesty habitually rose at 7, and was asleep tot half-past 8. j • . • To Miss Cadogan, one of the Qaeen's maids of honour, probably belongs the distinction of possessing the most unique dog in or ont of Christendom. It is by way of being a " Jap," and in point of amallness of stature could probably give any other dog of the same species a good many points. Though very small, however, it is an ex- j tremely intelligent animal, and, moreover, exceedingly affeotionate. It eats next to nothing, bat has an amazing partiality for grouse and other dainty kinds of food. Miss Oadogan's protege is extremely delicate, and every cow and then it has to be sent to a " vet " in order to have its eyelashes doctored, which are so long and so delioate that if this were j not done the dog would inevitably become , blind. The Queen has taken a great fancy to Miss Oadogan's weird but singularly attractive little pet. •«• The real test of culpable luxury is, we believe, the personal one. Culpable luxury is luxury which enervates and demoralises the man who indulges in it. If a man wor■hips comfort like a god, cultivates the art of smoothing down the roughnesses on the road of life till he has made it like a butter-slide, and so arranges his existence that every conceivable physical want is instantly supplied to the full, then, no doubt, he is indulging in culpable luxury, and is enervating himself body and soul. Many very rich men know this instinctively, and guard themselves most carefully against tbe demoralisation which j comes from the too great easiness and softness of life. Plenty of millionaires have no better dinners than their neighbours, not because they are afraid of gout, but because they dread the effects of physical comfort carried to the extreme point. They may have great houses and a sumptuous style of life in all externals, but inside their apparent life they often most carefully organise for themselves and their ohildren a simpler habit of existence. In the best of the rich English families there is a strong and sound tradition against personal luxury which is very noticeable. It is thought disgraceful, either for the men or the women, if they are not invalids t to be over zealous about their comforts. So strong, indeed, is this instinctive desire for protection against the effeots of personal | luxury, that it is counted bad form to be always bothering about making life into a feather bed. Great ladieß are often far harder upon their sons and daughters in the matter of the small luxuries of life than the ordinary middle-class parent. In faot it is, as we have said, considered to be extremely | bed form for a man to be over-luxurious in '

dress or _. any Of the personal appointments of life. A man may spend £10,000 on a picture or a horse, or £20,000 in making a paradise to bold wild beasts, bnt if it were known that be bad wasted £6000 in doiog up his dressing room and had silver-plated his bath, he would be sneered at as a person with the tastes of a Levantine Jew.— Spectator. Useful Hints. 3LEEDINQ, AND HOW TO STOP IT. Many a mother, says a physioian, has had a terrible fright by a obild running in with its olothes, hands, and faoe all smeared with blood. It is astonishing what a mess -a obild will manage to make with a little blood. Yon will find most probably when you have washed with oold water that the amount of injury is a mere trifle. If it is difficult to stop the bleeding a most valuable remedy is the common wbitiDg or pipeclay. ! Pat a thick covering of either of these on the wound, then a bit of dry lint, and press it closely for a few minutes. Let what sticks to the wound remain there, and cover with a bit of plaster. Bleeding from the nose, unless it goes too far, need not alarm you — nay, in many oases it may prevent something muoh more serious — bat when it requires to be stopped let the ohild sit upright, bathe the neck and face with cold water, and dissolve a little alnm in water and squirt it np the nostrils. If this does not succeed seed for the doctor, j TO BRIGHTEN FUIIS. i To most women the art of cleaning and brightening furs is a profound mystery, but a cheerful little housekeeper whose husband is a farrier divulged to an English paper the secrets of the trade for the benefit of women j who desire to be economical and are willing ; to take gome trouble to be bo. She says that all dark furs, snob as seal, mink, and otter, are best renovated with mahogany or j fine cedar sawdust, whioh is kept in stock by all furriers, and of whiob enough to clean a dozen garments can be purchased for a small sum. Lay the garment fiat on a bare table, fur , side up, take a handful of sawdust, and rub it thoroughly into the hairs. Spare neither sawdust nor strength, for the appearance of the fur afterwards will warrant the lavish use of both. When the garment has been treated, take it up and shake it lightly over the table, where of course a great deal of the sawdust will fall out. It should be gathered up and carefully saved. Now lay upon the table two pillows in their slips, and over them spread .the garment — fur down this time — and beat it thoroughly with a light rattan or smooth switch. Move the pillows along as they are needed, so as to always have a soft support for the garment. Take it up, Bhake Hjjhtly, brush off ihe pillows and table, and continue beating until the fur is free from sawdust, when it will be as bright as new fur. White furs must be cleaned with plain white cornmeal, but in the same manner. Small white, furs that are not muoh soiled may be refreshed by the use of cube magnesia, which muit be thoroughly rubbed iD, and then as thoroughly dusted out. Far cloaks, light or dark, often become disfigured with carriage grease, but it will yield readily to gasoline applied with a piece of cotton batting. Gentle rubbing and a renewal of cotton frequently are necessary to seoure success. Pitch, paint, resin, tar, and oil stains can all be treated in this way, and if they do not readily disappear, oil of turpentine, benzine, or spirits of ether can be used.

(Tjr* Descriptions of balls, to., mast be endorsed by either the WitneM correspondent for the district or by the secretary to the j ball committee The US. of »dt correspondents who do no j roont prior to appearing. — KMMKIiINE. To ensure publication in tho forthcoming issue, letters should reach tho Wltnci> office if possible an Saturday night, but on no account later tlmn ."Homl y nljht. WEDDING AT MJDDLEMARCH. Dear Emmeline.— We had a very interesting wedding here on the 28th ult., when Mr J. Nolan, of the Spring*, gave his third daughter Helen iv marriage to Mr William Fox, fourth son of Mr Hugh Box, of Caverabam. The nuptial knot was tie^ by the Rev. Father Lynch at the residence of the bride's parents. The bride looked charming dressed in pale blue silk trimmed with silk of a creamy white. She wan supported by Miss E. Nolan as bridesmaid, who looked lovely in a costume of pale blue. The bridegroom looked the picture of happiness. His brother, Mr R H"ox, of Auckland, acted as best man. After the wedding i breakfast the happy couple started oa a short I honeymoon tour amidst showers of rice. Amongst the ladies present for the evening were Miss J. Nolan, pale blue with cream lace ; Misa O. Nolan, white vrith pale blue streamers ; Mrs Nolan, black silk ; Miss J. Fox, myrtle green with cream silk ; Mis 3 Jessie Fox, brown velvet : Mrs Peters, black eilk ; Mrs D. M'Kay, black silk ; Mrs A. M'Kay. grey silk ; Mm Moriarty, black skirt, cream bodice ; Mrs Fitzgerald, black skirt, pale pink bodice ; Mrs Cartwright, cream delaine ; Mrs Fletcher, grey silk ; Mrs Hamigan, sea green ; Mjse Olive, white nun's veiling, greeu plußb yoke ; Miss O'Counel, pale blue ; Miss Nellie Fletcher, white ; Miss Moriarty, maroon relieved with white lace ; Miss Dalev, br6wn ; Miss E. Olive, cream nun's veiling ; Miss Gedding, white ; Miss J. M'Kay, maroon ; Miss Webb, grey satin. Dancing was kept up till the small hours of the i morning.— Shamrock. ! E^3s WEDDING AT WINTON. Dear Emmeline,— On Tuesday, 22nd ult., at Trinity Church, Winton, a very pleasing ceremony took place, whpn Miss Bessie Norman, eldest daughter of Mr Thomas Norman, farmer, and Mr Hurst, of Winton, were united in the bonds of wedlock by the Rev. W. Butterfield. Tho church was beautifully decorated by friends of the bride, and a large bell of flowers hung juat above where the bridal party stood. The church was crowded, seats being reserved in front for invited guests, among whom I noticed Mr aud Mrs J. Gilmour, Mr and Mrs Wyllie, Mr and Mrs E. R. Kidd, Mr and Mrs F. Jack, Mr and Mrs Rasmussen, Mr and Mvs A. Gerrard, Mr and Mrs J. j Hamilton, Mr and M's C D. Moore, Mr and Mrs Hunter, Mrs Bennett (grandmother of the bride), Messrs J. and O. Baird, C. Hinde, and a number of the bride 1 * relations. The bride, who was given away by her father, wore cream cashmere with trimmings of chiffon, orange blossoms, and satin ribbon streamers, and a long veil and wreath. The bridesmaids were the two sisters of the bride, the Misses M. and J. Norman, and wore dresseß of fawn lustre with trimmings of cream lace and ribbons to match, large cream bats, and each wore gold brooches, the gift of tbe bridegroom. They oil carried bouquets of white flowers with streamers of white ribbon. Tbe bridegroom wa3 attended by Mr W. Hartley, as best man. After the ceremony tbe wedding party drove to Mr Norman's residence, where the breakfast was laid in tbe dining room, and table after table sat down, and the usual toasts were given and responded to by the bridegroom. Shortly afterwards the young couple left for Invercargill en route to 1 Oamaru, where Mr Hurst's relatives reside. The bride's travelling dress was navy blue serge with cream silk vest, and large cream bat. The preBents were numerous and costly, among them being a handsome marble clock, travelling trunk, silver teapot, silver br«akfast cruet, silver and crystal jelly dishes, silver and crystal butter cooler*, brass kettle, enamel kettle and teapot, silver jam spoons, sugar tongs and butter knivea, tablespoons, two seta of dimes, coalscuttle, two clocks, lady's comi panion, Japanese traya, cheese plate, crystal cake I dishes, vases, mirror stands, water, jugs, photo- ' frames, pickle jars, curtains, hearthrug, and others

too numerous to mention. A dance was held in the evening in the Forest Hill Hall. A largo number of young people attended, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselvea. The music was supplied oy Mr Norris (violin) and Miss Fox (piano), and was all that could be desired. Mr Fraser acted as M.C.