Ladie's Column.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 95, 4 May 1876, Page 3

Ladies Column.

I A CUUIOUS COURTSHIP. : In the 'Atlantic' for February, Mrs ; Kemble,relates this old anecdote of Mrs Basil Montagu's second marriage:— Her ; 'marriage with Mr Montagu was attended with some singular circumstances ces, the knowledge of which I owe to herself. She was a Yorkshire widow; lady of the name of Skepper, and came ( with her only child (a little ' girl) to, visit, some friends ih London, with; whom Basil Montagu was intimate.: Mrs Skepper had probably occasionally ! been the subject of conversation between him and her hosts, when they were ex- , pecting her ; for one evening, soon after j her arrival, as she was sitting partly , concealed by one of the curtains in the drawing-room, Basil Montagu came .rapidly into the room exclaiming (evidently not" perceiving her) : ' " Come, where js your wonderful Mrs Skepper ?. I want to see her." During the whole | evening he engrossed her attention and talked to her, and the next morning at I breakfast she laughingly complained to | her hosts that lie had not been content with that, but had tormented her" with dreams al! night. " Eor," said she, ♦- 1 dreamt I was going to be married to him, and the day before the wedding he came to me with a couple of boxes and said solemnly, * My dear" Annie, 1 want to confide these relics to your keeping. In this casket are contained the bones of my dear' first wife ; and in this those of my dear second wife, do me the favor to take charge of them for me.' " The odd circumstance was that Basil Montagu- had" been married twice, and that .when he made his third matrimonial venture and was accepted by- Mrs Skepper, he appeared before her one day and with, much solemnity begged her to t take charge of two caskets, in which were respectively treasured, riot tlie bones, but. the letters of her two predecessors. It is quite possible that he might have heard of her dream on tlie first night of their acquaintance, and amused himself with carrying it out , when he was about to marry her*. but : when Mrs Montagu told me .the story I do not think she suggested any such rationalistic solution of the mystery. FASHIONS OF THE DAY. (By Oiie of* our Boys.) " I IJaaye been studying the question of Spring fashions lately. * Many good people in the country desire some reliable information to guide rhem in their personal make-ups. Now, these letters ..of the fashion- writers • are all very good, but they are so. deuced long', and then I could never understand their confq.unded French terms. - '« Hair.-— This article of dress is worn about the same, ' Yellow hair is not quite so common, but it is still worn by the demi moiide. Black hair is worn . by swarthy young' ladies. Auburn eve-, brows and long black eyelashes ' are "in favor. . . ■'*' j Mouth. — Small mouths are still worn.* Lips are still worn cherrycolored. Eyes. — Blue eyes predominate. The demi monde, who introduce all- our i fashions, still wear the black streak under the eyelid. Complexion. — This has changed a good deaf. Pearl-color , prevails over the old-fashioned natural tints-' Young ladif s use rouge, while servant maids use ' white powder. "Busts. — Not quite so prominent as formerly. Wire and hair- cloth pads take the place of cotton. Feet.— Larger feet are worn thi^year than last. Corns prevail, also high heels. It it also quite the mode to wear bunions. Teeth. — White teeth in regular rows are the .prevailing', fashion. ', Servant maids and coachmen affect saffron color. . Cheeks. — Are worn well out. Plumpers are quite, the mode among fashionable maiden ladies and widows about fifty-five. Noser,— Roman,. in statu quo. The Roman nose still prei'vails. ' ; Ears; — Worn. quite high extending: through the bonnet strings. LOVE NOT ELOQUENT. Oh, young- ladies, you are unwise in expecting. eloquence. Irom, a lover! .A man who really loves you" will' never be eloquent before, he is, assured oi your state of feeling towards him ; not always— -I should say, on the contrary, rarely— then; ' When- your beauty, your graces accomplishments/ good qualities, &g; have wrought on a * man : to such a degree that he feels the world can give him ijothing compatible to your love ; when the. very 'sight. of you: at a distance makes his heart flutter ;' when, he fe,els jealous of* every -man under the age ot sixty, who approaches' you, and is ten-pted toi strangle, every-good-looking coxcomb "who pays ' you; a compliment ; when half-distracted %y 1 the alternations pf^hope and despair, he. ventures "at last to learn his fate from' your lips— do you expect- eloquence at! such a time? If you do, you expect; him to 'behave as a man ih'love ''never' would or never could-behave. 7 Nothingis easier than flirtation with a woman' you do not love: ' of' course you love^ her a littleV^r'you %o^ trouble ,to flirt w'fth -herA Brit, wh|n you begin to love a woman you afe^rib longer capable of flirtation^ AWhen ypty.-^W*?? and silent, and hardly dares to look at you • when his' hand trembles * at* the i chance contact; with- yours, • Ke-^hardly ; I dares to hold it lest he should oflend *

you ;. when, atlast,' after a sore struggle, there comes a faltering avowal from the overcharged heart, in those few but ex- f pressive words, " I love you !"-— then, if 1 were v woman, I should feel well pleased to dispense with eloquence of. words. <IJ s • ■ v BAD COOKING. f The connection between'bad cooking and domestic unhappiness has forjned the topic - qf extra-judicial utterances by the Resident Magistrate of-Wel-lington, who is reported as having said: - "A case came' .before me yesterday ia which Mrs M'cWthy, applied/for a protection order; and I adj'our&ed'it for a week in the hope that the parties might come to terms and make it up. The case was in fact' a weak one. There' appears certainly to, Jiave been some violence used on one occasion, and from the evidence before uie^it appears that the defendant originally .received provocation from his wife, who, like many other young wives, does not seem' to know much about cooking,. She seems to under-cook the ;nieat.: Now, undercooking is apt ,to produce indigestion, and indigestion is apt 1 to produce a hasty temper, and consequently Mr McCarthy may have been, driven to drink and hastiness of temper by his wife's bad cooking. ' It -strikes me thafi if you were to advise your daughter'- to do the cooking better,; and pay a little" move' atierttioh to' her' husband, thijj might get on much better." . ' " INTERRUPTION OF .lIOVE'S YOUNG '* I PKEAM- * * * ''\ They sat upon an inverted wash-tub (directly under a window) dreaming wild dreams of love. With her great starry eyes turned up to him she softly whispered, " Will you always, always love me, Warren*?" ahd Warren murmured back — " - Till the sua grows cold, : Till tlio stars i*.re o}U, . And -■''"■ ' .77 Then he' sprang to' his' feet in a wild panic and made frenzied efforts to get his face through a coating of something > that seemed to have' fallen from tho clouds. Cleanihg his eyes, he shot the quick glance of hatred up to thY window, made a bolt for the back gate, and disappeared from the startled girl's side. Old gentleman up stairs, murmuring to his wife, remarks, ?' There,' Malindy, I bet 500 dols, I've knocked that* blamed bowl of hot starch out of. the winderand upset the whole onV' The desolate maiden has rib lover now, but goes around with an unquiet glare. in her downcast eyes. ' 'A. ' .• >' • WHAT A MAN WANTS OF A WIFE; The 'Philadelphia, Times' says:— lt is not to sweep the house,'< make the Bed^ darn the socks and cook . the. zmeals, chiefly, that a man wants a. wife. If this is all he needs, hired. help can d.q it cheaper than a : wife. ' If this'is all, when a young man calls to see ala dy send him into the pantry to , taste "the bread and cake she^ has made, send inn**, to inspect the needlewoj-k' and bed -making, "or put a .broom into her hand and send him to witness its use. Such thirigs are important, ..and the wise 3 r 'oiii*£* man will quickly look after them • but what a true man : warit.s with a wife is her companionship^ sympathy, and love; The.way of lif3 has, many- dreary in it, and man needs a companiou to. go with him. A man is sometimes overtaken with misfortune ; he meets with failure arid defeat ;. trials .and temptations beset him', 1 and he'needs some' 6119 to stand by and sympathise. He has some hard battles to fight with poverty, ' enemies, and with 1 sin',*' and .he'needs "a worimn that, v When: he \putsliis: arms around her, he feels that when, he has something to fight fbrshe.wiirhelphiin to fight i that . she ■ \yill ; . put, her lips to his ear and "whisper words ' of counsel, put her hand to his heart and impart inspiration. All through : .]if'e, .through storms and through sunshine, conflict;, . and victory,' .through" adversity arid through favoring winds, man needs a woman's love. The heart yearns for it. A sister's or a mother's love will hardly supply' the nees. Vet- many seek for nothing/ further than success' in housework., Justly enough, half of these get nothing more • the other half, surprised beyond measure, have gotten more than they* sought Afheir wives surprise -then*, by bringing out a noble idea in marriagey and disclosing a treasury^of co u •, rage, sympathy, and love, -f, ' „ :•'■■---..,»

-A 'ma Tied lady complained that her, husband .had ill-used her., -Her. taihe'rhearing it, boxed hei* ears. -■ Tell him," s iid -the' father, 1 - tl th : a¥if he^bea'ts my daughter-, I will beat his wife." ' „>., . _ A. lucrative^openin^ibxyoungJadies has been made %>the decisidnqf an Indiana Court that the fact of a girl being engaged to severat^en'tieman at onte is no bar-foi-her suting.^acU^of/themjTqiN breach of promise. *' -..'" ~ A ' ' l * * ' As. ? ATo 7 plunged youn^ia% i dx--7fiithoms deep in happjne.^ birds, half a dozen moonbeams, .twelve yards - of silk,' ice crgamy 'b'veifal^rose- ¥<■-?>.•••«/ squeeze -of; the, haiid;..an / d^ th« promise of a hew " Bonnet, *' If slie cfb'h i melt, it will be because she can't; ' .' ; -^ G fi94: MkP* .should resenibie tfivAw A things, which three things;' they -\sh uuljl A A .notTesemble':~-'A-i'7?K'y';;iAH ■•';■. AAA Good wives to snails should be akin,. ; , " , . . • . Always their, houses keep within * ' ■- '* " ' But "not" to c&rry^faahion's hacks) : t All they are worth upon their backs, t -G^^d; wives- rlike.city clocks, shouldibe- AC 'Exact, with'regularity ;■ ' ' ;Bufc-"notj'*likecity;clocks:soloud,":r". ■;, .U ; j 1 "Be heard by all the Vulgar crowd:- . | ;Good.wiye& ; 'lU«i"sc^ >- | And speak but wlwm they're spoken to A A 7 I .Yet -*7nofc,";like echo stf'absurd, -'A"v'A AAAA To haVe f or evei- 'the* last word !^'" .' - " : 77> --Jal