LADIES' COLUMN.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 150, 25 June 1904, Page 11

LADIES' COLUMN.

Girls' Gossip. [Contiibutious to tliis column iuldit!ss,«ul "I'riscillii" will bo welcomed. The 1 ) should bo concise, uiul iniiat bo signed with tho writer's lull namo and udiliea-s. not for publication, but us v guarantee of atitheiilicity.j Mv I)j!ar Kkzia — ftinco last I wroto you, Lord .Ranfurly ha.'i yono and Loul Pluiikcl. arrived, and our feminine curiosity has b^en «atu*lied. We have been economical, too, and tho funeral baked meals havo coldly furnished forth tho mairiago tublc, for the same (lag«, tho Sdino pavilion, tho same holiday, and, ulas, tho same macintoshes and umbrellas did for both the departing und tho arriving Governor. After all, to women, it is tho hohtcss of Government House that is the more interesting personality — who has not felt the lo">s of Lady Rnnfurly'w cliuuning face and ligtae — and thoro \wts keen anxiety to fcco Lady Plunket and the babies, the latter of whom, a group of childish faces in soft wluto bonnets and lurry coata, pas&ed througli the crowd till too quickly in their carnage. Lady Plunket, who is slender, with dclicato lcalures and golden brown hair, wore a panno gown of moudc colour, with furs ot moleskin and ermine, and a dimming while hat that, u.us, biill'oreil fiom the disloyal vagaries of tho lam combined with the red cloth covering to the pavilion. Thero was much aisinay among tho women behind when they wnv the ted drops liiumg on tho dainty white h.it ana iho oimine collar, but/ Lady Plunket herself Accepted the situation with the .sweetest selfpossession. The lion. Kathleen Plunket, His Excellency's hij,tcr, wore a pretty blue cloth gown, white furs, and a picturcsquo feathered hut of white folt thut also wa* sacrificed to thu weather. Even Iho naval uniforms that deconUed the pavilion sulYeicd, to their weurciN' uvident anxiety: On tha whole, Wellington owea her now Governor an apology for the sajnplo of climato prc.{cnted, ullhongh, if rumour speak tiue, lain in not unknown in Dublin. There were ever so many intcrcbting littlo details in the proceedings on Monday that helpod to wilo n>\ay tho time — tho fainting Highlander who was restored by the aid of the horse trough, the Vicc-Ufgal carriage with its yellow wheels, ydlow-facoil livcriea, postilion, and splendid horses, tho Premier, gorgooiid in broadclotli and bullion, tho Mayor holding up his furred silken robes from the mud with quite feminine (luintiiu-sn, tho nervous antics of Iho horses, especially ono splendid groy, tho importance of tho small boyn even when the rain had made their collars limp and their jerseys sodden, and the explosion of the Governor's footman when tho two Maori ladies insisted on blinking hands with him. Ho nuy ba thankful they did not rub nose.i with ,him. 'iho farewells to Lor.l Hanfurly were Rnid in comparative sunshine ; und tho harbour looked its loveliest ns the tug steamed olf from tho wharf whero tho j crowd was waving rnnny lmndkerchiefh nnd singing "Should Avid Acquaintance ! Ho Forgot." Tho Uovcrnor, even though he w.is going homo, feit tho paithigr, and /or a minute turned his back on the throng of friendly laces. Major Alexander, too, ha.'i niado in my friends Even Sluutdt:);, the UouMiior'a 'man, had a special cheer for liiins. If v.<* h» walkvd down tha lines of people, and li.t» earned away quite a ho.it of presentations. The fiirewe'.l function to tho Governor at Purli.\tm.nt llouso was most aucoe»sful, nnd, although il would have been better had il boon held in tho Council Chamber or thu llouxo of Kopnsontutivcs, tho emsh mv« nover unpluaMut. Agilo and interested women mounted oven on tho buck/i of tho sacred settees to catch a last glimpse of tho Governor, und a firxl ono of tho new Private Secictary, who, very straight, slim, youthful, and serious, as if tho burden laid upon him wcrii rather grotiter than ho could bear, stood behind Major Alexander's chair. Though tho inclement night and tho limited »paco advised old frocks, there wore cvoi* so many prelty gowns worn. Black, in a hundred various fctyles, was much in voguo, and one of tho very loveliest was of uccordlou-pleatud chit Ton, with a little tine white lace on tho low bodice. Lady Ward'woro a handsome black frock, tiuimnicring with jet, the bodico mado with velvet shoulder straps, a groat cluster of pink and deep iv«l yoics giving an artistic touch of colour. Mrs. Mills also wore black with lace and jet, ono of her daughteis having on a black satin frock, the other two, white sntrn with lace and roses. Mhs May Scddon's pnlo green satin whs trimmed with Into frills nnil roses, and Mis. , Bean woie a graceful black silk and lace fiock. Among the effective gowna one must instance tho Mayor's black silk, purple, nuil ermine, which ho wore with a smiling resignation, though ho mu&l have iVgiettcd — if lip fc",t like most of vs — that his dressmaker had not cut it low. However, ho did not havo to hold up his train or cl.so have it walked over. A very effective gown, worn by a bronzc-lmircd woinun with pretty shoulders, wna made of deep cream silk, the .skirt in thrca deep flounce.*, a girdle and long oncl« of cryhial fringe falling to Iho hem in front. Palo green silk, veiled with embroid.-red chiffou, vutitpd its au-burn-lmircd w&mr. A, graceful gown of thick white silk, with quantities of lovely laco on it had a cluster of violel3 on tho corsage. Mrs. Donno, who sang, wore an exquisite bltio clrill'on, with ivory guipure, jewelled embroidery, nnd long giaceful aecmdlon-pleated sleeves. 'Mrs. ("Hover Eaton wore black bilk with crimson ropes. A pair of golos>liM that sat on the dais in front of the Vice-Regal table somewhat ni'irred the eifect of the dccoral/ions. But the arrangements wero perfect, and the affair most enjoyable Indeed, Ilioiii»h some left In-fore the Governor — a Incieh of etiquette by the way — others ;ho\wcl no inclination to go away, even wlh'h th* programme was ended. Lady Pv.uifurly is butter, but has been quite ill, mul at a most unfortunate, time when London is at its gaywt. For feui Lady Constance fchould take, tho epidemic ."he was soul ofF to Edinburgh. How(iviT, Ihc prccauLiiin was too late, and nhc develojied tke mc"i-|e« theie. They artall now at thpewasidc. Siiturd.iy's wojiJiJr, tlinugh too iovcrc for ma<>cuiine hotkpy plnyuro, was not too bad for tho giri.'i to play in. Ami play they did, most nobly, Kplasl'iny through sluph nnd mire, with occasional lumbkp into tho many puddles, until it was a «Ke mother who could pick her own daughter from tho muddy collection of athletic diuiu.e[». The Ora'vens — their name is n misnomer, for thoy arc most d(Hintlc>\s — won. Rinking i» being taken tip with some cnthu'-iafini by our girlf — «nd whero tho pirlKgo, tho men, naturally, follow. It is a piistime full of fearful joy. On Tuesday uftcnioon a numbci- of friends mado tip a party, and practised diligently with a. minimum of tumble* und vaiying dc-gri-eii of <jraeo?ulncss. Mrs. Fulton gave, last Monday, an-oth'-i of hci plciiMint evening. A tompctition, di.^mrmbcrrd provcabs, was won hy Mi.-s UiilHUh mid Dr. Maclean. It Mas a U-st of quitk eyesight and of rend-

I injf. f«r only the li.ilf uf the qunttttinii v\.is givin. The <_(>nt<'.vl v.is pinned up Miiiß'tthcie ,(liout tih' hall find loiiin.-* und 11.11 110 110 (ll.tCUVL'ied. ThciC WIIH MllllU niu^t cnjuj.ib'o music alterwaul 1 -, Ur. .M. ii lean pi i \ jiil; «.\quiHitt'!v on the violin. .viol. B. bpuu — -do.-s any t)in- know Ins full In -t. liiimc— -is ;i very jcv.cl among Inughtci-makcis, and quite a number of ptonlc, unaccustomed la continued and vociteinus inn ill. Aic-nt awny with an uneasy convicliun they hud tiai'ii.'d hdiiicthing iiihiilo theiiis>olves. lie is, fiom bugitiuiug to end, entrancing, and his patln».j js us clever us his humulir, whilo hi^ Lice is marvellous in it.s varying ex- j merlons. He need only louk — and Iho laugh follow h. 'I ne opening of Parliament is at hand, and by the benign, though belntecl, decico of the poMeis that be, theio will not hi this year that weary waiting and wild •lash of women into the lobbies that we. havo grown accustomed to. An ambulance would have been needetl next Tuesday, htul tho usual indiscriminate distribution of (icketu occurred, for twothinlfi of tho fuminino pojmtalion of WellinL'toii wero yearning to 1 iieo Lord and Lady Plunket, and were willing to brave much diwoomfoit to attain their desires. The chililien, .a cozy group of white-frock-ed littlo girls, with a tiny sailor brother, havo ahcady boon seen di'iving about Wellington, und will soon be familiar figures. — 1 am, you is, PRISCILLA. Last Saturday afternoon a " Handkerchief Tea" was given by Mrs. Waughey afc her residence, Karaka Buy, to (Mhs Evi Burnett, who is about to return to her homo in Fiji. The hostess wore a blue crepe do chime blouse and black voile skirt, whilo both her daughters were in while ,silk dresses, with long coloured sashes. Miss Uarnctt wore a cream silk blou«e and black skii-t. She was tho recipient of many a dainty morsel of muslin. During tho afternoon various competitions wero entered into with much spirit. The winner« were Miss 0. Stuart and Miss Mandel. During tho afternoon several songs wero sung, nnd Miss Evi Burnett recited "Tho Matinee I Hat." |