LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 1866, 26 August 1887, Page 33

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— A gossiping newsmonger writes ' from London that when they began to put, Buckingham Palace in order for the'accomodation of the jubilee guests, its condition was found to be anything but edifying. The upper stories, which had not been inhabited for years, were absolutely filthy, the carpets and curtains all tattered, and the wall paper in many places defaced.

— There. is a curious story of Miss Cleveland, the sister of the President of the United States, vrith regard to her love affairs. When she edited a magazine called " Literary Life," at Chicago, she published a< story, founded on the trials of a young clergyman, in which several incidents were taken from actual occurences which took place when she was courted by a divinity student. He had been away in Europe, when on returning to America read the story, and was so affected by it that he went straight off to Miss Cleveland and effected a reconciliation.

— The latest fashionable craze in England is said to be amateur dressmaking, in which enthusiasm waxes so warm that rooms are opened in a public building to exhibit the dresses made by amateurs, some of whom are very rich, fashionable women, and ladies of title. Original designs are introduced and prizes are awarded to successful competitors. — Many an advanced and original idea has been filst engendered in the head of one 1 of the lively ladies of the north, but none more novel than that by which at present the whole of society in St. Petersburg has been staggered. The young ladies who have rallied round the originator of this idea have all pledged themselves not to marry before they are 25 years old. Like the primrose dames they have their badge, a little golden locket, inscribed on one side with the three letters " G. A. E.," which interpreted as Guerre anx ennemis (war to the enemy).

— That miserable and insignificant nonentity, the bridegroom, is, of course,, of no account whatever during the wedding ceremony. Nobody looks at him, nobody thinks of him. There are no tears for his immolation, no smelling bottles for his agitation. He is for the time a black-coated back« ground to a picture of radiant beauty. What is he that he shouldinterrupt with his foolish nervousness the even course of the ceremony which fixes his fate for ever ? No censure, therefore, can be too harsh for that wretched man who, being married the other day, put the wedding ring in his mouth when the servioe began, that he might 'find it at th proper moment. The moment arrived. The minister asked for the ring. The trembling bridegroom gave an obedient start, a sudden gulp, and the ring disappeared down his unlucky tfaroat.

— Weigel's Journal of Fashion coutinues its useful course. It is seldom, indeed, that it is not possible to obtain some really practicable suggestion from one or other of its attractive pages. Unlike many fashion journals, the exact measurements of all material required for any particular dress is given in connection with the cut paper patterns sold at the various agencies throughout the colonies, so that anyone with a natural taste for dressmaking, and. a little patience and perseverance, coulc turn it to service* able account.

— Although I then oocupied a subordinate position, says Count yon Beust, in his "Memoirs," I was invited before my departure to dine with the royal family at { Cloud. The King was quite a bourgeois on such occasions, and carved himself, a task to which he was not equal. His awkwardness caused an accident to befall me, which was fortunately not attended with any bad consequences. A dish of ham was handed' > to me, and I took a slice to which another slice was hanging. It fell on the dress of the Queen, next to whom I was seated, but her Majesty did not notice it. I did not lose my presence of mind, and the moment, the Queen was looking another way, I made a bold move, seized the slice of ham and put it in my coat pocket.

— It seems that the ladies who collected the money for presentation as a jubilee offering to the Queen, did not gain the object at which they aimed, much to their chagrin It was expected that the wives of social magnates in all the towns where collections were made would be invited to Buckingham Palace on the occasion of the presentation of the'sum. Instead of this the presentation deputation only . comprised 20, so that the great majority of those who expected social promotion in return for the snubbing they got during their self-imposed task were most wofully disappointed, and had not even the felicity of being the Queen's guests for even one proud day. Self-seeking under the guise of loyalty has for once got its deserts ; of all despicable objects in creation the tuft hunter and the toady is the worst.

— Two thousand domestic servants have presented to the Princess Christina (nee Princess Helena of England) a pretty gold brooch medal, forming a badge of their order, accompanied by a beautifully illuminated address, the whole being the outcome of a penny subscription. The Unfortunate Duchess of Cumfoer-

The greatest possible solicitude (writes the South Australian Chronicle's correspondent, under date June 17) is felt in this country about the health of Princess Thyra, Duchess of Cumberland, whose sorrowful condition does - not yield to treatment, and though both her parents are at- Vienna, the physicians ' in attendance consider it would be most undesirable that they should see the afflicted duchess. She is described as no longer subject to the nervous terrors which were the most painful' feature of her malady,-- ' but her sleep is very disturbed, and the brooding melancholy, which is likewise a distressing

symptbn of her insanity, occasions much anxiety to all who are interested in the royal invalid. It is said that, the princess does not seem aware that she may expect her confinement in October. The Queen ot Denmark, distressed that her daughter should give birth to a child in a lunatic asylum, has, with the Duke of Cumberland's consent, engaged a secluded residence not far from the royal patient's late home. Every needful precaution has been taken to ensure the safety of the duchess, and it is truly to be hoped that after her accouchement the mind will once more resume its balance. The King and Queen of Denmark desired to take their daughter back with them, but the physicians consider that the sight of her parents might bring on the worst phases of the disorder, and the scheme has been abandoned. The duchess is attended by a devoted nurse— Sister Elizabeth —who never leaves her night or day. The princess is attended so far as is practicable with the same state as before her affliction women servitors supplying the place of male attendants. In her own home the duchess refused all food, and became so emaciated that she was too weak to walk, yet during the attacks of nervous terror she would rise and pace the room in terrible distress, These outbreaks of energy were, however, always followed by complete exhaustion that was still more alarming. Food has to be administered by gentle force. Occasionally the duchess walks in the grounds of the asylum, a portion of which has been set apart for her exclusive use. Occasional carriage exercise is allowed. The princess is said to be physically stronger, can dress herself, and will sometimes play on her own grand piano, which has been sent to her, but prefers rather to listen to the music of the sister who attends her. Some while back the poor lady asked for her youngest child, Prmce Christian, who is not more than 18 months old. She fondled the baby and called him by several endearing names, but after the child left seemed to forget all about him, and has not since mentioned his name. It is said that there is scrofula in the Danish royal family, as indeed there is in several of the royal families of Europe, the hereditary taint has in the former case shown itself in the insanity of poor Princess Thyra. The Princess of Wales is said to be severely scarred with it on the neck, which accounts for its being always covered, and the affection of the knee, wnich many years ago caused such anxiety to her Royal Highness' friends, was also said to be due to scrofula. So long as there is so much inter-marrying in families go long will Nature resent the infringement of one of her great laws. American Women as Florists antl Fruitgrowers. A writer in the « American Magazine " afEr ms that he cannot recall a single instance in which a woman has failed either as a fruitgrower or florifit. He cites the instance of a loung lady in one of the towns in Western New York who had received a liberal education, but was left an orphan, who, on the settlement of the estate, found herself the sole possessor of a 30 acre farm with building horses, implements, and £30 in cash. The homestead of 90 acres had to be sold to satisfy claims against the estate, After due deliberation the young lady decided to retain the small farm and manage it. She was advised to the contrary by friends, who supposed that, as a matter of coarse, the farm would be managed in the u^ual way— that jt would be worked by someone on shares, or supervised by a high-priced man. But our young lady friend had a different idea. A fruit farm was her objective point, and with well-matured plans she bent all her energies to its attainment. It so happened that about two acres had been allotted to strawberries some time before, which would bear the first main cop the season following her entry upon the farm. She immediately had this feed cultivated and fertilised, doing all but. the heaviest work with her own hands. The crop netted her about £22, She had some knowledge of fruitgrowing, and proceeded to read, dis-esb and put into practice the ideas and directions of authoritative writers on the subieefc The nexb step was to increase her • stock of. plants, adding raspberries, blackberries, currants, grapes, &c. Year by year the area oE frufit-rmsing was judiciously increased, but not to the extent of causing interference with tho*o«gh cultivation and the utmost cave and system ia preparing the product for market. Only iirst-oJasg fruit was allowed to leave the premises. At the end of six years, here is the result; The homestead of 90 acres has been bought back, paid for i» cash, and the land is in process ofbdng laid out jnto orchards, small fruit Dlanlations, vineyards, epd vegetable beds. A poultry-yard, which excites the envy of her neighbours, adds largely to her income, and a snug bank acewmfc is ready for a rainy day. Nor is this financial success the best of her work, for she has developed from a dependent girl into a strong, healthy, self-reliant, brainy woman of affairs, able to carry out the management of her farm and ,the sale of her woduots, and abundantly fitted , to cope with any who would take advantage of her sex to defraud her. . More striking instances than this could be cited of the enterprise of women in fruitgrowing in California. One of the best brands of raisins put in the market are produced by a lady in Fresno County who was long a schcol teacher in San Francisco. The same writer cites the experience of a now prominent lady florist of Cleveland, Ohio, who began 14 years ago with a cash napital of 74*1. Having a natural love for flowers, she turned one of the spare rooms in her father's house into a rough uropa^ating-room and conservatory, and sold a°few plants among her friends. Soon afterward she Bought the cast-off sash, lumber and bricks of an old greenhouse, and with the help of her brother and a carpenter, built a new one, lift x 18ft, doing most of the glazing herself. On the completion of her structure she was £20 in debt, which was discharged in the following spring by the sale of plants. In the fall she concluded to enlarge operations and to have a greenhouse big enough to grow her own cut flowers. This was a hazardous undertaking for a young girl : the building cost £70 ? to pay which required two years of work. The business grew rapidly, and its owner wished to secure wider recognition from the public ; with this object in view her plants and cut flower designs were entered at fairs and 'floral exhibitions, coming into competition

with the wares of established and well-known male florists. A first premium" was awarded 1 her occasionally, which served to stimulate to . greyer efforts. ./'Gradually male competitors recognised her talents and awarded her the place in their ranks to which she was entitled. In this case the struggle for a foothold was infinitely greater than in the other instances we have named, as the aspirant had for competitors shrewd business men who were aware that their rival was a woman, and could use that fact to depreciate her wares, whereas in the cases of the fruit and'.vegetablegrowers the excellence of the product was acknowledged, while'the purchasers had no suspicion that the producers were women. To-day this florist occupies a leading place among her fellow-craftsmen in the city where she resides. Aunt Sophia's L,ove Story. Ehoda Daniels had been brought up with Lot Lambert, and it was the most natural thing in the world that they should fall in love with each other. Everybody in town thought it would be an excellent match, and Lot's father ordered an ashes-of-roses silk from New York as a wedding dress for Rhoda, which was regarded by the gossips of the town as a useless piece of extravagence. But there came a quarrel between the young folks, the beginning of which was a word diopped by the village gossip, old Huldah Lane, about some remarks Lot's friends had made on Bhoda's father. Mr Daniels, though a hard-working and an honest man, a kind neighbour and a good farmer, was too fond of his cups ; and it was a source of great mortification to Rhoda. She was sensitive on the subject, and when she heard that Lot's Aunt Nancy, who had brought Lot up, had said that " he might do better than marry a toper's daughter;' pretty as Rhoda Daniels was," she sent word to the old lady by Lot, that "the toper's daughter should not marry Lot's relations if she married him." That was the beginning— it ended in the breaking off of the marriage. Rhoda grieved, but she was proud and unrelenting, like her mother, and made no offer of reconciliation. Lot, also, was proud and passionate, and, at the end of the year, to show, perhaps, that he was not heart broken for Rhoda Daniels, he married Mercy Ray. She was a good enough girl, but Lot Lambert never loved her. Rhoda did not marry. She had other offers, I presume, but Rhoda's trouble changed her. She no longer cared for society ; she kept close at home with her father and mother. Long before this she had put up her yellow curls, and the rose-colour had died out of her face, and Rhoda was no longer the village beauty. But she was a fair, pleasing woman, saintly with long walking in the paths of dupy, About this time Mercy Ray died. Lot was left a widower. He went to his

father's house to live, and again the' house across the road was shut up. One night a strange sound awoke the quiet village. It was the cry of fire. Rhoda sprang from her bed. Lot Lambert's house was on fire. The flames lighted her chamber so she could see to pick up a pin. Indeed, she was separated but by a few rods from the burning building. The village was all aroused and on the spot. Sideboards, bedsteads, tables, chairs, were placed by the roadside until morning, when, the house lying in ashes, and his father's house being out of the village, Lot came to Rhoda's door and asked leave to place his

furniture in her unoccupied south rooms until he could remove it to another place of storage. It was the first time the two had spoken to each other in 20 years. Rhoda was pale, but she gave quiet, ready consent. Lot and his men brought the things in, and went in for the night. It was June weather. In the morning Rhoda went into the south rooms and opened the windows and blinds. The sunlight fell upon the household goods of Lot Lambert, eyery article of which she remembered. The drawer of a bureau had been broken open in the removal, and Rhoda glanced in this. She saw a silk dress, ashes-of-roses in colour, lying still unmade in its wrapper. The colour had crept out of her lips. She stood with her hjind to her brow, in bewilderment and pain, when a step came, Lot Lambert stood beside her, and his eyes, too, sought the silk dress in the bureau drawer. A tight feeling came about Rhoda's heart. She looked up into Lot's face, and he was looking at her. " I am sorry," she faltered, scarcely knowing what she was going to say. " And I have been sorry every day for 20 years," said Lot. " Rhoda, is it tqo late to forgive each other now ?" In a moment her srms were round his neck, and he was kissing her as he had never kissed Mercy Ray. Soon they were married. And Rhoda would be married in no other but the ashes-of-roses silk, which she had at once sent back to him; and this strip which I have in my hand is a bit left from the making.— New York Journal .