LADIES GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 1906, 21 August 1890, Page 38

LADIES GOSSIP.

—At her Majesty's state ball on the 21st June great interest was felt by many who remembered the important political events of a few years ago at the prospect of seeing ! Queen Isabella of Spain for the first time on British soil. At five minutes past 11 the ! strains of the National Anthem announced I the arrival of the royal party, and, preceded by the usual ushers and equerries, the Prince of Wales entered the ballroom, leading the Queen Isabella, who was dressed in white satin ; the King of the Belgians followed with the Princess of Wales. The latter looked more charming than ever as she curtseyed three times on the threshold to the assembled guests. During the first quadrille, which was danced by most of the royalties present, Queen Isabella held a little court on the dais reserved for the royal party, most of the Ambassadors and Foreign Ministers being presented to her, her remarks to each of them testifying to the interest she takes in international politics. She also watched with evident pleasure the quadrille, in which the Prince of Wales with the Duchess of Edinburgh had for Vit-d-vis the Princess of Wales and the King of the • Belgians, and Prince Albert Victor, wearing the uniform of his Hussar regiment, danced with Princess Beatrice opposite the Duke of Cambridge and Princess Christian. The Duke of Portland, the German Ambassador, several court officials, and some junior members of the corps diplomatique also took part in the quadrille. The Princess of Wales, the Duchessof Edinburgh, Princess Christian, and Countess Tornielli wore the white and mauve ribbon of the Order of Marie-Louise of Spain, in honour of the ex-Queen piesent ; while the English Prince bore, in compliment to the King of the Belgians, the crimson saßh of the Order of Leopold. Some disappointment was felt owing to the absence of the Duchess of Fife and Princess Maud of Wales. — The Baroness de Bachlieu, who was one of the most beautiful of her time, and a great social celebrity in Paris under Louis Philippe and the Second Empire, lived to a veiy advanced age, and to the last was distinguished for her handsome appearance. For 40 years of her life this lady never took anything but three dozen oranges, a glass of wine, and two slices of bread a day. Her diet was never changed— a dozen oranges for breakfast, a dozen in the middle of the day, and the third dozen at dinner time. Notwithstanding this frugal fare, the Baronese was celebrated for her hospitality and tbe magnificent dinners she gave to her friends. Madame de Bachlieu died at Monaco in 1878, considerably over 80 years of age. — A very amusing story is told of Miss Fawcett, whose wonderful academic success has been the talk of all England. It was remarked by some of her intimates that when at a dinner party the successful student was invariably silent, addressing no remark to her neighbours. Her friends spoke to Miss Fawcett and begged her to be more sociable next time, but again the same oppressive silence marked the occasion. On her release from the table the young lady, to avoid remonstrance, hurriedly exclaimed in private, " I have been three days trying to think of something to say," proving that very clever young ladies are often as much at a loss for social conversation as the silliest of their sisters. — Two ladies who recently visited a famous beauty doctor in London thus describe their experiences. Before they left each had received the first part of the treatment, which was similar to the general message work, consisting of pinching all parts of the face, the fingers of the operator being moistened with a cooling and sweet-smelling lotion. This was followed by a thorough rubbing of all parts of the face, and for at least five minutes after the operator had finish od her treatment the face of the patient resembled the sides of a thoroughly boiled lobster. Gradually, however, the face assumed its natural colour. The advocates of the face treatment declare positively that after four or five visits to the " maosageure " the complexion takes on a decidedly handsome hue, one which it is almost impossible to produce in any other way. After a patient has been through the treatment, and her complexion appears as much improved as could be desired, it is only necessary for her to visit the " massageure " once or twice a month to keep her complexion " fully up to the standard of excellence." — The daintiest shoes imaginable are (says the Queen) prepared for wearing with tea gowns, in. embossed morocco, in the Duchess style. One pair is in white embossed morocco, with a powdering of tiny roses in goH and bronze. Another is in eau de Nil, with a flecked brown embossed pattern. These are quite old-world picture shoes, fcSome ball shoes of white satin have

5 a network of fine gold or silver thread over them, and bows of beads in the form of two leaves, connected by a band These have been worn at some of the recent drawing , rooms. Evening slippers, in the loveliest shades of pearl-grey kid, lined with satin to , match; heliotrope, magnolia-green, and a peculiar shade of red called fire light are very popular this season, as well as satin, in j all shades. j — English ladies are vying with each other in the decoration of the ceilings of their boudoirs. Some are covered with fluted silk in delicate colours, the lines radiating from the centre like the inside of an old-fashioned workbox. One lady has had the ceiling stuffed and upholstered in silk, tufted like the seat of a chair. —In Heligoland, the little dependency which we have just made over to Germany, there are so few houses, and the space for new ones is so restricted, that an engaged couple are obliged to go on courting until a householder dies, and a house is thus liberated. No gentleman must give a lady his arm unless and until he is betrothed to her. No action for breach of promise can be brought against a man once he is married. The islanders object to keeping prisoners on account of the expense, so the gaol is usually empty. — Miss A. Moore, president of St. Malachi's Ladies' Total Abstinence Society in Philadelphia, has joined the W.O.T.U. She is said to be the first Catholic woman who ever spoke in public at a convention. Her first speech was delivered at the Catholio Total Abstinence Society's annual meeting last year, which she attended as a delegate representing 2000 women. — Mrs Gary-Raymond, the famous prima donna contralto, spends her leisure time during her summer holiday at the seashore in 1 knitting warm shawls for the poor old woman ! who are on her charity visiting list. But she ! is compelled to seek out the most hideous shades of wool that the dyer's hand can pro. duce, arranging them in nightmare compositions, to prevent her grateful beneficiaries from pawning their new garments, which they would do at once if any pawnbroker would take them. — An ear machine is one of the latest beautifiers. It is merely a bit of sprung steel, so shaped as to come down over the ears, and press them back, when they stand out too prominently. One can hardly blame people for using them. Ears that stand out from the head like handles from the side of a jug are not pretty. — In Galveston, Texas, there is a coloured man who is worth over 350,000d01. His name is Silvester and he has a fine mansion in the most desirable residence portion of the city. His wife employs none but white servants. The coloured people will not serve their own race down there and the white girls say they receive better treatment from Mrs Silvester than they ever did from white mistresses. HOME INTERESTS. Delicate Biscuits. — Two pints of flour, one pint of sweet cream, and the yolks of three eggs. Roll out thin, and bake quickly. Bkeakfast Cake. — Ingredients : Two cups of sour milk, one teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt ; flour enough to roll. Cut in narrow strips, and fry in hot lard. Whole Meal Tea Cakes.— One cup of cream, one egg, one teaspoonful salt, one saltspoonf ul soda, one cup sugar. Stir in the meal to the consistency of soft gingerbread and drop on tins or in rings. Princess Potatoes. — Form some cold mashed potatoes into balls, brush them with melted butter, then with a beaten egg, and place them in a baking pan. Bake in a very hot oven until a golden brown. Cocoanut Drops. — Ingredients : One grated cocoanut, one cup pulverised sugar, one egg (beaten white). Work all together ; roll out into balls into the hands, and bake on buttered tins. Coooanut Caramels. — Ingredients: Two cups of sweet milk, one tablespoonful of butter, one cocoanut (grated fine), 31b white sugar; flavour with vanilla. Boil slowly until stiff, pour on slab, and when partly cold cut into squares. Another Way.— One pint of sour milk, two tablespoonfuls of butter or lard, one tablespoonful of molasses, an even teaspoonful of soda stirred in the milk, half a teaspoonful of salt, and whple meal enough to make as stiff as can be stirred with a spoon. Cocoanut Cakes.— Two small cocoanuts grated, or an equal quantity of dessicated cocoanut, if obtainable at your grocers ; one cup of soft white sugar, and the white of two eggs beaten to a stiff froth; enough flour to stiffen. Mix thoroughly and bake in a slow oven. Horehound Candy. — Boil 2ozhorehound in three cups of water for 30 minutes. Btrain and add 3£lb brown sugar. Boil over a hot fire until it is sufficiently hard ; pour it in flat, well greased tin pans, and mark into sticks with a knife as soon as it is cool eno iif rh to remain in shape. Canary Pudding.— Three eggs ; their weight in sugar and butter, the weight of two in flour, and the rind of a lemon grated. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, dredge in the flour, and add the eggs well beaten. Butter a small basin, pour in the mixture, put a piece of buttered paper on the top, tie in a cloth, and steam for two hours. A Nice Breakfast Dish.— Chop fine two heaping cupfuls of cold boiled potatoes, add to these two-thirds of a cup of milk in which half a teaspoonful of butter is cut fine, and an egg well beaten is added. Heat gem pans hot, butter them well, fill with the mixture, dust them with flour, and put in a hot oven till nicely browned. Little Current Cakes.— Work 3oz butter into 7oz flour, add 4oz currants, one egg, and a little milk ; stir it well, add a little more flour and a teaspoonful of baking powder ; when it is all well mixed, divide it into little cakes, egg them over, and bake nn a flat tin for about 15 minutes. When done, they can be cut in half and buttered, or eaten cold. Plain Plum Cake.— Mix £lb butter with £lb flour and 4oz ground rice; when the butter is well rubbed in, add 9oz aultanas, and moisten with three eggs beaten up in a teacupful and a-half of milk ; add at the I last a teaspoonful of baking powder ; butter a large flat tin, and spread the mixture on it. Bake for about an hour, and when cold cut it up into small square pieces.