LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2008, 18 August 1892, Page 42

LADIES' GOSSIP.

— Dark blue will (says a Home papsr) be extensively worn this summer, especially in the outing suits, consisting of the well-cut, well-hanging bell skirt, and the three-quarter coat with its over-lapped seams, Bilk lining and half mannish, half negligee air, its loose blouse in silk or muslin, in any colour Madame or Mademoiselle may ihoose, and topped off by a jaunty little hat, not overloaded with trimming, but running rather to taut, natty effacts, with ribbon and stiff quills as the principal adornment-. In the cotton crepes one will see many pola yellow ones, trimmed with ruffles of white net. on which three rows of baby ribbon will be Be wed. The waists will be out out with the little round necks that just reveal the snowy throat. Sashes regulation width will come prominently to the fore. They are not to be tied in the ordinary bow-knot, but without loops.

— By-the-bye, one more dress memorandum before I forget it, and that is that the black silk drees, at one time so inevitable a portion of every well-arranged trjus'eau, is once more coming to the front, even with-

out the excuse of mourning, complimentary or otherwise.

— At American Flag, in Southern California, lives an old woman of 68, who in her early youth had a high valuation placed upon her by her church. Her father's brother, Jesus Castro, fell in love with her and she reciprrcated his affection. None of the priests wruld perform the marriage cc.c • ons\ Castro offered one priest to give as much a3 LIOOO to the church if the marriage knot could be tied. Thi?, however, was considered too little. Finally it wa? agreed that if Castro would give the girl's weight in gold they should be made man and wifa. He did so, and never regretted the price paid for his wife.

— Ladies who suffer from nervous headaches and debility may possibly find the cure for their suffering in avoiding some particular perfume. It may be generally laid down that whatever sc-nt is repugnant to the olfactotynerves is best eschewed. There are some constitutions that c-nnot stand perfumes. Patchouli is a perfume readily recognised in Indian ink or the Indian shawls, and is to some persons almost rank poison. Ladies have been known to faint after wearing India shawls or painting with India ink, and a 6achet which has patchouli as the flavouring essence is to many persons extremely unhealthy.

Whether the perfume cause 3 nervous complications or excites nausea cannot be ascertained, but it is certain that some constitutions will not bear it, and a lady finding herself losing appetite or strength, or having headaches that have no explained cause, might look for the reason in some perfume that she is in the habit of usirg. On some persons the musk has a similar effect, others are sickened by gome one or other of the volatile oila derived from fiowew; while more rarely the odour of apple» or of other fruit has an unfavourable effect on persons ofpeculiar temperament, — « The Bud" (says a Home paper) Is to be a power in eocietj thia season, if we may judge from her Bnccewes "up to the present time, Girls come " out " roach sooner than thoy did a few years ngo, snd the "young mi 69" who in the sixties wonld h&vs still lasen in tbe aarsen? Is n.ow Uf ba sssn at

savoir faire and worldly knowledge which ia positively astounding. Still, she is a success.

— The latest Amerisan whim consists of perfumed butter I The butter is made up in the usual fancy pats, stamped with a flower ol some kind, then wrapped in thin butter muslm and literally buried in the flowers with which it is stamped. This butter is then served with tiny Vienna rolls and a cup either of chocolate or coffee. Bravo 1 Republican simplicity 1

— A novel but very interesting wedding present is that bestowed by George M. Pullman on his daughter, who is to marry a young Californian. It consists of a Pullman car of her own, handsomely made and decorated, in which she may run home and see her friends as often as she pleases. — A very interesting collection of gowns is the result of an original woman's idea Beginning with her bridal gown, she has selected each year from her wardrobe of London, Pari?, and New York one or more dresses that she considers most distinctly representative of the prevailing style. These with their accessories— shoes, glovep, stockings, fan, bonnet, or parasol— she packs away with bottles of her favourite perfume and a record of the date of purchase, the most praminent entertainments at which the dresses were worn, and the wearer's name. A pretty legacy thi3 for her daughters and granddaughters to inherit.

— Some of the Yankee grounds on which divorce is asked are funny. Fancy I "Insufferable vulgarity;" " use of Jamaica rum as a beverage, so that defendant's body exhaled an odour of molasses, which is unbearable to this plaintiff; " " cruel treatment on the part of the defendant, in that ho obliged plaintiff to kiss his bald head niorr.ii g and night ; "' " persistence on part of the defendant when asleep to pull the clothes off this plaintiff, so that her health has become seriously damaged." — At a recent fancy ball in Washington, an ingenious young woman went as the Meteorological Bureau. On her head sha wore a silver helmet, crested with a weathervane. Her waist drapery was confined with a close-fitting blue bodice, ornamented with white stars and bordered by rows of real silver dollars. The bodice was laced in front over a thermometer, in which the lady kept the mercury moving np and down "in an excited manner. She wore from her shoulders a heavy bearskin cape from Montana, while her frilled skirts were of the lightest Chinese silk.

— The Queen's Birthday present to her royal grandson, George, the new Duke of York, on his 27th birthday, was a ducal coronet of 18 carat gold, with eight strawberry leaves of equal height above the rim. His Royal Highne&s also received natal-day preeents from the Prince and Princess of Wales, the King and Queen of Denmark, the Duke of Cambridge, the ex-Empress of .the French, the Duke of Fife, and a host of others.

— The independence of Burmese women is remarkable. They manage their own affairs, bold stalls in the bazaar, with which no one interferes, marry when they choose, and divorce their husbands as soon as they please. No jealous veils cover their faces, no melancholy purdah seclusion prevents them from mixing with the male sex. They flirt, dance, and laugh with as many admirers as they choose, and, last of all, they smoke — not dainty little cigarettes on the sly, taking a whiff while they read a naughty French novel, as their European sisters do ; no, but cigars I Cigars longer than men use in Europe ; cigars a foot long and two inches in circumference, their price about a penny, and they smoke them all day long. — Nineteenth Century.

— Every Roman had the use of the public baths on payment of about half a farthing. There were not such structures as we call public baths, but superb buildings, lined with Egyptian granite and Nubian marble. Warm water was poured into the capacious basins through wide mouths of bright and massive silver. The most magnificenb baths were those of Caracalla, which bad seats of marble for more than IGOO people ; and those of Diocletian, which had seats for 3000 people. — Edwaud J. Gibbs.

— The Vienna Flower Corso in the Prater was not a success. The heat wag co phenomenal that women f aiuted in the streets, and the natural (lowers used in the dec rations faded almost as soon as they came out into the hot sun. The public f lid not take kindly to the charge of 6d for admission to their favourite promenade, and the number of carriages, about 900, made too short a procession for the Prater Avenue, and looked poor with only a siDgle file up and down, instead of a double row, as had been expee'ed. The equipages which did show up were magnificently decorated, mostly with artificial flowers, as the owners had foreseen that natural ones would not stand the weather. The Archdukes Francis, Ferdinand, and Eugene took an active part in the throwing of flowers, and the little Archduchess Elizabeth was also very eager in the sport. She is a gentle looking child, with pretty golden hair, and excited a great deal of interes 1 ; seated by the side of the Crown Princess Stephanie.

— Girls who sew for a living often suffer from eoreness in what is sometimes called the thimble fingpr, and serious inflammation and swelling is often the result. No needle woman should let herself be tempted by the low price of t him blep, which are composed of brass or something equally in j urious. Silver or plated thimbles are very much the be-t and safest, and when tbese are too expensive a good substitute can be found in a highly burnished steel thimble. For practical everyday use this latlfr kind is the most oonvenient, but pewter or brass should never be used, especially by people whose flesh is slo«v to heal after a scratch or cut.

— The Neapolitans have been ranch interested lately with the Indian Princes who have been stajiDg with them for about a week, their marvellously rich costumes exoit* ing much curioßity and attention. The princes are the Maharajah Gaekwar, Rao of Baroda, and tbs Maharajah Gaekwar, Sam' wahj who have with them their wives and children. The Gaekwar is about 50 years of age, small, lively, with blaok eyes, sparkling wjth intelHgeßce, "When in Btato ppatutng he wears a crimapn velvet tuoio, shining with precious stones, and in his turban titf enorjaouß diamond kqp&n, as the •• gtar o£ tha Kouth" ilawsa, He is sapped t<*

hundreds of strings of pearls, rubies, and fcipphires, and has some mantles which are 'composed, so to say, of precious stones, so thickly are they incrusted in the stuff.