LADIES' GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2210, 9 July 1896, Page 43

LADIES' GOSSIP.

*, * The faot of the Hereditary Princess of Luxemburg having given birth to a girl instead of a boy has been a great disappointment to herself and family, because a woman cannot sucoeed to the throne of the Grand Daohy, and there are no male heirs except her husband. It is, by the way, an interesting and curious fact that, in the event of the latter dying without male issue, the next of kin is the little Duke of Albany, grandnephew of the present Grand Duke. We constantly bear (says a Home paper) reports of the great cleverness of this youthful prinoe. It is not, indeed, remarkable, for Prinoe Leopold was a really clever man, and if he had only had robust health he would have made a .name for himself in history. The young Duke of Albany has, among other things, his father's extraordinary memory, it seemi; and this, of course, will be of great service to him in his studies. Prince Leopold could easily remember anything be bad once read* (provided, of oourse, it were not outrageously long), and repeat it by heart, whether proie tor verse. He onoe at Oxford, for a wager, read a leader in a daily paper through once and hastily, and half an hour afterwards recited it word for ward, and without making one mistake. This, of oourse, is a very rare and special gift. M&oaulay had it to a still more marked degree, as we all know. ' . ' Queen Henrietta of Belgium, by birth an Austrian archduchess, continues, in spito of her snow-white hair and rank as a grandmother, to occupy hertime with oirens riding. The Queen ia a' very clever conjurer, too, having been instructed by the great magic professor Hermann. ' . ' The widowed Oomtease de Paris, so singularly masculine in all her tastes and manners, shares with her son-in-law, the King of Portugal, a passion for bull-fighting, and on her estate near Seville aha enjoy a organising bull-fightp, she herself, armed with a lance, taking the part of picador. 1 . ■ Beauties of the Past.— Sappho is said by the Greek writers to have been a blonde. The Empress Anna of Russia, though considered a beauty, was very portly, and the fleshiness of her face greatly detraoted from its good looks. Margaret of Anjou bad the typical face of a French beauty. She was black-haired, black-eyed, and vivacious. Her features were indicative of her strength of character. .Theodora, the wife of the famous Justinian, was beau tif ul, crafty, and unscrupulous. She is said to have been tall, dark, and with " powers of conversation superior to any woman in the empire."* Cleopatra was not an "Egyptian, but a Greek beauty, with perfectly, white skin, tawny 'hair, and blue eyes. Her chief fasoination was her voice, which is deaoribed as being low, wellmodulated, and singularly sweet in tone. ■ . ■ The latest production of gallant little Wales is the fainting little bridegroom. A Carmarthenshire correspondent tells that a happy swain In that county fainted twice during the marriage ceremony. An ironical element in the episode was that the young man, though a etrict teetotaller, was each time re-animated by brandy. When the service was repeated for the third time he successfully stood the ordeal. • . • At the coronation of Alexandor II of Russia there were no less than 13 miles of table (672 in number) laid symmetrically along the Khodynaky Field, just outside Moscow, and on the eve of the historic day they were covered with various kinds of eatables for the multitude. Thus, on eaoh table were placed five roasted sheep, the horns gilt or silvered ; and on either side of the improvised tables stood firs or pines, like the traditional Christmas trees of the Germans, from which hung not merely the usual, apples, pears, sweetmeats, and fancy breads, but likewise roasted, ducks, chickens, and hens galore. • . ' It was stated the other day (says a Home paper) that the Marquis of Lome, after he became a son-in-law, declined a dukedom on the grounds— first, that he was not sufficiently rich ; and, second, " that it would not be beooming.in a son to tike precedence of his father, as an English duke would "over a Sootob." It is quite true that Lord Lome declined a dukedom, or at all events that he made it clear that h* would rather not be offered, one. But it is absurd to say that he \^as prompted by lack of means or by a desire not to tain precedence or bis father. He'had no lack of means, as he and bis wife between them had £10,000 a year (they now have more, derived frora^the governorship of Windsor Castle), so that in their peculiar position they could have accepted a dukedom without hesitation. Again, Lord Lome was not called upon to take precedence of bis father, as English dukes created since 1707 (that ia, strictly speaking, British dukes) never take precedence of Scotch dukes. The real reason why Lord Lome deolined (if deolined be the word) a dukedom were : First, that as heirapparent to a dukedom by birth he, socially, had nothing to gain, while politically he had something to lose by being make a duke by patent ; and, second, that as the chief of the Campbells he wished, on his father's decease, to be Duke of Argyll, instead of Duke of Argyll and (let us saj) Greenwich. It is obvious that to a Campbell it is a great thing to be Duke of Argyll (the Campbell " oountry "). In the oase of a Douglas or a Scott, as in the case of a Cavendish or an Oaborne, it is not very important whether he ba duke of one place or another, so that he is a duke. Bat in the case of a Campbell, or at all events in the caie of the Campbell, it is almost essential that he be Duke of Argyll, and, if possible, of Argyll only. It was on this account that the present Duke of Argyll, two or three years ago, on being made a duke in the peerage of the United Kingdom, ohoie the title of the Duke of Argyll over again, when he might just as easily have chosen the title of Duke of Greenwich, to which he had some historical claim. .• Shoes that have become stiff and uncomfortable by being worn in the rain or that b»T«bwn lying unused ler 49m* time may

be made soft; and pliable by vaseline we!\ rubbed in- with, a cloth and rubbed off with a dry cloth. ' . * Daring the spring oleaning, if an old wall-paper is to be removed, before going ta work olose the doors and windows tightly, place an old boiler or tub in the room, and fill it with boiling water. The steam will moisten the paper, and the work may be done quicker and more easily. ■ . * Whatever may be said about th« methods of the Salvation Army, there oao be no doubt that it numbers among its officers some very remarkable women. Miss Eva Booth, third daughter of the autocratto "General," ii now, perhaps, chief among them. Miss Booth is only about thirty, and she has been actively engaged in Army work for over fifteen yean. At fourteen she was selling the War Cry In the streets of London, and sinoa that time she has filled every grade and rank in the Army, from cadet to commissioner. About a dozen, years ago the Army had an exciting time with the London East end rough. The' leader of .one of the worst gangs was a ruffian who had a leasing towards broken bottles and loaded stioki as missiles. It was during the heat of the ood filet, and when the women warriors of the Salvation Army were getting "decidedly the worst- of it, that Captain Eva Booth turned confidingly to this youth, and assuredjhim that he must take oare of her. She explained to him that he was stronger than she, and she aotoally succeeded in making him oall off his followers and escort he«elf and her companiocs safely home. Subsequently, when flhe'lay at death's door, this youth pawned his vest and bought a bunch of white grapes, which he brought to the dcor of. her siok room. • . • To be very olose to 50 and still be ablt to give the impret»ion of extreme youthfaU ness in carriage, gestures, and diction ii nearly genia?. Sazanne Roiohemberg was born in the forties in Paris. She made her d6but at the Gomedie JTracoahe in 1868 in one of the crucial ingenue parts of the old repertoire, and since then she has been invariably oast for the extreme juvenile parti. She is the doyenne of the Bocietaires of the Oom«die-Frat c*isa. * . * Questions connected with the age of women are apparently of perennial and unfailing interest. In Ge/inuny, tbat busy land of philosophy and speculation (sob' always particularly profound or original), an enterprising spirit has reverted to the question, sending to eaoh and every leading actress the hopeful query; "When ia a woman old ?" Toe query opened reflections dear to the German mind, and the answers forthcoming are pert and interesting :— " A woman Is only old when ehe tiles by force to become young again," was the firct blunt answer to hand. " A woman is old when she begins to ask herself 'When is a woman old?'" said another a little ongraoiouily. "As -long as a woman believes in her youth and' clings to her youth she appears young," wan the reinsuring reply of a third. "Woman is old when" she begins to love reason' and finds no love in return," said thefonrth. with philosophical and enigmatical gravity. The fifth was factions but rather baffling: "When is a woman old? The conceited^ never ; the unhappy, too soon ; and the wise at the right time." Now we know the worst. • . • A shrewd attendant at a lunatic aiylum has made the ourious observation that wives ara the relatives who first begin to lose regard (or their Incarcerated husbands and cease to visit them. Next come husbands, whose affection for their wives lasts only a little longer than the wives' affection for their husbands. Both of these cease in a surprisingly short time to vitit the asylum except at long intervals. More constant aro sisters, brothers, and fathers. Bat even their affection cannot stand the coldness and rebuffs they receive from the deranged patient. Mothers and old aunts are the most constant of all. No matter how silent or how abusive and insnlting the poor patient is, they never cease to visit him or her during life. ■ . ■ Miss Blundell Maple, who recently became the wife of Baron Eckardstein, of the German Embassy, received a few neat triflas in the way of presents. Her father, Sir Brundell Maple, M.P., gave her a house in Grosvenor square, and her grandfather's gift was plate to the value of £1500. ■ The honeymoon was spent at the Dao d'Alba's chateau at Seville. • . • "To Sarah Bwnhardt," says Mr Renner, a new biographer, <( rest seems but another form of death. That whioh is not paroxysmal means lethargy. She dreams of the impossible, and, iniatiable, she would centuple the hours of her life by overloading those she ia permitted to live. I remember the surprice of an English teacher from whom Sarah proposed taking lessons in order to play Shakespeare in English, as she said : ' I wish to learn English very, very quickly.'^ 'Mdlle Bernhardt, I wonld gladly give you lessons, but I can spare only half an hour every day,' said the teacher. 'Well, then,' said she, ' you must try to Ist me have that half hour from 2to 2.30 a.m.' " Some of the most curious pages in Mr Renner's book deal with the tragedienne's more peculiarly domestics life. Her passion for the art la hardly stronger than the warm devotion that she bears her son.' Nor does she shut out other members, of her family from her sympathy. H« " sisters, her cousins, and her aunts, her stepdaughters, her wilful, winsome little grandchild, all have places in her large and generous heart." '.• Only onoe has the Queen worn her State jewels in a foreign oountry. The occasion was her Majesty's offioial visit to Napoleon 111 and the Empress Eugenic, ♦ , • Every guest at a Norwegian wedding brings the bride a present. In many parts a keg of butter is the usual gift, and, if the marriage takes place in winter, salted or frozen meat is offered. • . • To the outsider the word " harem " Is synonymous with a life of sensual indulgence, j and the delusion has been fosjared by writers! and artists without end. As a matter of f tefc, the "harem " is nothing more than the homa of the Turk, and it may be as much an abode] of "-plain living »nd high thinking" as the oottage of Wordsworth was j though, on the

If your children are troubled with worms. giv« them Mother Graves' Worm Exterminator ; lafe, sure, and effeotual. Try it. and r***k «*• improvement; in your child.

other hand, it may also be the kind of place sung bj Byron ahd painted by Gerome.— Speaker.- \ • The following story is told by a writer in a Home Daper :— " In our northern oapital, Edinburgh," there still lives an elderly lady, a second cousin to the Queen. She dißtinotly resembles her Majesty, having the true Georgian cast of features, .but, ourioufily enough, was unaware of her august oonneo- ! tion till laßt year. Her mother lived in her memory as a beautiful, proud woman j distingue to a degree, and extremely reticent on the &übjeotof her ancestry. Naturally, the child's curiosity was piqued, but the secret of her birth .was withheld from her till the day of her mother's death, when a box was entrusted to her with instructions that she was not to open it till she found good reason to do so*. Quito like a fairy tale I The girl grew up, married, was widowed, and beqame an, old woman. Uer elder brother \ served < in „ the Indian army and died far "from his native land. In the oourse^of events .it fell out that last year an -old,* companion ina rms of her brother's came to tell her his last words. In speaking of their olose comradeship he said : ■Tour brother often mentioned to me the peouliar circumstances of , his birth. Once, while in Germany on a tour together, he ihowed me the grave of your grandmother, Princess Elizabeth, at Heese-Oassel.' Mrs S. concealed her amazement as. well as she could, being too proud to own to a stranger that she was ignorant of her own family history.. However, shortly afterwards she visited an old friend of her mother's, and questioned her on the subject of the Princess Elizabeth. Affce^ some hesitation the old lady related to her this torn-out page of history. ' You will be surprised to learn,' she said, ' thatyop are the great-granddaughter of George 111 of Eoglaud, and the granddaghter of the Princess Elizabeth, who afterwards married the Landgrave of Hesse. It happened this way: One of George Ill's pages— a young noble, of course — fell in love with, and married, the Princess Elizabeth. The King, furious at such a match, sent his daughter down to Dumfries, in Scotland, under the obarge of an old governess. . There she gave birth to a child— your mother— afterwards returning to court. The whole matter was hashed up, and her band was bestowed on the Landgrave of Hesse. B.sfore this could , be done, however, the King passed a law annulling marriages morganatioally contracted. Alark! That law was passed after the consummation of her first and only real marriage, so that Elizabeth was legally a manied woman when she made an alliance with the Gorman potentate. Thus, any children he had by her were illegitimate. George 111, probably aware of this difficulty, brought np her legitimate child in thautmostseclusion at Dumfries, under the eye' of the beforementioned'old governess,, who, on her deathbed, betrayed to the young girl her true parentage, although she refused to give the name of her father.' Nor has this name ever been ascertained. The. old lady; has in her possession silken hose embroidered with a crown and an 'E.\ together with other things whioh the Princess Elizabeth lefo behind her after the birth of her child at Dumfries. These articles were found in. the mysterious box. Mrs S. herself iB a oountry* woman, with ho earthly motive for concocting such a story as this, co that -it is* impossible to disbelieve this strange fragment of history." ' The Nursery. s There was a time when any odd room in the house was thought good enough for the daily life of the little ones. Such a time is now, fortunately for the "children, nearly over. The nursery ought, indeed, to be one of the best, one of the largest, one of the " brightest rooms in the whole house, situated, If yon like, and perhaps preferably, in the top of the home/ because very often there the light is best and more sunlight is to be obtained. After appropriate feeding, probably the next most' important thing which 4a conducive to healthy ohild life is abundance of light and sunlight. Like the plant deprived of sunlight whioh doos not develop the chlorophyll— the green colouring matterin its le&vei, so the child grows np pale and sickly-looking; and not only sickly-looking but actually in depreciated health. The Italian proverb, "Where the sunlight does not go the doctor does," is very true;. and the light seems as necessary for the proper development of the red colouring matter of the blood of the ohild as for, the green colouring matter of the leaf of the plant. In addition to the beat light, let there bo free elbow-room. The animal life of the young Is considerable. Romping ia as natural and as necessary as eating and drinking, and, while confinement is irksome to all, it is much more so to the child. ,i Of equal importance to the foregoing is the temperature of the nursery. Children 1 are like sensitive thermometers ; their bodies 'register a falling temperature nearly as quickly at do- these instrument*. Parting with their body heat rapidly, they are extremely susceptible* to outside frigifactive Influences. Much barm has been produced from ignorance on this point, and many children have received fatal illnesßS from mistaken notions on the part of parents and nurses in regard to the means necessary to make them hardy. Well lighted, large 6paced, appropriately heated let the nursory be, and the children itfll thrive into .vigorous health.— Johne s Visteb, M.D., in The Hospital. Some Home Fashions. I hardly think it is possible to have one's JJieadgear too fantastic, for somehow, though $icy seem appalling in the hand, they soften •^own wonderfully when worn. >(B OF THE PRETTIEST AND ALSO SIMPLEST HATS I HAVE BEEN $or a long time was a black chip hat, the ftdge piped with 'black satin and the crown primmed with a double puff of black Bilk .smile, with an osprey at the back, and a trail $f pink roses resting, on the hair under the Jilted brim, which, like all the really fashion- j Able headgear, inclined forward over the \ace. Please remember the " aureole " hat v *ent out ages ago, and the hat set on the stack of the head followed it long since. Now je, wear our hats benfwell forward, inclining Awards the nose. BPBIKG MATERIALS. Hobftlr 8&<l alpaca tola tbelr QTO, fcna.

there is little doubt now that both will be well worn this summer, when we get it— but, alas 1 Marob went out as a lamb, perhaps, bat April shows every sign of adopting the leonine characteristics that Marob. discarded, and we are returning with joy to our fires and our furs, which we had tried to discard. Grass olotb, plain and embroidered, is also ' limporte— bo much so, indeed, that I almost fear it will , be stale before the proper time for wearing it has arrived. As regards style, I fancy there will this season be* a pretty sharp division between dining and dancing dresses. The former will probably be some kind of modification of the Louis XV or XVI periods, for they are not modes suited to the British matron without some modification, as they require a great deal of " wearing," and it is not every woman who possesses the art of looking .independent of her olothes. An Englishwoman, especially, would always appear apologetic or else brazen in one of ' these styles in its native purity. For danoing, low bodies (emphatically low 1) will be worn, the shoulders being well en evidence, a shoulder strap of some sort serving- to keep the bodies in place. For this plain gold chains, ohains set with diamonds (paßte?), or straps of narrow velvet, on which some quaint ornament is j mounted, are mostly need, the velvet beiDg especially popular, as it is inimitable as a contrast to a good satiny skin. For older women there is a certain stiffness in the out of the dress, but for girls ample allowance is made for a juvenile love of frou-frou, and the shoulder-strap yields to this feeling, and takes the form frequently of a sort of stole either of rich jewelled pxssementorie or of the lovely flowered chine ribbons now so popular, the said stole reaching well down to the foot of the skirt. The lace epaulet is not oub, and a new fancy is to use a haudkercbief-ehaped piece of lace, with a full poff of coloured gauze, tulle, or chiffon billowing out from under it from the top o£ the shoulder. THE NBW SLBBVB is certainly less full at the shoulder, and points to a diminution of the squareness of effect hitherto aimed at, though it will not require less material, as, though flatter at the actual shoulder, these sleeves are still very full, falling in drooping puffs to the elbow, whence they narrow to the wrist, falling well over the hand, and in many cases being finished with a deep fall of lace reaching over the knuckles. Moreover, skirts are less full than they were, though from the peouliarity of the cut the decrease shows but little. The chief difference is that the fulness is once more returning to the back, the front godets being abolished. Skirts are Jined with a stiffening material, but this requires caution, as the folds of the dress must fall easily. The new velouiine or moire* velours is becoming daily more fashionable and is unde- . niably a very handsome material, especially in delicate shades, when the watering gives an exquisite play of light and shade. In ! black also it is very handsome and serviceable too. ' APBOPOS OP VEIL?, I may observe with gratitude that the fashion of tying your face up in a kind of amateur mosquito-net of black lacs or tulle is passing, away, the chin being left quite free in all the newest veil?, which are singularly pretty, being mostly black applique on white, or white on black, aB you please ; but, j so far, there is no appearance of a recurrence of those hideous coloured veils. Another thing that runs in couples with one's veil is one's glove, and for these I have been told of several novelties, in which, however, I decline utterly to believe. Surely no sane woman, if proud of her hands, will encase them in a siokly pale yellow green, or a fearsome yellow distinctly reminiscent of tho web-foot of an Aileabury duck 1 , I prediot that the' j PALE BISCUIT AND TAN SHADES : will more than hold their own, and that the extravagant fashion of white kid gloves will also be numbered with the past. It came in with cycliDg costumes, and whilst new has a smart look ; but unless of the best (and, consequently, most expensive) kind, white gloves have a disastrous effect on the Bize of the hand, distinctly noticeable on the handle-bar of 9. " bike * ; moreover, one day's wear finishes them, so they are giving way to very workmanlike and durable Russian leather, or else to natty little, black saede gloves. HOW I BECAME JSBAUTIFUIIo No. I of a Series of Abticlbs 8s A Lady Expert. (Answer?.) To begin at the top of the tree, so to speak, I hied me to a fashionable and reliable hairdresser. " Tdl me, please, all you know of the present modes ; what is>.in fashion and what is not. Advise me concerning my own j uninteresting tresses, and tell me how I can transform them into ' a thing of beauty and a j joy for ever ' 1 " Observing that he looked a little confused I repeated my question more Blowly, and received the following useful and valuable information. "Every woman oan, if she pleases, possess a pretty and becoming head of hair. Some naturally grow more than others, but those who have not much may have more by judicious treatment; and you re ay depend upon it that Nature gives her daughters just what is suited to the individual style of beauty with which each is endowed." I may add, in parentheses, that as I was only a passably go.od-looking girl, according to my sister, I pricked up my ears at this. " The present style of dressing the hair in loose coils and twists just below the crown of the head, with turned-back, gracefully waved soft tresses in front, softened by de. lightf ul little curls that play about the temples, and not a trace of the dragging, tightened, tortured-, mode of a short time ago, is excollent'for 1 the hair from a healthy point of view," deolared my courteous informer; " and so, too, are the light hats and toques | that have superseded the heavy headgear of the past. The reason of this is" that plenty of ventilation it leoured for the head, and that is what it needs to keep ib in good health. After all, the hair may be regarded as a vegetable, and should be treated as such. Like a vegetable, it needs. air. Girls who work in the iielde with no oovering (not even a shawl) on their head* usually possess a wealth of hair that a dachew might 40706. ;

" Again, like a vegetable, the hair requires nourishment. Many girls make the mistake of .keeping their hair too dry. We don't want, like oar great-grandmothers, to saturate it with bear's grease, but we ought to give it a little good oil now and then. There is a right way and a wrong way of using oil. The right way is to take the bottle and turn it over on to the finger tips of the right hand and of the left, then to apply what comes on the fingers to the scalp with the fingers, rubbing it well in so that it gets right into the roots of the hair. This is called head message, and is an infallible tonic to the head. Rich women pay no end for the process to be performed upon them ; but as it is one that all women oan quite easily accomplish for themselves, it is well worth a trial. Both before and after, the brash shoold be used in the same way, right on the scalp ; then a finishing brush should be given to the tresses themselves, till all are smoothed oat and free of tangles. Brushing is worth a thousandfold the use of the camb. " The wrong way of nourishing the head is to drop or pour the oil on the hair, and then simply to brush downwards. Jlhis is like watering the leaves of a plant instead of its roots, and results in an oily appearance, which is quite" opposed to the bright, burnished effect of the proper method. Somehow, the finger tips have more effect on the scalp than any bit of sponge or -small brush." " But no one' oan believe it possible that the ridiculously simple and easy rales you have laid down can be enough to bring one's hair on if it has taken to falling, or turn it brown again if it has begun to grow grey?" I faltered, feeling more than a little sceptical as to the truth of what I was hearing. " Hundreds and hundreds of ladies come to us for treatment," was the reply, "and we pursue that cource. , With the oil massage we alternate a reliable scalp tonic when there are signs of greyness or falling, particularly in the spring and autumn of the year. Or.ca a month, not ' oftener, we wash the hair, or, as we oall it, Bhampoo it ; which is merely washing with beaten-up egg, warm branWater, and perhaps a little borax (no soda), and well rinsing and thoroughly dry it afterwards. At the same time we out the ends and singe them." QCT* Desorlptioni of baits, *0., mutt be endorisd by cither tlie Wltneis corraspondenl for the district or by the secretary to the bill committee. The MS. of an; correspondents who 'do not comply with this rulo .will be s>cut to the secretary for endorsement prior to appeal ing. — KMMRLINE. To ensure publication In the forthcoming is»ue, letters should reach the Wltnest oflloe If possible on Saturday night, but on no account later that Uonday ni:hl. MILTON BACHELORS 1 BALL. Dear Emmbline,— The bachelors of Million gave a most enjoyable ball in the Skatins Riuk / on the 19th ult The rink was prettily decorated, round the walls beins hung evergreens of all kinds, and a novel idea to rectify the squareness of the room was carried out, each corner having overhanging greeus, farming cosy little bowers, in which were placed tele-a-tete seats. A relief to the sombre greenovy of the walls was a handsome dado of crimson curtains, which had a very pleasing'effeefc. The floor was all that could be de ired, and tho dancers thoroughly appreciated the goid .music provided by Mr Kobertson (piano) and Mr Coombe (violin). A committee of hdios undertook the refreshment arrangements. The supper room was a chauuing picture, and reflected great credit on those "who had worked it up. 'The table was moit artistic, pretty shades of yellow and green muslin festooning it, whilst pots of ferns and trails of greenery added to/ the picturesque effect. Suppor duiutie3 of every description were available all tho evening, and the genera) completeness of the arrangements and the attention paid to the visitors elicited frequent expressions of approval. The committee consisted of Dr Sutherland, Messrs Draper 0. F. Perritt, 6. S Blackburne, 6. Bowen, E. F. Palmer, T. M'Gill, T. D. Smith, and G. W. Bowron, hon sec. MrsKeid (Mayoress) woreabecoming pink silk gown ; Mrs Christian, handsome costume of black and gold ; Mrs Black, black silk and jet ; Mm Robertson, simple and pretty dress of maize crepon ; Mrs Walker, pale blue silk artistically worked up with white fur ; Mrs M'Leod, dainty I white dress ; Mrs Scholefield, handsome black brocade; Mrs Bastings, heliotrope tilk and handsome lace ; Mrs Bishop (Balclutha), handsome trained green velvet ; Mrs Hull (Balolutha), white I satin and lace ; MissYorston, white crepon prettily j trimmed with lace ; Miss E. Yorston, a telling j gown of crepe de chin« ; Mies Draper looked dainty in white armure, with effective contrast of rose piuk ; Miss Scholefield, pretty toilette of cloud grey faille and chiffon ; Miss R. Scholefield, cream nun's veiling and primrose ribbons ; Miss Blark, lovely confection of pink crepon, puffed gauze sleeves and feather fan ; Miss E. Black, pale yellow surah and chiffon, natural flowers ; Mibs Patterson (Waihola), black velvet with bertha of Maltese lace ; Hiss M. Patterson, white broche skilfully completed with ribbons and lace ; Miss Drivor, shower of hail muslin daintily ornamented with violets, shower bouquet to match ; Miss Dudley (Auckland), artistic gown of white bengaliue ; Miss Dodd (Balclutha) was striking costume of crimson crepe relieved with white satin'; Miss Hutchins (Balclutha), . elegantly gowned in black armure royale relieved with pink roses ; Miss Tall (Balclutha), smart toiletto of yellow velvet ; .Miss Foßtey, effective combination of black arid pink ; Miss D. Foster, black grenadine with handsome silk trimmings ; Miss Smith (Balcltjtha), lovely frock of ivory benstaline and lace; Miss M'CKll, eau-de-nil faille relieved with touches of white velvet. There were others present equally prettily gowned, Among the gentlemen present were Messrs D. Robertson, A. Bishop, W. Walker, H. M» Driver, 0. J. Crawford, E. Hull, A. J. Sladden, G. T. Smith. J. Cornwall, J. M'Gill, F. Bastings, J. East, A. Patterson, C. Draper, and G. Hutchins.'-ONLOOKER. LEAP YEAR BALL AT EDENDALE. Dear Emmeune,— The ball given by the young ladies on Thursday, the 2nd, was a decided success, and the committee deserve praise for the able manner in which they carried the affair through. The hall, which was artistically decorated with ferns and evergreens, looked very pretty, the decorations reflecting great credit on the energetic committee of spinsters, who .were also very assiduous in supplying the wants of their numerous guests. The directresses of ceremonies wore Misses Taylor and M'Donald, and they attended to their onerous duties in a thoroughly capable manner. Fully 50 couples graced the floor for the grand march. Music was supplied by Messrs Shirley (violin). A. Shirley (piano), and Patison (cornet). The following is a list of the principal dresses worn, all of which it is of courae impossible to mention :— Mlbb J. Muir wore a pretty blue silkette costume relieved with evening flowers ; Miss Matheson. pretty blue costume relieved with blue silk ; Miss Muir, cream silkotte relieved with evening flowers ; Miss M'Leay, white costume relieved with red ribbon ; Miss Campbell, pink silkette costume : Miss Taylor, black velvet relieved with blue chiffon ; Miss Swale, pink costume relieved with 'white lace ; Misses Hardy, black velvet relieved with cream lace; Miss Welsh, pink silk costume relieved with cream lace ; Miss Jones, white bodice, black skirt ; Miss Laweon, black skirt, blue bodice ; Mi»s Finlay, white fisherman's net bodice and black skirt ; Miss Debbie, delaine costume ; Mis 3 Dippie, pink bodice and black skirt; Miss Brown, black skirt, delaine bodice ; Miss M'Donald, black velvet; Misses M'Lellan (4), black costumes; Miss Sheehan, black costume relieved with white, Bilk vest; Miss Heatb, black costume j Miss A. M'Lellan, delaine bodice and black skirt ; Miss Marshall, brown velvet costume; Misssi Monaghan, dark costumes: Mrs A. Shirley, white costume relieved with blue ribbon ; Mrs J. M'Donald, blue velvet relieved with pink silk ; Mrs Milne, blue bodice and black skirt; Mrs F. Shirley, black cvstuuw j Mrs Duncan, black watunw

relieved with gold gimp ; Mrs M'Kenzie; maroon costume ; Mrs Finlay, black costume. After an interval for refreshments Messrs Jones and M'Kerrow took over the duties of M.O.s, and the dance was finished up in the usual manner. It is whispered that one gentleman left ab the early hour of 1 a.m., it is alleged in order to escape one or two proposals which he expected would be made to him. Another it was noticed, kept very close to some of his fellow men, and steadfastly refused to go nlone with any lady, probably for the same reason. No offers were made to the gentlemen who acted as M.0., as it was thought best to leave them free and unfettered to act ia a similar capacity on future occasions.- SoDga were sun* during tho evening by Misses Dobble and Marshall, and Messrs Aitken, Shirley, Wadsworth, Jordon, and Dobbie. Mr Wadswotth danced a clog dance, and Mr W. Muir danced a Highland fling. Altogether the ball was one of the most enjoyable yet held in tho district. Dancing was kept up till 6.30 a.m., when all went home thoroughly satis* fled with their night's enjoyment.—Wallflower,