LADIES' COLUMN.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13834, 20 February 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

LADIES' COLUMN.

Social Doings for the Week.

Mrs Wilkin is visiting Christelnirch. Mrs C. .IS. Kerr and daughter have gone to New Brighton. Mrs Hill has also returned from Christcliurch. .Mrs W. H. Foden . returned from Christcliurch . last week. '"Miss Sealey (Melbourne), is visiting Mrs E. Sealey,j:Wai-iti road. Madame Josephine Ottlee, of Christchurch, is staying at the Empire Hotel. Dr and Mrs G. E. Gabites left on Friday for a trip to the North Island. Mr and Mrs Kissell, of Opawa, Christcliurch, are staying at Sefton House. Miss Ada Julius lias returned to Bishopscourt, Christcliurch, after an extended round of visits in South Canterbury. Captain and Mrs England are staying with Mr and Mrs K. Turner, Sefton street. (Captain England was captain of the " Nimrod.") The new tailor-made costumes for the season will be carried out in navy blue, a very dark navy. Silk Velvet will be prominent in the trimming for the new hats, which will be very large as anticipated. The Lady Honor Ward, eldest daughter of their Excellence the Earl and Countess of Dudley, will in all probability be presented at the first Royal Court of the next London season. Quite recently she underwent a serious operation, but it is considered that she will be sufficiently recovered to proceed to England with the Countess: of Dudley about April. Lady Honor Ward has inherited all her mother's good looks, and possessing a quiet dignity of manner, and .a gentle disposition, she is sure to be a very successful debutante. Madame Ada Crossley pays a return visit to Timaru on Friday next, February 26th. During her recent , visit to Wellington Madame was kept extremely busy fulfilling social engagements and attending large "At Homes" given in her honour by leading hostesses, including Mrs Donne, Mrs Hales, and Mrs Wilford. The announcement of popular prices for her coming was very satisfactory news for people wishing to hear the great con--tralto. Mrs. Grainger,, mother oi Mr. Percy Grainger was in Wellington.during the season. > Before leaving for a short holiday in the South, Mrs. LeCren, '"The Bungalow," Wai-iti Road, gave a small evening reception and dance on Friday week. The guests included Miss Rhodes, Miss Tennent, Miss' Zeisler, Miss Strachey, Miss LeCren (Dunedin), The "Bungalow," which has recently been enlarged and renovated is admirably suited for entertaining, the long, wide verandahs when utilised for the purpose adding materially to the comforts of giving a dance. Miss Tennent wore a pretty frock of pale blue lousine, Miss Rhodes pink liberty silk, Miss Strachey white • crepe-de-cliine, with bands of guipure, Miss LeCren, white satin.

The new Government House, in course of erection- in Wellington, will be a decided improvement on the old -residence of the Governor, ■ situated in Molesworth Street. A feature or the new structure will he the large a .nd lofty ballroom, a very necessary acquisisition to a vice-regal residence, and especially when their Excellencies gives a State ball, to which generally five hundred guests are invited. It is to be hoped that Lady Plunket will be in residence there before the term of Lord Plunket's governorship expires. Her Excellency lias given numerous enjoyable dances during her residence in Wellington, and in the giving of other entertainments she has also been highly successful, being a very gracious host-

Mr Ernest Toy, the talented Queensland violinist, appeared in the Theatre Royal on Wednesday evening last.. It it to be regretted that the audience was not larger than befitted the occasion, but on the other hand, it was an enthusiastic one. Madame Josephine Ottlee, of Christchurch, and Mr 1' rank Williams, of Oamaru, also Miss Lilian Toy, sister of Mr TCrnest Toy. Madanie Ottlee was gowned in green chiffon velvet, the trained skirt made perfectly plain, and which suited the heavy quality of the velvet. I noticed her wearing a long cream evening wrap on the conclusion of her performance. Miss Lilian Toy was becomingly gowned in pale heliotrope ninon, the square cut corsage finished with lace. Amongst the audience I noticed Mr and Mrs Hole, Misses Annetts, Mr, Mrs and Miss Porter, Miss Anderson, Mr and Miss Burns, Miss Wray, Rev. lather Macdonald, Mr B. B. de Looze and several leading musical people. ■ The Wellington friends of Miss Una Williams were greatly disappointed on hearing of the alterations in the arrangements for her wedding. It was originally fixed to take place m \Ve.lington, but subsequently Auckland was decided . upon for the place of the ceremony. Mrs T. C. W llliams then issued invitations for a large evening reception at her stately mansion in Hobson Street, as a farewell to her daughter, and also to enable the friends of Miss Maud. Williams who has just returned: from Paris where she has been studying for over two years. lhe f-reat big house was transfered into a veritable fairy bower, and the scene was one of great magnificence. The entrance hall was flanked on either side by tall and stately palms and large baskets of flowers were suspended from the ceiling. The wide staircase was similarly treated with palms and festoons of flowers. 11l the. drawing-room bowls of roses and carnations were placed about on small tables and the mantelpieces were banked with palms. It is some time since so many rich gowns were seen at a Wellington function, and the Misses Harcourt who have also just returned from England appeared in new frocks, and one glance sufficient to satisfy the eye, there is no mistaking the graceful and accurately cut gown of a Parisian modiste. Tlie Misses Harcourts gowns of white charmeuse satin were carried out in the princcssc style, with long narrow trains, tapering very gradually to a sharp point. The hostess looked exceedingly well in a regal gown of purple velvet, the corsage draped with Honiton lace. Miss A\illiams, lovely gown of black chiffon over white, satin, with a design of silver embroidery on the skirt. Miss Una Williams was much admired in a graceful trained gown of conovulu blue satin souple la prineesse, with lovely cream lace on the corsage. Miss Eila Williams, white tulle mounted on liberty satin. Mrs. Guy Williams, black satin an diamond ornaments. Mrs. Algar Williams, long trained gown of white duchesse satin, profusely trimmed with lace. . Mrs. Willord, cream satin, with overdress of lace, outlined with sequins. Miss Coates, black silk, the hem of the skirt embroidered in a silver design. Miss Seddon, black satin charmeuse, the corsage draped with point de Alenc-on. Mrs. Harold Johnstone, lovely gown of pink crepe-de-cliine, the corsage finished with silver embroidery. Mrs. Hector Rolleston, pale blue radium silk. Mrs. Vallanee, black cliifton taffetas.

WOMEN GRADUATES AT THE LORDS.

The women graduates of St. Andrews and Edinburgh Universities received a crushing blow the other afternoon (says a Home journal of a December date), when the House of Lords dismissed, with costs, their appeal -against the decision of the Court of Session not to grant them tlie privilege of voting at university elections. .It was a sombre and melancholy scene. 1 The "gilded chamber," dimly flighted, and empty save for the presence of the Lord Chancellor,-the Bishop 'of Bangor, and three peers, presented \a cold appearance, in spite of its crimson upholstered seats and " the electric •lamps in the roof, when the usher came into the lobby and called- "Miss MacjMillan." The lady, warmly clad in a idark-brown ulster, with white furs and a cerise liat trimmed with brown cliif- ' foil, immediately arose and, followed *by a handful of . friends, made her way ,to the Chamber, where she appropri- ! ated the same seat as she occupied : : when she. urged her appeal on the 10th land 12th of November. On this occasion, however, she was not accompanied \by Miss Simpson, her former colleague. . With dignified gait, the Lord Chancellor moved from the Woolsack to the -centre of the floor, and from there, with two fingers poised upon the .'table, read his decision in cold, unfaltering tones. Miss MacMillau sat ifor a moment as if in eager expectation, but almost within the first twenty lines of his judgment she recognised that Lord Loreburn was against her, ■ and thereafter she leant her. face on ' her left arm and fitfully scribbled some. ,notes on a sheet of paper. The final /sentence: '' Therefore, my lords, I respectfully recommend that this appeal lie dismissed, with costs," had no surprise for her, and she lifted her face smilingly to watch' the Lord Chancellor as he marched back with stately tread to his seat on the Woolsack. Lord Ashbourne and Lord Robertson read documents in support of the ruling, the while the Lord Chancellor put the tips of his fingers together and gazed fixedly at the ceiling. Then Lord Collins got up and said: "My lords, I concur," and the proceedings were over. ..

Out- in the lobby Miss j\lacMillan was all smiles. Speaking with a pretty Scottish accent, she said to the writer: "I shall live to fight another day, and, besides, I've got something up my sleeve. That's all I can tell you, for I've been advised not to say anything more at present." With this she strode down the corridor to the door, and stepped lightly into a private brougham which drove off in the direction of Victoria Station. None of the militant suffragists were present, and not more than a score of the public sought admission to the House.

' THE BARGAIN-HUNTER. She is a sort of oracle among her acquaintances. She always manages to buy two or three pence a yard chaeper than .anybody else. It is a peculiar knack'she lias, they say. And the women envyrher, and wonder how she does 'it; and tlieir husbands say she is smart, aiid'express the wish that some people were as cute as some other people. And this is about as deadly an insult as a .wife can have offered her. The bargain-hunter rises early in the morning when she is going shopping, and she lets the dishes "set" in the sink, and she leaves a cold "snack" for her in case she shouldn't be back. She knows that she has work before her, and lays her plans, accordingly. She is-going to buy a new dress. It is a stupendous job for a bar-gain-hunter. She begins her campaign at the first draper's shop she comes to.She looks ait ribbons, laces, , flowers, bonnets, pads, anything and everything which offers. Not that she wants to purchase in that line, but she is there, and might as well see what is :to be seen. - . r

By and by she asks to looV at dress goods, which is about as definite as- .it would be to step into a grocery \ and tell them that you wanted to look at groceries. .. .. But the draper's assistant is used to it, and proves equal to the occasion.

The counter is strewed with all kinds of dress materials, and ' our bargainhunter examines them all carefully anil inquires the price of each. She ravels out the edge to see if .the. fabric is wool or cotton, and she holds the goods up to the light to make sure there are no thin spots, aiuP'slie' compares them with samples, froin- her handbag, and then'slie asksjthe clerk to give her some'patterns "to carry home that she may"examinevtliem at her leisure. Aud he swears iii his sleeve, and uses his scissors viciously and slams the rolls' of goods around as if tliey had done him some bitter personal injury., The bargain-ehunter elevates her brows and looks at him in grieved surprise. An expression of Christian solicitude, mingled with mournful resignation, steals over her countenance as she requests him not to fly out of his skin about It; there are other stores in the world; and for her part she prefers to trade where people are civil. Then she walks out of the shop with serene and majestic composure, and the proprietor scolds the assistant and hints at a reduction of salary.

. The bargain-hunter goes through the next establishment in the same way. She tells them she is going to buy a dress if the can be suited. What kind of a dress? they ask her. Well, really, she hasn't quite decided. Something neat and pretty, though. What have they got? And then the counter is piled up as before. She knows well enough that it is a black voile she is after, and she lias made up her mind to pay half a crown a yard for it, if she cannot get it for less, as she intends to. She looks over everything placed before her, and asks if they have anything else? The clerk suggests Irish poplin. Then silk, and so on. ■ Then she takes a sample and goes on her wav.

She follows this business for about a week, and then concludes to buy that voile. She has to visit every store again, for she has forgotten the lowest price. At last she finds about what she wants. It is two and sixpence a yard. .

Then she begins the cheapening process. Couldn't you possibly take less? It is more than she expected to give. She guesses she will gy over to Brown's and see what she can do there. This threat brings the salesman down 2\d on a yard, which is dirt cheap for that voile ; actually cost tliem more at the manufacturer's; a splendid bargain ; and they are ruining themselves by offering it at that price. She offers a few pence less. Plie salesman looks astounded. "As if you might have knocked him down with a feather," she afterwards tells her intimate female friend. He coukln t entertain such an idea. He hints at bankruptcy, and suspension of payment and wonders what she can be thinking of. She holds firm, and again mentions Brown; and, with desperation stamped on his lofty brow, the salesman slaps his hand on the goods and cries out, in despairing agony: "You shall have it for that, but at this rate we shall be ruined! 1 wouldn't sell it to anybody else for that, but seeing as it is you, I must Kive in. But prav, don't mention it!"

And, of course, she promises secrecy, and so do the score of friends to whom she tells the story as she shows her new dress. Oh, yes!

She goes home jubilant. Such a bargain! She lias had a hard time of it, but she .saved such and such on a yard. It takes her to talk them round. And the salesman in question is laughing with his fellows over the way how he made that old woman pay "through -the nose" for the voile which they have been selling to their regular custolners • for much less. But the a fellow ought to be paid for being bothered so, you know. ■ And,' ladies, you who hunt bargains and badger poor clerks out of thensenses, remember this is how they recompense themselves.

Mrs J. P. Newman, "Moana," gave a very enjoyable " At Home," on Wednesday last, as a farewell for Mrs Costello, who is leaving shortly for Eng-, land. Tea was served in the diningroom ; the table was very prettily decorated with flowers. A gramaphone played in the smoking-room. Mr B. B. DeLooze sang a number of songs; some were ." She's Far from the Land," To'-riight," and " Two Eyes of Grey." Mrs Newman received her. guests wearing a handsome black silk dress, v with cream lace, black hat with black and white tulle. Mrs Costello dark green corded silk, green hat with lace and flowers. 'Mrs William Evans handsome heliotrope striped dress, pretty floral toque of shaded violets. Mrs: W. Grant blue poplin gown, handsome black coat, hat with feathers. Mrs Simon Mackenzie handsome gown of blue silk with lace, hat of flowers. Mrs K. G. Turner floral heliotrope gown, violet hat. Mrs England (Christcliurch), cream costume and'pretty cream hat. Mrs A. Grant- grey dress find hat to match. Mrs Gus: Jones pretty pale blue poplin, large black hat with cream roses, white feather boa. Mrs Hill pale fawn voile dress, smart hat with yiolets, .Mrs N. K.-C'ox brown glace dress, brown hat with lilac. - Mrs W. Baxter pale blue costume, pretty cream hat. Mrs W. Tayler white linen dress, hat with flowers. . . Mrs Hunter-Wes-ton black silk dress, black hat with feathers. Mrs J. Hay -handsome black gown, floral toque of pink flowers. "Mrs Milton blue silk dress with cream lace, blue hat with flowers. Mrs Unwm grey dress, black hat with feathers. Mrs L. S. Talbot pretty floral silk frock, pale green hat with flowers. Mrs W. E. Gibson cream costume, hat with feathers. Mrs Blair black costume, black hat with pink roses. Mrs F. J. Rolleston black and white striped costume,. prettv cream hat. Mrs J. Mating light checked costume, white boa', hat with pink roses. Mrs J. W. White black dress, black and white bonnet. Mrs. English, pale green-dress, large green hat with blue flowers. Mrs Withers black and white floral silk over yellow glace, cream hat. Mrs Zeisler heliotrope costume, black hat with feathers. Mrs Arbor floral blue muslin dress, hat with blue and white. Mrs W. -McLaren black . and wlnte frock, large white hat with shaded flowers. .Mrs -G. E. Gabites pretty floral silk dress, toque of violets; Mrs Ernest LeCren handsome dress of black voile over cream glace; pretty floral hat of sweet peas. Mrs E. M. Arthur dark green coat and skirt, burnt straw hat with a brown wing and velvet. Mrs Mannering pale green voile dress and floral toque. Mrs Rutherford pretty white frock, hat of green straw witli flowers. Mrs Revell black dress trimmed with cream lace, black and white bonnet. Mrs Priest black silk gown and cream lace, pretty viloet hat .yth pansies. Mrs H.'Bassett (Christchurch) Airs Strachey black dress, black ■ hat with white feathers. Miss Blair brown, elbth costume, large hat with flowers. Miss Gladys :Wliite brown glace frock, hat of brown and pink, flowers. Miss Zeisler green silk muslin, pretty grey hat with flowers. Miss -McLaren blue costume, grey liat with feathers, flliss Lillie McLaren white frock, white hat with scarlet. Miss Wright blue dress, black hat. Miss L. Revell blue and white muslin, pretty hat with flowers Miss J-. Raine white muslin-frock hat' of violet silk. Miss Miles white dress, small violet liat. Miss Emily Miles brown Shan-tung silk, cream lace, prettv' hat with flowers. Miss Louie Nicliol (Bluff) pale heliotrope strjped silk muslin, leghorn hat with-- brownand bin? cornflowers. Miss Dry don cream dress and hat. Miss Jessie Grant striped green frock, hat with green and flower's. • . Miss Barron brown . Empire silk gown, pretty brown hat. '' Miss Todd prettv white frock, black and white hat. Miss Nita Ivimbley green poplin frock floral hat. Miss. Marcl.ant tloral, heliotrope frock, hat violets. Miss Nora" Howell pretty.-ftoral dress hud hat- with flowers. Miss Bessie Howell dress; of dark blue poplin and prettv hat with fowers Miss Inest handsome silk frock of -black.and check 'large black hat with wings. Miss Lucy Kempthorne grey costume, white hat. Miss H. white muslin frock, and cream hat with roses. Miss H. Gartshore wlnte dress birr black liat. Miss "VS ray grey c () nt ami skirt, black hat Miss Daisy Wray cream costume, pretty violet hat Miss Hart blue linen dress, floral toque.

A quiet wedding was celebrated at St. Michaels, Christchurch, on January. 27th, the contracting parties being Nellie, the eldest daughter of David Moore, of Timaru, and Frederick Algernon Morgan, purser of the s.s. Ulan.

HOME HINTS. A Pie-Crust Hint.—When making fruit or jam pies and tarts, to prevent the crust becoming sodden with the syrup, brush.the under-crust lightly with the white of an egg. Old "Linen.—Soft old linen . should never be thrown away, but should be stored in the emergency drawer-or cupboard, for the bandaging of wounds in case of accidents.

A Floor Stain. —A simple floor stain may.be made by dissolving a packet-of soap powder and one pennyworth of permanganate of potash in warm water, and then adding a little melted beeswax and turpentine. If a darker stain is desired, substitute lamp black for the permanganate. When Blacking . Stoves. Before blacking your stoves, grease tlieni with fresh lard to prevent rusting. A pinch of brown sugar, or a few drops of turpentine added to the blacking will make it stick better, and will give a nice polish with half the usual rubbing. Rubbing the stove with newspaper every few days will help to keep it looking nice for a long time. W'all-papers.—Wall-papers that have become bruised or have been slightly torn, and which cannot be matched, are not'necessarily ruined. Tliey can be touched up with water-colour paints, so that- at a very little distance no damage is perceptible. The paints froni 'a child's box will be good enough, but you must mix the colours to pet the right shades, and then touch in the broken pattern. Pure Cold Cream. —Take -Jib of very best lard, put it in a basin, and Demon it boiling water; when cold, drain it off. Repeat this _ process twice. Then, after quite freeing the lard from the water, beat it to a. cream with a fork,, and scent it with essence of bergamot. Save the Lemon Peel. —-A correspondent writes: —"A little _ lemon peel makes a delicious flavouring for ninny things, such as puddings, fruit sauces, croquettes, and meat pies, and should always' be kept at hand. When using only itlie juice of the lemon, save the peeling by rinsing if in clear water and lotting it dry, then grate it. and place in a glass jiir with a close cover."