Evening Star Newspaper, December 26, 1896, Page 20

20 THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1896-24 PAGES. EASTERN RIVIERA Graceful AEE snd Bea Furs Seen at Italian Winter Resorts. CURRENT FASHIONS AT GENOA Velvet Robes and Ermine Assert Their Empire Again. gees OUT OF > —___ WORN DOORS Correspondence of The Evening Siar. GENOA, Italy, December 15, 1896. >a the superb is cold. The blue Medi- terranean {¢ chill and wind-driven, and the endless stretches of great white palaces that look down into dark, narrow, uphill streets seem damp and forbidding, with their painted halls moldering and blotting and rotting In the wet corners, shining out in bright colors and voluptuous designs where the walls are dfy. Men muf- fle themselves in heavy cloaks to their ears and women shiver behind their furs, and yet Genoa fs fuller than its wont has been of life and bustle, ¢ i Cannes and still | | fewn kid | several bottom, and this, too, is extremely radical and daring. The bodice is of purple velvet with @ short bolero of ‘the silk, square-cor- nered and turning back im a large triangle upon the bosom. These revers are faced with gray silk embroidered with gold and purple. The bolero fs gathered into full plaits upon the shoulders, from beneath which come the glove-fitting sleeves. A high silk collar flares from the neck to show an inner collar of late which is fin- ished in front with an enormous silk bow. The black velvet hat is trimmed with gtay feathers. Some Favorite Fans. 2 Woren are wearing white astrachan capes with now pieces of white cloth, and new of green or black velvet, embroidered with gold and let into the front or front end back both for distinction of decoration. Such a cape at a brilliant concert yesterday had ruchings of handsome lace all about the edge, with little martens’ tails nestling in the folds. I have seen the same combi- natidn used to form the bodice-of a theater dress, the small cape coming down in a Point in front and at the back and forming epaulets over the sleeves. Black silk and lace went to tiie rest of the gown. The pointed ermine pelerines for walking use that Russian ladies bring to Italy look almost as if they had stepped out of the Portraits of the doges that hang in the Palazzo Rosso. The stole ends are clasped. gt the waist by large cameos. As a change tom dark furs American women are rapid- ly adopting them. Folds of black Persian lamb fall over the shoulders as cape-like sleeves and accentuate the whiteness of the ermine. Broad. vandykes of silver em- broidery let into the capes are the richest decoration. Mouffion and chinchilla are favorite furs with Italian and French ladies who are Gark of skin, while blondes, English and Italian (some of these latter have beautiful red hair) take to astrachan or Thibet fur. The newest capes have the Medici collars run up to a height that ts ridiculous. The style must pass, it is carried to such ex- Far prettier are the new beaver with ‘revers, collar and ¢éuffs of worked. with steel. Velvet Gowns. At the opera house last evening I noticed very novel evening gowns. The mosic, in a fashion letter, is a minor mat- ter, but they were singing ‘Andrea Che- nier.” andsome velvet dresses have as- jackets, 3 1 the rallying points of hion. Then the tide | naco to Mentone and of the old places and spread- ing themselves past Genoa, the boundary Riviera, into the Riviera di beautiful eastern Riviera. » gay winter colonies at Nervi, at ear which town Shelley lived, at other places. Genoa, the cap- yhically, of the Riviera, feels of this migration, and and fiegli Orefici, the street of the " and the theaters, the beauty and the fash.on of Europe flutter for @ space, if ake no delay are Americans, too. Mrs. Maude Eliot, Julia Ward Howe's daughter, led with us for a time on her way to Miss Amy Bend, the New York aired costumes from Paris in com- ith her younger and even prettier Miss Beatrice Bend. Then there is Rome. beauty sent American bride. She sail- ed with us over the Mediterranean and afternoon tea on deck to the captain the ship's doctor out of her wedding china. There were three of her en voyage from Spain, and more of her are smiling lips at thei husbands as they do * duty and Hsten to the band in sola Park at Genoa this bitter af- A Pretty Costume. One of the prettiest costumes I have seen hereahbouts was in this same Aquasola Park @ day or two ago. It was warmer then and the sun shone. The Tramontane wind was not blowing, and the date palms and the fig did not seem such vegetable absurdi- wore it was young jot pretty, but chic, a evident: material nt in yet deeper and warmer v the shoulders. The skirt was er severe cut, scant, rather than ell in long stately folds, as befits t spends ts brief hour of beauty res of the doges. nd of sable at the hem gave it netion. The bodice was for the original arrangement braces, which passed outside of the cape, sition. Large gold filigree se design fastened these t and at waist, and fastened silk bow at the throat as well xdd twists of red velvet which orna- the little toque that crowned a of dark hair. The shoulder cape al- iy men 1 was a shoulder cape liter- the shoulders only, and sealiops over the droop- .ffs of the sleeves. It was overlaid b.ack passementerie, and was with sable with the red velvet bows held ation a so a soft black teather ped by a dark rose. nuff with red silk flutings com- imony that Italy, sunny Italy, of its own. rincesse Mode. near the Parisienne in-red a 1 in a graceful princesse gown. node ts in greater favor here ‘a, and so a good example of h describing. The dress in n was of heavy gros grain silk, not € youthful en¢ugi im look for its wear- but admirably sulted for a young In color t was a very dark green, tracery in silver and black ry down the front and back of the 1 down the side darts, om er, matron. with delicate embre e skirt draperies. These beautiful eries somehow jusi'fied the oneness and skirt to ey *t through all of fashion contiaue demand a break at the waist line. A vest of marten fur filled in the front of the hodice and ran down to the robe’s hem. T leeves were siightly puffed at the shwilders, banded with fur at the elbows and embroidered thence to the wrists. Yellow velvet roses encircled the large, dark green felt hat. One other outdoor dress needs a word of mention. It fs a model costume for export to Paris of the rich siik stuffs for which ne looms of Genoa are famous. The soft gray moire is shot with dark purple, giving and so on | serted their empire. Given any foothold, OUTDOOR DRESS IN GENOA. warm and leave it a day or two, ‘rub the oil off, and with ofl paints tint your picture any color you please. You can erase the colors with turpentine if they do not please you, and try again. same rule holds good with a common print, but More care will have to be exercised, as the paper is not so tough. A more complicated, but no prettier, process joins two glasses with the ope between, and a filling of oil, and the painting is done on the back of the second gl The shine may be taken out of broadcloth or other heavy woolen materials by spong- ing with ammonia. Five drops of am- monia in a wine com =. = water, @ small fine nge ant ice are neces- sary. Dampen the cloth only a little, but rub it hard. Hang to dry out of the dust. It may ve repeated indefinitely. A heaping teaspconful of powdered borax to a pint of hot starch will render the clothes much stiffer. Sulphur and lard mixed to a stiff salve | makes an excellent ointment for a burn. tivities of Now Year Day. OBSERVANCE OF TH DAY IN ROROPE ? Emperors and Kings Go to Church and Then Hold a Reception. GORGEOUS GEREMONIES rite their relatives and to the members of their household; and inasmuch as they are both of them very generous, and seem to know ROMANCE AND _ BONDS Written for Th> Evening Star. ee OWHERE IS NEW Year celebrated with greater © solemnity than at the courts of the various rulers of deal of freedom and abandon prevails until the supper hour is announced. The royal party then march in procession to a small supper room, and, with the ambassadors and their wives, take selected, and let it Ne for half a day to dry, PI | nal gongs: Pi Gitar eed at the then dip the print In warm water one min- COURTS OF ROYALTY =e hacer ning mangers Lt ute, press on blotting ‘second and Baa Gr ‘ bets soews times he was won! dine lay on the glass a in in the f ; " 3 oe Senay With Nis dreener. Semeeeae canter. of te Dees ee et eee ; > 7 aril ‘i oe Louis; it the died : watching. the. ser ide to press out ali | An Ex-Attache Describes the Fes- - The Day in Rome. Furniture and Valuables That Are tnenner you can saturate the picture with At Rome the ist of January assumes Forgotten in Storage Warehouses. MYSTERY OF ‘LIFE Pianos a Favorite Article, and There Are Some Ancient Specimens. AND JEWELS N A CONVERSA- tion with the man- ager of a big local storage warehouse, a Star reporter learned the other day that the storage ware- continental Europe. | their places at tables adorned with that “Keep the baby in flannels,” the doctor True, i some in-| Magnificent golden plate for which the | houses of Washing- says, and straightway the delieate flesh is scances—as, for in- | house of Savoy is so famous, while the re- | ton contain several covered with scratchy flannel, though ‘t a 4 4 mainder of the guests rush pell mell and in hundreds of thou- may be the very finest. Some skins cannot stance, at Berlin and | véry undignified fashion to the buffets, ieets ot Rotiare* endure flannel, and {ts touch produces the at _Vienna—Christ | which are literally taken by storm and vorth of household keenest suffering. If your flannel-covered mas trees and dis- | quickly devastated, us far aseverything in wo baby howls, apparently without Sgeet take tributions of gifts | the nature of food or drink is concerned. furniture at val- the oud raieavee ee Sy hand, are arranged for the At the Spanish Court. rate = " Eneess then put soft thin gauze next the skin and royal children aj New Year day is made a happy and the flannel over that, and watch the effect. ————— MEXICAN PEARLS. week earlier. But sense diminishes the importance of the New Year day solemnities, and if Christmas has gradually become the annual festival of the family, New Year day con- tinues to remain the principal feast of the year at court, as well as in political, mili- tary and administrative service. Christ mas Gay is spent by the monarchs within their domestic circles, among their dearest and nearest relatives, whereas Adam's birt! day, as the ancients were wont to call the first day of the year, is devoted to elab- orate state and ecclesiastical functions. It speaks well for these monarchs of the old world that with the solitary exception of King Leopold, whg holds religion in very small esteem, there is not one of them that does not commence the new year with an appeal to the Almighty for strength, guid- ance and blessing. Emperor Wiiliam at Berlin, before ever he embarks upon any of those military ceremonies that consti- tute so characteristic a feature of the day, mekes a point of proceeding to church with his wife and bulrns—the service usually taking place in the ghapel of the old castle at Berlin, at about 10 o'clock. His ally, the merry festival in the gloomy old Royal Palace at Madrid. The queen regent takes care that all, down to the humblest of the servants, get a share in the so-called “Aguinaldos,” or. New Year bounties, to erable them to haye their rejoicings and feastings. It is on New Year eve, however, that the young king and his sisters receive their presents beneath a huge Christmas thee, the tables loaded with gifts being ar- ranged by the queen’s own hands, while each one of the gentlemen and ladies in waiting ard the palace dignitaries present are remembered with some costly token of the regent’s appreciation of their services. New Year day itself begins with high mass, celebrated with all the pomp and solemnity characteristic of the Catholic Church. As soon as that ts over a goodly portion of the day is devoted to the reception of an inter- minable procession of dignitaries, ambassa- dors and representatives of the great ad- ministrative and political elements of the kingdom, who arrive from all parts of Spain in order to offer to the little king and his estimable mother their good wishes, This little king, who wears the uniform: of the Royal School of Cadets, with the order of the Golden Fleece around his neck, gets very tired of the ceremony long before it 4s all over, and in past years his mother used to experience the greatest difficulty in th. to the immense room at The Harvest of Gems Gathered in the Gulf of Californi: From the San Francisco Call. The agent of the English proprietors of the concession granted by the Mexican re- public for a monopoly of pearl fishing: in the Gulf of California recently arrived in San Francisco, and gave some interesting details of the present methods employed in their industry, which has continued ever employes, because it the lower floor unclaimed for many places originally set aside for them to this room, to make space for the material on hand in this ‘dead was taken, and its rails, in order to mark the fact that he is the anointed of the Lord. Even poor King, Humbert, who, owing to the ban.of the church, is unable to ind lige in any such luxury as a high pontifioal mass, gets his chaplain, Mgr. Anciano, to read a humble little low mass in the chapel that has been arranged at the Quirinal. King Leopold, indeed, is the only sover- eign who disdains to pay his respects to his Maker on the first day of the year, the sole occasion on which he ever goes to church or attends diyine service being on his namesday. On that date, which {fs treated as a national}, holiday in Belgium, he prcceeds to the Church of Saint Gudule nese ambassador, or from seating himseif astride of the great gold lions that consti- tute so notable an ornament of his throne. At Paris. At Paris, in spite af the overthrow of the monarchy, the principai features of the ancient celebration of the New Year have been retained. True, there is no divine service, since President Faure does not claim to be “the anointed of the Lord;” but he compromises the matter by receiv- ing first and foremost the papal nuncio, who, at the head of the diplomatic corps, Washington days, wh ignoranee of their de: location of this stuff is ing as the lukewarm: them that we have it on hand. of the things in storage. A Diplomat’. Furniture. “I'll give you an instance of this. ceremonious resporse. As soon as the foreign envoys, all of whom are in full uniform, have taken their departure, the presidents of the senate and of the chamber of deputies arrive, their carrlag+s escorted by squadrons of cav- alry. ‘Then follow the heads of the judic- ie principal officers of the army and delegations from the academy, @ clergy, and from all the various branches of the political and administra. tive system. As soon as this is over, the President, who has been in full evening dress ever since the early morning, drives off with the military officers of his house- hold to return the calls of the presidents Reception -at; Berlin. As soon as ever. divine service is over at Berlin on New Year day the emperor, at the head of all the princes of the blood and escorted by his generals and staff, marches on foot to the main guard, which turns out, of course, on his arrival, and is invariably composed of the very finest and smartest looking nten of the 7th Regi- ment of Guards, especially selected for the occasion. Having ved the customary reports from the Sgr in command he gives the password @ day, and then returns to the palaod; where a reception of purchased in the coui several a new post. We have never heard him down to the present day. of magnitude. been assigned during the past they dominate all others. One in turquoise was a blotch of vivid color. Seen at nearer view, sprays of cream-colored lace appeared scattered over the skirt. The bodice was a fiash of gold and silver embroidery, with | turquoise flowers fastening down the lace frill about the shoulders. In the same box with the velvet dress was a young girl in apple green silk with cor- sage of white chiffon. ‘The low bodice was @raped to form a fichu in front and behind. Gathered flounces of lace with a tiny edge of green velvet formed the apologies for sleeves, and the pointed belt was of pale green velvet brocaded with white figures. The velvets of Genoa are its pride. One novel design ts narrow black stripes on a green, shimmering ground. A bolder effect is produced by large velvet roses shaded from deep red to pink on a green or black velvet gown. Heliotrope and green on white is at the moment a favorite combination. These rich goods go well with our winter medley of styles. Henry II hats, Francis I sleeves, Josephine draperies, Greek coif- fures, was — eee @ greater mix or a more successful one’ ELLEN OSBORN... HOUSEHOLD HINTS Colds are epidemic, but unpleasant, par- ticularly the hacking cough that persistent- ly disturbs every gathering. A simple rem- edy is made as follows: Boil 5 cents worth of flaxseed in enough water to have @ pint after cooking half an hour. Strain and eeten to sirup with rock candy, put in it the juice of two lemons and boil for five minutes. Take a wineglassful when the throat seems dry, and it will prevent much of the coughing. It is a gentle laxative also. Frying oysters is an art that few cooks learn. Take nice fat oysters and give them a few dashes of ice water to clear them of shell and grit, then lay on a napkin on large plate to drain. Have ready some beaten egg and a dish of finely pulverized crackers or sweet cornmeal, both well salt- ed. Dip the oysters first in the, egg, and then roll in the cornmeal or crackers. Drop immediately in the hot lard, which must be sweet as butter, and brown very lightly and serve the instant removed on a hot dish and a hot napkin, with a few sprigs of parsley to garnish. If let stand a minute they are ruined. Greased tissue paper, or that known as confectioners’ paper, is very nice for the outside covering of a poultice. The instant you remove a blister plaster rub the surface gently with sweet ofl or vaseline, then lay over it a sheet of ab- sorbent cotton, and if the blood is in good eendition not much suffering will ensue. If you have a lot of pretty fringed doylies and towels whose beauty will be gone when the fringe gets worn off, be sensible and wash them at home. When ready to iron them have them quite damp indeed, shake gently and then comb out the fringes with @ coarse comb kept fer that purpose alone. Iron with a very hot tron and shake again just before beginning to fold, and you will have fringe that looks new always. Sometimes a “green” housekeeper buys a tough hen unawares, and then she tears ber hair because it 1s not fit to eat when beked. Dress the fowl and hang it up over night to freeze. Put to boil in hot water as soon as the fire is made, and keep it boiling for three hours. If in hard water put a pinch of soda as largeas a butter bean in the water. Do not salt. Two hours before dinner lift from the water; dress and stuff as though it had not-been cooked at all, lard it with nice sweet bacon or fat pork and bake in a medium oven, basting often. second y, and makes delicious stock for hashed chicken on toast. Don’t put slovenly looking dishes on the teble. Carefully rub from .the signs of sloppy filling, and abo ae hue of a pigeon’s breast in the sun. he ‘tyle meets approval at their hands. It band of fur eight inches wide at the of the senate chamber and of the. chamber all the principal personages of the realm Pf deputies, these being the only two visits him tn return. es place wit grpay pomp. amd cre- since the occupation of the country in the value was found amount to considerable more than $100,000. “The roum contains many complete sets ef magnificent house furnishings. A great quantity of this household furniture has been stored with us for as much as twenty years, and some of it for thirty years. would, of course, be improper for me to will never be claimed by the owners. “This floor,” said the manager, referring e top of the storage warehouse of which he has charge, “has been dubbed the ‘dead room’ by our is used entirely for the storing of stuff that has: remained dn years. The amount of furniture and other valuable articles that eventually find their way to this ‘dead room’ is surprising. We usually keep things placed in storage here in the for at least ten years. If'they remain unclaimed at the end of that time, and all our efforts to ascertain the whereabouts of the own- ers are unavailing, the stuff is then shifted newly stored articles. “Last year an inventory of room’ to it s mention any names, but of the ‘dead Emperor of Austria, attends high mass | preventing him from relieving what appear- room’ ceateiae: of which the ow! = have with ‘his entire court in the palace chapel | ed to him the dreary monotony of the oc- | apparently. completely lost. track, was at Vienna, ibis majesty occupying a throue | casion by tweaking the queue of the Chi- " e altar Placed here by notable persons of former ignorance, or the dants, as to the almost as surpris- s of some of them in the matter of relieving us of it after we have been at considerable pains to notify It is hard to understand this, for, while In such cases the accumulated storage charges are pretty heavy, they are generally not worth men- tioning in comparison with the great value More at Brussels in great,atate, carrying nme | presents the congratulations wna good | than two decades ago the minister to this hand a huge blue and-gilyer mass book, } Wishes of the latter in a formal address | Country of a leading European country pate nly sees the Nght of day on those | to which the president makes an équally | was suddenly recalled by his government. casiors. He hastily packed up the furniture of the legation building, which he had himself of a residence of years in Washington, and stored it here, informing us that he would send for it as soon as he should be assigned to from He is now @ leading European diplomat. I aften see his name in the newspapers in connection with some European diplomatic incident “Time and again we have addressed him at the different courts to which he has twenty years, but we have never had a line from I should estimate the yalue y ¢ that h of the stuff he has stored here to be at dimae' of. Coston, mony." The first. to Jay their good wishes | that, San eee ree he eeamber® | least $6,000, and. the aggregate of the iors Th Ie ft If of Calitc for the new year. tothe emperor and em- age charges is certainly not more than ie whole coast of the Gulf o! ifornia press, who atand on .the. dais, und tire year. abounds in pearls, and the concessions con- $ P #2 eae At the courts where what is known as the Orthodox Greek faith is professed, and where, consequently, the old calendar is still in force, New Year day is celebrated a fortnight later. No attention whatever is paid to the Ist day of January in England, the only member of the royal family who ever dreams of attending divine service on New Year morn being the venerable Queen Victoria. F. CUNLIFFE OWEN. SES A COBBLER PRINCE. canopy, just in front of their thrones in the white hall of the old castle, are their relatives, headed, as a rule, by» their mother. . : The imperial couple always descend the steps of the dais to greet the illustrious widow, and then invite ‘her, as well as the other princes and princesses of the blood, to take their place beside them on the estrade. Next come the foreign ambas- sadors with their ladies and suites, the dean or senior of the diplomatic corps re- maining at the foot of the throne to pre- sent his colleagues as they pass before the emperor. The latter usually addresses to the heads of the various missions a few words, which, while sometimes trivial,-are often of such importance as to disturb the financial equilibrium of the whole of Europe for the following week. Thus it was at a New Year reception. of the diplomatic corps at Paris in 1859, that Emperor Na- poleon III made use of those memorable words of menace to the Austrian ambass: dor which led to the war between France and Auatria a few weeks later—a war which did not terminate before all the inde- pendent sove-eignties of northern Italy had been wiped out of existence and their material welded into unity under the rule of King Humbert’s father, Victor Emman- uel. The ladies of the diplomatic corps are resented by the wife of the dean of the fatter, and for several years past these duties have been performed by Madame Herbette, whose husband, the French am- bassador, has, however, been withdrawn from Berlin in consequence of his having go seriously quarreled with the emperor that the latter declined to hold any further intercourse with him. -A Brilliant Scene. After the diplomatic corps come the great dignitaries of the church, the army, the navy, the judges of the supreme court, the rectors of the universities, the ministers of state and the heads of their various depart- ments, and finally those who are possessed of no office, but merely fori and par- cel of the court. The scene is brilliant in the extreme, for, although the reception takes place by day, the curtains and blinds are drawn, and the vast state apartments are lighted by myriads of wax candles and electric globes; the ladies are all in court dress with long trains, and the men in full uniform, the gorgeously colored mediaeval ecstume of the university rectors being es- pecially picturesque. A grand banquet at court brings the day to a conclusion. In former years the Emperor William trol the entire territory. Until within the past few years native divers were employ- ed, and the depth to which they could de- scend did not exceed thirty-five feet. With the introduction of diving apparatus, the limit of depth was increased to thirty fath- oms. The best divers could formerly re- main under water not to exceed two min- utes, A modern diver thinks nothing of a two-hour stop ir water 100 feet in depth. though at greater depths the stay is nec. essarily shortened on account of the enor- mous pressure of the superincumbent wa- ter. A diver wken upon the floor of the ocean looks about for the oyster, which he tears from the object to which it ts at- tached, and places it in a small bag hang- ing to a rope, which is hauled into the beat on a given signal. Sometimes the number of oysters secured 1s large; at other times only a few are caught. The diver dces not confine himself to the pearl oyster alone, but if he sees a rare specimen of coral or a new specie of shell he places it in his bag and sends it to the surface, where it becomes the property of the con- cession and one source of its large income. Last year the value of the pearis harvest- ed in lower California was alone $350,000. In addition 5,000 tons of shells were ex- Ported, which were valued at $1,250,000 more. Pearl fishing is the entire occupa- tion of the natives, and La Paz, the head- quarters, a city of the peninsula, with about 2,000 inhabitants, is solely dependent apes the industry. The business is one of chance, and the pursuit ts a fascinating ene to the natives, who are born gamblers. Every oyster dces not contain its pearl, and only at intervals, and rare ones at tbat, is @ really valuable pear! discovered. The largest one ever found was about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and was sold in Paris to the Emperor of Aus- tria for $10,000. Many black pearls are found in lower California, and are valued higher than the pure white. The large ma- Jority are seed pearls, and are of only mod- erate value. San Francisco is not the market for Mex- icin pearls, though it ought to be. The harvest is exported straight to London and Paris, and distributed from those. great markets, —_—_——_-e-_____ Not an Interpreter. From the Cleveland Leader. In a dispute between the Indians and the cannery men, according to the Seattle Post- Intelligencer, a Mr. March was called as a witness, and the way in which he gave his testimony proved puzzling to the lawyers. ‘im. of the mate: property, who, Without funds, occasionally asks us this, and to subtract storge charges from the receipts, the remainder to him. Britain’s Heir-Apparent Learned the Trade When a Youth. From the-New York Journal. Custom forces the crowned heads of Eu- rope to remain mere amateurs in the arts, professions or trades they fancied in youth, or which they were obliged to practice, owing to the practical ideas of wise par- ents, who may have foreseen that thrones have a way of disappearing in these en- lightened days. Queen Marguerite of Italy is a fine musician, and could earn her liv- ing as a music teacher; the Czar of Rus- sia is an expert cabinet maker, and has made two or three excellent violins, while the Kaiser of Germany ts said to be a jack ‘of all trades and a pastmaster of all arts He can make anything fm a drama and a painting to a line-of-battle ship. But it remains for the world to hear of a royal shoemaker in the person of the Prince of Wales. A Russiar nobleman turned cobbler In the person of Count Leon Tolstol, and, accord- ing to the Londcn Women at Home, it has now been discovered that Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, heir-apparent to the throne of Great Britain, can turn out a pair of patent leathers or hunting boots with the best of English shoemakers. The. Qreen of England and the Prince Consort, it appears, wished that each of their children should learn some useful trade or occupation, and the Prince of Wales chose shoemaking for his trade, and acquired such a degree of proficiency that boots made by his hands were the pride of his fellow workmen, as they were the envy of his friends at court. The prince has never sought to conceal his talent, and even today examines with the eye of a conncisseur the shoes sent him by the fur- nishers. And that is why Albert Edward is the best-shod man in England. ~ me. There are literal! in this bullding, with some deceased relatives. in storage twenty-four years ago A Piano With a History. the other day. square piano In storage here. after that plano of min@, charges? All right. ing the thing out the other day, and historian who lived nearly all of his life in Washington. It was an old instrument even when he placed it here, but, although he had no room for it in his house, he couldn’t bear the thought of disposing of it, for it was the piano upoh which his only daughter had performed almost up to the day of her death. So he had it trucked down here, and here it is likely to remain @ good many years after we are all aead. $1,000. The only way to account for his indifference as to the matter is that he is exceedingly rich, and that a few thousand dollars’ worth of furniture scattered here ah there don’t cut much of a figure with “Stordge warehbuses do not oft.n sell any Tial on store at public auction, unless at the request of the owner of the perhaps finding himself to do the amount of the remitting “The persistency with which people hang on to pianos has always been a mystery to }¥ hundreds of pianos and some of them have been here for a quarter of a century. These gid pianos must have cost a good deai of money when they were new, but they are now out of date and worn. The pianos that have been here for such long periods of time are usually valuable, chief- ly on account of their association in the minds of the persons placing them here “There is a grand piano here that was put by a “Then, again, people store comparatively cheap pianos, and, after allowing them to remain here for years, when the bill for storage has crawled high into two, and sometimes even three, figures, they turn up, pay the storage bill, which for a fact often amounts to as much as the value of the Instrument, and make room here for another piano, for an average of six pla- nos come in and go out of this building every day. There was an odd chap in here I hadn't seen him before fon three years, when he placed an old “* Well,” said he when he came in, ‘I’m How much are the Here’s the money. Now I'll tell you something about that piano. It cost me $500 in "68. I was figur- T dis- covered that, aside from this original price, A “CULINARY HORSEMAN, was in the habit of taking part in the popular Berlin diversion on New Year eve, wich consists in bonneting with a blow of the fist every citizen who ventures to ap- pear after dark in the streets with a high silk hat. No one used to get much hurt, but the damage done te the head gear of the population wasi.something appalling, and from time immemorial the hatters have in consequence thereof been compelled to keep open their shops on New Year day. But Emperor William has abandoned this form of rough horse play, since he encoun- tered an old gentleman,.who, with the view of getting even with the young men who had destroyed his.itop, hats in previous years, had equipped.himself with a sort of leather skull cap, studded with nails, points upward. The consequence was that when “How long have you been in this part of the country, Mr. March?” “Forty, forty-five, fifty, fifty-five years.” ines years,” ae oe ve a en, as if he were addressin; rist Columbus, he asked: = red “And what did you discover, Mr. March?” “A dark. savage.” “Dark-v' savage, eh? Yes, and what did you say to him?” ae “TI said it was a fine day.” - oo day? Yes, and what did he say to you Mr. March rattled off a whole yarn in Chinook, and kept on, to the mirth of the whole court room, until peremptorily cut off by the govel of the judge. “I asked you what reply the savage made h. Please answer the said the trate cross-examiner. “Tell us what the sav: af s it was what he sae “Then tell it to us in English.” “Not unless I am commissioned b; From Life. hat, ce h lacerated his hand in so serious @ manner as to necessi- tate the attendancejef & surgeon. ‘At Vienna there ida the | cour,” as at Berlin, but the emperor, and court to act as an interpreter and paid the | the archduchess, rep! iting the empress, fee.’ hold what is we: as ‘“cercle.” _ Each The lawyer thengt & moment, looked at | class of visitors wbo.call to present their the judge, who c not resist a smile, and wishes for the new year severe: “Mr. March, you may stand | to a particular ent, the diplomatic - corps being relegated. to one, the judiciary ‘Tena Hi a and so on. From sa oe household, fers’ cnoh aperenantie en! en | fal (ae fr ly on hie ‘beng announced. by the ‘grand y on anno! yy. the master of ceremonies, all the ladies take up heir on one. side of the room | put it in RELICS OF THE PAST| IMPERIAL HAIR REGENERATOR No matter what the color or condition ot HAIR—sireaky, BLEACHED or GRAY tt can be made beautiful, glossy and natural by one application of Imperial Hair Regenerator. It ts clean, colorteas, lasting, does not contain an atom of MonoUs Matter Baths do mot atect wt, ves curling wor crimping. Incomparalle BE om account of its cleanliness acd No. 4—Chestnut. 5 Light Chestnut. 6-Gold Blonde. onde. ‘ALAIS ROYAL. APPPLICATIONS: ADE AT MARL rr 1100 G 8ST. N.W. UGH = the thing has cost me nearly $7.00) since, How? Well, I've moved that piano all over the United States fifty times, from Maine to California, and from Michigan to Texas, and that cost me over $1,000. Then I had it in storage pretty nearly as often, and that cost me a@ lot of money—I've got the exact figures at home. In hard times, before I learned how to make money, I've ‘soaked’ it for its full value dozens of times, and have h: to pay the interest for sev- Years at a clip. But the big item of expense in connec- tion with that piano is that {ve raised three crops of children on ft. Been married three times, and each of my wives lad six children, most of ‘em girls. Well, I've given every last one of those young or x 8 piano “lessons, and: that's the plano they banged in learning how to play. Cost, something close to $5,000. I'm sot taking it away now because I need for I'm certain that none of my play on it with golf sticks, bu want to have it around the house and look at it, for the history of that piano is practically the. history of my life. You've gut it for the last time, for fm going to turn it loose to graze and finish its old age in comfort on the second floor of my house. Got to put it in my own den, for the girls wouldn't have it in any other part of the liouse A Bust of Clytie “People bring a lot of things here to be kept in storage because they deem them too unlucky to be kept around the house, There’s an exceedingly fine marble bus: tof Clytie here that has an odd history. It was made by a famous sculptor, now dead. The sculptor’s eldest son was extremely dixs!- pated, and in the course of time hts ex- cesses affected his mind. He suffered from Profound melancholia, and one of his hal- lucinations was that the eyes of this bust of Clytic, which rested on a pedestal in the hall of the house in which the family lived, were constantly him reproachfully. The fancy grew upon him until he began to rave over ft, and one day he got a hammer and was upon the point of destroying the beautiful work of art, when his sister took it out of his reach, and the family brought it here for safe keeping. They did not care to take it aw after the young man’s death, on accor of its gloomy association with his insant and so here it remains. “There is an exeeedingly beau ornate gold-h'lted Dhmascus the ‘dead room’ that It ulptor’s regarding ful scim has been ere was brought here who had been United 3 a Oy States minister to Turk: He told me that he had never had a day's luck since he be- came posse > scimiter had a pretty nary history passed into s, and that death misfortune had been ri fe in his family ever since the bla had been given to him. He ur charge, with the remark that he might i for it some day after the com- monpla ‘xorcism of a storage warehouse might have deprived it of its curse, but L have never seen him since.” Pursuing this line of inquiry as to for- gotten valuables, The Star man discovered in a talk he had with the superintendent of a local safe deposit company that money, securities, jewels and other extremely co: ly articles are commonly permitted to pose in the safe deposit boxes for without ever being touched. “There are a lot of boxes here,” he said, “that have not been unlocked for many years, some of them containing thousands of dollars in cash. Some of these boxes that have not been opened since I came here contain bonds, the coupons of which, long since matured, have not been clipped. The curious part of it is that every quarter we get checks from the people holding the keys to these boxes, to cover the cost of their rental, but they never come near the building or otherwise evince the slight disposition to have an occasional glimp of the money and other valuables they have put away here.” —— UNCLE SAM'S LOANS. One of the Early Ones of the Govern- ment Was Pa: le in Tobacco. Two curious facts are brought into promi- mence by Register Tillman in his recent report, says a correspondent of the New York Tribune. They are that the first loan made by the United States was made paya- ble in tobacco, and that Secretary Aiexan- der Hamilton negotiated a loan in the ab- sence of any law authorizing him to do so. The loan made payable in tobacco was au- thorized by a resolution of the Continental Congress on December 23, 1777. The length of the loan was indefinite and the amount authorized was $10,000,000. The amount is- sued was $181,500, which sold at par, with interest at 5 per cent. This was received on June 4, 1777, from the Farmers’ General of France. The purpose to which the loan was applied was the “purchase of supplies and to aid in the building of cruisers to prosecute the war of the revolution.”. The interest on $153,682.89, the balance of this Joan, ceased on December 31, 1795, when ft was merged into the general account of the French debt. In. those days tobacco passed as currency between the colonies. In 1789 Secretary Hamilton found the treasury without funds. On his own respon- sibility he negotiated a loan of $191,008.81. It sold at par, with 6 per cent interest. The first issve of this loan was on Septem: ber 13, 1789, and June 8, 1790, was named the date of final redemption, and the duties on imports and tonnages were set aside to meet it. The money was obtained from the Bank of New York and the Bank of North America. The Secretary said: “Obvious corsiderations dictate the propriety in fu- ture cases of making previous loans as the public exigencies may call for, defining their extent and giving special authority to make them.” A third loan followed, un- der the act of Congress of March 26, 1706. It was negotiated by President Washing- ton, the amount issied was $55,000. The contract for the loan provided for its payment on terms similar to those of the preceding loan of the Bank of New York, the revenues derived from duties on im- ports and tonnage being pledged for its redemption. The money was needed for the compensation of the members and em- ployes of Congress, the payment of the salaries of the civil list, &c., and of arrears of interest on the Dutch loans. There was in the treasury at the time a sum not ex- ceeding $50,000. Other loans followed in quick succession, and their histor: re- cited In Register Tillman's report, contains invaluable information for students of gov- ernment finances. ~ ————_~++. His Wife’s Poetry. From the Atlanta Constitutioa. “Yes,” said the major, unfolding a batch of manuscript and handing it to the editor, “my wife has written poetry ever since she ti fei #7