Evening Star Newspaper, December 11, 1897, Page 19

THE EVENING STAR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1897-26 PAGES. BEAUTIFUL FABRICS ——— = Nothing Too Expensive for Gowns for Evening Wear. A COSTUME OF HEAVY CORAL SATIN es The Untrimmed Skirt is Becoming and is Still Popular. es COQUETTISH COIFFURES — Special Correspondence of The Evening Star. . November 30, 1807. Never have richer fabrics been selected fer full dress wear than those utilized to- day. The demand is about equally divided between silk, satin, velvet and brocade, and the trimmings are as filmy and transparent as they are lavish ard expensive. The form of the skirt shows little change, except that it tends more and more to pro- fuseness of trimming. Panel fronts of lace or tulle, studded with iridescent squares, or chenille dots, ribbon edged with tiny silk, or mousseline ruciings, are favorite skirt adornments, matching the bodice decora- tions, but sometimes quite at variance with them. Ruffles enjoy popularity as modes of dec- oration. The model of our dinner gown testifies thereto. We have named it “Iris,” as it is adorned with a garland of these beautiful blossoms, and besides, in its rich color tones bears some resemblance to this royal flower of France. The heavy satin, cf a beautiful shade of coral, constituting the gown, is entirely velled with mouszeline de sole of a paler shade. The front of the skirt forms a tablier, which is draped with flounces of coral niousseline de soie, edged with cnenille of a very pale shade ‘of violet. As seen in the illustration, the flounces run in diag- onal curves from ‘the right to the left side. Black velvet ribben is sewn at regular intervals and in vertical lines at the sides and back of the skirt, while a bunch of purple and violet Iris lilies is painted with exquisite effect on the left side, forming a continuation of an artificial bunch of the same flower at the belt and bodic Great care is shown in the selection of the flowers, which should be in three stiades of purple and violet velvet, as much de- pends upon the blending of cclor tones, which would be daring, and even unharmo- nious if negligently put together. A strik- ing finish is given the skirt by a narrow strip of sable at the hem. A Striking Bodice. The bodice, no less striking than the skirt, shows some of the most novel devices of the couturier. Like the skirt, the founda- tion of coral satin is covered with mouss line of a lighter shade. s a departure from the prevalent bagsy shape, its form is quite tight and round, completing at the waist line with a belt of gold. To match the skirt, the black velvet ribbon runs in vertical lines along the bod- ice, and edges a deep square, decollete in front and back, which, however, is thinly Veiled by fulled coral moussel:ne de sore. Two full flounces, falling from the front of the bodice, ten the skirt trimming, and drop daintily over the aforesaid bunen of Iris lilie: The sleeves of wrinkled coral mousseline de soie are unlined, showing the skin un- derneath, an3 proving very flattering to the arm. The pack of the sleeve is trim- med with finely pleated mousseline, and the shoulder puff consists of a number of narrow and very full rufiles closely set to- gether, and each ruffle edged wita chenille of a light violet shade. The front of the waist is likewise decorated by a narrow full ruffle. In conformity with a’ fashion generall: adopted for its practicatility, no glove are worn with this gown, though it m: serve for other occa: is than a dinner party. This new fashion is supposed to bave origi d in the extraordinary furore for jeweled rings. May its origin be this or any other, the fact remains that the scciety woman find: new fad iA economical, Of course, the rule iv ) eved gowns Thanks to the perversity of womankind, we have still some adherents to the be- coming untrimmed skirt. Untrimmed Skirts. Thus a beautiful evening gown is con- structed of heavy brocade with a vely background of royal purple and lighter floral design. The skirt, due to the very rich material, is absolutely untrimmed an1 quite narrow, with a flare beyond the The bodice, of the same brocaded is a reminder of the Louis XV » with wide, square decollete trimmed wide flounce of real lace, which elongates into a jabot down the front. Bands of folded satin of a peculiar shade of green form a pointed girdle and epau- A fall of lace simulates the basque, and the long, tight velvet sleeve fs sur- meunted by a puff. Young matrons have again adopted the inty, coquettish coiffure or head dress with at home or evening costumes. These dainty little affairs are composed of lace, ribbon and ribbon velvet. Tiny ostrich | tips, aigrettes and jet or jeweled orna- j ments may be added with artistic effect. The ycung girl generally chooses flowers to de-orate her hair for soirees, ‘“‘dan- | sants,” lis or dinner parties. Artificial flowers used for this purpose have the vantage of wear over the natural on which fade too soon, but the latter ; far more appropriate and artistic, particu- larly when made up into graceful wreaths and entwined among the locks of a fair young head, filled with glad anticipation of an evening’s pleasure, bright, pure and transient as the blossoms that adorn it. (CH. Dascoty, Vienne) HOW TO BE A BELLE. Deportment Hints Which May Be Val- uable to the Society Fledgling. From the Baltimore Sun. An older woman who has been through that maelstrom called society offers the fol- lowing hints to her younger sisters who are about to make their first plunge into the whirl. “It takes some months,” she says, “in many cases years, of the world’s fine pol- ishing to soften the little roughnesses and those thousand and one incompletenesses that embitter extreme youth and turn every vant of attention, every slip of other peo- ple’s tongues, into a perfect regiment of slights. “In this manner many a girl's first year of social life Is anything but the unalloyed happ’ of which she has dreamed. ‘The first lesson for a debutante to learn ist she is not the only debutante in the room, and that every eye is by no means fixed ‘upon her. R each little debutante is just cupied with f as rang! deepl er who thinking articular little very of her own duckling that has turned so suddenly into a swan. To realize this fact—that is, that ne is not lookin; you—may be a vanity, but it will do more to at painful shyness so wisely called by the French faux hante than anything else in the world. 0 one really knows or remembers her you were out in a certain figure of the german or not, and if you are left jone there is no use in worrying and feel- De: turn up you have not the spirit left ke yourself agreeable. Being a belle is often the merest acci- dent. A girl may have a lot of cousins and brothers, who, with their friends, are de- termined to make her 2 success. Then, again, her parents may have asked a lot of people to some entertainment, and from decency, not snobbishness, the men who have been invited are bound to meet and show her some attention. In all probability you are just as at- tractive as this particular girl who is hav- ing the better time, and ten to one the very men who are showing her attention for the reasons I have menticgsd know it. This is @ most consoling thought if you happen to be left alone. The most absolute necessity for being a favorite in every sense of the word is sweetness. Not surface sweetness, but that genuine kindliness of heart which makes us considerate for all about us at home as well as abroad, and which i}: t as sure to make itself evident as the tea rose is bound to exhale its exquisite perfume. “Never say mean things about any one. Your hearers may laugh at the time, but instinctively they feel they may be the next to suffer, and one by one they will drop away from you, for there is nothing so absolutely killing as ridicule. “Never try to keep a man with you against his will. You may succeed very well for once or twice, but he is bound to feel more or less ‘stuck’ and in the end will avoid you. After all, your belledom ts not for one or two years, but perhaps for a good many, especially in America, where to ing mortified until by the time some one | the girls marry late, and you don't want to make friends for only one season. “Accept attention with so sweet a willing- ness that the other will be positively glad he offered it, and if you have to decline, do it as graciously and as kindly as you can. ‘Never be late for a dinner or keep any one waiting, and make a point of always speaking as soon as possible, and most deferentially, to the elderly people in a room. “With these small hints as to the man- ners and the greater one as to sweetness which should be in our lives what the warp is in some beautiful piece of tapestry, a young girl can thoroughly enjoy Nfe and find a warm place in the hearts about her.” —+ e+____ A Gift Each Month, From the Philadelphia Press. A clever New England girl devised a charming holiday gift for a friend going abroad to study. “I want you to remember me each month of your stay,” she said. “Take this, dear,” and she put a kind of ; Soft satin portfolio in her hand. “It wul explain itself.” The friend opened the | package, thinking it a handkerchief case or a glove holder or a place for veils. In- stead she found tucked away in the soft | lined satchet-perfumed fold twelve long, white envelopes, each one sealed and bear- | Ing on the point of the overlap the name of a month in decorative lettering, all the way from January to December. On the ad- dress side there were legends and markings for the events of each month; January, the wish for the New Year; February, ot. Val- | entine; her birthday in March; Easter or ; May day, each with some personal refer- | ence to the layout of her own life as it seemed probable it was to be. In her Paris pension life the opening of the envelope at the beginning of each month was a glad surprise, for inside was always some unique and thoughtful filling—a pretty necktie, a | Yell, a pair of gloves, a set of photographs | taken at the spot they loved so well when | the summer was passed. It had taken some | thought and time and extra effort to do | this, but it was worth it in the pleasure and tender appreciation it stirred in the heart of the girl far away. —_—_—__-.__ Self-respect is a good deal like one’s ap- pendix—you scarcely know you've got it till it's gone.—Life. ——_—__+e+—____ “We Who Have Died Salute Thee!” From Life. HOUSEHOLD HINTS Grand Rush Now to Finish the Gift Making. NEW WAYS T0 GIVE PRESENTS Christmas Dinner in England With Roasted Goose. THE CHILDREN’S BOOKS While every housekeeper realizes that it would have been eminently sensible and proper for her to have garnered in her Christmas preserts a month ago, saving the grand rush there last busy days, her failure to have done so is but another ex- ample of the weakness of the flesh, out- weighing the willingness of the spirit. Althougi fires, floods and pestilence have been mercifully spared her, minor disabili- ties have been effectual in disposing of every surplus moment. But old Father Tin.e has taken no notice of these various hindrances, and, ready or not, Christmas will be here on schedule time. But “moth- er” wiil be ready. Cailing all her energies into play, she “Scorns delights, And lives laborious days’ until Christmas eve sees the last package tied, marked and ready for distribution. Regarding the various ways of dispens- ing gifts.—While the majority of families hcose either of the two orthodox and tra- aitioual methods of distributing the Christ- mas presents on a gaily deccrated tree, or in the stockings hung in the chimney cor- her, to receive tke bounty of Santa Claus, there are others who like variety in gift- giving, and for these a few suggestions are effered. Have all the gifts done up in packages, labeled, and put in a hamper or trunk, covered with cciton batting, and bound with ropes of evergreen. Line the inside of the cover with green cambric, and put upon it a star cut from sheet wadding or gilt paper, cr the words, “Merry Christ- mas.” The hamper may be drawn in on a sleigh by two or three chiidren, disguised as remdeer, while Santa Claus appears to direct the distribution of the gifts. An- other way is to put all the presents, care- fully labeled, in an immense stocking of red canton flannel or gay striped outing el, lacing down from the center of the riy to the toe. This Brobdignagian stocking may be suspended from a stout hook in the doorway; and when all the family are assembled be gradually unlaced and its contents distributed; or the pres- ents may be piaced in the chairs and around the plates at the Christmas break- t table—if a cold breakfast can be borne Still another Chri custom is that of the mas ladder—especially if the family includes a small and agile boy given to acrobatic feats. If a short ladder, to lean the parlor wall, is not feasible, a ider is quite as effectual. Cover the ides and steps with greens and suspend presents from every vantage point, ving, however, a path for the smail dis- but flying feet. A simple a ive way of distribu- tion is to make a cozy corner booth, util- izing sereens or cloth e as a barrier, from behind which Santa Claus may dis- pense his w: Eut, whatever the particular plan may be, be sure that light and warmth, bright faces and good cheer do their part toward fostering Yhe Christmas spirit, without which we suffer irreparable loss, In the way of home-made gifts, In the first place, there are bags; bags cf high and bags of low degree—exquisite workbags of gorgeous brocades, with cval-shaped, stiff bottoms, wire frames, wound with chenille, te match the brocade, to support the full- nh above, and cord of the same shade io draw it together. Inside are all the com- partments for thimble, scissors, emery, needles, etc. Then there are laundry bags, shoe bags, dusting bags, scrap bags, button begs, pattern bags, paper and string bags, made of blue denim, bound with white braid and outlined with the name cf the contents of the bag. There are also a large assortment of hand-painted dinner cards, singly and in sets; with floral designs, Christmas and New Year fancies, and the newest thing out in that line, little marine sketches, to be used at farewell dinners for prospective voyageurs. In hand-painted china there are a num- ber of odd pieces that find ready accep- tance. An oval honey bowl, shaped like a beehive, with cover, is appropriately dec- orated with sprigs of red clover; a lovely little pap bowl for baby, made also with a cover to keep its contents warm, has yel- low cowslips scattered over it; while a quaint little mustard pot, standing on a grape leaf, has yellow mustard blossoms for its decoration. The little china cups, decorated with bachelor buttons, for hold- ing collar buttons, are so popular as gifts for gentlemen that it ts almost impossible to supply the demand. In ferneries a new combination of color—old blue and laven- der—makes effective showing. A simple gift, but one that pleases, is the match scratcher. The popular cover to these sand- paper backs consists of a timeworn um- brella, that shelters, yet discloses, a pair of lovers, in rainy day dress. Underneath is the legend: “An old umbrella, though full of patches, Is just the thing for striking matches.” For the children, a new reversible rag Golly offers the superior attraction of a change every day. One side up—Dinah’s honest, black face, in turban, rises peace- fully above her pink print gown and white "kerchief; while a “twist of the wrist’ sends Dinah under cover, and Nancy, in sunbon- net and prim old-fashioned dress, to take her place. This transformation is not dif- ficult, for even an amateur in rag dollmak- ing. This reversible doll, like the “Queen of Spain, has no legs,” but unlike that modest ruler, has a head and arms at either end of her cotton body. Thus equipped with a double skirt, long enough to cover the superfluous head, the dual lady is ready to act her part. Although gifts, decorations and greetings all contribute to make Christmas “merry,” the Christmas dinner, though less elabo- rate than the Thanksgiving, has also an essential part to play in the proper observ- ance of the day. In Great Britain, from whence the most of our Christmas traditional customs have come to us, a fine, fat goose is often served as the piece de resistance of the Christmas feast. If well seasoned and cooked to a turn this makes an exceedingly savory dish; but great care must be taken in its selection, as geese are long-lived—fre- quently attaining the age of a hundred years. “Green geese,” from two to four months old, are considered very choice, and al- ways bring a high price. In selecting a goose some judge its age by the feet, which, they say, must be soft; others by the second joint of the leg, which, they say, must spring back when bent; but the old-fashioned test of our grandmothers, who used to stick a pin in the flesh—to see if it went in easily—is probably as certain as any. As geese are very oily, an old one should be constantly pricked while roast- ing to let out the oil. Onion and potato are the usual stuffing for geese, although apples are frequently used, or orange and onion. ‘When considerable oil is extracted by the roasting process take the pan from the oven and pour off all the ofl. Dredge the goose with flour, add a little hot water and baste often until brown and tender. Serve always with apple sauce. While every wise mother knows that her children’s books should be selected with as much care and discrimination as her chil- dren’s friends, this is a particularly hard thing to do if left until the hurried Christ- mas shopping finds every counter filled three and four deep with other mothers in just as much of a hurry. A most excel- lent plan is to keep a list on hand gathered from book notices and reviews, from the recommendations of friends, or from a visit to the book stores in leisure hours ante- dating the holidays. In preparing all fowls for the table, after the pin feathers are removed scrub the skin thoroughly with warm soapsuds, then rinse with clear cold water and wipe . No one has any idea how dirty the skin of @ fowl is until it emerges from such a bath, with a complexion entirely altered, ELEGANT COSTUMES: Suitable for Wear at a Formal Dinner Party. HAVE A SEMBLANCE OF A TRAIN Velvet is a Popular Material Even for Young Women. DAINTY EVENING WAISTS Special Correspondence of The Evening Sta-. NEW YORK, December 10, 1897. \ PARE CHRYSAD themums: have sup- plied the decorations at many of the fash- jonable dinners given in New York thus far this season. Or- chids and American Beauty roses figure also. Really effective table designs of vio- lets are possible, now that high decorations are ruled absolutely out of order, and the supremacy of the flower is so nearly uni- versal that violet dinners wiil be a matter of course for months to come. Silver candlesticks and candelabra are in order, with silk shades of a color to match the flowers. Ladies’ souvenirs at one or two recent affairs have been so costly that the giving of a formal dinner party is likely to rank in the near future as an even more formidable task than the aspiring hostess has been wont to consider it. Gold bangle bracelets of original designs ordered for the occa- sion are examples in pvint. Nearly all the new dinner gowns put up some bluff in the matter of the train. A skirt not rounded down in the back to some extent is deplorably out of date. A skirt which touches the floor may pass muster, but a “real” train is more modish. Clinging Skirts, All dinner skirts are elose-fitting. They may be said to cling: They increase appre- cisbly the number of fashionably clad peo- ple that can be seated comfortably about a table, ‘The dinner bodice has'a medium blouse effect, though there are draped bodices that are pretty. They arg usuhlly square neck- ed. Many are extremely decollete. The sleeve of the’ dinner dress may be long, close-fitting and transparent; or it may be of elbow length, tight and finished with lace ruffles; or it may be short—a meager handful of ruffles: or puffs; or, it the dress of velvet, it:may be an em- broidered strap over the shoulder. Velvet is considered an‘appropriate ma- terial, even tor very; young women, and is best liked in black, gray; white, green or turquoise blue. A velvet skirt is often in- nocent of trimming; oftener it is embroide: ed with flowers worked in chenille or sil the flowers are padded and so raised a good deal above the surface of the material. Old point lace is the best bodice trimming for a velvet gown. A woman who has a suffi- cient quantity of fine lace at her disposal can have an ideal dinner dress of velvet with a panel skirt front of lace, either draped or set on in ruffles. The sides of the skirt are most conventionally turned back in revers, but a good dressmaker produces a more original effect by lapping them over. Handsome Materials. Other desirable materials for dinner dresses are plain or brocaded satins and corded silks. Deep rose tones, vivid reds and flaming orange are colors high in £1 vcr. The most delicate tints of silver, pale blue and gray are admired just as heartily. There is no standard of judgment or rea- son for preference except the taste of the wearer. Satin dresses ure embroidered with chenille, quite in the fashion of velvet ones, but embroidery with jewels is as cor- rect, perhaps more so. Gold, silver and steel are used in quantities that would bankrupt the Klordike, if the gilitte stuff were all genuine. Turquoise has be- come too common to keep its position much longer. The favorite gems of the month are opals and pearls. Neapolitan ccral is used largely. The universally popular dinner dress in London is black net, glittering from neck to hem with trails of flowers in jet, silver or gold. A tall beauty has exploited a gown of this sort on the stage in New York lately, and the fashion may become as gencral here. At present dinner dresses of thin stuffs are more fluffy. Mousseline de soie, crepe de chine, chiffon and net are used as freely for dinner wear as for fall gowns. Debutantes wear silk muslin over taffeta and venture on tulle, though chis latter material is reserved for skirts at least raore carefully than the others for dances. All lace gowns are as desirable as any to be procured. Pretty Evening Waists. At less stately dinner parties the pretty evening waists sold at the shops and de- signed for use with silk and satin skirts are appropriate wear. With women of moderate means these are to a certain ex- tent supplanting the dinner gowns. Given one smartly cut skirt, two or three dainty bedices give the effect of as many totally different costumes. Dinner corsages are to be bought this winter in velvet, silk or moire satin, but the prettiest are in chiffon or tulle. Where a blouse effect is not aimed at, the tulle is put on over the tight-fitting lining with full draped effects, and the shoulder straps are trimmed high. Hori- zontal trimmings sre used; narrow pufts separated by velvet are in favor. Cream- colored mousseline cver blue satin and pink chiffon over pink satin are two combina- tions that I remember. Both these waists were embellished with black velvet rib- bons. Low-cut corsages of this sort are apt to be the lowest cu, of any corsages worn. The neck ee ‘48 square. The informa] dinnét cals for a high even- ing waist, and modpis of this variety are plenty and pretty. Th long or to the elbows, aid the cut varies little from the low, bodies except In the neck particular. A‘ handsome example is of pale blue and white ‘brocade, cut as a smart coat basque ayer a waistcoat of pale sleeves may be blue chiffon, with 's of gaging. There is a large square collir cofered with cream lue velvet. The re of gaged chif- fon. If the regulatign sif{ or satin skirt is not available a w: of this kind makes a good cloth skirt mugh moe presentable. Favorite Ornaments. Dog collars of ai dor pearls are the favorite dinner ornaments with women who can command them. Handsome jeweled pins, as many as you like, are stuck on the bodice front. The hair is dressed on the very top of the head, but hairdressers say that it will tumble to the nape of the neck almost im- mediately. It is waved a little at the sides and turned back from the forehead. Louis XVI bows in diamonds are the proper hair ornaments. These are copied in cut steel and are made up also of velvet ribbons. Each bow carries an osprey in white or col- ors. When it comes to picking out individual for comment I think first of a simple toilet worn at a small dinner a bd ete ago. It was 2 e pale rose lace, striped with black, an @ square bodice, made full and closing at the left side under a pretty looping of lace, The guipure. The belt js of long transparent gléeves Tose velvet waistband was finished with bows and ends in front. The elbow sleeves were tight and finished with frillings. Some Elegant Costumes. At a more stately affair a handsome matron wore recently a rich white moire striped with blue. A peculiarity of this dress, and one needing careful handling to make it thoroughly successful, was the different coloring of the bodice and the train, which were of white silk with broad black stripings. The short sleeves were of black and white lace. There were garni- tures of roses. Still a third striped costume was of white moire, with pink bands. This dress was noticeable for large revers covered with pink and white embroidered chiffon, and edged with white lace and sable fur. The bow bodice was decked with lace and fur epaulets and was finished with a pale pink velvet waistbard. It had leng, trans- parent pink and white chiffon sleeves. A semi-train dinner Gress was of tur- quoise blue velvet, edged with silver em- broidery. The low velvet bodice was draped in front and trimmed with silver and lace frills. A princess tunic of white mousseline elaborately embroidered was draped over the velvet and was bordered with a deep flounce of exquisite lace. There were short puffed sleeves. Roses were fastened to the ieft shoulder and in the hair. ELLEN OSBORN. a THE BRAVERY OF WOMEN. Their Heroism Shown in Saving Hu- man Life. From the Springfield Republican. That women are capable of rising to an emergency and showing as great bravery as the other sex has been proved so often that it is with no attempt at argument that we relate one or two records of wom- an’s heroism in trying circumstances. Women are less often, perhaps, placed in positions calling for physical strength and courage than are men, hence these few an- ecdotes: e of interest. The dowager Queen Pia of Portugal, who is as fine a swimmer as the queen regent of i Household Words, pe: badge, won by her having at La scme ye ago, swam out into fully dressed, and res whose boat had been ci In an Irish adventure chronic! young lady distinguished he heroic act, quite putting to sham en of the party. Some ung men and women were taking an e ramble near Claudy, County Derry, when a young man from i » to marry one of the gir ting in cross- ing a wooden bridge over the River Fan: and fell into 20 feet of w . The girl, tracted by the terr ence, sought the men around her to rescue him, but in vain—none of them was willing to risk almost certain death. Her lover had come to the surface for the third = time, when she leaped into the ri If, and clutching the now exhaus E th one hand, managed with great difficul- ty to swim to the riverside, where hands now willing enough, received the Something of the same kind took place at Canterbury. While oung miller w assisting Miss Mason, daughter of the ex- mayor of Canterbury, to launch a canoe, he accidentally fell into the river at a spot just above the floodgates of the Black Mall, where the water is very deep. He could not swim, and Miss Mason, who is noted locally as a splendid swimmer, unhesitat- Ingly plunged in and managed to keep him above water until ‘tance came, and both were brought safely to shore. A very touching instance of the devotion of a mother occurred at Colchester. The wife of a sergeant-major of the King’s Dragoon guards was wheeling her baby in a perambulator in the cavalry barracks when the carriage and its occunant were knocked down by a restive horse ridden by a soldier. The mother crawled on her hands and knees and had scarcely covered the in- fant with her body when the horse backed and trampled on her. The brave woman had several ribs broken and her right lung injured, while her face was much cut and bruised. She was taken to the hospital in a critical state, while the child, which would certairly have been killed but for the mother’s prompt and devoted heroism, escaped with only a shaking. See eee oan Fancy Bonnets, From Harper’s Bazar, Bonnets are supposed to be for more formal occasions than hats, but It is diffi- cult in these days to decide what con- stitutes the difference between hat and bonnet, as strings are rarely seen except- ing on the regular close shapes worn by older women. Most minute are those to be worn to the theater. A small piece of velvet exquisitely embroidered in bright stones is twisted into some odd shape that just covers the top of the head. Directly in the center is placed a white aigrette with a jeweled buckle, and the bonnet 1s finished. There are some which consist only of twisted loops of ribbon; others have a band of shaded roses behind a velvet bow, but all are exceedingly small. Larger and more effective, and to be worn at receptions, are also embroidered velvet bonnets with white tips and a soft roll of velvet about the face. Some in lace and velvet are in many respects like a Charlotte Corday cap. White and all the light-colored velvets are used, and the jeweled work upon them is exceedingly rich and effective. The white ostrich tips are put differently to suit different faces. Sometimes there will be the three Prince of Wales tips, again just one—that a per- fect feather—or a bunch of two, but they must always be put in to give height and a smart look. All black bonnets are, and always will be, very smart. A charming and favorite style is made of bows of ribbon velvet fastened in the center with a flat buckle of rhinestones. At the back two large ro- settes of black mirror plush, each with a flat buckle in the center, finish the bonnet. Another style is in cap shape, with the bow covering the front, but the bow is of satin. Where economy has to be consulted these bonnets are the best investment, for they are smart enough for reception and even theater wear, and yet do not look conspicuous in the street. +00. Prepared for Winter. From the Youth's Companion. Teachers in the public schools of a large city hear many stories, some of them amusing, some of them pathetic. A young woman who teaches in a kindergarten in Boston, upon learning that one of her Jittle pupils was sick, went to visit her. The teacher had been to Katie’s home be- fore, and so had no difficulty in finding the two little rooms at the top of a tenement house where Katie and her mother lived. The mother was absent, and Katie, well wrapped up, was sitting up in bed. After the usual inquiries and condolences, the teacher noticed that the little girl seemed to speak with some difficulty, and said: “Katie, I am going to examine your lungs.” 2 “Yes’m,” responded the child, dutifully, and Miss C. began to loosen the child's waist. After removing it, she found layer after layer of flannel, which she unfastened with some difficulty. Satisfying herself that there was no danger of pneumonia, she be- gan to replace the child’s dress, when Katie began to cry. “My mother’li be awful mad at you when she gets home and finds what you've done.” “Why, Katie, what have-I done?” “You've unfastened all my flannels, and ma had just got me sewed up for the win- ter.” ” + 0+ Jastly Punished. From the Chicago Post. ef “And will he never be allowed out of here?” asked the visitor. whe “Never,” replied Satan. “His crime one of the unpardonable ones.” “What was it?” : “He refused to get a new coal hole cover when the one in his walk became as smooth and slippery as glare ice.” Not to be fooled. “Often agents and others try to convince me that other brands of baking powders are ‘as good as Cleveland's’ but I am not to be deceived. I have the best and use no other. When my friends ask me what baking powder I use I always tell them Cleveland’s. I can use that in the dark or with my eyes shut and be sure of the same happy result.”—Mrs. M. H. B. There is only one @leveland’s Baking Powder. FOR UP-TO-DATE WOMEN You Can Almost Skate on Thin Ice if Dressed Well, A Hunting Outfit in Wood-Brown Tones — Has Pockets for Small Game. Although winter has not so far favored us with any keen blasts, yet one always expects at least a little “skating weather” for the holidays, and a gown in which to glide over the smooth ice must be prepar- ed, with the hope that it may see good service during Christmas week. The regulation skating rig has a skirt very much hke the golf skirt. It is 37, 38 or 39 inches long, according to the height of the w the rule being that it shall be about four inches shorter than walking length. It is filted snugly about the hips and flares very much about the bottom, being, even in thcse days of narrower ts, at least four and a half yards wide, and oftener five. It is usually of double- faced cloth, either rough or smooth, ac- ccrding to the fancy of the wearer, and is quilted about the bottom. The jacket is a modified Norfolk, the pleats sdtched down, and there is a slight blouse effect in front. The plain coat » is so modest in the matter of full- s that care must be taken to procure or have made a shirt waist with the most retiring sleeves compatible with the pres- ent era in the contraction of arm cover- ings. O1 may wear a tightly fitted waistcoat of some contrasting material un- der the jacket. But we cannot all afford to buy or have made gowns pcially designed for this most delightful pastime, the season for which seems to grow more fleeting fiom r to year, as our winters change from cold and dry to warm and fozgy. Happy © who has a golf gown. The skirt will be ex: ly right and most warm apd comfortable, while her bright red coat will be a delightful bit of color on a cold winter's day. The proper hat for a complement to a skating gown is a toque of velvet or cloth, often with an edging of fur. The green gown described above had a toque of green velvet, hunter’s green, with white wings on the left side. Deerskins for Dears. Skaters of exrerience all have different ideas as to gloves, although a lined glove of deerskin is very warm. Castor gloves in gray or tan are worn for all occasions on which a heavy glove is needed, and are extremely smart. A small muff, not one of the scoop variety, which are at present struggling with the more modest size for precedence, is a great comfort, and held in place by a chain, or a broad ribbon it interferes little with a trim appearance. Shoes are another mooted question. A skater of experience declared last week that on no account would she skate in a laced shoe, she preferred buttons, and had cut her skate straps out so that they fitted in between the buttons of her shoes. She was rallied on her preference for buttons coinciding so suspiciously with the present caprice which makes it almost impossible to find a local boot in a good shop, unless one has it made to order. But she declared stoutly she had always preferred them. Therefore, laced shoes cannot be recom- mended for every one. Yet the consensus of opinion still remains that a pair of shoes especially purchased for skating, to which the skates are permanently screwed, are safest and most speedy. While the woman who expects to stay at home and brave any cold weather which may be sent us, consoling herself with win- ter’s sports, is preparing her skating gown in the intervals of her Christmas shopping, another woman is buying gowns more adapted to the mild winters of the southern resorts, and the out of door sports of a gentler clime. Swell Hunting Gown. One lucky woman who starts next week with her husband, several horses and some fine hunting dogs, expects to spend several months in the woods. Her hunting gown has just been completed. It is of wood- brown corduroy, and is in three pieces. A pair of riding trousers, buttoned up the sides, are worn under a short five-gored skirt of corduroy, which fits tightly over the hips and then flares slightly, giving freedom of movement. Her hunting coat is also of corduroy, double breasted and over eighteen inches long. It has a full complement of generous pockets for the small game she confidently expects to bag. With the gown fs an accordian-pleated red silk shirt waist and a hunting stock of white. But there are also several flannel shirt waists to be worn on days when the red would seem unsportsmanlike on ac- count of its dressiness. A pair of hunting boots, made exactly like a man’s only much smaller, of course, meet the riding trousers and guard against brambles. An Alpine hat of brown, with two red quills on the left side, and heavy gloves, complete the tailor’s work on her outfit.’ The guns, bags, etc., are quite out- side of his province. MABEL BOYD. ES es A PRETTY CHRISTMAS GIFT. Ornamental Book Covers That Are Dainty and Useful. Mary J. Safford in Harper's Bazar. With Christmas drawing near, every one is eager to enjoy the delight of giving some tangible proof of remembrance, but, alas! the list of friends is often long and the supply of money in the purse short. How to make these two ends meet is a problem confronting many a woman. Per- haps the “book cover” may solve it for some who desire to have their tokens bear Hard Hit. Miranda (oh! so deeply in love)—"T can’t suspense no longer! Ask her if is failures.” evidence of the persorel touch which ig often so precious. Publishers are supplying really choice books at marvelously low prices, and what gift is more welcome than a well-chosen book? How to give it that personal touch which shall transform it from one of five thousand similar volumes to the one se. lected with loving thought of the friend special tastes! For this choose “art lin- en” in any of the shades that will best harmonize with the reom on whose ble it is to find a resting place. The embroid- ery may be as elaborate as skill and time will permit—the monogram of the future owner on one side and a conventional de- sign on the other. But a very effective decoration, which can be accomplished in a short time by fingers which have had raining, is to powder the cover with done with white Roman or any heavy silk, or with white Mnen thread. Make the stitches a quarter of an inch long—each one forming a ray— working from a center, which can be in- dicated by a dot of wnite chalk. Another pretty decoration, which can be easily aged by people at a distance from amping” establishments, is accomplished drawing a number of circles—a small spool will serve for a guide—irregularly over the linen, and connecting these circles by diagonal lines, easily done with the help of a ruler. A more eclaborate effect is given by varying the size of the circles. For a young girl, fond of dainty sur- roundings, a white linen cover worked with tiny flowers In a variety of colors, known as the “Dresden style,” would be appro- priate,and though it might soll easily, if re- le wash silk is used, a visit to the jaundry will make is as good new. Prettier still, 1 color in which her reom is done up’ is known, would be flowers chosen to match—buttercups, wild -get-me-no' are made quite loose, in the y that paper is cut to cover chil- school books, and it is w a strap of Mnen, about two in fastened in the middle of the top bottom of the cover, on both sides, to hold them more firmly in place. Those who can use the brush cat very charming covers of paper, deco with holly and mistletoe, suggestive of the son, or with any flower which may have but th some special association course, will t only a short time. eae THE QUEEN'S PURSUITS. She Haw Enjoyed Music and Drawing and Light Literature. From Holmes’ “Queen Victoria.’ During the whcle of her long life, in the midst of public business which has daily become more voluminous and exacting, the queen has never entirely abandoned the pursuits which were the pleasure and re- laxation of her earliest years. Mention has been made of her practice of music and of her instructors, and here it may be noted that within the last fifteen years her maj- esty has sung with Signor Tosti, as at an earlier period she sang with Lablache and Mendelssohn. In all the extracts from the queen's journals which have from time to time been made public, it will have been noted how constantly she meations that she sketched the scenery of the places visited by her. The early instruction, given by Westail and supplemented by the hints oc- casiorally given by Sir E. Landsver, was not in landscape drawing, which was taught by Mr. Lear in 1846 and IM7. Since that time the qveen has taken lessons from Mr. and within the Th Leitch, from Mr. Green. of current events, which hav absorbed the greater part of her time and attention. But her majesty has also made herself imaginative niliar with great writers, with poets, such as Shakespeare, Scott and Tennyson, or with novelists such as Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot and, it may be added, Mrs. Oliphant, whose recent illness and death aroused the queen's deepest sympathy. The queen's ac- quaintance with German and French liter= ature is considerable, and her intimate knowledge of these languages is very no- Uceable in the purity with which she sp2aks them. In the last ten years proof of the warm interest which her maj- esty has alwa: mn in her Indian em- pire has been given by the queen's study of Hindustani, under the instruction of the Munshi Abdul Karim, see All Kinds of Kisses, From Gdds and Ends. The kies, we are told, was a formula of good will among the ancient Romans, and was adopted by the early Christians,whose “holy kiss” and “kies of charity” carried the weight of apostolic sanction. It is usual that the golden cross of the sandal on the pope's right foot should be kissed by rewly created cardinals and by, those to whom an audience is granted, Even royal persons paid this act of hom- age to the vicar cf Christ, Charles V being the last to do so. Men in urctvilized regions kiss the feet of a superior or the ground in front of him, and in ancient times to press the lips to the kree or hem cf a garment was to implcre protection. The Maoris b adopted the custem cf kissing, but the negroes of West Africa refuse to do so, and apparently that which is a medium of so much pieasure to many nations fills them with dislike. Kisses admit of a great variety of char- acter, and there are eight diversities men- tioned in the Scriptures. It is as a sign of reverence and in order to set a sacred seal vpon their vows that witnesses in a court of law, when they are called upon to speak “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” are required to touch the Bible with their lips, as also are soldiers when they enlist and make the oath of alle- giance to Queen Victoria. The pleasant old Christmas custom of a kiss under the mistletoe is a relic of Nos mythology. Baldur, the beautiful god light, was slain by a spear whose shaft was a mistletoe twig. This was bewitched by Loki, the malevolent god of fire, un’ it swelled to the requisite size, and wi given by him to blind Hodur, who threw it, and unintentionally struck Balaur when the gods were at play. Friga had made everything in heaven and earth swear not to harm Baldur, but had left out the mis- tletoe as being too slight and weak to be of harm. Baldur, however, was restored to life, and Friga guarded the mistletoe, which the gods cetermined should not again have power to do any mischief un- less it touched the earth. For this reasom it is always hung from the ceiling and the vigilant goddess propitiated by the kiss, @ sign cf good-will. —_—_+e+—__ Royal Yearly Incomes. From the Durham Observer. The total annual income of the imperia family of Russia cannot be less than threé and a half million pounds sterling. Prob- ably the nearest approach to this revenug is to be found in the combined incomes of the brothers Rockefeller, the ofl kings America, which amount to two and a million pounds. The Austrian imperial family possesses an estimated annual ine come of £1,500,000, the German family cf £1,000,000, and the Italian house Savoy a revenue of £600,000 @ year.