Personalities

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 426, 23 June 1904, Page 7

Personalities

/ RICHEST YOUNG WOMAN. • $1)11 HE richest y on H» woman in Europe J ajfAg to day, and one of the rioheßt ia QBb£ the world, ie Mies Antoinette ),, ~ Bertha Krupp, only daughter of the late Herr Krupp, the famouß German Sinmaker. Mißs Krupp inherited a fo*. ne of .£14,000,000, and now has absolute control of the great iron and steel works at Easen. Miss Krupp is an artist of considerable skill. MR GUT BOOTHBT AND THE GHOST Mr Guy Boothby, the well-known author, tells a story of the one and only ghost that he ever encountered. Some years ago he was at work on a Bheep farm in Australia One day he was told cff to go and bury a man who had died that morning. Mr Bocthby rode to the hut, a distance of about twenty-five miles, but it was then dusk. Not wishing to spend the night in the hut with the corpse, he weat out to a sandy spit about two hundred yards away and began to make a little shelter for himself. He was thus occupied when, on looking up at the hut ho saw the door slowly open and the dfad man walk out! Mr Boothby does not mind admitting that he was scared, but he was on the sandy spit and so could not run. The man advanced slowly towaids Mr Boothby, and then beckoned to him to come to him. Mr Boothby was in no mood to do anything of the kind and so remained where he was. Then the ghost put his hands to his month and shouted to Mr Boothby to come up to the hut as the boundary rider' was dead. It was then obvious that the ghost was really a tramp who muet have been there the whole time when Mr Boothby arrived. The man had apparently hidden himself ia the bush and then got into the hut directly after Mr Boothby had left it. Mr Boothby says that is the only time he has ever seen a ghost! THE JEBSEY LILY. It is not considered polite to refer to the matter o£ age when speaking or writing of a lady, and so we can only content our- ! selves with the remark that, whatever j may be the age of Mis Langtry, we are quite certain that she does not look it. Hsr perennial youth and beauty are a source of wonder to everyone, and it may be added, the envy of a good many. Possibly the secret is to be found in the fact that Mrs Langtry does not spend all her time either in a theatre or in the exciting amusement of horse-racing, as some people may possibly imagine. She naturally has a passion for her work, and she finds good recreation among her horses, but she has other tastes. She is a great reader, and nothing delights her more than to get away from the bustle and excitement of stage life and to spend some quiet days in the country. She usually goes to her cottage at Jersey, where she can do a little bathing, a little boating, fishing, walking, and shopping. AN AMERICAN NOVELIST. Mr George W. Cable, the well-known American novelist, is a young man, had many raps and downs At one time he was an errand boy. Then he studied engineering, and while engaged in a surveying expedition caught malarial fever and was laid up for a couple of years, Afterwards we found him writing for the papers. His earliest success was made with some sketches of Creole life. Speaking one day about the functions of a novelist, he said, ' It is the first duty of a novelist to know all about his own country, and I've been all over America.' And on another occasion he said : ' Fiction is a study of life, and not of tongue.' His fiist book was published in 1879 and entitled 'Old Creole days,' while his latest is only jußt out. SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT, Sir William George Granville Venabies Vernon Harcourt has reached his seventysixth birthday. His career as a politician is too well known to need any mention here. We may remind our readers, however, that as a young man Sir William achieved some distinction by his letters to the 'Times* over the signature of • Hiatoricußj' He was also a notable 'Saturday Reviewer'' He rapidly worked tp a splendid practice at the Parliamentary Bar, and it is said that he sacrificed an income oi J214;O0O a year to spend years in Opposition without any income what&ver. His sensational Budget of 1884, which equalised the death duties on real and personal property and exempted large sections of the poorer classes from payment of income tax, will long be lemembered. Sir William's best qualities as a speaker aie his clearness of exposition, his unfailing fluency, bis masterly array of forcible aVgument, and the fact that he never allows his eloquence to soar over the heads of his audience. «GEORGE LLOYD.' Probably no one will be more amused at an incident that recently occurred at a police-court than Mr Lloyd-George who, as is well known, dearly loves a joke. A man was summoned by a lady who declared that he was detaining a valuable French bulldog and puppy belonging t® her. The name of the dog was George Lloyd, and, such is the fame of tbe politician, that two or three times the solicitors in the case called the dog LlojdGeorge. KiNG OF SLRVIA'S MARRIAGE. As is well known, the new Sing of Servia married Princess Zorka, the eldest daughter of the Prince of Montenegro, and his supporters in Germaay are bow spreading a story of his marriage which is more romantic than exact. Pater Karageorgevitch served as a volunteer with the Montenegrins during the Turkish war, and toward the end of the struggle the Turks captured Prince Nicholas's camp and carried off his daughter. Peter at once got together his followers and Btarted in pursuit. Coming up with the Turke he attacked them with the greatest fury, and with his own hand slew the soldiers who were carrying off the Princess. The Priace of Montenegro, delighted at the rescue of his daughter, asked the gallant Peter how he cou'd reward him, but Sorka, throwing herself into her father's arms, exclaimed,' Father, let me be his reward !" Princess Zorka had before hardly knows Peter Karageorgevitch, but his desperate valour had made hex fall violently in love with him, like a princess in a fairy tale.