WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 250, 1 March 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen"). THE ABRUZZI-ELKINS ROMANCE. LATE SENATOR'S ATTITUDE. The American newspapers publish an account describing what is accepted in America as the real attitude of the late Senator Elkins in relation to the love romance of his daughter Katlicrine and the Duke of the Abrtizzi. It is furnished by an intimate acquaintance, who enjoyed the confidence of the dead Senator, and has never been published before. According to these friends, he refused to .speak while. Mr. Elkins was alive. The Senator was apprised of his daughter's love for the Duke more than three years ago, and he promptly indicated that if his daughter wished to marry an Italian nobleman he would give his consent. | Eventually, when the Duke of the Abruzzi asked the Senator for his daughter's hand, Mr. Elkins expressed to the Duke his utmost confidence in him, and his belief that Miss Elkins would be happy with him. The Duke went to Italy and consulted his family, and, says the Elkins narrative, instantly there arose the problem of the status at Court of the Duke's wife. The Royal family discussed the, situation, and opposition to the marriage arose. Miss Elkins, it was understood, if she became the bride of the Duke, could assume the title of duchess, but would be debarred from any official position in Court life. The Duke of the Abruzzi argued in vain, so, tinable to move the Royal family, he came to America and consulted the Senator. He suggested to Mr. Elkins that perhaps, after all, Miss Elkins would be satislied without the title of duchess and having no fixed place in the Royal Court. "Is that so?" replied the Senator an-J grily. "Well, I don't care much about my daughter not having the title of duchess, and I don't know that she cares much either; but if my daughter becomes the wife of the Duke of the Abruzzi she will be his wife in every sense of the word. I mean what I say. I don't object to a money settlement, but I want my daughter to be the wife of the man she marries and to hold the same position as a wife that any woman would in my country here. Do you catch my meaning?" The Duke of the Abruzzi confessed that he did. "Well, then, sec what you can do," Senator Elkins replied. Much distress!!.l, the Duke went back to Italj-, and triad to win the Italian Royal family owr to the Senator's view. He repeated what the Senator had promised about the m.iruage portion and also his inexorable innes. The Court was immovable; Miss ElklriS couid not be received as one of ih> family in the sense stipulated by the proud American legislator. Post haste the Duke sped to West Virigina, and somnvful'y rrlated what the Royal family had told him. He impressed Senator Elkins with his sincerity. "Duke, it's no use," exclaimed the father. "I told you what I would do. Now, here's an alternative. If you want to marry my daughter, if you love her, so that you must have her, then why trouble about remaining at the Italian Court? Why not marry her in this country, where we don't bother about Royal proprieties? Why not take her as your American wife, live here, and, if you wish, become an American? If youj marry her here I will keep my word about that settlement. I will give you all the money you need. I will jjut vou in business, and see you never lack *fo7 anything, you and my daughter. Now, it strike me reasonable enough. I know my daughter loves you, and I believe you love her. Now I want to make you both happy. Think it over." Thus ends the Senator's narrative, with the inference that the Duke's loyalty to the Italian King and Court prevailed in the struggle, and that he abandoned the idea of marrying the daughter of the American Senator, whose name had been more than onec mentioned as a presidential possibility.

MURDER SEQUEL. j DAUGHTER DISINHERITED BY HER DEAD MOTHER. Paris, January 12. Readers will remember the trial of the painted Medaille, who was acquitted of the murder of his wife on December 28, and whose daughter, Jeanne Medaille, was the chief witness against him. To-day there was a sensational sequel to this extraordinary trial. Madame Mcdaille's will was opened, and to-niglit all Paris has learned with astonishment that in the will, made by the dead woman not long before her husband shot her dead, and while the mother and father were fignting for the care of their daughter, Mme. Medaille disinherited Mile. Medaille to the full extent allowed by French law.

She left everything she could,to a distant relative in Marseilles, and'solemnly forbade her daughter Jeann<vto he present at her funeral. came too late, for Jeanne Medaille was at the funeral, and her father was in prison when it happened. Paris to-night is arguing and wondernig why the will was made. There is no explanation. There may never be one. but we who were present will never forget, the grimly tragic figure of the sixteen-year-old child in black as she stood at the witness bar pointing her finger to her sobbing father, and accusing him with venom which caused an outbreak of groans in court. Now this child of sixteen has been told in a voice from the tomb that her dead mother did not love her. Jeanne -Mediulle won no sympathy at the trial of her father. To-night there are many in Paris who.se hearts ache for the orphan, whether she be right or wrong. OCTOGENARIAN HUNTSWOMAN. AGED LADY AT A MEET OF THE ATIIERSTOXE. Derby, January 13. The II„u. Mrs. Colvilc, of Lul'lington Hall. Derbyshire, surprised the members of the Athcrstone Hunt yesterday. Although she is eighty-three years of age she followed the hounds on'her favorite mare, which stands sixteen hands, and her seat was as linn and she rode as straight as a girl of eighteen. She declared at, the end of the run that she

had enjoyed the day's sport immensely. Mrs. Colvile is the mother of MajorGeneral Sir H. Colvile, who commanded a division during part of the Boer war and who died in November, 1907, from injuries received in a collision between the motor-cycle he was riding ani a. motor-car at Camberley.

A STRANGE PROPOSAL FEMLNINIST TAKEN AT HER WORD. Paris, January 12. Mile. Helen Miropolsky, the prettiest and one of the cleverest lady lawyers in Paris, received a public proposal of marriage at the conclusion of a lecture she delivered at the Theatre Michel to-day. She had declared that feminism did not drive woman from love and marriage, but that many women who worked as lawyers, doctors and in other professions did so because love had not come their way. "It is unfair," said the lecturer, amid loud applause, "to consider us incapable of love or of marriage because we work for a living." When she sat down a gentleman, who was well known to many people present, rose frsim his stall, and, in front of an I amused and excited audience, made a formal proposal for Mile. Miropolsky's hand in marriage. He was firmly but politely refused.

HAREM v. HOBBLE. THE NEWEST STYLE OF DRESS.. While neither style has much to recommend it, it seems on the whole that tho harem style possesses sensible advantages over the hobble, despite tho fact as cabled from France recently that the pioneer wearers had been mobbed at Toulon. The case is thus presented by '"Lady Charlotte":—"Advocates of the trouser suit defend it from the accusations of those who consider it too unwomanly to be acceptable by declaring that it is far more feminine than the hobble skirt, which it has been designed to supplant. They say that the hobble skirt, with its restricted width, is productive of accidents as well as of an inelegant aspect, while the harem model gives absolute freedom of movement and is extremely comfortable and becoming. But whether the trouser skirt can be as convenient and comfortable as the moderately narrow walking one of ordinary usage is a moot point. The baggy fullness of the harem would appear to be rather cumbersome to the movements. One model has the trousers made of cashmere de soie of a delicate fawn shade with a silver sheen upon it, and at the ankles there are elastic bands by the aid of which the fullness of the fabric can be tightened or expanded ax will. Material to match i- used'for the robe that is worn over tiie tio::scrs. trimmed with Oriental embroidery in shades of green and red, picked but with silver threads; this overskirt is a sort of corselet tunic, cut in two deep points, each point reaching lower than the knee and being weighted with a tassel; at the sides the tunic is shorter, and there, of course, most of the baggy trousers is visible. The whole costume is completed by one of the new shoulder capes, coming midway down the arms, and fastened at one side invisibly, being finally finished with a long tassel. A tassel at the back of each arm is the finish to the very wide open sleeves. If the harem suit t should supplant the trim and quite short hobble skirt without establishing itself as a successor, and we revert to the skirt that touches the ground, or per-haj>sJ»-swT>ep it, there'will be reason "Tor sincere lamentations."

USEFUL HINTS To remove warts, rub frequently with the husk of a broad bean, and they will shortly disappear. New tin dishes arc apt to give a disagreeable taste to everything placed in them unless water and ammonia are first boiled in them.

Spots of cream always spoil the appearance of a tablwlo'th, without actually warranting its despatch to the laundry. If the spots are lightly touched with household ammonia and the stained portion of the cloth ironed over a piece of clean white blotting paper all traces of the grease should vanish. Silver and metal teapots should be as clean and bright inside as out. Stand soda-water in them two or three hours before their weekly clean, then polish thoroughly, and you will keep the inside free from stains!

To clean plaster of Paris, make a thickpaste of starch and water and milk, and apply a heavy coating to the article to be cleansed. Allow it to become perfectly dry, then brush off. Plaster of Paris should never be washed with soap and water.

When making lemon cheese or anything requiring the juice of lemons, if the lemons are allowed to stand in hot water for a few minutes they will yield much better juice. When washing colored articles for the first time, steep them for about ten minutes in cold water in which a handful of common salt has been placed. This prevents the colors running.