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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 1914)
The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Pao . - ?" - . is" ... - o v.. How the Ambitious Bruguieres Spent Millions to Get Into Newport and Lost Millions Getting Out When Per fectly Gorgeous Sister-ill-Law Appeared Newport, September 22. IS IT possible for a woman to be too beautiful? Can pulchritude be a curse, rather than a blessing? Some brave person asked Mrs. Emlle Brugulere. once of San Francisco, twice of New York and three or four times of Newport, but now of Paris, this question. And that handsome, dark-eyed mother or Louis le Grand, Pedar and Emil sighed and said: "Yes, ineed. We as a family have been cursed by too great a beauty. It was not ours by birth; it married into the family, alas, and our sorrows have been many." Which means that the Brugulere family have found that the rare and striking beauty possessed by Mrs. Pedar Brugulere has been a great drawback to their own social ambitions. It is a very interesting, a very moving tale, this tale of the Bruguieres, and how they almost won, then entirely lost Newport. They would have won hands down, had it not been for Mrs. Pedar's fatal beauty. In their struggling Journey from the Pacific Coast to the top of the .Newport cliffs, they had many rebuffs, but being patient and more than willing to spend money like flifty-cents-a-gallon claret, they were well on the road to victory when but let us begin at the beginning, and trace their rises and falls throughout these ten years. Once upon a time, as all fairy stories about beautiful .princesses and gallant princes begin, there arrived in . Newport a most debonair and gracious personage who Introduced himself as Louis Brugulere, multi-millionaire . of California. Newport was then, as ever, in need of good-looking, well-dowered bachelors,' and Louis was taken to its breast. There were any number of unat tached girls who needed husbands, and while being taken to Its breast did not necessarily mean that New. -. port . would accept him matrimonially, still It helped ' quite a lot. In the beginning the matrons, Mrs. Peter Martin, Mrs. . Hermann Oelrichs, Mrs. Willie Carter that was, and Mrs. . Ava Willing Alitor, kept Louis to heel very cleverly.' It - was as though they wanted to test him out before handing him over to the "buds." At this time Louis had no "family." He spoke regu larly ohls mother and his brothers and of his Western estates, but for two years he bloomed alone. Then, feel ing that he was thoroughly a part of the Newport set, he announced that he Intended to build a splendid man sion, bring his mother and brothers to Newport and be- come a really truly resident of the little State of Rhode Island. ... Newport raised its eyes. "A mother? I did not know he had -a mother. Did you?" asked one scandalized dame of another. "No, I did not know it, but then, everybody does have . mothers, , my dear. Oh, yes, my dear, I knew that our charming Louis had a father, but he is dead." Thus spake Newport- And then it preserved a period of watchful waiting. It preserved it for some time ' Louis le Grand, as Newport now called him, did not buy his land In a hurry. He proved that he had inherited some of the sagacity of his Dutch grandfather, from . whom the Brugulere millions came. , While he was looking about, he Imported his brother .Emil, a bald headed person with dreamy eyes, and a noble forehead.. Emil tpok himself seriously. "Yes," h whispered "loudly In' Newport's shell-pink ears; "I er 4 er am a writer, a play writer, In fact I've written oh, many plays." "Oh. have you?" gushed Newport. "I wonder If I have seen any of them." (Business of looking bored on part of Emil.) "Ob, no; you have never seen any of them. They are dell cate, ethereal creations, these children of my brain. I could not let them be produced before a vulgar, com ,mon crowd. They are only for the favored few. Per haps you will let me read one to you." Newport stood Emil Just one week, and then dropped ' him. ':' y ' "We can stand you, Louis; but not your brother. He - is too intellectual for us," said Newport. Emil got even with Newport, however. Only, alas, in venting his ill-humor he almost cost Louis his foothold ' on Newport. A few months after that unfortunate visit to the proud city on the cliffs, Louis sent invita tions to his very dear friends to attend a first night per formance of Brother Emll's play, "Baroness Fiddle sticks." The first four rows of the orchestra were filled with bejeweled Newport dames, and Harry Lehr and Louis le Grand and other men. Horrors! Nearly every speech held a gibe at some Newporter! Harry Lehr turned purple when he saw himself portrayed in a most life-like manner. Mrs. Oliver Belmont fainted. Mrs. Astor had hyster ics. It was pretty awful. Louis silent days explaining that the Jokes were put in without Emil's knowledge, but no one believed him. The next Summer Louis did not buy his Newport estate! He went to Paris and stayed, waiting for New port to forget. Well, Newport did forget, mainly because Laura Swan. Elisha Dyer's step-daughter, was very much interested in Louis, and the Dyers thought it would be nice It Laura captured Louis. So after the Newport season closed Mrs. Dyer took Laura to Paris and intimated to Louis that Newport would receive him the next season. And it did. Louis arrived, more grand than ever, and finally, after examining every free inch of Newport land, he bought several acres out in Coddington Point. Miss Swan approved bis purchase and helped him with the plans. "The young Lochlnvar from the West has captured the captious Laura," whispered Mrs. B to Mrs. C as they met at the Casino. The bouse was built, and Just ready to be furnished when the San Francisco- Are bowled Louis over, and even Newport did not see how he could "come back." It grew cold to him, and Miss Swan became actually frigid. Gradually, however, Mother Brugulere realized on some properties which the fire had not , ' . f He did know how to get touched, and tha beautiful house on the bay was par tially furnished. Louis gave Jolly parties, people to enjoy themselves. "I think it's lovely out here." lisped Mildred Sher man, who was then taking Laura Swan's place. "It's such fun not to have to be careful of the furniture!" The big dining room and hall were almost bare, and were great places for dances and romps. But a house without furniture did not appeal to the William Watts Shermans for their daughter, and they did their best to keep1 the young Lochlnvar on the other side of their front gate. Newport decided, however, that Louis should be ac cepted. Was he not the owner of a million-dollar house? Was he not entertaining and handsome? "Very good; we will call Louis our very own," said the dames who control society's receiving station. Everything did indeed look roseate for the Bru guleres! They had made Newport, for by this time Mrs. Brugulere, Louis's handsome mother, had come East and was living with him. And now in this scene of domestic and social bliss enters the lady who was too beautiful! It was a notably gay aeason, and the gayety began Louis la Grand Brujpriere, Now Fighting with x the French. r ' -v x x Mrs. Pedar Bru&uiere, Whose Beauty . Balked the Social ' Flam of Her Family-in-LaH . I : : t j' , , .. ,(,!.-.. : ' . ' (' J j' v,, - :' i..:, , 1 !..:;".'. . - :-. - . V?V l .'V- .. ,vn.,.. , . ... . : V ....4-. I : ' i 1 , ... , . ' ' ' ., ....... t .4- . . ' ' ' - Us:, UU Mid witt)-.iaifcfiiw,i.,-,-fii L . i-- ' ; . .;:.:..:.";,: . ' V ; . - ;l iwwMntii 6 s m w m i miUm i n mmm&jrbiJit t rr. BBh wr m. iiffn -r-aoirf!, &JizaiMnmi ttiirn. . m-Utam m .urn, jwsmi 4. jnumMM i .M.a.ii. m star sag-J Lady Camoys, Who as Mildred Sherman Was One of the Many Girls Who Failed Louis le Grand. early, Jlmmle Van Alen' came back from England, Al fred Vanderbllt was Just happily divorced, William P. Burden was lightening his mourning and all Newport was ready to have the time of its life. The Bruguieres were in residence In their almost-furnished house, the Astors, Belmonts,- Lehrs, Carters, Dyers et al. were also in residence. And than appeared the beautiful stranger. She was tall, svelte, bewltchlngly beautiful and de murely lovely. "Who 'is the new beauty?" asked Mrs. B of Tommy T . "A Mrs. Pedar Brugulere, Louis's sister-in-law. She is a rippln' beauty, isn't she?" Mrs. B stiffened. "She is pretty, but I did not know that Louis had a sister-in-law. How did it hap pen?" Tommy T kept one pale eye on the new beauty as he explained to Mrs. B . "You see, they did not realize that she was his sister-in-law! Sounds fishy? Just wait. She was Mar yon Andrews, a great beauty. She married Pedar Brugulere, Louis's oldest brother, the first Summer he came here! Pedar had already been divorced. That's why we never heard of him, I guess." (Business of looking wise on Mrs. B 's part.) "Well, this beauty and Pedar lived together two years; then she left him, taking her baby son with her. Bru gulere waited two years, then went to Reno, got a di vorce and married again!" (Business of looking perfectly scandalized on Mrs. B 's part.) Tommy continued: "Then the beauty fell in love with Stewart Denning, of New York, and married him.. After several months she discovered that her marriage was not valid. She left Denning, retook the name of Brugulere and well, here she is. And a beauty that Newport can't beat!" And here Tommy slid off to fall at the beauty's feet, knocking over James J. Van Alen, Esquire, and several other 'squires in his haste. it was the last blow. The Bruguieres had been able to overcome everything but this! Newport dropped them completely when the beautiful Mrs. Pedar showed her success at drawing about her every eligible man! And many of the married ones, too. She could not help it. Her beauty, her charm, ber wit, placed her in a class by herself, and the other women simply had no chance at all. Louis and his mother did their best to counteract their near-relative's fatal charm, but the curse was too The Wonderful Bruguiere "Cottage" at Newport That Cost a Half Million and Sold for $290,000 After the Family Gave Up Their Social Campaijr loep. Newport dropped "Castlewood" and its inmate from Its good books. "She takes every man away fro us! Why, she doesn't even leave ua Jlmmle Parker (aged eighty-five). The entire Bruglere family left Newport that Fall, went to Parti, and have neve? returned. Even the present war has not drives them to thli country They would hav made a new try at Newport last year, Ibut 1 a t e b t m n t C went wrong, an they had to morfc gage that lovely nei house. In August being unable to keeg up the Interest or the mortgage, tha place was sold undei the hammer. . This million-dollar man slon, filled (finally) with furniture 'thai cost halt a million, was sold for twenty thousand dollars, f 15.000 less than the mortgage! Was there ever a greater debacle? A million-dollar .bouse, hundreds of thou sands spent In these years for entertain ing, and all lost be cause Mrs. roa Bruglere was really too beautiful! And now they're all back in that dear Pari.' "jf.v Why Ice Is Probably Not to Blame for Much Disease. ENTY-F1VE or thirty years been positively proved that an epl ago science discovered that demlc was caused by the germs in disease germs can stand very ico. low temperatures, and that even freezing often falls to kill tlirm. For this reason, it was suspected that the spread of many diseases might be due to the use of ice which had been made from polluted water and in which a large number of germs still survived. Most physi cians felt that this suspicion was well founded, and advised the pub lic against eating or drinking any thing which had been in direct con lack with Ice, no matter how clean and pure it looked. There are two kinds of Ice natural and artificial. A good deal of natural ice undoubtedly comes from ponds or rivers, which have been polluted by sewage or In other ways. Hut there are a number of reasons why ice made from such water is probubly safe to use, so long as it looks clean aud clear. In the first place, bacteriologists have found that as water crystallizes Into ice a large part of the bacteria and other foreign substances, the liquid originally contained are forced factor in making ice safe for us to use la that of time. The longer the tlnio which elapses between the In fection of the water and its use as water or ice, the smaller the chance of the survival of germs. Germs which are not killed by the first chilling usually succumb after being cans of water are immersed In the freezing mixture. As the freezing proceeds, the impurities are forced toward the centre. In another of the newer methods, large cans are used, and the cakes of Ice are out lntc smaller ones, eliminating the dirty core. By still another new "can" method, the impurities are expelled kept at the freezing point for several into about six inches of water kepi weeks or months. This is why liquid by agitation, natural ice is collected and stored for In the "plate" method, the water several mouths before shipment, is is contained in large tanks, on one to be preferred to the artificial, side of which are pipes containing which Is usually marketed soon after the freezing mixture. The water It is made. freezes next the pipes in plates But except for this maclilne-made acout 11 inches thick, and the. un it turns out now, however, that ice out. Although a freezing does not Is probably not so dangerous to our destroy all the germs that remain health as was for a long 'time after this purifying process is com thouglit. In fact, with all our fond- pleted, it does usually kill a very liens for iced food aud drink, it is larKe percentage of them, extremely doubtful If it has ever The third aud most important Ice when manufactured under sani tary conditions is quite as likely to be safe to use as tha natural kind. In all the newer methods the impuri ties are automatically expelled, Just as they ari when a pond freezes. By the "can" method, for example, purities are expelled into the water beyond. To avoid all possibility of danger, everybody should insist on clean Ice. handle it only with clean hands, and wash It carefully with pure water be fore uslne Copyright, 1014, by the .Star Company. Great Britain lLlhts Reserved