April S, 1W0.
OMAHA. ILLl'STltATEl) Mitt.
DAHLIA YELLOW LACE.
'
ENGLISH BRAIDED STRAW
CLAV RED STRAW
Five Famous Old
Of mcdcrn English letter writers but fouf
nro of remnrknblo merit, Orey, Horace Wal
pole, Cooper and Charles Lamb.
Lmly Mary Worthly Montague was doubt
less celebrated In this line of literature, but
her letters are marred by a certain Indelicacy
of tone and a self-consciousness which will
not hide itself.
Lord Chesterfield's famous epistles to his
son nro more credltnblo to his bend than to
his heart; polished man of tbo world though
ho was, his teachings show him to have been
but a sorry gentleman.
Mndamo do Scvlgno's are always cheering,
for slio possessed the rare nrt of giving a
touch of slncero coloring to nor correspond
ence, whntevor the subject.
Honora Balzac's letters to Mini), do Han
ska beforo his marriage with that lady are
nil that Is pure, refined nnd delightful.
But, not one of theso had, even In a re
moto degree, any Inlluence over tho stylo of
the epistolary literature of tho nge, whilst n
small volume of 182 pages consisting of five
lovo letters, written by an unknown woman
immured Iti an obscure c nvent In a remote
province of Portugal nearly three centuries
ago, nnd entitled simply "Lottres Portu
guese," suddenly rcvnlutknlzed tho nrt of
letter writing nnd became n model for tho
whole of Europe.
In tho seventeenth century tho stylo of
crrespondenco In Franco and' England was
laborious, affected, flnecal and illusive
Women expressed tho complex emotions of
their hearts with complex Insipidity nnd
with an elalmrato effort at rhetoric which
was at enco wenrlsoino and Irritating. It In
deed seemed, as Talleyrand expressed It,
that words were used to disguise their feel
ings rnthcr than express them.
A short prefaco to tho "Lottres Portu
guese," which were published In Paris,
states that they were written to a "gentle
man cf quality" who was soldiering In Por
tugal, of whoso namo tho publisher was
Ignorant.
Edition nfter edition of thin curious little
book was called for. Its success was Im
mediate nnd unprecedented. Countless
repetitions of tho text nnd numerous trans
lations appeared. Hosts of imitations flooded
tho book Btores, but tho genuine letters
held their own.
Who was tho woman? How camo It that
nny man who received such letters could
havo allowed mortal eyo other than his own
to rest on them?
All that tho letters told was thnt th
namo of tho writer was Mnrlanna, that Bho
was a nun, thnt her convent windows over
looked tho plains of Mnrtoll, that she had
loved and lost.
So direct, and so eloquent In their classic
simplicity were tho expressions of n for
saken woman, that tho eyrR of tho wrrld
were nt onco oppned to Its own deficiency,
nnd from tho day of tho appearance of
tho Portugueso letters began to express
themselves In simple, direct nnd ulncero
langunge.
Tho letters nro vnluablo as a revelation
of tho heart, puro and slmplo. They con
tain no Incident, no attempt at rhetoric, but
nro simply tho successive nppnals of an un
happy woman who repents her protestations
of lovo without any offort at sensation or
effect. Whilst sho clamors nt tho door
for mercy, sho Is fully conscious thnt the
Impassioned Incident of her llfo Is closed
forever, but sho Is absolutely powerless to
moderate her emotions.
In her first letter, which begins abruptly
Love Letters
and angrily, fur it would appear that her
lover had ridden olf without a personal faro
well, sho says:
"Your lieutenant tells mo that a storm
forced you to put Into a port a few miles
frcm here. Arc you quite sure that your
lieutenant takes moro interest In all that
happens to you than I do? Why do you keep
him better Informed than you do mo? I am
very unfortunato If you find no opportunity
of writing to nio beforo your departure and
still moro so if you found 0110 and did not
uso It In writing to mo. You tako advantage
of tho excuses which you had for going
back to Franco. A ship wns starting. Why
did you not let her start? How can It bo
that, having known tho depths of my heart
nnd nffoctlons, you are able to pcrsuado your
self to abandon mo forever and so oxpoeu
mo to tho terrors of believing that, for tho
future, I shall bo forgotten and sacrificed to
tho memory of some now passion."
Her misery culminates In tho third letter,
which Is unsurpassed as a revelation of tho
self-torturo of n sensitive mind.
"I cannot porsundo myself that you may
no longer bo thinking of :no nnd Indeed I
am feverishly Jealous of whatever may givo
you happiness and of all that may touch
your heart ami lease your tasto in France.
1 do not know why 1 write to you. I soo
well enough that you will only pity me, but
I do not wish your pity."
Sho recognized fully tho hopelessness of
her lot. but write she must. In tho fourth
letter sho says:
"Doa I)rlt(s has been peruu.idlng mo for
the last few days to leave my room, fancy
ing that It would amuse me. Shu took mo
for ii tour on tho balcony from which one
has a view of Mnrtoll, but onco there a cruel
memory surged mo and kept me company
for tho rest of tho day. Whatever
Is done to solace mu augments my suffer
ings and In tho remedies, therefore, I find
Infinite reasons why I should bo miserable.
I hnvo often seen you pass this spot nnd I
wns on that balcony on tho fatal day when
I first began to feel symptoms of my Ill
starred passion. I fancied that you wished
to pleaso mo, although you did not know mo.
I persuaded myself thnt you had noticed mo
amongst all the ladles that were with mo.
Your air charmed mo and I fancied thnt you
wore pleased that I should admlto."
It was many years beforo tho cluo given
by tho allusion to tho plains of Mnrtoll
brought forth oen a part of tho romantic
history of tho Immortal letters which were
to cteato such a sensation and exorclso such
nn extraordinary Inllucnco In their way.
At length Saint Simon nnd Duclos, tho
French philosopher, Informed the world tint
tho personage to whom tho letters woro ad
dressed was the Marquis do Chnntilly. a
bravo soldier ami afterward marshal of
Franco, nnd sukscqucntly n student persuing
tho quaint old book found a marginal tioti)
In faded Ink slating that tho letters had
been written by one Mnrlanna Altaforado, a
nun In a convent at Beja, in tho provlneo
of Aluntljn. Research proved this to bo
correct nnd led to tho olucldntlnn of such
scant pnrtlculurs ns wo nro now poisessiel
of. Of Marlnunn nothing moro Is known.
But of the Marquis do Chnntilly history
frequently speaks.
V Professional Escort
A FORMER MISTRESS OF THE WHITE
MISS LETITIA TYLER
HOUSE- MRS LETITIA SEMPLE, NEE
Miss Anita Floyd hit upon a somewhat
novel method of earning her bread when sho
beenmo an escort for eight young girls.
"I began with live," sho said, "then there
were throo moro ndded to my Hock through
other mothers hearing of my services to
tho first live of my charges.
"You tee, I was looking about for some
thing to do when a friend gave mo n letter
of Introduction to a lady who has tho repu
tation of nlwnys being ready and willing to
lend n helping hand. I delivered my letter
nnd after tho lady hnd looked mo over
critically, sho said:
" 'Now, I wonder If you would bo willing
to conui every day nnd accompany my
daughter and my niece to and fr in school.
My maid, who has been doing It since they
wero qulto young children, has been called
to bpo her sick mother and there Is no one
to take her place, unless I tend tho house
maid, which happens to bo inconvenient.
Would you cure to try It until i could lliul
something better for you?'
"I had no bjectlons to anything that was
honest, so I accepted nnd went the next
morning for my charges. I escorted them
to school and went back later on and at
tended them homo. It was Wednesday
afternoon and one of tho girls asked me
timidly If I would not lilio to go to a mati
nee. So I returned nfter luncheon nnd es
corted them to tho theater.
"That was tho beginning, and when the
innlil returned threo weeks later tho two
girls and I hail gono on so many pleasant
little Jaunts together that they objected to
my leaving. Their mother then suggested
my taking tho daughters of threo of her
friends who lived in tho neighborhood and
for one year I was always to bo seen with
llvo girls. Then somo friends returned fr m
abroad and asked mo lo tako charge of their
two daughters. So tho second year I had
seven girls nnd in this, my third year, my
l!oi k has Increased to eight.
"I escort my charges to and from school
and every afternoon, oxcoptlng Sundays,
tako them out for threo hours. Sometime i
wo go to tho theators, Hornet lines for a walk
In tho park or on tho avenuo. Then again
wo make an expedition In tho country or
go for llttlo trips on somo of tho many
boats which go back and forth to tho vari
ous points of Interest around Now York
City. Of eourso wo go to tho museum nnd
the vnrlotis picture ami llower shows dur
ing the season. In short, I soo everything
Hint Is deslrabln ami without Its costing
nio a cent. As for tho company, well, 1
really wouldn't wish for pleasanter com
panions than 'my girls.' It Is true tlioro
Is a great difference in our ngo, for tho
eldest of my llock Is not yet lfi, while tho
youngest Is Just under 12 anil I well, i wilt
bo 21 my next birthday. Which, by tho
way, Is not very far off.
"I am paid 3 a week by each girl, so
you will sco my salary Is qulto ft snug ono.
I never havo to pay a enrfaro nor othor
expenses unless I go out nlono. My cIotheB,
porhnps I should not mention It, but I
seldom havo to buy a garment. All of my
L'lrlfl nro woll-to-do and when tbo season
comes to get new gowns, hats nn I wraps
they nlwnys remember me. As for Christ
mas and birthday presents, I am sure there
are few working women who faro us well
as I. My lines havo certainly fallen In
ple.tsnut places and I am sure I could not
wish a more ngroeablo occupatl u than tho
one I chanced to simply drop Into,"
Some Faster Hats
Tho lleo's fushlon pictures this week nro
appropriate to tho Euster season In portray
ing threu striking Easter hats such as aro
shown by tho best milliners In tho fashion
centers.
Ono exquisitely pretty Easier hat has a
crown and frame of dahlia yellow renais
sance lace, outlined by a cord of pompadour
green braid. Hugo bows of tho laco give
height, while n mass of blush rises nnd
black ostrich tips complete tho charming
whole.
Another Is a smart mimmdV walking shape
of burnt yollow English braided strnw com
bined with old bluo velvet. Tho effect Is
wonderfully nttractlvo nnd It Is bound to bo
n much-admlrcd favorite In tho Held of
woman's henilgear this spring.
Tho fraiuo of tho llttlo Easter hat for a
young girl of 12 years of ngo Is of rod
clay straw decorated with black vel
vet ox-oyed daisies. Tho young pee pio aro to
havo styles all of their own nnd this Is nn
example from one of the most popular largo
New York establishments.
Aspirants for Fame
Many a girl who has aspirations to heroine
famous In ono of tho vo-ntlons now opi n ti
ambitious women, says Harper's Bazar, is
eagerly looking forward to a course of study
In Now York. Eaeli year tho city fairly
Bwnrms with theso students, who havo llttlo
rr no Idea where they are te llnd shelter In
this grent hlvo of humanity. Because In hor
natlvo town gi ml board can bo procured for
$11, $!i or J7 a weede, sho and her parents
Judgo that such will bo tho enso In the city
of New York.
In ti boarding hnuso whoro good food ma
terlnls nro used, where there Is plenty ef
warmth and daylight, tho prlco for a small
room Is $S ft week, and from that to $12. But
cimfortablo qnarlors and nourishing fond
cannot bo procured for less than $8.
Students' boarding hoiisos nro numerous
wheio tho prices rango from $r to $7 n wrok.
Thnro nro several reasons for this, the llrst
being that they nro olthor In out-of-tho-way
localities, when a liberal allowance must lie
iiiado for ear fares, or they nro on n thor
oughfare where tho slumbors of tho tlrod
worker aro unoro than apt lo bo disturbed by
Iho clang and rattlo of trnfllc. Many of tho
cheaper rooms nro Insldo ones llghtod from
an ulr-shnft or by ft skylight, which makes
tho ventilation far from satisfactory. Tim
best results can bo obtained by tho workor
only when tho proper air and nourishment
nro given both hrnln and body; therof- re
tho best food should bo considered ns much
of a necessity .is tho best Instructor. If It
bo nocessary to economize, It Is better to lo
so on such minor matters as cledhef, or
amusements.
New Use for War Maps
Denver Post: A householder In Loud, n
rocontly noticed thnt his cnok had stuck up
In hor kitchen a mnp of South Africa with
tho British possessions colored red, the
Transvaal brown, tho Ornngo Froo Stnto
yollow and Portugueso territory green. "Do
you tako an Interest In tho wnr, Mary'" ho
nsked. "No sir," replied the coi'k. "but
I mean to 'avo a skirt llko that brown bit
and blouses llko them othor ci lors, and I'm
Just keepln' tho map to match tho patterns
with when I got a hovcnln' off, sir!"