Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-30
THE DIAMOND GIRL.
An American Beauty's Conquest
at a Russian Ball.
How She Picked up a Grand
Duke and What Came of
It-LOve, Robbery,
Arrest, Exile.

! the brilliant capital OF the nOrther
Caesars, had festival lights shone owe
so much beauty AMI renown, 1t wa
carnival-tiTne, when pleasure is half pri,
ileged to take wider license than usual i
order to prepare for the terrible Iigors {
the orthodox Russian Lent, during whic
folks must dine and sup upon lentils an
sailed cucumber. All the golden youth {
Russia was there, aud all those Older me
who can wear their years without becomin
morOSe and grabbed. Under the prett
dominoes and graceful masks which wer
| fluttering about like the fire-fies G
Southern summer night were man
OF the Great Court ladies, with
perhaps, here and there a princes
of the Imperial House of RomanOff; for
between the present state of manners an,
society in Russia and that which eXiste,
in England during the reign of Charles III.
there are several points of resemblance
The conversation of the rich and high-bOrl
is astonishingly free; and they openly pro
feSs latitudinarian principles on the sub
jet of marriage, divorce, and kindred
topics. Some of the women present, en-
jOying good positions and desirable reputa
tiOn, had more than one husband Ii. ing OF
amicable terms in the same street, and ;
lady, with turn for practical joking, has
been known TO join whist party, sitting
calmly down with IIo less than three gen
tlemen with whom she had been united il
the bonds Of wedlOck.
AN AMERICAN wIDOw-YOUNG AMI
BEAUTIFUL.
Among the company present on this Oc-
caSiOn, was an American girl of eXtraOrdi-
nary beauty. She had not acquired SC
much experience in matrimony or chosen
such variety of partners in life as NUN.
berlesS respectable people at st. Peters
burg, Moscow and odessa; but, although
she was scarcely out of her teens, she was
a widow, and the ribald said she was a
cOurtesan. This courtesan, if courtesan
she were, looked as fresh as a new-blown
flower, and was full 10 overlooking of youth
and high spirits. So eXquisitely perfect a
piece of wOmanhOOd isseldom seen. Shehad
dark hair in great prOfusiOn and an imperial
sort Of forehead, broad, open, and white
as ivory. Her dark eyes flashed under
her long lashes like black diamonds, and
were all aglow with wit and kindlineSs.
The nose was Of that firm yet delicate
aquiline which denotes courage and resolu-
ton; the mouth was wOndrously full and
soft; the upper lip small and formed like a
bow; her teeth were as living pearls and
her complexion dazzlingly fair. Little feet,
small hands and taper fingers; a figure
which fairy might envy. Sprightly words
and laughter. which fell on the ear like
music, complete an honest description Of
this American beauty on the night that she
went to the masked ball at ST. Petersburg.
FEMALE PRIVILEGES WHEN UNDER A
MASK.
Now, the great fun Of these assemblies
is that ladies are allowed by custom to
make all sorts of advances to gentlemen.
for they are masked and concealed by their
dOminOes, while men 90 in simple ening
dress. The orthodox thing for a lady to
do, therefore, is to fix upon some gentle
man whom she wishes to tease or to mys-
-ify, and to tell him some incident of his
life which he fancies a profound secret,
then to leave him puzzled and bewiidered.
The American widow was looking out for
whom she knew in order to tor
nent him in this way, when she saw a
group Of Ter friends talking with a stranger
and after listening 10 some fragments Of
heir con- rg- alton. as women will, she sud
lenly poECed upon the stranger and led
him away. What she said TO him is only
known to themselves, but when he quilted
Ter that night he was Spell-bOund and fas-
mated.
ROMANTIC ACQUAINTANCE WITH 4
PRINCE.
Well he might be. There is no wit in
his lower world equal to American wit; no
lumor so racy and original. When the
Russian heard il for the first time from
Ups so sweet, no wonder that he was en-
,hanted. She spoke freely 10 him. ard
without reserve, thinking that he was
merely some Young Count or petty Prince:
md as she spoke she seemed drawn to-
wards him 10y q subtle sympathy in their
characters. She was quite abashed when
he found out that she had been gOsSiping
lnceremoniously with the Grand Duke
Nicholas ConS:antinowich, nephew of the
Emperor of all the RUssiaS.
They never parted afterwards for two
ears and half.
THE CARS NEPHEW IN TRAINING.
The young Grand Duke had good abili-
les and good nature, but his education had
,ecn wOfully neglected. The American
woman taught him, formed him into a
Gentleman, and raised him up to her own
Intellectual standard, which was high. She
vas the daughter Of DIR. Ely, Protestant
bergman of Connecticut, man Of some
in science and letters. He was,
for his belongings, also a
Teat traveller; and If she, who was now the
of a Russian Grand Duke, had
one wong in early life, it was because she |
ad been left too much TO a hOt-tempered
nd uarrCw-minded mother, who had
lught the doctrines of passive obedience |
nth a thick stick Her daughter. how
yer. had been well schoOled, and had |
earned Latin. French, and music, so that |
he was an excellent instructress to a young
ian who knew nothing.
LOVE AND 4 LOVE CONTRACT.
The Grand Duke loved her so intensely |
nat he made her sign formal contract in /
-hich she bound herself by a solemn oath |
ever to leave him, or to speak one word, |
ave in friendship, to any other mortal man. /
When he went away 10 the khivan war /
he road behind him was strewn with Cos
ack spearmen bearing in hot haste his
leSSages 10 his beloved, and the telegraph i
Tres between them were never still. lie /
as a brave soldier, and he told her how he
ad fought and conquered; how he had rid
en- through wild and mOraSs, over moor
nd mountain; how his sword had cleaned |
I many a dangerous fight, till the clash Of
is victorious cymbals had been heard in
be very Businesses of the Khiyan robbers;
nd then, with the first glad shout of tri-
mph in his ears, he had taken off his har-
ess and was fastening back 10 her.
WOMAN WORSHIP.
Upon her part. her vanity had first been
altered; her wOman's heart had been won
y handsome young man of cOngenial
lstes ami temper, but gradually he had
ken possession Of her whole soul The |
we which she bore him, kindled by his
nightly deeds in distant lands, his yalor,
is danger, and his fame had passed into
orShip and become idOlairy. He had /
cen first her lover, then her hero. then her
ID. She watched over his honor as only
evOted women can do, and she kept his
ew glories bright.
IsFORTUNE, SORROW, AND AN ARREST.
He was the only one Of the Russian
rinces who never seemed to be getting
ito scrapes or TO incur unpOpularity. But
may have been that he received some
ely bow in that khivan expedition. or
lat he contracted some illness; for when
e came to her house, which he called his
home, she now and then observed that
e was under the influence of incontrolla-