Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-31
wOsrH. THE PARIS pREssNAKIR


street, near the railway station rises from with
tn high garden wall : red brick chateau In the
ioof. Ii is the residence OF worth, The NsSe,
leon OF costumsrs. Being IN Suresues one line
sundsy sfternooa with q friend, and having
ss, his shsean 9e al M 70
by sending in our cards. A tall lsckev In i'm
posing shirt front, Who seemed 20 be hOldi ng
bule that was like a SMALL museum of faience
Everything was taienCe except tho chairs we
sat in ard the fountain mat bubbled Hp IN the
-eEter OF re room. We had barely Tsore thA
on promenade down the opening view before
Us, esClaimiag, what nsrrelous peace -
would conduct us TO Monsieur Wort" He led
Us through a vista of rooms, hardly separated
from each other save BY drspery Of curtains
as"cc'-ssion OF apartments OF a uUHlue magutf-
ioence totally unexpected.
Isn't il Alsddio's palace - whispered DAue.
while pinChed myself TO make sure | was stu
myself. We had both visited numerous palaces
OF klngs, ard Of such princes as eat up the peO-
pies money in Italy Austria and Germany. 20
We were not verdant enough 20 be dazzled by
commonplace pa,aces. But Tor the first time
We were dazec, aud whie in that stupensd state
IN came ." Monsieur Nort' in flowing gray
robe thst fell q b : heels. lined with pals veil
- VIZ u.Sp EvsN ~ match anu numerous
othtr Overlapping appliances that modified and
comfortable.
So YOU have really Kept vour pr5rnIss and
come :" he exclaimed, Chesrly. - For the mo
ment | am very busy with nv workmen. tor Won
know only have Sundays 10 myself. and IL Won
would like to visit the winter gaTdey, my son
viii 60 with YOU
My SON" a Young man OF seventeen wears
who had the look Of man OF twenty-five. led
us TO the foot OF the garden. which was \ small
journey, through a he'd ge rOwed path. blOomei
over with morning glortes and full-blosSOmed
vines, into a conservatory OF the rareSt, most
curious and beautiful eNoticS, from tiny piantS
TO tall fern palms. grOttO fountain in the
center. with It's TOP heaped with tropical plants,
vas study Tor = gardener. There, was air
plants and water plants sand plants and earth
plants, orchids, and begonia leaves huge enough
for parapluie. and great vines stretching
across the conservatory, aud sending down
ciumps OF thread like tendrils 10 take root like
a banyan tree. Near the winter garden we're
piles OF stOnes-demoiitions from the Palace OF
the Tuileries, umble of carvings in various
degrees of perfection and ruin, that were to
enter into the construction of an ad Joining hot
house.
From the garden Se returned to the chateau.
going first TO see the stables and horses. Each
horse had before his eyes the mystic 'wr in
illumination. He had a marble basin for hts
oats and another for his drink. He was blank
eted, had his tail sheared, and the neatest stable
a horse ever dreamed of. The brass rings and
ornaments OF the scBrie were polished ike mir
TCrs. Two lengths OF fresh straw mating over
tapping each other kept the stra~ from extend
ing beyond its proper limits. Adjoining was a
hospital for sick horses, in case any of those
high-blooded sorrels should be so in1iscreet as
to become i'll.
-
and small, and ugly and less ugly.
Then We went 10 the palace of the birds. An
immense parrot, vain in mis- plumage Of green
and gold, was perched on his throne in the yes
tibule. Our guide assured u that his mai sty
the bird would allow nobody else TO touch him,
and taking hold of the tips OF the mscaw's
wings, he spread them out like pair of fans, TO
show oil the birds magniticence of plumage.
The bird palace had plated wire front, aud
the walls Of the interior, a sort of ecru-colored
stucco-work, were dotted all over in hap
hazard sort of fashion, with bits Of mirrors, ss
If the walls had been plastered on a large look
ing-glass, leaving here and there spots uncoy-
cred. Before these refectors OF vanity the
birds perch themselves TO perk their heads and
sing their operettes. There was an army OF
them, lovely sOngsters from the four corners of
the earth, with many of them far too pretty and
birds, and began tour OF the chateau by climb
ing winding staircase, built in one of the tow
ers, like all in the house, and stopping in the
dining room to be refreshed b. some cakes aud
a glass of wine.
The kitchen is at the TOP of the house
There are no odors from the ctsf's kingdom.
The skies receive all the savory smells that rise
from the trying pan and the stew-kettle. The
food is sent dOJCn TO the dining room in &" hft.n
The dining-ro0m is not large, as # built for
state dinners. The chairs of carved wood are
upholstered with leather, with gilt ornam snts-
TONS woodwork carved TO match. Everyday
table service, Seyres; for extra occasions
Sevres. If Mr.. Charles Frederick Worth has
"hobby," il is for painted porcelain and ia ence.
remember one salon where the walls were
covered WIN SeVres porcelain OF most exc ulsite
workmanship, the plates being let into the walls
by concsves made for them, and held in place
by silver buttons.
all the rooms merit better description than
j can give, for 1 saw so much that freely con-
tess to having things hopelessly mixed. One
salon had floor in the most exquisite mar.
quetry imaginable. There was Persian mat
before a pedestal, on which was a bust of
Madame Worth. The chairs were upholstered
in damask, with brocaded flowers in velvet.
with the pile half an inch high. Silken window
curtains with borders to match.
The library was finished in dark carved wood.
bay-windOw WAS painted in small tablets rep
resenting the various books Of the Bible. The
view from this window was something 20 be re-
membered. In the distance was Paris, bound
ing the plain like the walls of an smphithester.
The window curtains in some dark stuff were
bOrdered with pedalli0ns filled with portraits
in needle-work OF the historical costumes of
France. There were busts of French writers; a
case of coins; BONES; mementoes, one of which
was portrait of Nilsson, which she had pre-.
sented to Mr.. Worth, with her grateful thanks
for kindness he had shown her. The door of
the library was convex, the two parts closing
like the half OF q cylinder. T0 describe this
house in detail would take a week, and the carte
blanche liberty of a dozen Bdsdrs. must con-
clude by the mention of a few salient points.
Ali the rooms in the chateau are rather low.
The floors are OF inlaid woods or in mosaic There
are family p0rtraitS-one OF Worth IN the costume
of the Shah OF Persia of MadameWorth in that OF
some queen, and Of the two sons, when children,
in princely costumes, one of the boys being
painted in girls dress. There is q line bust
of Napoleon the First, and one or Worth the
first. Back of the latter is his portrait in oil,
taken when he was quite young, and very
handsome picture il is. There are quantity and
richly inlaid old cabinets of two hundred years
ago, leopard skins in abundance, and the large
mat which covers the centre Of the floor of the
family stting-room is in squares OF leopard
skin and Administer. There is a billiard-room,
and as we were there the day before Mr..
worth's birthday, the table had begun TO re-
ceive the gifts for the fete, one being rare
and curious set of old faence. The tides on
the chairs stretch simply across the top of the
back, and are of the finest linen, with borders
six inches deep in duchesse lace patterns
The bathroom contains a bed, set against
a mirror wall, which duplicates the room,
q marble bath-tub sunk in the floor, q
porcelain stove with glass front, which reflects
the light and heat from a gas burner, which,
being concealed, gives a magical effect.
Madame Worth's chamber y in lace over pale
yellow uansParencies, while the curtains to
match have small square crystals introduced
in the fringes, which produce charming effect.
Almost in the center Of the house is a greenery
large enough and fresh enough in It's foliage
and falling water TO make me haIf fancy him
self in a forest. The carriage entrance to the
chateau is under an immense glass rooted court.
At one side of the house, and sheltered by its
different SIDES and angles, is a garden, with An
open gallery connecting different porticoes