Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-09-26
A MALE BELLE.
Astonishing Discovery I'm q Fashion
able New York Boarding House
Mrs. Ruper's Dazzling Display and
How IL Ended.

coming to New York city from the West,
became acquainted in the course of long
hours of travel in the cars with an unusu-
ally Interesting, accomplished beautiful,
| stylish woman. She also was on her way
20 New York, was going TO hotel, would
prefer clearinghouse, but did not know
any. The gentleman named a highly res
pectable house where he was acquainted,
which was centrally and pleasantly situa-
ted, and trequented by class Of wealthy
and travelled foreigners, particularly French,
Spanish and Spanish-Americans. On ar
irving, he politely took her to this board
ing-hOuse, paid for the carriage, introduced
her to the proprietor, spoke word aside in
favor of the stranger, and went away.
The lady took rooms at Sl5 a week. and
was left to dof her travelling suit and dress
for dinner. In about an hour she descend
ed TO the table. Her jewels we're superb,
her coiffure imposing, and an Elizabethan
frill OF the richest lace was fastened closely
under her chin by brooch holding bou-
quet of rosebuds. A similar boquet sur
mounted her forehead and repOSed against
the hair, coronet of bloom. Her CONVEX
sational accomplishments were as remarka-
bic as the elegance of her dress. In short,
from her first appearance at the dinner
table, the new bOarder was the envy of the
ladies', the admiration of the gentlemen,
and the sensation of the house.
Every day brought variety in
new and more ravishing toilet
than the day previous; and, in addition to
| the use of French and Spanish, that were
the vernacular of the table, she talked
Swedish with the Swedes, German with
the Germans and Italian with the Italians.
Her English was that Of an American,
with The least little interesting touch of a
foreign accent. No wonder that with all
this, added TO an afable disposition, YER
satility of ideas, fuency of anecdote, the
accumulated knowledge of things in gener-
al that comes from extensive travel, united
with stately figure and superb toilet, all
| the gentlemen were fascinated and
ALL THE LADIES JEALOUS.
Time brought the end of the first week.
and beautiful Madame bowed her lofty
head to apologize to the landlady for the
nOn-arrival of an expected remittance,
wherefore she was unable to meet the bill.
The landlady stated to an old boarder the
| inconeruity Of lady having such ward
robe and not SIS with which to pay her
board. The rich and whole-sOuled South
erner, TO whom the landlady mentioned
her little perpleXity, gave her the SIS, en-
joined her not to annoy Madame, and,
should similar difficulty again arise, to
apply TO him, and not to the lady. The
SOutherner's still richer friend was so
thoroughly enamOred with the fascinating
foreigner that he gave up his lodgings in a |
fashionable hotel and took up his abode |
under, the same roof.
But the bewitching cosmopolitan wanted. |
and she won, the good graces of the women |
as well as the homage of the men. Ac- |
cOrdinsly she exercised her powers of fas- |
cinatiOn, and their envy and anger melted |
like wax beneath the sun at her sWeetly |
insinuating advances. When to them be- |
guiled into a private tete-G-tete in the |
penetralia of Madame's sanctum, she opened |
her trunks and boxes, and gave them a !
scrutinizing view of her rich robes and her |
jewels, they were enchanted. and before |
the end of the second week Madame was as /
firmly fixed In the tender affections of the /
ladies as she was in the manly bOsOns of /
their lords. Her laees were the finest, her /
silks and satins lustrOus in the extreme,
the jewels dazzling, the perfumes were
elegance itself, while the one cOque fish |
point Enthusiastically Madame Ruper's |
own, was the unfailing l5veknOt OF rose
buds smuggling her throat under the chin.
Without one word of warning thunder
clap burst upon the clear sky of that sum
mer bOarding-hOuse. One evening, near
the end of her triumphal week, a friend
called to see tie landlady, and after hear
ing an account of the wonderful woman,
who drew men from their hOtels-for an
other gentle man was on the point of re-
moyal-the friend answered, Il suspect
your lady is a man." showing the landlady |
a newspaper article headed, "He or She?"
detailing the career of Christopher Lund,
and concluding with
NEW WORKERS, BEWARE.
If the impOstOr appears as a Spanish
Don. or as the Countess knuth, beware; for
in either character, he, she or it will swim
die you, giving you to boot more genuine,
solid lying than any creature that ever
dDnned petticoats or pants in this OF any
other country.
The article, first printed in a Chicago
newspaper Of Aug. 3, 1874, described how,
year ago this fall, young Dane Of pre-
possessing address arrived in Chicago fresh
from Europe, and got employment through
the assistance OF a gentleman who had been
a fellow-passenger in the steamer coming
over. He obtained various situations in
hotels, which he lost through SndiScTetiOn,
had pupils in French, gaining access to per-
sons Of place and afiluence, and was inter
prefer for the Re ief and Aid Society during
the greater portion Of last winter, a pO-
sitiOnlwh;ch he filed with considerable
ability and credit TO himself eX-
hibiting no really bad habits except |
that of telling long and fluent lies. The
employees dubbed him MARIA from his
efieminate voice and cOuntenanCe. At one
time he was the Legitimate son of the
high Baron LOvenss iOld, at another he was
the offspring of the Count knttih, then he
was Alexander Lunti. and in the next sit
uatiOn he was JeOvanini Dominique de
L'Unti, then a Spanish don, and then Ms.
Isabella Rothe, wearing the finest fabrics
of foreign looms, and the flashy jew
elTy worn at an earlier stage was re-
placed by rings and bracelets Of the cOstli-
est kind. Then she was a countess from
Denmark, the Countess Knuth, and had
been maid of honor TO the Queen, and last
" she was known as Mrs. Isabella Ruper.
BELLE WITH A BEARD.
Here was a terrible hint to act upon.
The alarmed landlady instantly sought the
presence of the bewitcher, and on drawing
very near, under the pretence of admiring
more closely the embroidery of the Eliza
bethan frill, saw TO her horror that rouge
and pearl powder had hitherto concealed
the deep blue of a scant and clOsely-shaven
beard, and on gently opening the ruff she
saw a well-deyelopedands significant Adams
apple rearing itself from the bed of roses.
The landlady, hastily retreating, assembled
domestic council. and spread before them
the amazing fact that the idol of the gentle
men, the confidential companion and bO-
som friend of the ladies, was no more nor
less than Christian Lund. the man who fas-
cinated men as a woman and sWindled
women as a man.
The CONSERVATION that followed this an
nouncement, in a house filled with emo
tiOnal foreigners, may be imagined. The
gentlemen wished to drag the deceiVer from
his dOwny couch and fling him out into the
darkness of the night. The fearful land
lady besOught them to leave the double
deceiver to his unmerited slumber, and
themselves also to sleep over the disclosure,
which they consented to do after a long
consultation. She, he, or it was always
late at breakfast. 1t was determined to lock
her room until the gentlemen of the break
fast table had dispersed for the day, and
then summon the first available ex-
peditiOus cart, and into it pitch the
imDOStOr;s dainty BAGGAGE and OuSt the nos. |