The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-11-16
"reminiscences OF a Washington Belle
ofthe Past.

plantation near ltaleigh, N. e., Mrs
Gen. Green, lady years ago we
known in Washington society. She ha
not been in the capital for many years
She is crippled by rheumatism, an,
poor as Jobs turkey, she says, but
never had more enjoyable converse
ton than with this veteran of fashiona
bic life. She took me into the pas
with her. ''This old hotel" rcfcrrin,
to the National, sis q historic place
Here have been the great men of TIN
past. / have seen Clay and Webstc
walk arm in arm up these stairs, and il
a room on this floor Henry Clay died
Those rooms opposite the parlor wcr
the presidents rooms. Buchanan is th,
last one who lived there. Hamlin oc
cupied them while. The dark, quain
corridors, and circular lights over tn,
doors, look just as they did when
bride / first saw them. The frescoing
the painting on the walls is unchanged
the fruit and flowers above the chande
lier on the brown ground, and thu
painted cupids in the hall. Every fact
In the house is strange to me. All IN,
old friends are dead and gone. Mrs
Chittenden j can sec now standing il
the hall receiving her friends after hel
marriage. Her shoulders were superb
her dress elegant, her manners charm
ing, and by her side that little ugl,
man, with tobacco juice running from
one corner of his mouth, and his crava
twisted around under his ear. Ant
Nine. LIE Vert was in her glory here il
those days. was so i'll one time tha
my life was despaired of. Into m,
room came Nine. LIE Vert. 81 coult
not go, Mrs. Green, without showing
you my lovely shoes She lifted III
her party dress and danced about in hel
pink satin boots, asked if they wer,
pretty, and at last danced off like :
fairy to her ballroom. began to mend
from the time / saw those pink shoes
Poor Nine. lie Vert died last year, in
poverty so bitter that she had not a cent
to call her own. Mrs. Chittenden los
her beauty, was paralyzed and died moi
very long ago. Mrs. Mills was an ha
bitue of the hotel. She was very rich
Her daughter married Fernando Wood
and for this reason she became so bittel
tween mother and child, and she willet
even her pictures to gallery, so tina
Wood should never have them to adori
his walls. Once she sat in her carriage
while went in to call upon her daugh
ter. The carriage stood at little dis
tancc. The elegant house was crowded
1t was reception day. When | reached
the carriage, Mrs. Mills said cxcitedly
'How is she? How does she look
How did she receive YOU? What die
she sayT why don't you go and SEE
her yourself?' | said, your own child
how could you be so bitter!' q vii
never go to see Alice as long as she is
that mans wife. 1t is nothing to mt
how she is she said coldly, drawing
her furs about her neck. Mrs. Mill.
fell from a hotel window and killed
herself one Fourth of July. That yer,
Fourth was on the plantation far from
any neighbor. / made the negroes take
turns ringing the big dinner bell thai
hangs in the yard. l had flags on the
house and bonfires at night, and the
servants said, la, old miss done gone
crazy sure, keepin' up that clatter all
day. But l felt lonesome; l wanted
to celebrate some way. The next night
three young northern men came in the
darkness up the lane to the house.
had been sitting alone, yawning, anC
waiting until the clock should count
eight, so that / could 90 to bed, fol
there is nothing going on at night il
that dismal great house in the swamps
[ was surprised to have visitors, iol
anybody who knows the country dom
go out after night if they can help it
the roads are SO dangerous. But these
men had not been long in the country
and they rode up. They said they had
heard me speak of Mrs. Mills, and they
had got news that she was Killed, and
they started over right away to tell me
They staid all night. How remorsefu
| felt. l had been ringing bells and
burning fires in the cypress brakes
while my old friend was dying, mashed
and bruised beyond recognition. They
say Fernando came TO SEQ her Just be
fore she died, but she would not have
him admitted. In this hotel also lived
Myra Gain0s, poor rs mouse, running
up bills to be paid when she came into
her inheritance. She owes Charles
O'Conor about $4,000. She owes
board bills at every place in Washing
ton, and her store bills have been run
ming for twenty-five years. One night
she had bcen put out of hotel, and
took her in with me. That was long
after my husbands death. Myra was
bright as a cricket. Her having beer
turned out made her even gayer thar
common. We were dressing TO go to {
hop. Mrs. Gaines had a handsome
large breastpin containing Gen. Gaines
picture surrounded by pearls. She was
stirring over things in her trunk ant
dipping them up by the handfl-sht
was most untidy thing. 'Oh! Mrs
Green, have you seen Gen. Gaines
said she. 'Gen. GainesT Yes. hi!
picture. have lost my PIN | smiled
at her expressing her loss in that way
but while she was still rummaging
discovered that had mislaid n similar
picture of Gen. Green. II was valuable
and | was alarmed. 'Oh. Mrs. Gaines
| have lost Gen. Green said. W.
both found the brooches in the samt
moment, and don't suppose it seems
very wifely when / say we sat on tn,
bed and laughed till the tears came
over the loss Of Gen. Green and Gen
Gaines. Gen. Scott was at the hotel :
great deal. never will forget com
pliment he paid me. lie told Gen
Green. that | was the handsomest anl
most richly dressed lady at ball. NJ,
husband was so proud that he couldn'
keep 1t, but had TO come and whisper i
to me. Now l have come back to tn,
house, an old, decrepid woman. No
body remembers me. Children ar,
grandparents, and the gay old crow,
that lived here before the war are al
gone. Then champagne flowed lik,
water. Six bows were kept busy in tn,
wine room. Now popping corn i
seldom heard. Then the ladies al
made grand dinner toilets: low necks
jewels, pink and blue the ladies wore
or sheer lilac organdies. The gentlemen
waited in dress suits to conduct tn,
ladies with ceremony into the dinin.
room. Every family had negro servants
coachmen and maids. Those wer,
times of splendor which will never re
turn. Then l wore white brocadet
silk and diamonds, and was led in {,
dinner by Lord Baltimore. Now | &,
in alone in plain, black waterproof
dress I'll .etter TO the CHICAGO Times