Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1880-04-08
Josephine's Extravaganza.

After the campaign in Italy, the
salons of Malmasion, we read, were
sumptuously decorated with pictures,
statutes and mosaics, and she had
diamonds, pearls, and jewels of all
kinds in profusiou; yet she lacked
money for her ordinary house bills,
and to get it sold her influence with
prominent personages. Her allow
ances were double those of the Arch
duchness Marie Louise, her successor,
but the latter had ''poor relations
to provide for. Josephine gave pres
ents with liberal hand, but she was
not so prudent as Queen Victoria
(whose wedding presents, when she
must give one, is an Indian shawl,
the shawls coming to her from Indian
potentates as gifts, and 80 costing
nothlng), and always bought some
thing to give away. She would not
limit her expenditure, nor even keep
an account Of it, nor could Napoleon
induce her TO refuse audiences to
people with goods for sale; any per-
son could find the way to her pres
ence, and whatever he brought she
would buy. Her ante-rooms were
crowded with merchants and artists,
one of her manias being the dissent
nation of portraits among her rela-
tives, friends, attendants, and even
her tradesmen. Diamonds, jewels,
shawls, stuffs, she bought all that was
brought to her without even asking
the price. She had three or four hun
dred Indian shawls, then brought in
to fashion by the campaign in the
east, and left a wardrobe as extensive
and much more costly than that Of
Queen Elizabeth. Empire for jose
phine meant an unlimited privilege to
shop.
Josephine rose at 9 O'Clock. Her
toilet was elaborate it occupied the
attention of six or eight women; one
portion of it was conducted in strict
secrecy; 1t had reference to making
up and painting her body. This done,
she had her hair dressed, wearing
long peignor with lace. She changed
her linen thrice a day, and and never
wore the same stockings twice. When
her hair had been dressed they
brought her huge hampers of dresses,
shawls and bonnets, that she might
make her choice for the day, wearing
in summer muslins or percales, Law
ishly embroidered and ornamented,
and in winter velvet or stuffs. In
the forenoon she always wore hats
with feathers or flowers, and wrapped
herself closely. No other woman
could drape herself in a shawl with
such grace, and Napoleon was
wont, finding they hid too much of
her shoulders, TO tear them off and as
likely as not TO throw them in the
fire, when she would ring for another
one. One shawl more or less made
little difference when she had some
hundreds, costing from 5000 to 12,-
| 600 francs, which she used for bed
quilts and dog-blankets. Rarely did
she wear the same evening dress
twice, and the slightest excuse in the
way of dinner or ball sufficed for
the purchase of q new head-dress or
costume. The dress makers always
had something ION the stock for
her-frequently lace dresses, ranging
in value from So, 600 to $40, 900. She
never gave anything away, nor would
she allow anything to he sold or made
over. She never opened book,
never took a pen, never occupied or
amused herself with any kind of
work, did not care for the play, never
went out walking, unless at Malmai-
son, and yet never was bored. Her
fondness for dress and luxury did
not cease with her downfall, but in
her retirement at Malmaison she had
led precisely the same life, decked
herself out superbly to dine alone,
and on the last morning of her life
had particular becoming robe de
chdmbre handed her because she ex-
pected visit from the Gar, and ex-
PRED all covered with ribbons and
pink satin.
Had she been better and stronger
woman the career of Napoleon might
have been different. But, then, she
might not have had any influence up
on him at all had she been anything
else but the Josephine she was. He
loved her once, with hardly doubt,
and the passionate ''little Creole"
was Il better wife to him than the
Archduchess, who, when her hand
was asked, IBID my father dispose
of me without thinking about my
person at all' ,and who, in April, 1915,
as the campaign Of Waterloo was be.
ginning, could write to express hel
earnest hope that Count Niepperg's
leg wasn't broken-shc would be
\ sorry if it was-the Count being the
tgentleman she married as soon as
Napoleon died.-Maddm,e de Remu.
sdt's Memoirs.