Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-07-21
WCT0RlA'S CAST-OFF CLOTHES.
New York Bellies Making Market f
RoYaltys Discarded Garments.

New York Bellies Making a Market for
RoYaltY's Discarded Garments.
New York Sunday Mercury.
The following decidedly curious adj
vertisement appeared in a morning pa
per last week:
Ladies desirous of purchasing ar
ticles from the wardrobe of Queen Vic
toria can do so by calling on Mrs. Mar
tin,-West FOrtieth street."
A Mercury reporter found the desig-
mated address TO be--most appropriate
ly, perhapS-an English basement
house let in lodging-rooms, of which
Mrs. Martin occupied back parlor
with a very obese bed in a very con-
tracted alcOve, squeezed into the gen.
teel semblance of bookcase. When
he shut the door after him the bed
came tumbling down with violent
clatter, and a stout lady in dingy red
wrapper, who was reading newspa-
per at the window, said "Drat itp'
with great vehemence.
The reporter apologized to both the
bed and himself, and explained his er.
rand. Having jammed the bed up
again, Mrs. Martin made assurance
certain by rolling an armchair against
it, and, sitting down in it, said: "That
was my advertisement you saw, sir
and you could have seen many others
if you had been 50 pleased. It's moi
the first, nor the second, nor yet the
tenth, and l have the receipts TO prove
it, not to mention the ladies who have
bought of me, if was sOdisposed us tC
name them-sOme of the first ladies oi
the land, sir, and I'm not ashamed tc
say it. Not that it's any wonder, foI
the chance they get is not one That
comes to them every day"
"YOu mean the chance of purchasing
the cast-off clothes of 4 queen" observ,
ed the reporter.
Mrs. Martin surveyed him with 9
glance of suspicion and replied: "WhC
said cast off clOthesp If they don't
suit them they don't need TO buy them
do they? Which, Us far us that goes
the cast-Of clothes of queen, rs you
call them, young man, is Il deal better
than some folks best. Look at these
hosiery now," and she handed the re
porter black ball from the mantle
The ball unrolled into pair of silker
hose of the finest texture, which pre-
sented the appearance of having in
vested the royal extTemitieS couple
of times at most. If the irreverent sug
gestiOn may be permitted, however, hel
majesty's pedicure had been direlect
i'm the performance of his duties about
the time she wore those stockings, fol
ut the point of each great toe the deli
cate fabric had been cut, evidently by
the pressure of sharp edge. Th,
heels and toes were white, or rather
had been before her majesty walked il
them without slippers. The size of the
pedals which had filled them were evi
IDENTIFY that of an ordinary woman's
and the measurement in other par
ticularS, rs far rs the reporter was per
mitted to make it was in proportion
Altogether they did not present any
particular difference, except i'll the alb
sence of newness TO similar objects
which are displayed to the vulgar gaz,
on those plaster of Paris works of art
which has become an attribute of mos
of our dry-gOOds store windows, ant
the reporter said so. But Mrs. MartiI
pointed to the white band i'll which tn,
upper portion of them terminated, ant
remarked "Don't they?" and indeed
woven in the band in open work, wer,
the initials "V. r." surmounted by
crown. This regal stamp, Mrs. Martil
assured the reporter, is permitted onl,
, upon articles manufactured for tn
royal wardrobe, and in corroboratiol
she produced several other pairs o
stockings, which she declined TO unrol
however, all of which bore the sam
mark. 1t likewise existed in some cam
brio handkerchiefs, which she took on
,, of hairy trunk. Her collection, sh
stated, embraced several sets of w
/. derclothing. gloves, lace, and plain col
lars, fans and cuffs and shoes and slip
, pers. Most of these had been alread
disposed of. Such as remained wer
of 4 character to be held sacred fron
!, the gaze of man.
This led quite naturally to the inter
9 esting point of their origin and destina
5 tion. According to Mrs. Martin, ever
: three months witnesses complete II
{ newal of Queen Victoria's wardrob,
In spite of the popular impression tina
r this consists mainly of muslin CAP
4 and black gowns, it is really very e,
tensive, and much of it is almost III
e worn; still it has TO give place to th
e new supply. 1t falls the perquisit
r says Mrs. Martin, of the maids c
r honor. who, in fact, receive no otht
= reward. These exalted but frugal ];
Il dies sell it i'm lump, and divide th
: money it brings among them.
T The method of which it is dispose
/ of partakes of that species of mysteI
e G. w. M. Reynolds used to revel j
I when he prodded the efTete and prof
gate monarchy with his red-hot PEI
L The discarded garb Of Britain's grea
. ness having been packed in bundles
. transported by night to the residenC
u of a Mrs. Marks, who receives it fro
the trusted carrier and returns IL
) money. She does with il what ladi,
/ and gentlemen who deal in cast O
q clothing, plebeian or regal, the wor
70 over do with their wares. Mrs. MART
y rejected with much scorn the sugge
q ton by the reporter that she was a
y agent of Mrs. Marks, and held fort
= certain vague suggestions of relatio
; ship with maid of honor as an e
II PLANTATION Of her possession of the pre-
e ious relics she traded in; the said lac
e being wealthy in her own right, so TIN
( she was able to forego her share
Mrs. Marks cash and send her porto
= of the queens wardrobe to Mrs MAJ
y in. whom "she always thought goC
y deal OF" Who her generous CONNIE
" ton was, Mrs. Martin answered the 1
= porter, was secret wild horses cou
ie not tear from her.
The queens wardrobe finds reat
sale in London, at comparatively enc
nous prices, TO ladies who desire
e, possess some souvenir of their SOY