The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-12-17
THE LILY AND TIVE I.ABRY
DurandaI Takes ~ Look Behind the
Beauty Of Mrs. baugtry, and writes
About Actresses nud thetr Dnugtcrs-
Lawrence Barrctt's Refusal 60 Ride
with the liIy-Oscar wilde Tilted.

WIN the httN-ONcnr WtIdc dutcd.
NEW YoRK, Decombers, 1882.
woman Of ordinary appearance emerged
from the AIbcmarlo Hotel by side door passed the
outskirts Of the crowd that was waiting to get view
OF Mrs, Laugtry and walked brlskly up Firth avenue
Athor sides were young man and woman. She
was plainly, although richly clothed but there was
nothing about her face that made anybody turn for
. second look. Kept her In sight all the way, aud
watched closely for any demonstration Of admration
| for this was Mrs. Langtry herself stay! There Is
/ no occasion for alarm. am not going to describe
/ hor. simply mean to make the point that, unless
labeled professional beauty, the public would pass
herby as nothing extraordinary. She Walked to the
Grand Central Depot aud there took train for hos
! ton, without bcing stared at In the least.
Aud yet Mrs. Langtry did not depart In peace
Every actress H. New York who wishes II may have
DANGERS. II she Is singer In a BoYcty cellar they
are low-browedl boor hammered, shabby thieves and
| bummers. II she Is dancer In q ballet, they are
wo-drcssed fellows, uoodiish bat probably honest.
" she Is performer OF distinction and beauty In a
legitimate theatre, they swells very airy,
| liberal, and very comica. The kind FIRST mentioned
| are dangerous. They Will fight one another for n
! bawd's favor slug an unwary stranger for the
mixed purpose OF vengeance and robbery. The last,
however, are positively harmless. There IL nothing
vicious about them They are incapable OF hurt to
| anybody, TO the actress who permits their
| dangling. They are laughed at immoderately, and
are despised by whoever takes the trouble to form
serious an opinion. They are good enough chaps,
| who will know more when they grow older and for
the present serve to Keep money In brisk circulation.
upon whom she smiled, excepting theatrical ascot
ates and newspaper reporters, was Fred. Gebhardt,
| who had been introduced to her In London by his
friend, the Prince OF Wales; and that gave ad-
vantageous start for the prize place OF dangler Be-
sides, he Is handsome young man, stylish to lie
distinctive In crowd and possessing large amount
/ OF ceyerly concealed modesty Above ali, he has
somewhere near 500, 900 year to spend share OF
this Is troted out by fast horses for he likes to hold
the reins himself as we'll as to put racers the turf
Who could hope to compete with Fred In Mrs. Lang
| try's favorY Well, Bob Hutchings for one. He
hn n thn rRuaA nj tls..Aa
married beautiful daughter OF Comptroller Com
/ molly and was negotlator for the return Of that
fugitive and some OF his swag after the downfall.
He Is curly headod, round -beied. good looking
man of forty, with plenty OF money and leisure.
and success. and Oscar Wilde stayed about. Fred.
made no delay. Mrs Langtry had not been here a
week before she and her bosom friend Mrs. Labou-
chere accepted his Invitation TO bachelor dinner IN
one OF Delmonico's upper rooms. Let 1t be under
stood right here that serious pos
sbe In that establishment. Those frequent Interrupt
lions by the walters which once angered Ofenbach,
and about which he wrote revengefully In his book
America. are still the rule Moreover, 1 decline to
believe that Mrs. Langtry requires any such over
sight. But 1t was q jolly affair nevertheless with
fourteen glasses clinked by male banda against only
! two glasses held by female hands. Other DANGERS
have since had angtry at dinner but Fred got all the
glory that belongs to the pioneer Then he struck out
In direction that his rivals could not effectively fol-
! low. lucky snow storm made good slipping In
] Central Park aud on tho drives northward lie
the beauty her nrstenjoymento of American seighng.
| Every day last week she was drawn briskv over the
roads at his sde with stops for refreshments at the
wayside Inns.
II Bob IIutchings could not ride In a sleigh with
Langtry he made up his mind that he would do
a car. He therefore laid plans deeper and more
cunning than anything he had ever done in politics,
to go TO Boston with her; but here he met with oppo
OF the special train, who Tigidiy excluded him lie
went to Boston on the night train instead. SO did
/ Fred That carries the competition beyond my per-
sonal observation, and won't indulge In any guess
work.
But there was one man who would not ride with
Langtry when he could Lawrence Barrett the
ragedian, has none too many inches, but every inch
| Is dignity. He was TO begin an engagement Ia Bos-
ton simultaneously with In Langtry aud under the
travel from New York to that city In her special car
He let his company go along with hers on the train,
but for himself he declined without hesitation pre-
ferrlng to take the later regular train and
submit to the discomfort OF a slespng-car berth.
| try as lady, " said MIR. Barrett to me, ''but do
say that she has no business on the stage. l have
great deal of self in my profes.
sion, but 1t has been generally matter of acquire
ment. For natural Unborn and enormous concelt
have never known erequal. shei no actress, but
simply curiosity. She ought to be shown In a mu-
scum, instead OF taking the place OF an artist In the
DRAMA
have no means of knowing the critical opinion of
liarrott' Bob lIutchings, Mrs.
Langtry's value or worthlessness the stage What
Bob said, when asked where he was going, was: 'I
have got to attend funeral near Boston morrow
Then he looked preternanraly grave, aud his ques-
| toner smiled.
Oscar Wilde and Vernona Jarbeau met casually I'm
| the Office of Gilbert and Sullivan's American mana
ger D'Orley Carte, yesterday and fell into CONVEX
saton. Vernona is an actress, rs tho reader Doubt
less knows, and something of beauty herself.
'Why, MIR. Wilde,'' she said, with bewitching
archness, :" thought you were in BOSTON,
"What makes you say that?'' he replied.
nBecause Mrs. Langtry is there, and you are,
believe her ardent admirer.''
fingers through his hair, matter Of yard so, and
rolled his eyes upward. ''She is the loveliest Of
women, saving your presence. ~
''Oh, Mr.. Wilde ~
''But am not her follower
"When did you stop2''
'The instant found out thar she preferred n
heart less discriminating and purse of greater
length.n
"if you regard me as wooer, Instead of mere
admirer. [ may be put down as Tilted. She has
at Wallacks one night my intagllo ring cracked
on my finger. That fracture an omen-a very
bad sign Yes, our relations, though slight and sen.
| timental, have been sundered.''
Oscar sighed and assumed the manner of man In
solitude and revery.
ness that brought him back into her company,
that that Mrs. Langtry powders her faceS"
she does not, said he; though she may do
IAN | know is that Riker the apothecary, has
obtained her signature to puff of his powder, and Is
Thus has she fallen into sorddness. She got
500 Tor that and never touches her perfect COM
! The truth about Oscar Wilde, as nearly as / can
learn 1t, Is that he dropped out of public notice about
the time OF Mrs Langtry arrival and that he cal
spiGuous attendance upon her. She had no use for
for him, however, and made him understand 1t.
The quarrel between Mrs. Langtry and Mrs. La
bouChere conversationally called the Lily and the
Labby war, about which much contradiction has APP
treather rs she had done with Wilde. Mrs LaDouchere
wasorgnaly Hattie Hodgson an actress at Wallack'
In this city and at the Haymarket, In London. She
married barrister named Pidgn and said to never
have been divorced from him. She and the noted
editor of the London Truth fell In love each other
and formed relations which have passed in London
al a
pani0n OF the Prince OF Wales, a member of Paria-
| ment and moves In aristocratic circles Mrs La
bouchere promoted Mrs Laugry's social fortunes and
trained her for the stage. She accompanied her to
this country guide and friend, and they were 80
loving that IL did not seem though they could ever
become enemies. Mrs. Labouchere Is plump and
well-preserved woman of fortyhve stylish In dress
and accomplished In manners. She was disappointed
when New York society failed to take Langtry In but
seems To have made no objection to the bachelor din
ners, J. nave II from member OF the company. who
seemed TO entertain prejudice In the matter, that
Mrs Langtry deliberately and purposely afronted Mrs
aholchere and compelled her to either break lose
In self-respect.
"Mrs. Langtry is extremely arrogant >, said this
person, "and seems to he positively losing her head
None OF us believe that she very bad but she likes
to have good time with the boys, and is wholly un-
aware either that she Is not great actress that
she cannot defy public opinion. She thought she could
get along without Mrs. Labouchere, and that is the
whole reason OF their sepaiation.''
The New York correspondent OF the the Boston
gazette contributes to this discussion IS f. llows;
Though Mrs. Langtry is no longer with us, she Is
stu the subject OF much animated conversation
Her little nnpleasantness with Mrs. Labouchere IA
| Vari0usly Interpreted some say that Mrs. Langtry
saw by the GnIette that Mrs. Labouchere was 1,
drawback TO her admission To New York society," and
that she realized 1t then she had not before and
that she gladly picked quarrel with Mrs Labou-
olere Tor tho sake OF getting rid of her There ~ no
doubt that New York society would not accent Mrs
Langtry with Mrs. I.abOuchere, but the question
arises would 1t accept her without that appendage,
Same say yes, others say no. The World, which
seems 10 have sort OF inside track In this matter
has interviewed Mrs LabOuchere, who says that She
has had no quarrel with Mrs. LaDgtry but that the
Lilly formed acquaintances that she could not as her
chapeTone approve. One of the 'disapproved, :,
she added, accompanied Mrs. Langtry TO Boston.
on course. under the circumstances she Mrs. La
bnuchere. could not be OF the party. Others, again,
say that Mrs Labouchere made herself very obnox-
ous 10 Mrs. Langlry aud all tho Of the company
and that Mrs LaDgtry at last obliged to rebel In
self-defense The truth OF the matter up TO certain
point is this--Mrs. Langtry taken up by the
ladies' OF this city and she was the heroine OF
numerous Z" stag ~ parties. Mrs. Paran Stevens I
believe, had her at her house, but, them Mrs paran
stevens can do anything that her friend, the Prince
OF Wales, does Mrs. Langtry was seen coming out
OF the BemOnts' House, and inquiry showed thar she
had been lunching there but none of the family
were at home except MIR. Perry Belmont The
llUrld' story that Mrs. Langtry has formed unde.
slrabe acquaintance must be taken with caution
DAY Gould owns the World, and Jay GOuld's son
George has been paying marked attention 10 Mrs.
Langtry. lie gave her a valuable bracelet, which
] M an "a Enn