The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-05-30
A METROPOLITAN ROMANCE.
THE STRANGE STORY OF A NEW
YORK DRESSMAKER.
A High. Born Young EngIishmanv who
Married the Daughter of an East
Indian Princess.

was muCu lOUcICSlCu III llC SJOlN VI IL
young Englishman, as told me by Miss
Terry, and whose acquaintance l after
ward made through her kindness. tell
the story as nearly in Miss Terry's own
words as | can recolect them.
"When you want new gown" said
she, 81 want you to go to young Eng
lishman, who has recently located him
self in New York, and promise you he
will make you so artistic gown, and do
it at so moderate price as will astonish
you" "Who is this genius, and where
is he to be foundl" | asked, "and what's
his name, and where's his home, and all
about him." Ellis real name" said Miss
Terry, ''is NJ. His nom de guerre is
Auw,' and he lives in West Twentieth
street, and this is his history: He is the
son of Colonel M, who is crown
equerry in the queens household, a most
loyal and devoted servant to her majesty,
and one of whom she is very fond. This
young fellow is a younger son, and in his
early days was inclined to be artistic. He
took the prize in his class in London for
draping both in the antique and in the
modern, and was particularly successful
in the designing of costumes. When
there was such rage for amateur theat
ricals, and at the time that Mrs. Langtry
first commenced to play in private, this
Mr.. NJ. designed and superintended the
making of all the costumes, and if you
recollect, they were wonderfully correct
and much praised in every way. Like
most young Englishmen, he was brought
up to scorn all ideas of trade, and his
father, not being wealthy, was only able
to give him small allowance, upon
which he managed to present fairly good
appearance.
ole was great favorite with the set
to which Mrs. Langtry and all the fash
ionabe beauties belonged, the dancing
set as it was called in London, but his
health failing, he was sent for trip
round the world, got as far as the Indies,
where he fell in love with a beautiful
East Indian woman, the daughter of an
Indian princess, and a niece of the IA jah,
whom, much to his family's disgust, he
married. She is said Miss Terry,
clasping her hands and looking at me
with great earnestness, the most beauti-
full woman OF her type have ever seen.
She certainly is an extraordinarily hand
some creature, she repeated. The most
lovely dark eyes and straight brows, the
most dazzling white teeth and perfect
mouth, black hair which falls almost to
her feet, and such figure! WE'LL" said
Miss Terry, 'she is for her type, as beau
tiful as Mrs. Langtry for hers. Needless
to say, Auw was too desperately in love
to listen to any circumstances from his
father or family and, as | remarked be-
fore, he married his beautiful East Indian
and brought her to London and to
poverty. After struggling along and
going from bad to worse in financial
way, they made up their minds to come
to this country. l lost sight of them
four or five years ago, and to my utter
amazement, one day | received q card ut
my hotel bearing Ms name.
"You can fancy my surprise when he
informed me he was here in New York
and supporting his family-his wife and
child-at dressmakiug | do not know
that l ever was so astounded in my life
not that he should have come to America
to earn his living, but that he should
have taken this method of doing it. l
have no doubt, however, on the whole, it
is sensible thing after all, for as he
says, it is the thing he knows how to do
best. When l asked him what in the
world he went into this sort of business
for, he explained to me that his health
was so delicate it was utterly impossible
for him to 90 back and forth even from
an office to his home at night, and that
the doctor has assured him clerical work
would end his life in a very short time.
I'VE know no one, he said and it makes
no earthly difference how | earn my liv-
ing, so that it be respectable All of
which, of course, is entirely true. Still
] must say it is rather a shock to fancy
the elegant young NJ taking measures
for tailor-made gowns, and supcrintend-
ing the rullles on Miss Flora We're de
Vere's ball toilet"
l went to see this young Englishman,
whose nom de guerre is "Auw," which,
1t seems, is the name by which his young
est child addresses him. / found him in
very modest house on the west side of
the town Mr.. Auw is young fellow
of exceedingly frail appearance physi-
cally, with perfect manners, and evident
ly understands his new business, or the
business he has recently undertaken,
thoroughly.
/ did not give him my letter of intro
duction until after | had some business
conversation, during which he was OK
tremely courteous, and evidently anxious
to please and gain new client if posi-
bic. 1t was gratifying to see the change
in his manner and the pleased expression
on his face when | told him | was recon-
mcnded to him by Miss Terry. From
that moment he was quite different
person. lie told me something of his
hopes for increase of business, and spoke
with much pride and affection of his wife
and children
When | asked him why he did not
take an apartment in a more central part
of the city, he answered very simply:
"My wife, you know, is Mohammedan,
with all the prejudices of her cast. She
dislikes excessively the exposed manner
of the American woman's life which,
from her point of view, of course, looks
anything but proper, In fact" he said,
''she very rarely leaves the house, and is
happier in this retired part of the city
than she would be elsewhere, even could