The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-03-06
QUEEN YICToRIl'S LIFE.
Railroad Journeys, and Precautions
Against Observation-The Daily Routine
OF the court-How Her Majesty Receives
and Dimes with Her Visitors.

Against o bservation-The Daily Ioutin
of the court-How Her Majesty Receives
and Dimes with Her Visitors.
In July last, when the Queen had
fixed the day Of her departure from
Windsor, she unexpectedly postponed
1t says correspondent of the N. Y.
Sun. Such a swerving from all estab.
lished precedent was as startling as il
was new, and gave rise to the most con
hicting ~coniectures. 1t was promptly
ascertained that the delay was not
caused by the health of the Duchess OF
Albany, and while speculation was still
rife, the reason became suddenly ap-
parent. Her majesty would not leave
the castle before personally visiting
Lockwood, a recently engaged foot :
man, IN the privacy of his home at
st. Marks place in the royal
borough, and condoling with him and
his family on IN accident that had hap
penedt to his little child. In the same way
the return of the queen from Balmor-
al did not take place till Thursday last,
despite the severity of the season, be-
cause she had to attend to the funeral
OF Mr.. Willie Blair, her highland tid-
der. This parsonage was Oyears old,
and besidea moderate musical talent and
the enviable fact of being the most an
Gent ~lnhabitant of the village, he does
not appear to have been distinguished
by any quality or achievement-to have
run a career of such particular useful
ness as to justify his entombment in
Craithe churchyard. The graceful COM
plement must, therefore, be viewed by
the country at large merely as a
proof that the sovereign can occasionally
withdraw herself from her mournful
retirement, if not to associate with the
mobiles of her great empire, to grace
public ceremonies, or delight her cap
ltal with her august presence, ut least
to honor servants, shepherds, and gillles
with attractions all the more Hattering
that they are so exclusive.
The habitual precautions for isolating
the Queen from the curiosity and de-
monstrations of her subjects, and MAX
ing the transit from one royal residence
to another monasticallv secluded, were
perhaps ever intensified during the
journey of Friday last. With one SOL
ltary exception, the stations we're virtu-
ally unapproachable while the queens
special train was in sight. Once only,
at Ferry Hill station, the Great North
ern Company Used tickets enabling
some PRIVILEGED individuals to enter the
sacred precincts and to feast their eyes,
at a respectful distance, on the mid
night pageant. These tickets were
only o%btainable with great difficulty,
and after searching investigation into
the postulant's antecedents. 1t is not
said whether gate money vas taken, and
who benefited by the proceeds.
AT Windsor, in broad daylight, when
the train arrived from Scotland, a
guard OF the Third Battalion of grena-
dier guards lined the Castle Hill road,
andthe whole c~onstabulary force Of the
borough patrolled the way between
the Great Western station and the pal
ace. a detachment of the metropolitan
police had been additionally sent from
Paddington. and the companv's staff
jealousy guarded the station, rails, and
vladuct arches, so that at a rough COM
putatlon it was estimated that the num-
Der OF officers empio yed to protect the
Queen against her loyal subjects ex-
ceeded the gathered spectators by a
not inconsiderable figure.
Apropos of the journeys of the royal
family of England, it is not perhaps
generally known hat its members, al
though endowed with considerable civil
lists, do nc bear the expenses of their
Continental excursions, in so far that
the budget is charged to the amount of
94O for every trip across the Channel,
payable to the steamer that has carried
them across. Last year the Prince of
Wales and his sons crossed seven times,
the Duke and Duchess of E%dinburg five
times, the Duke and Duchess of Neck
lenburg three, the Duke and Duchess
of Connanght the same, the Princess
Imperial Of Germany twice, the Ouch
ess OF Ieck, the Duke Of Cambridge,
and Princess Beatrice respectively
once, running up n bill of e920, de-
frayed by long-suf1ering, but discon-
acknowledgements.
The dull, regular, uninteresting rout-
inc of her Majestv's daily life, so try
ing even to the enduring patience of her
last remaining daughter, has once more
begun, unrelieved save by the homely,
almost lowly, incidents recorded above,
and which constitute the only commun-
ion between the nation and herself.
lime was, eve after the castle had
been virtually closed for all festivities,
that guests were hidden to il for the
three days visit so dear to the British
heart, and during their stay enjoyed
the privilege of revealing in the priceless
accumulation of pictures, tapestries, OBJ
jects of art, rare books, rarer engrav-
ings and unrivalled specimens of china
one little table with rose Dubarry
medallions alone being estimated at
925,O00. Now the invitations rarely
extend over one evening and night,
and, although they are to all intents
ly reach the recipients a few hours be-
fore the time when their attendance is
required.
A fast train brings .Tou down from
Paddington station in forty minutes. As
no carriages are habitually sent to meet
you, you have to trust yourself and SER
wants to flies or cabs to reach the castle.
Pages of the Queen, lads belonging to
the best families in the kingdom take
charge of you and, consulting a written
list, conduct you to the apartments set
aside for your use. These consists of a
complete suite of rooms, the only fault
being that in winter they are apt to be
insutliciently warmed, as the Queen is
CONSTITUTIONAL ayerse to heat. Shortly
after the arrival OF q guest, he receives
the visit of the Master of the House
hold, Sir j. G. Cowell, who brings HIM
IN invitation to have tea with one or
other Of the ladies in waiting.
Full court dress is de rigueur for the
dinner. AS early as s o'clock the guests
asSnn1L1a In tho nrnnt ~nnllor- ,rh;aL