Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-05-15
EX-EMPREss EUGENE.

| way. l have seen faf OIL result OF great
| war, of tho dethronement of reigning
sovereign, of the exile of the last Inhabitants
| Of the Tuilleries. l have seen the cx Empress
Eugene sitting up at the counter of an up
hosterer's shop pricing a curtain silk, feel
ing it 10 verify the value of its texture OBJ
iectng to its color, asking to be shown
something else-something of the same
kind, only different; little more so, in fact,
| or perhaps not quite so much, exhibiting, as
| one may say, the very indecislon OF plain
Mrs. Jones or Brown, who wishes to get
| full value for her money and is not going to
| make q mistake if she can help it. Yes,
there she sat- the beautiful Eugene de
Montjio, Comtesse de Teba, eX Empress Of
the French, now called, when travelling, the
Comtesse de Perrefonds. | was walking
| RAPIDLY down the central aisle of the shop,
| myself bent on the acquisition Of curtain
| materials for the decoration of my own lodg
ment, when my eyes fell upon the imposing
form and the striking features of the EN-
press At first thought must be mistak-
en-, for who would dream that sovereign
even an ex-would SO loose sight Of the di-
vinity that doth hedge king as to sit down
at an upholsterer's counter and hold con-
verse with one of the salesmen? But there
could be no mistake. 1t was she. These
are indeed days of social upheavals.
She was dressed in deepest mourning, the
widows garb. The long, weeping "fali" of
Grape depending from her bonnet was some
what lacking in freshness, just as it is with
plebeian widows after few Wearings in this
moisty, misty climate of Great Britain. Her
cashmere cloak, trimmed with Grape, was
drawn in at the waist behind, the better TO
\ >,oh ,ff VAT, inol
and the beautiful, taper. fingered hands were
encased in black gloves which fitted without
single wrinkle. Nor was this celebrated
surrounding Three ladies panied her
and by their deferential manner plainly
showed how far above themselves they held
the historic parsonage with whom they had
the honor to be associated. In London,
during the course of long residence,
one sees so many potentates, reign
ing or having reigned, so many Sc
rene Highnesses land also such numbers of
disturbed ones), so many princelings of this
sort and that, so many high placed" and
| "well born" individuals, &C., and. so on,
| that one king or queen in exile more or less
| is not matter to wax eloquent about. But
Eugene buying curtains in that far from
aristocratic locality, the Tottenham Court
| road At shop too, whose very main
spring of existence is its cheapnesS, COM
bined with beauty
And in this face Of later years found the
other day the very beauty OF the bygone
time, subdued gently by age and sorrow.
The golden locks are very silVery now, the
witching eyes no longer sparkle as erst they
did, the form has lost its line Of perfect
beauty. but to my eyes the former lowell
ness is by no means eradicated, and a
painter who before sought to show the
world how beautiful was the spouse OF the
Third Napoleon may we'll find in the Inca
ments of the dethroped Eugene that Mater
Dolorosa whose sorrows have awakened
universal sympathy, the inspiration which
he would require 10 portray saint. AnX-
ious TO know what impression she made
upon those who now saw her for the first
time asked my companion, a bright and
beautiful young girl, what she thought OF
her. The answer was surprise Pleasant
| looking, but not handsome at all" What
Not handsome! Eugene not handsome ~
ssNo. not handsome at ALL" she reiterated
positively, "but very pleasant looking"
Slowly leaving the shop, leaning on the
arm of one Of her ladies, Eugene stepped
upon the pavement. She walks with tardy
and cautious tread, and carries q cane,
doubtless for use at points of inequality in
the road beneath her; otherwise she bears
it like fan, say, or, still better, like scep-
tre. Her equipage was a four seated broug-
ham, drawn by two superb bays. Her
coachman and remarkably tall footman
wear mourning livery, emblem, like. the
Queens liveries, of woe not mitigated by
the flight of time. AS the group of four la,
dies passed over the wide pavement, Euge-
ME and the elder lady together, arm in arm,
the two younger ones following, the black
coated footman opened wide the carriage
door and took off his cockaded hat, holding
it low, at arms length down, until the faded
flower of tickle and ferocious France was
safely seated within the vehicle. Then the
carriage door is shut with snap, the foot
man mounts the box beside the coachman
and the nettlesome bays heetly spurn be.
meath their hoofs the smooth, round stones
of the Tottenham Court road London let.
| Db;Io Times