The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-01
Maria Pays Clara Visit and Stays Over
Night, and the Result Is Startling Story
of the Secret Mysteries of the Toilet.
E. Berry Wallis Bride Falls Short of the
High Standard of Her Husband.
Membership in Club Not Certain Indica-
tion of Honesty-Women Resent an Intru-
sion of Their Favorite Shopping Ground
Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.

| out. A notion prevails that this attitude will
| keep the hands youthful in appearance by pre-
| venting wrinkles Therefore, the fashionable
hand is worn much of the time extended, palms
| down. It is to be feared that benevolence is
/ not on the increase. The position does not ad-
! nit of the hands holding much. But just think
+, of that present solictude that lives in the
| female soul, enabling women to go around hour
| after hour with their hands in a straightout,
| open condition. At night preposterous inven-
| ton must be worn. Maria came to spend the
| day with me. She got through it, padding
| about with her 1ippers stiff as pokers. actually
| begrudging the necessity of wrinkling her fin
gers in order to grasp her knife and fork; but in
| the evening it came on to rain, and she
forced to stop. Then, indeed, was she miser-
able. lest the careful work of the day should be
| undone by sleeping at our house. Finally, she
| sent for her hand extenders. What do you
| think they were2 Mittens made of wash leather,
| the inner side fortified with three strips of
| steel, that kept the hands fiat, level and out
| stretched; and the whole business was smeared
| inside with almond cream paste. These arti-
| cles were tied at the wrist with pink ribbons
| Maria began to go to bed at 10:30 and really
reached the sheets at IL sharp. Her hair was
| taken down, brushed, and done up to wave at
| the sides and curl at the top. Her face went
| through wonderful course of treatment For
| twenty minutes it was carefully rubbed upward
by the tips of the fingers under the eyes. Then
| the mouth held open in the shape of an ex-
| clamatory 0, while the cheeks at the sides were
| rubbed from the ears toward the nose. tre-
| mendous effort was made with that treacherous
| spot just under the chin, that will get drawn
/ lines with the coming of years. For twenty
good minutes Maria sInoothed her gullet Then
| she brushed her teeth carefully. She wet a lock
| of cotton with rose water and put it in her
| mouth at the base of her hind window teeth,
| between the cheek and the teeth. This is
| called wonder for preventing any wither on the
| part of the cheeks. All this time decoction
| over the gas. This cooking utensl had
| over in Maria's bag oftoiet tricks A hot and
! resinous smelling poultice was the result.
Maria daubed her face thickly with it, and ap-
| piled fiannel-lined mask Great Scott! She
| looked like the veiled prophet in that mask and
| her night dress. Outside her whole parapher-
MALTA she laced an odd, sawed-off sort of corset
| 1t was just very wide belt, 9arng at top and
!, bottom. but it lasned up her victuas and vitals
| mittens with their Spanish insteps. Into their
| grease-smeared interiors she plunged her
| hands, and got me to tie them around her wrists.
What if you want to scratch your ear nthe
| nightl said L
"Don't suggest it," she replied. 'T bore a
| mark for week when must have dug that
center steel into my eye"
| Then she went to bed. I took a look at her
| an hour after. Those wash-leather mittens
| were stif1y crossed on her breast. Her flannel
| Swathed face upturned in the dim light
She for all the world like the effigy in stone
| that lies in Westminster Abbey over the
| cophagus of Anne Boleyn. The hammers of the
relic hunter have carried away much of Annes
| nose and several of the fingers. The mask and
mittens had the same general effect It was re-
| assuring to see her turn up at the breakfast
| table after her martyrdom, general flavor of
| mild decay pervading her person, but yet liv-
| ing friend. Some night Maria will surely swal-
| low her cotton quid and then goodbye, dear!
| She will never survive that accident. But just
notice the dowagers and their daddles. AS
| George Thatcher says In his song:
s'She carried her hands just so,
And the villain still pursued her."
While the reader is perusing this letter the
swell dandies of New York will not be making
New Years calls as might be supposed, but are
leaving that old Knickerbocker custom to the
very common fellows. That manner of spending
the holiday has gone clear out of fashion,
neither Sunday. nor on the ensuing legal
New Years. will single Fifth-avenue residence
be open to callers. A few will have little bask-
cts attached to the bell handles, for the recep-
tion of cards. but even that recognition of once
honored usage will not generally be made. The
trouble with New Years calls is that anybody and
everybody can make them So much han
som cab is not essential, and if the maker of
calls is too poor to ride in street cars he may
plod around afoot. The intention of the top ten
thousand is to do things that are impossible
to the rabbIe Therefore they have abolished
New Years calls, and instead spend the day out
of town. rule. Murray Hill will be depopu-
lated and its people will be scattered among the
country seats of the families. Parties are
made up for these excursions, the departure
on Tuesday. Tobogganing. if weather and
snow permit, and dancing anyhow. will be pur-
sued where no intrusions by the common peo-
pie shall molest or make afraid.
The most regarded bride in the wide world,
think, has this week been the new wife of Berry
Wall, the king of the dudes. The pair have
been to theaters nightly, they dine and sup at
Delmonicos, and they keep pretty generally in
public view. Mrs. Wall is not beautiful, but
she has a delicate, refined face, good, tall fig
ure and very distinguished air. The strange
fact about her is that her toilets show of the
accuracy and care which seen in the apparel
of her celebrated husband. Her gowns havea sty-
lish cut, and Eare evidently made by some clever
maker; she wears them with so me of the pict-
uresqueness of an actress; but there is slouch-
mess in them that one might suppose, would
grieve her spick-andspan spouse. You could
search the visible fabrics on Berry with mag
nfying glass without discovering blemish
Butas sat behind his bride saw that her gloves
were soiled. her bonnet was of unseasonable
straw, her collar was pinned awry. one button
at the back of her dress was missing, and alto
gethar she lacked that scrupulous nicety of de-
tail which, seemingly, the king of the dudes
would exact in his wife,
Twas in company with man, the other evon-
ing, who really couldn't have told whether the
girl of his absorbing interest gauze
three-ply carpeting. He was the venerable Luz
ther Colby. editor of tho Banner of Light the
Boston spiritualistic journal and he had come
on visit to New York to witness some of the
new marvels in spooks. On this occasion he
was at a seance given by Mrs Stoddard Gray,
at 323 West Thirty-fourth street. Her exhibit
tions are transparent enough to an unbelever.
but Brother Colby has faith unlimited, and the
medium made special effort to satisfy his long
ing for marvels shadowy form came out of
| the cabinet and announced herself as his de-
aca1c cic and ha rnyy haf hl q
her; another his half-sister, and he declared
| that he knew her instantly: third was pro-
| nounced by him the materialized spirit of
| woman whose portrait adorned his sanctun, and
| so on until the particular demonstration Of the
/ evening was reached. That was novelty,