New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-20
JANE STUART
ONE OF THACKERAY's WOMEN
Hlgglnsorf In Harper's Bazar.

ONE OF THACKERAY'S WOMEN
Colonel HCgInsofin Hsrper's Bazar.
There lately passed. away, at Newport Rhode
Island, one who could Justly be cassed With ThacA-
era5's women one In whom Lady how would nave
taken delight; ono in whom sLc would have found
VII and memory and aUdacly riyaing her own ono
VINO %aS at once Old and Young, poor ana luxurious;
one OF the Onecst % human beings, and yet ono OF
the most socabe. Miss Jane stuart, the 0aly sur,
yYng daughter Of Gilbert Stuart, the artist had
d~clt al her life on the edge OF art without pens
an artist. and q; the brink Of fashion without ICING
fashionaoe Living at times In something that ap,
preached pennry, she waS surrounded by friends who
were rich and generous SD that she often mlhiied
Moiicys famous saying, that one could do without
the neccssarics OF life, but could not spare tho
luxIrcs, shc was an essential part OF the limos.
phcre OF Newport; living near tie :" Old Stone MIL"
she divided It's celebrity. and oil agreed, IT'S d0ub-
full antiquity for her most intimate friends could not
really gncsS within fifteen years how Old she was,
and strangers placed nor anywhere from sixty to
eighty er modest cottage. liIi OF Old furniture and
pictures was the resort Of much that WAS faShQDaoic
on tho days o. her weekly recepoDs superb equipages
particular season she suspected a falling OIL in
visitors. she woIld try some new dovce-a beautiful
girl sitting in O certain carved armchair beneath an
embsZoned window like Keats'S Madeline--or when
things grew desperate, a bench with milk pan ana
pumpkin on the piazza, TO give an inn0cen.ly rird
air :" My dear She said on that occasl Ion, must
try something; rusticiy is the dodge for me- ana
the piazza looked thai summer like trans formation
scene In Cinderella with the fairy godmother not
far of.
shc inherited from her father IN full the Bohemian
temperament, and cultivated It so habtunlly through
life that It In full flower at time when almost
any other woman would have been represscd by age,
poverty and loneliness At seventy or moro sh9 was
still born Mistress Of tho Revcs. and could not DE
for five minutes I'm house whero charade or
masque going on without tapping at inc mos.
private door and plalntIvey imporng TO BIO admitted
as OF the consplraOlS. Oncc In there was bO'h-
Ing too daring too grotesqnc or 100 juvenile Or nc
winter revcs Of the narrowed Newport circle, "neh
Wit and ingenuity had to be invoked to rplace the
resources Of wealth and display, she was an
ndis pensable factor. She has been known 10 ohact
rrtf IN thA
march as the drum-major Of the Kn-Klux klan, with
a muf for shako and TO be tho eorlla Oh =,
menagere, with an artificial head Nothing conld
make too great "a demand upon her wit and vvacity,
and her very face had droll plalnness more eHeetve
never T'' lost dignity in these performances for 81;
never had anything that could be exactly described
s mace oss Supply Of common sense and ready adap
ton that took the place. when needed OF all stavhco
proprey and quite enabled her on SERIOUS occasions
TO hold her own.
But her social resources were not confined 10 oc-
casions where she was OF an extemporzed troupe
She was a host In herself: she had known everybody
generation, and these lost nothing on her Ups Ihen,
when other resources wero exhausted and the cana Tics
guests fingered somebody would be sure to say
Now, Miss Jane tell us ghost story" Win WI l.. q
little very little OF coy reluctance, She would be-
Gin in a voice at first commonplace but presently
dropping to a sort of mystic tonc she seemed 70
FLIGHT of the Duchess; She no longer plain,
cdorly woman in economical gown put she pc
q
that they seemed to cnchan herself Whence came hcr
stories wonder not ghost stories alone. bnt nioou-
curdling murders and mfnght lcrrorS OF wn,n 1o
abatcd you not an iiem-for she was neS er
tales that all the police records coud hafuy lhach
Then when she and her auditors were wrTns' on 9
to the highest pitch, shc began to tell fortunes anu
hero also she seemed not so much peilornsr ID
one performed upona Dephlc prestess, GS,saaur@
never shall forget how she once made our pl2ou run
cold with tho visions OF coming danger mar shc con
jurcd around young married woman on WON tn9r n
soon afterward broke wholly unexpected Scanuai
thar left her an exile in foreign land. NO one
ever knew. believe, whether Miss Stuart spoke at
that fine with knowledge perhaps She hardly Ens mr.
away beyond herself by ese weird nesntatioat or
o1 she was %S @ sf noa and aeSSpa'
disguised relish for tho comfortable things Oh nus
world. and very frank liking Tor the soce'y OF inc
to humber friends anfikqd TO do them good turns
Much Of her amaby took iho form OF naaterya
and became almost form of good deeds, She was
sometimes justly accused bf applying to the wealthy
where sho had nothing to gain by it and i gave ot TO
the humblest tho feeling that no was at least wor.h t
he said of him behind his back might be less en-
couraging no matter; il was something 10 nave Deeh
Sources in the other direction were considerable ana
ord steyne himself might have appauded when she
Frad%aS doh her on
dame who had patronizngy inspected her humble cot
It could moi gnnG Sd and vet after all what she got
Ont OF life was so moderate, and so many women
would have found her way or existence urIaS o!ossh,
that It was impossible 10 grudge her these "lAihs
lndulgonces.
Inhcrlting her fathers love of tho brush, she had
little of his talent her portraits OF friends were Sen
orally transferred by degrees to dark corners Dut
there existed an impression that she was good copy
Ist of stnarts pictures. and She was at one tlms
familiar figure in Boston. perched on high STOOL:
I'D convnr those OF his works which wcro transferred
for safe looping from taneaIl Hall to The r1 AFT
tired Of tbc long process Of copying, and took can
Va home with tho eyes implanted putting thc Pm In
hane ebe Invented this legend for her own amusement
Tor she never spared herself and were she to read
This poor sketch Of her would object to nothing Dut
the tameness of its outlines.