Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-19
THE EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA.
In Her Youth She was One of the Most
Beautiful Women In Europe.

|
Paris Letter to the st. Louis Post-Dispateh
do not think that the present generation OF
Young royal ladies can present as exquisite
| types OF loneliness as did that now passing
| away. Twenty-Five years ago the empress Of
Austria, for instance, was simply dazzling. She
| would have been noted for her beauty had she
been barmaid or ballet girl The slender.
| graceful figure, the finely moulded features,
| the large, brilliant dark eyes. the beautifully
| formed head, crowned with wealth of black
silken tresses, Advent to make up an ensemble
OF physical perfection. saw her once at that
period, when I was staying at the Archduke
Charles hotel at Vienna The radiant Elizabeth
came there with her imperial husband to call
upon the countess of Flanders, the sister-in-
| law of the king Of the Belgians She passed
| IN front OF large window opening upon bal
| cony, and on that balcony was stationed party
of Americans. one of which was myself all
eager to catch glimpse of the famous royal
beauty. With true queenly courtesy she paused
for moment on beholding the group and
stood there for brief but appreciate space of
time, as If to say: You wanted to see me-here
l am! Then. with a stately inclination of her
beautiful head, she turned away and rejoined
her husband, leaving every one of the specta-
tors in raptures with her loneliness. She was
attlred IN costume of transparent muslin and
Valenciennes lace, with a broad sash in violet
silk thlckly embroidered with steel spangles.
From beneath her compact little turban hat
there fell at the back Of her head a mass of
black. glossy braided tresses. coiled round and
round, and confined in a net of purple silk. A
simple dress enough for an empress to wear
while paying call on princess, but its very
simplicity only served to enhance the splendor
of its wearer's beauty. OF late years the en-
press willnever consent to sit for her photograph
| and dislikes extremely to be gazed at in public,
sure tokens OF the waning of her once re-
splendent charms. She was the one beauty of
her family. none of her three sisters, the queen
of Naples, the princess of Thurn and Taxis,
| and the Duchess d'Alencon, being in any
way remarkable for their good looks. Indeed,
the last named princess was positively plain. A
good deal of regret has been felt in Austrian
society that the emperor had not selected Prin-
| cess Helen, now princess of Thurn and Taxis.
| as she Is q very brilliant conversatonalist and
| is fond of music and society; whereas the en-
press dlsikes even to show herself at the opera,
and really cares for nothing except riding and
| hunting. She Is growing rather old to indulge
| IN this last amusement, being over ffty-one.
| But she preserves many of her charms and
| especially the shapeliness of her figure and
the luxuriance of her long, thick tresses. At
| the court concert, given at Vienna in honor of
the emperor of Germany. she created pro-
! found sensation by her couture. She wore her
| hair falling unconfined at the back in long
| masses over her shoulders and studded with
| stars OF diamonds held in place by slender con-
|
was called, was greatly admired, no less than
| Its stately wearer. The empress is said to be
| the queenliest royal lady in Europe to behold
| 1t is q sight to see her at court presentation,
| passing down the line of ladies who are to be
! introduced, and turning at the end with a
| grand sweep OF her regal train, whose folds
are never disarranged by the action, so adroitly
! is it executed.
In the days of her youth the imperial Eliza
beth was very winning and sympathetic per-
sonage The professor engaged to teach her
| the Hungarian language has left on record the
! impression made upon him by his royal pupil:
! her genteness. her gracious ways her ardOr and
cOnscentlousness i'll her studies. and also the de-
| voted affection then subsisting between herself
| and her husband. She would throw aside in
! stanty her books and exercises and hurry from
! the room whenever the emperor was heard call
| ing her by her pet name of Elise This pleasant
state of matters conjugal was brought to a sud-
den termination several years ago. The en-
| press detected her spouse in liasOn of pecu-
liar turpitude and bad taste. This was more
than the naughty Elizabeth. then conscious Of
| being one of the loveliest women in Europe,
could patiently endure. She has never for
given her husband, though, unlike the queen
| OF ServIa. she was too wise to bring matters to
an open rupture. From that period dates her
| partial withdrawal from court life and her de-
votion to riding and hunting. Under the name
OF the Countess of Hohenembs she has shown
a great prediction for fox hunting in Ireland.
years debarred to her by the Irish disturb
| ances.
| In the early days of her youth and trium-
| plant loneliness she was the unconscious cause
| Of very pathetic little romance. young
American gentleman whose sister had been
educated In Europe CHANGED to see in her pho
! tograph album on her return a portrait of the
beautiful Elizabeth. He was greatly struck by
| it, and on first beholding it declared that he
! would WOO and win the original at all hazards
| If she were still unmarried. When told that
| the portrait was that of the empress of Aus
! tria he said nothing more. but a few weeks
| later he announced his intention of going to
| Europe As his health was very delicate his
| parents encouraged him in his project hoping
/ that the change of air and scene might prove
/ beneficial to him. He went straight to Vienna
and remained there for nearly a year, fire.
/ quenting assiduously the opera. the drive on
! fashionable days on the prater and other places
where he might have chance of behOldng
the imperial beauty whose image had so capti-
waited him. Late in the winter he contracted a
j severe cold, which developed into rapid con-
| sumption. and he only returned home to die
Among his papers found by his surviving
| family very beautiful miniature of the en-
! press, which he had caused to be painted from
photograph, and also few fragments of i'm
FASHIONED verse telling of love as deep and
sincere as it had been hopeless and unavowed.
His Preference.
| From the Merchant Traveller
'Are you fond of dogs. Mr.. Bliven?" said a
young woman, as she caressed her pugs.
| Billy was too polite to reply in the negative,