Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-04
THE BLUSHING BRIDE,
Personal characteristics of the Prin.
cess Louise, Who Has
JUST BECOME DUCHESS OF FIFE.
Some Interesting Anecdotes Of Her Early
Childhood Life.
THE GROOM is A MAN OF CHARACTER



PHILADELPHIA, August 2.-An En-
glish nobleman, visiting in Philadelphia,
who has an intimate acquaintance with the
Duke of Fife and has enjoyed much pleas
ant intercourse with the Prince of Wales
and his family, tells the following charming
stories of the royal bride. He also gives
the correct versions of the unfortunate mar
riages of the Duke of Flies sisters, of which
several erroneous accounts have been re-
GENTLY published.
Princess Louise, now Duchess of Fife, is
not outwardly strikingly beautiful, the
Georgian features are too prominent for this
to be possible, although her appearance is
pleasing and year by year she decidedly
improves. 1t must be borne in mind, too.
that when she has been seen in public she
was always in company with the Princess of
Wales, whose wonderful beauty and charm
ing grace of countenance were enough to
throw all else beneath temporary shadow.
A general impression prevails that Princess
Louise is stiff, dull and uninteresting; this
is in a measure true, but by no means
altogether so.
A story of Princess Louise's childhood
days which has been roughly attributed to
another royal grandchid, will illustrate
her love for mischief While visiting the
Queen one day at Balmoral she committed
some act for which the Queen intended to
punish her. Her custom is not to send
naughty child into the corner, but under
the table, and under the table was Princess
Louise ordered to go, where she was COM
pletely concealed by a long cloth.
SOMETHING OF AN INCIDENT.
nraa oaiI T<,,1iua
are you good yet?' mo-" came the prompt
reply. "Then stay where you are" After an
other interval the same question came again.
the reply being mot quite good yet;" and once
more she was told to stay until she was quite
good. At the third interrogatory, Louise, are
you quite goode' the infant Princess responded.
YES quite good" Then. come here, Lulu
| dear. and I'll forgive you." Upon which, from
| beneath the table. appeared the child, clothed
only in natures garments. The Queen was un-
and asking why she had undressed herself was
quite good"
Another instance will demonstrate the same
point She was present at a picnic at an age
when she had begun to wear her dresses almost
to the ground Prince Leopold was attired in
dificuity in rising from the ground gracefully.
Princess Louise looked mischievously at him
and said: "Ah, Uncle Leo, you had better
begin to wear long dresses, too. 1 am glad
have no longer to take SO much trouble in get
ting up"
The Prince of Wales was always fond of
good romp with his children, and he had a
fondness for what he called 'playing bears"
and many absurd positions has he been caught
in while thus engaged ''on all forrs." Count
Karolyi, the Austrian Ambassador, was ushered
rapidly and Unexpectedly once into the library
at Marlborough House and there found the
Prince on his hands and knees with his three
girls on his head and back, and the Princess
watching the sport with evident amusement.
A MAN OF CHARACTER.
The Duke of Fife. the bridegroom. elect, is a
man of whose character any one might well be
proud. In appearance he is Of very much the
same build as the Prince of Wales, although
he does not seem to tend SO much toward
rotundity. He is. however, rather fat, chubby
and red-faced, looks well fed and has reddish
hair, besides wearing short side whiskers of
similar hue. He is magnificent shot and a
first-rate whip. picture of good nature and
in every way "a good fellow" 1t is strange
that this very man whose marriage with
princess is so popular because he 10 an English
noble, should have had quarrel with Prince
Henry of Battenberg, whose marriage wit h
Princess Beatrice was SO unpopular because he
was foreigner of practically no account.
Because Prince Henry of Battenberg did not
receive while staying at Mar Lodge, one of :he
most lovely properties OF the Earl of Fife. situ-
ated near Balmoral, some piece of Difference
which he expected in deer stalking he chal-
lenged Lord Fife. 1t need hardly be said that
the latter refused, though from no feelings of
q
was not the custom of his country Shortly
after some most lndicrous pictures appeared in
Punch, portraying Prince Henry deer stalking.
These pictures did more. perhaps, than any
thing else to make this ambitious specimen Of
German nobility the laughing stock of Europe.
The Earl or to call him by his new title. the
his own person all the virtues of his family; at
any rate the other members have not distin-
guished themselves in that line. His eldest
sister, Lady Ann Duff, married the Marquis of
TOyVnshand VI fLaf hia
mission in life was to drive all beggars from the
face of the earth. He used to walk about
looking intensely generous, until some poor
tramp would beg of him. The tramp was
promptly handed into custody. and next morn
ing the usual heading would appear in the
daily papers Marquis of Townshend and the
Beggars." Somehow his wife seemed to have
wished for more attention than she received.
NOT ALTOGETHER SMOOTH.
Her husband, though, remained engrossed in
Kidding the world of mendlcants until one fine
day Lady Townshend disappeared. Great ex-
citement followed, and various surmises as to
the cause of her absence were freely offered
Rumor finally pointed to the friendship be-
tween her and Lord Edward Thyme, a brother
of the Marquis of Bath. He was a well-known
and elderly roue, whose escapades with mar
ried women were frequent and romantic
Ultimately the pair were detected in Paris
Lord Townshend sent a trusted friend TO de-
mand the restoration of his wife. The guilty
fugitive for few minutes was terrified at the
prospects of a cowhiding, but when he dis
covered that his Lordship was willing to take
his wife back, and that all the friend Intended
to do was to take her away, he exclaimed
rapturously, my dear fellow God bless youi
have been waiting for a week to get rid of herr
Since then man, wife and mendicants have
lived happily and peaceably.
The next sister, Lady Ida, married Adrian
Hope, man of low birth and snob, who was
well though not pleasantly known in London.
She soon came to the conclusion that the match
was not a wise one, and soon found some one
whom she liked better. Unfortunately she
permitted him to occupy her husbands place
before procuring a divorce from him. The
natural result followed in the shape of a divorce
suit. which was duly granted. The correspond
ent was Mr.. William Wilson, whom she after
ward married.
The youngest sister, Lady Agnes, married
Lord Dupplin, the eldest son of the Earl of
Kinnoull. He, although great friend of the
Prince of Wales, was man OF essentially low
third of this unhappy trio found she
happily mated. Thereupon she, too,
tried the alternative of living with a husband
whom she hated and despised, by clipping and
living with another man. Mr.. Flower fell q
victim, and Torquay was elected as the place of
residence. Mr.. Flower was brother of Mr..
Cyril Flower, M. p, the owner of Surrey
House. one of the finest in London, situated
near the Marble Arch and facing Hyde Park
Lord Dupplin waited, with what patience was
possible, for two months. and then brought
suit for divorce. which of course was not re-
fused. Mr.. Flower died in 1871. J.B.S.