The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-04-07

Jet contrast with ner Dresden china
eountenance served simply to render
and eyebrows were heavily black
ened, and her lips were brightly
Redeemed. Her form was enyeloped In a
long, rich black cloak, and when. enc threw
TINS n,d oac Ia q dress liz $50 OF the same color was re.
gloves, so that al i the poses and little res-
luz S;safes WIN .dose members were in sharp re-
ileI ~sa1nst a black background. She sat
~ enc front row of the orchestra circle,
anu therefore was In sight from a large
portion OF the auditorium. At one time /
set about counting the opera glasses that
were simultaneously aimed at her. and l
got above forty before getting confused,
and without more than half completing
the enumeration. But Ada is the theatre
cal darling of our Fifth-avenue girls, and
much as she does theirs when she
lm~personates "a society belle. By
the way, .Harpers Weekly had q
full page gloriticatlon Of Ada last
Winter. In it dates are given with such an
appearance of exactitudet that it will not do
to question them. They inform us that she
was born at Limerick, Ireland, twenty-nine
years ago this month. Now. it is a matter
was playing parts at Woods Museum, and
thence went next season to Mrs. Drew's
theater in Philadelphia. Thus Ada's pre-
cocity may be realized by a trifling amount
wears ago. and acted mafure heroines fif.
teen years ago, it will be seen that she was
only fourteen years old when she did it.
There is comfort as well as a compliment in
that conclusion, because Oft the stage Ada
looks fully forty.
One after another the advantages hither-
to m~Onopolized by men are obtained by
woman. For instance, we may now be
swindled just like the other sex in o mock
auction store. Right in the very heart of
the shopping district, a red flag has f1ut-
tered over a door this week, and out through
that portal has come the persuasive voice
of an a%uctioneer. Almost worthless jew
elry is the stock in trade of this establish
ment, which is operated after the familiar
method of Peter Funk. with several hired
persons to bid and buy; but the difference
is that these stoOl-pigeons are women. Not
the counters girls with an aspect
similar to those employed in the
retail stores, but four or five
others, in the guise of ordinary customers,
do duty as meters of business. They affect
the airs of genuine shoppers. and alto
gether are more clever at their fraud than
men. They do all the work of mOck-auc-
ton cappers, except the ~bulldOzing. Prob
ably cowdOzing wouldn't be effective. Any
how, after an unwary woman has been led
to purchase, through a misunderstanding,
an article at ten or a dozen times its value,
two impressive men come forward to rush
her to the cashiers desk, caiole or threaten
her into paying up, and all but literally
6 hasfle to neT be ea Sst 4f sae bp2 lf this e Z sapsEse ~ cf
the mOck-auctiOn business to us.
-
There Is a contracted group of shops up
on Broadway. just below T~wenty-third
street, that exhales the atmosphere of the
Rue de La Paix, in Paris. They are small,
but their wares are of the daintiest descrip-
ton, for they consist of the finest importa-
tions of ladies' wearing apparel, from her
bonnet to her stockings. This week the
windows have taken on a degree of brill
fancy which heralds the approach of sum
mer most happily. Huge bouquets of fresh
roses dripping with moisture stand in
bright blue and yellow vases. Perched
upon little stands are the hats. L was go
ing to say dreams, but dreams don't perch.
1t is not often that q man wishes himself q
woman, but / heard a very staiwart old
gentleman say to his companion as he stood
gazing into a window yesterday that he
felt a delicate longing to masquerade just
for the sake of coming in contact with u
exquisite head ornaments. What / was
most struck by in this early display of
summer millinery was the predominant
color of green in everything. All the hats
were symphonies in light shades of green.
l thought perhaps the winter mind was
merely startled by the color of ripe nature,
and that probably these hats were no
greener than they are every year, but in
the next window | was confronted by a
great assortment of gloves, some of them
nearly a yard long. These were of the
same shade of green as the hats. In another
window were stockings just as green as the
gloves. Then there was lovely silk under
wear, likewise pale green. There were
green parasOls, and l assure you that one
window contained a hat covered
with light green roses. SO, you see,
the beautiful brightness of nature is to
adorn our girls during the coming hot sea-
son. The shops are certainly well stocked
for the Easter trade, and the sidewalks in
front of the windows are constantly
thronged with eager young. women who
| rapturize over this dream of a bonnet, OF
that love of a hat with an enthusiasm de-
lightful to witness. Knox, under the Fifth
avenue Hotel, had his window filled yes
terday with a great assortment of those
sailor hats that have been so popular
through the several past seasons. The en-
tire effect was freshly and deliciously green.
The window looked like a glimpse out on a
summer meadow with sur on it. On the
block above / met a young woman trying
to force the season in a light straw hat and
q sealskin jacket. CLARA BELLE.
Copyright, 1881