The Washington critic., 1889-04-16
MATTER WORTH READING.

his vigorous life Washington had no peer.
Like all Virginia boys, he took to the sad
die as q duck takes to water.
Once astride his steed II was almost i'm
possible to dislodge him. From the day
when, as lad, he first rode to hounds after
old Lord Fairfax, Of Greenway Court,
across the country named for that worthy
nobleman, he was skilled and dashing fox
hunter
In the army, when on horseback, riding
down the line, cheered to the echo by the
soldiers, who believed, with a superstition
worthy Of the anclents, that here was a
being born TO lead them, he was physically
the most imposing figure present.
In person, Washington showed in his
maturity the fruits Of the lifetime he had
given to what athletics nowadays call
"trainng," writes Mrs Burton Harrison In
'St. Nicholas" His habits, at all times,
were those exacted of a screw or "team"
of modern days, before the occasions when
those heroes appear in public, TO MI with
despair or exultatlon the bosoms Of their
friends.
From the Indians Of the Shenandoah
wilderness, among whom he speut weeks
during his first surveying tour, he learned
the swift, elastic tread that distinguished
him IN walking. His powers of endurance
were worthy OF his extraordinary physical
strength, though IL must be said he had few
illnesses to test his constitution, and, in
deed, was rarely ailing.
II may be some consolation to aspirant
heroes Of the future to hear, while upon this
topic, that Mrs. Washington said It was
well the General was so rarely Ill, as she
could never get him TO take his medicine |
"Major Laurence Lewis once asked his
uncle what was his height in the prime Of
life," says Custis. ''He replied, In my
best days, Laurence, stood six feet and
two inches In ordinary Shoes
"Of his weight we are an evidence, hav-
ing heard him say to Crawford, Governor Of
Canada in 1919, MY weight, in my best
days, sir, never exceeded from $40 to 220.
ellis form was unique. Unlike most
athletic frames, which expand at the shoul-
ders and gather In at the hips, the form Of
Washington deviated from the general rule,
since II descended from the shoulders to
the hips in perpendicular lines, the breadth
Of the trunk being nearly as. great at the
one end as at the other.
''lIis limbs were long, large and sinewy;
he was what is called straight-lcgged.
His Joints, feet and hands were large, and,
could cast have been made from his right
| hand $50 far did its dimensions exceed ma
ture's model), it would have been preserved
in museums for ages as the anatomical Won
der Of the eighteenth century.
Miss Chamberlain Engaged.
The engagement is announced of Miss
Jennie Chamberlain, the celebrated Amer
! lean beauty, to Captain NaylorLeyland of
| the Guards.
Captain Naylor-Leyland is enormously
wealthy. He has q magnificent estate In
| Denbighshire, Wales, where the future Mrs.
| Naylor-Leyland will find rival beauty,
| Mrs. Cornwallis West, one Of her nearest
neighbors. The Naylor-Leylands are not
an old family. Both the father AMI mother
of the Captain inherited large fortunes
from their fathers.
| II was some fifteen or sixteen years age
that the Naylor-Laylands first appeared iu
London society. They had magnificent
house in Albert Gate, overlooking Rotten
Row. They did not for family reasons gain
| immediate entrance into society.
Easter had come and gone, but the Lon
don season was not yet in full swing. The
new aspirants determined to give ball
before the rush came, and announced that
magnificent presents, such rs diamond
bracelets, earrings set with rubies aud neck
laces OF pearls would be distributed ut the
cotillion. OF course the value of the
presents did not decrease by telling about
them, and when the day of the ball arrived
London bellies believed they would receive
such cotillion favors as the mines Of Col.
conda could not have supplied.
The ballroom was crowded with Lon
dons most fashionable bellies and beaux
II proved great success, and although the
cotillion favors were not as splendid as they
had been described to be, they were Yer,
handsome.
II was the fashion In those days to hav,
dance programmes, and at the Naylor-Ley
lands balls to every programme YER,
handsome pencil case was attached. WheI
the guests were leaving they were surprised
at being asked by a gentlemanly-lookinl
man in dress clothes, who stood at the foo
of the staircase, TO return the pencil cases
as they were only lent by Mr.. Naylor-Ley
land. Most Of the pencil cases were re
turned by the indignant guests, who vowe'
never to enter the house again.
The story reached Mr.. Naylor-Leyland'
ears, and then it was discovered that tn
gentlemanly man In dress clothes was
well-known London ''crook.n
Mr.. Naylor-Leyland died two years ag
and his son succeeded to his great fortune
Captain Naylor-Leyland, who is 32 years o
age, is very popular in, London.-lN, Y
Journal. u
| A Dead Customer.
"Did you ever have decidedly odd Gus
tomerf" asked New York Egening SuI
reporter of an uptown florist.
'Yes, said the florist
"Who was heY''
"a dead man. 1t was n postmortem OF
dern
"And what did dead man want OF flow
erss''
"He wanted them for his funeral"
"Well, I've heard a good deal of liy
business men, hut this is the first time
ever heard Of dead customer"
~ shall explain it to you. There lived
three blocks from here, in tenement hous
district, cynical old gentleman who sper
his time with his books and his thoughts
and was a stranger to everybody. He wa
a disciple of schopenhauer, and might hay
been regarded as harsh critic from anoth,
planet who had been shipwrecked on tn
little one-horse island In space and wa
sorry for 1t. The only CLEAN of sunshin
in his life was that he hadn't kinsman,
friend, or an acquaintance in the world
"one day, when he was very old, he wa