Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-21
PREPARING FOR THE QUEEN
Making Things Ready for victoria's Stay at
Grasse.

PREPARING FOR THE QUEEN.
Making Things Ready for victoria's Stay at
Grasse.
THE AUSTRIAN EMpERoR's aAYErIEs-A PURSE
CONTAINING SIC, 600 KICKED ABOUT FOR FIVE
wEEKs-THE HAWAIIAN HEIR LIVING QUIETLY
IN LoNDoS-BoULASaER IN RETIREMENT.
Special Cable Letter to The Evening Star.
PARIS, March 20.-News from Grasse tells of
the gorgeous preparations that are being made
for the reception of Queen Victoria. who is ex-
pected there very soon. The grand hotel which
has been rented for her majesty's occupancy is
the most pretentious in the place. 1t consists
OF three stories. covering an enormous amount
OF ground space. On the first and second
stories there are twenty-four rooms. twelve on
each. Eight of the rooms on the first floor all
face south. These are intended for her mai
estys personal use. and they are divided into
boudoir, tea room, sitting bed and dressing
rooms, all for her own convenience and exclu-
slve use. The ladies in waiting have the re-
naming rooms on this floor, and as there are
quite number OF these attendants they are
rather crowdel
Half of tie second floor is devoted to the
Princess Beatrice and her picturesque hus-
band, Prince Henry. They occupy the west
haif OF the floor. while the east half is allotted
10 SIR Henry Ponsonby and the rest of the
suite. The entire royal party domiciled in the
hotel number over forty people.
Inc queen bed, which, owing to long ac-
quainsance and presumably knowledge of its
comfortable spots. that royal lady always car
rles around with her. is daily expected. and its
arrival Is looked forward to with an interest al
most as lively as is that of its sole occupant
Along with this indispensable bed the silver
and linen OF the imperial household is likewise
brought from London.
FRANZ JosEFs FLUMNERY.
The papers are just beginning to talk about
the annual fummery that the Emperor Francis
Josef INDUCES in in Vienna. On each Maun-
day Thursday he gathers together his arch
dukes, and they In turn find twelve sureran-
uated but clean old gentlemen. who are duly
washed and perfumed and set mp platform
at the Il fburg. Then the emperor with his
afchdukes. walks past these favored and
Favored guests and sprinkles little water on
their feet which have been barred and other
wise prepared Tor the ceremony. All this is
done with every manifestation of imperial
magnificence and when the emperor reaches
the emu of bis dozen he is conducted to the
royal bath, where he prepares for the banquet
that follows. 1t is usual for the Empress Eliz-
aDeth to get some OF her archduchesses together
aud find twelve old women. who are treated
the same way. but in the absence of her impe-
rial hlghness at this season these twelve re-
spectacle old ladies will have to go unwashed.
1t has been determined, however. that. as
partial compensation for this uncomfortable
position, they shall be made the recipients of
an imperial bounty.
MELANCHOLY CONTRAST.
In melancholy contrast with this royal ex-
penditure of money at Grasse and the imperial
tomfoolery at Vienna is the distressing suicide
of poor woman or the Rue de La victorie.
who has been heretofore in comfortable cir
cumstances. whose husband occupied a good
position and when he died few months ago
left small sum for his family, a widow and
two children. The widow tried in every direc-
ton TO find some work by which to support
herself. but WAS unsuccessful anu day before
yesterday 1t appears she spent her last centine
for food. Unaccustomed as she had been TO
such privations and refined her education
and former life had made her, she was unwill-
ing to appeal to any one for help and yesterday
ended this trouble by suffocating herself and
her two children.
She left three letters explaining her act: one
was to some rich relations living in the country
ard told briefly of her struggles and of her
inability to provide a living for herself and
children; the second was to the concierge of the
house thanking him for the help he had given
her, and the third was to the police begging
them not to divulSe her name or send her body
TO the morgue. IL may be said TO the credit of
the police they have observed both OF these
requests
KICKED ABOUT FOR FIVE WEEKS.
And while this poor woman in Paris killed
herself for the want of few francs purse con-
tanning 10000 in cash was being kickde about
the streets of Cronstadt. where it had lain for
five weeks mixed with the slush and snow until
il was finally picked up by a passer-by Oh Mon
day last The finder was honest, SO the ira
dltlon tells and turned over the treasure to the
authorities. and they carefully put the $4,000
roubles away in n safe and looked about town
to who had lost them. But their search
was for long time without result. until finallv
they discovered that the pocket book had been
the property of an officer who had fallen dead
In the streets five weeks ago close to where tn,
money was found. There is. therefore. no
doubt In the police mind that this wealth hal
been lying III the streets ever since.
HEIR TO THE HAWAIIAN THRONE.
The present interest in Hawaii affairs calls
attention to the presence of Princess Kaiulani.
who is at present living in the strictest privacy
and retirement in London with only few
intimate friends acquainted with her where
abouts the school she is attending complet-
ing her education. A few days ago she received,
through her school mistress. an official tele-
gram from Hawaii informing her that she has
been chosen heir TO the throne and would in,
due time become queen of that delightful coun-
try. Together with This notification there came
a pleasant document from the Hawaiian charge
d affaires i'll England
BoULANGER LIVING NEAR BRUSSELS.
The Boulangists have just permitted it to be
announced that Gen. Boulanger has taken
small house in the suburbs of Brussels. where
he expects to remain permanently. The raid
that was made on the houses of several parties
suspected of favoring Bouanger Yesterday are
supposed to have been melted by the fear that
the general himself taking up his residence So
near to Paris was about to begin Il new crusade
against the government. The Boulangers how
ever, claim that nothing discovered in this
raid that would bear out any such idea.
AGITATION OVER MUsrAcHEs
Mustaches are just nov agitating Paris.
They have been made the subject of noisy meet
ings and lengthy manifestoes by the beardless
French walters. These people have finally re-
volted from the somewhat curious rule. but ex-
ceedingly sensible one. that prevails in all
French restaurants. French homes and even
French steamships. that no waiter there EN-
ployed shall wear mustache.
The reason for this is simple and rational; it
recognizes the certainty of a surreptitious nip
or reviving draught of soup by the waiter
when he visits the kitchen and it realizes tina.
some of the remnants of this hasty meal will
cling to the mustache if it's there and likely as
not pcrcolate into the order of some diner