Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-29

and between the many beautiful ladies who
| were their wives, sumptuous kind of rival
ry was tonight manifest, each one wishing,
| as it would seem, to eclipse the other in the
glory of her jewels. But there were two
ladies present who outshone them all, and
these were the Princess herself and her
cherished ward, Blanca d'Este. The
mother of Clarimond was literally mailed
in gems. Her stomacher and corselet Of
mingled rubies and diamonds blazed, as the
light caught them, with vivid and luxu-
rious fires. Her hair was oversprinkled
with brilliants and her neck and arms were
afame with them. Possessing so much
natural presence and carriage, she looked
more than merely regal Her worst foes
(and there were two or three Of those who
now gazed at her with the most amiable de-
meanors) must have granted that she was
altogether magnificent
With Blanca Este it was quite an oppo-
site affair. She, too, was magnificent, but
in way that became her maidenhood and
her youth. A collar of pearls five rows
deep engirt her throat, and these, with
cluster at her breast of sapphires, diamonds
and other stones, in imitation of spray Of
flowers, were the only jewels that she wore.
But the pearls had belonged to her ances-
tress, Mary of Modena, Queen of England,
and hence were not only superb but heroic
besides As for the matchless bouquet, il
was owned BY her mother, was famous
throughout Europe and worth q handsome
fortune in itself The Princess having
begged Bianca's mother by letter to per-
init the girl to wear it on this special occa-
sion, it had been sent from Italy under the
guardianship of five trusted men, who now
waited in one Of the halls of the palace and
would receive the glorious bauble from the
hop de- Nf e. he he k|~1
the ballroom.
Shortly after the entrance Of Clarimond
and his mother the royal quadrille was
danced, and to some conservative watchers
when they beheld the King lead forth Kath-
leen as his partner, the sight vas one Of
absolute horror Everybody else in the
quadrille was of the blood royal except this
upstart young American. Beautiful? Yes,
amazingly SO. Her beauty, in its perfect
plainness of apparel, dimmed the fire of all
those necklaces, bracelets and tiaraS
about the brows, with such slope Of
the arm and shoulder, and with that
imperial kind of daintiness in her
motion she made every other woman look
got up for the occasion, endiman-
chez. But what (que diable y had that to
do with the Kings behavior? Whether she
were hagor houri, why should he make her
an excuse for smashing etiquette and then
dancing on its debris? The thing was too
idiotia Did he mean to marry her? Was
this to be his latest daring deed of uneon-
'Look at him now," whispered lady of
highest rank to a gentleman equally lofty,
after pause had followed the first general
dance. 'He has those two Americans at
his side, Eric Thaxter and Monsieur Lis
penard; what a revolution he has wrought
in his motherl The Princess is talking to
them both and smiling her blandestp
"Oh, that poor old Princess r. giggled
The gentleman. "Was there ever such an
overthrow? They say that he gave her her
choice the other night after he had sent us
all adrift like pack of school children and
treated poor Philibert so awfully. Either
she had to pull down her flag and fold it
discreetly away, just as she's doing now, or
leave the country inside of "a hours"
"But is it sure" asked the lady, 'thst
this American girl was once betrothed to
Monsieur Lispenard ?'
: 'Teuk knnI,xhas, ,happsnsd thazs On the