The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-06-07
THE SALT OF THE EARTH.
All Sorts of Queer Doings and Queer
Sayings Of Crowned
Heads.
Luclless DANES in Tight Corsets
Who Bow Low to the
Queen.
lovely Women In a Free Fight For Pre-.
cedence-Utter Collapse of the
Fat One.

Especial Correspondence of The INDEPENDENT. 4
LONDON, May 22.-Some little pressure is
being brought uuon the queen to induce
her majesty to sit upon higher seat than
she ID IN the habit of doing Mt her drawing
rooms. There is a general complaint that
the queen will sit on such a low stool that
the lucklesa ladies who are obliged to kiss
her hand have to stoop until their corsets
are nearly bursting. Altogether, a good
deal of the glamour and gilt is being rubbed
off the drawing-room, and it is no wonder
that many people are beginning to hesitate
on the subject. The women of England
are, in fact, partially recovering from the
craze, which has for SO many years led them
TO endure such an immense amount of in
convenience, expense, and physical suffer-
ang for the sake OF courtseylng to row of
stiff, unsympathetic, or possibly jeering
royalties, and mumbling with dry and few
erish lips the limp, cold hand which the
queen will not raise an inch above the reg
ulation height, even to save the fattest and
most rheumatic of her subjects from in
finite tortures.
Perhaps the most pitiful sight at the
drawinR-room last Wednesday was the as
pect of some ladies of the genus known as
''painted," who, after passing through the
heat of the ante-chamber, began visibly to
melt until the spectators were reminded of
the days when nursery dolls suffered by ex
posure to the fire. One of these wrecks pro-
duced quite a sensation in the throne room,
and the princess of Wales repressed her
laughter with difficulty.
The fighting, an American lady relates,
for priority of entrance, was something ter
rifle. There seems to be something in the
atmosphere of the palace which acts like al
cohol gas on the heads of the ladies, and
makes even the most gentle and unapgress.
i've woman gather up her train and plunge
Into the fray with a reckless disregard for
everybody's feelings, including her own.
and fight as if her only chance of obtaining
an entrance into the throne room was by
the utmost exercise of her own personal
strength. The result was that many
women arrived at the coveted goal in a very
draegled condition. their bouquets crushed
and faded, their gowns pulled cut of gath
ers and torn in several places, and their
toes severely trodden on.
The morn beheld them full of happy life,
:, in radiant toilet.es d, csed, and proudly gay;
-Four hours of pushing toll and cru hing strife
And who SO tattei ed and so limp as t.eJ!
Now rents are everywhere, and rags rife
Hestruet on has succeeded to display:
And wondrous costOmea. built y artists care.
Are wrecked and ruiz ell quite beyond repair
story going about Is that of a dowager
who, seeing a hared rivals girl pushing on
and getting past her own, deliberately put
out her foot and tripped the damsel up,
with the result that she fell forward on her
,nth >ln -l,o 81, Il,
ing her own fall but at the same time
scratching her beautifully chiselled nose so
badly against the maternal diamonds, that
she will not be presentable for Il fortnight
ut least. Another lady had armed herself
with several sharp pointed bracelets, which
she used with such signal effect on the bare
arms in her vicinity that she succeeded in
entering the throne room we'll in front of
several others who had arrived before, but
had succumbed to the pain of their wounds.
Altogether. the number of black and blue
bruises that were visible delicate arms
at the teas which followed the drawing
roam was something shocking.
rumor has reached us that dreadful
calamity took place OH the way to the
presence. very stout lady had arrayed
herself in-or out ola remarkably girlish
costume of silk and chiffon and other soft
fabrics. The bodice, of n most decollette
description, had epaulettes that were in
reality only the narrowest possible strap,
with a garland of flowers to hide it on each
shoulder and one of these, at the last mo-
ment, gave way, or, more strictly speaking,
burst in two. the flowers falling ont Of
place, and degree of nudity. not permitted
even at drawing rooms, being the dsas-
trous result.
vixenish peeress. who was close by,
offered her services to help to repair the
damage, plying the unucky fat woman
with sarcastic remarks as she did so.
Whether she meant to give a lesson
on the enormitv of such low bodices
We cannot say; but by accident. or
on purpose, one of the pins she was manp-
Mating to set things to rights ran into the
to view, and inflicted scratch that per-
sisted in bleeding with the most obstinate
pertlnaclty, ms sometimes one of those
trihjng wounds from pin will do. The
peerless looked maliciously triumphant,
and her victim almost ready to cry; and il
ended in the latter having to make her
curtsey with one shoulder ornament mani
testify awry, and an ugly stain on her costly
lace tucker that would not be hidden, and
was rather suggestive of her having had a
free fight.
Mr.. Charles Wilkinson, of Baltimo g. has
just returned from San Sebastian. where he
had the honor of dining with the husband
of ex-Queen Isabella Of Spain. Don Fran
els of Assist fl leading a verv quiet life
Just now, dividing his time be-
lWeeu 'oHu foebHStlhn anu IaflS
passing under the title of Count dc
Burgos, and managing very we'll on a year
ly allowance of S37, 5000. which is paid to
him quarterly by the agents of his wife, the
friskv Isabella, with whom he has formal
interview once year. Don Francis is a
harmless old gentleman of slxty-uino,
whose right thumb and forefinger are
stained dark brown with the smoking of
countless cigarettes and whose only ambi-
tion in life Is to complete and publish Il
marvellous literary productior--a History
of the Drama-on which he has been en-
gagged for over twenty years.
Another deposed individual of very
different stamp, but who Is also writing u
book on the drama, is the ex-grand duke of
Tuscany, who Keeps up nll the pomp and
state of majesty in his schloss at Salzburg.
In spite of his hauteur and his undiseuised
hatred of the canaille, the Florentines have
a certain amount of affection for him They
remember that Tuscany grew and Huurished
under his fathers rule. and there nre not
wanting politicians who declare that should
the house of Savoy collapse, the grand
duke. If then alive would stand good
chance of ascending the throne of tho Ital-
ian kingdom. However. with the prince of
Naples and half dozen young princes,
Aephews of King Humbett aliyo and kick