The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-10
A GAUNTLET FOR GIRLS
AND HOW 1T FEELS TO RUN 1T
FROM START TO FINISH.

|
In the Crush at Buckinghsm-The
Emotions and Sensations OF a Young
Woman Who Survived the Ordeal
of Presentation at Court.
From, the Philadelphia Record.
Here are the confessions OF young woman
who survived the ordeal of presentation at
the British court a few days ago. The girls
impressions are printed, not with the idea
of schooling fair young Americans for SINH
| lar social experiences since, indeed, true
| blue American girls haven't the slightest
laundering for hsnd-kissing), but they are
printed because they are interesting as reve-
lations Of feminine hopes and fears on an
occasion deemed OF red letter Importance.
The young woman writes:
Fer weeks before had been in minor
fever Of excitement-that kind of excite
ment which seems particularly to agree
with girls-and need scarcely say that
when Mon. Cupidon, the French hair
dresser, called at O'Clock sharp on the fate
full morning, he found me prepared. a will
ing victim for the sacrifice. And what
sacrificed After half an hours dett manipu~
latIon of my hair he left me with my head
ing system Of tiny hair pins. My poor head
felt fully treble to its former weight and
from it depended long veil which for
several hours thence was to be a source
Of continuous torment 20 me. The
pleasures Of putting on a new dress,
Joined to fresh tortures which were
in store for me. speedily made me forget
the injurious ingenuity of Mons Cupidon.
When | finally came down 20 the drawing
room to be inspected by my family and the
servants, what with the tight lacinR, the
hair pins, the stiff white satin and all my
various new finery felt very much what l
should imagine trussed fowl would feel If
it had any sensation left to it. AS for the
servants, can never convey to you their
exaggerated admiration of my real and
added charms Our old nurse, Anna, was
utterly unable to control her emotions, and,
having passed variety Of most extravaga-
giant compliments upon my appearance.
finally sought refuge in tears.
THE GAUNTLET OF CRITICAL STREET BOYS.
In due course, however, mother and
were safely slowed away in the landau, and
then, may say, nv real troubles began.
From II AS until shortly after 2 O'Clock we
were stationed in the Mall, prey TO every
kind Of malaise. The carriage was stuffy,
but over my shoulders and arms orept a
species of feverish cold, which made me
feel hopeessly miserable. Add to this that
Lne CrOWQ OF 6VeF-CuAuRlnR people ShIeu at
us as If we were wild beasts at the Zoo, or
wax figures at Mime. Tussaud's, and they
certainly made whatever criticisms occurred
to them, with a want of reserve which was
! often startling. "Why, Willie," cried a
tattered urchin, In the utmost establishment,
1.-THE ladies is a-naked !" and dare say, as
all that he could see OF mother and I were
our heads, shoulders and arms, he veritably
| believed we were going TO present ourselves
at court In the scentY costumes said to have
been once assumed by the Lady Godiva
IN THE CRUSH AT THE PALACE.
l must admit that when we at length
reached Buckingham palace my first I'm
| pulse was to bolt back into the carriage and
| make a determined and public struggle
| against the conventional However, the
| many new things l saw, the many things l
| had to occupy myself about and an over
| whelming desire to become officially recog-
nized as a grown-up girl lent me courage
and enabled me to struggle successfully
| against the temptations Of my inward emo
| tions. And the things which had to attend
to were really bewildering.
Though only possessed Of two hands, / had
| to hold heavy train over one arm, keep
shoulder, hold fan, two large cards anda
| gigantic bouquet. Further in the crowd
| had to be perpetually guarding against my
very clothes being dragged off my back by
| the more excitable OF my netghbors.
THE SUPREME MOMENT.
II is useless attempting to describe the
| many torments l underwent until the
browning ordeal of all had TO be endured.
| Suffice it to say that slowly and painfully,
we passed through the intervening rooms
aud contracting pens, till. gradually being
compressed and contracted, found myself
at the door of the throne room, the very
next victim sigualed out for sacrifice. In
| the dim light, and utterly scared, all
could realize was a mass of gold lace, the
glitter of diamonds and jewelry-and
smile Yes, l saw just one sympathetic
smile. l did not realize the face or eny-
thing that belonged to it, but In my dazed
condition all l could fix was that one
kindly smile and a little hand slightly held
out in advance of the royal circle. Then
some one called out my name and the name
| of mother, by whom l was presented, and
In a species of dream 1 courtesied, kissed
the little hand and-aud-well, it was all
over. A second later found myself utterly
broken in a fever Of excitement, feeling
more dead than alive but-amongst the
| blessed who had been socially saved through
the eliminating ordeal of presentation.
FULL-FLEDGED WOMAN AT LAST.
And then perfect peace came over my
spirit. l was no longer a school girl, but a
| grown up woman, with all the delights Of
| love, gayety, the world, fashion, passion,
marriage, and the future before me. On
the further side of the railing observed a
crowd of other girls, struggling forward to
undergo the ordeal through which had
just successfully passed; but felt no pity,
no sympathy. no bonds whatever which
bound them to me. l was now a full
fiedged woman of the world, and, If you
ask me frankly, I think, should rather
have wished Immediately TO close the doors
of the throne room and never again have
allowed any other girl to attain the privi-
lege of being-presented at court.
INDIAN CURIO5 MADE TO ORDER.
Tricks of "Lo" for the Purpose of Add