The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-19

hred," the kind of person lovers of adj
jectives delight to call a curled darling of
wealth, and, as I can add myself,
very handsome woman to boot.
And what has she done. this wife
Of the gay world, this dancer and
DRYER and entertainer and gossiper and
bonnet-wearer, to draw upon herself the
attention Of two continents and evoke the
genuine praise Of scores of critics who,
while opening her books to cut and slash,
close them only to praise? She has done
just this: Produced some of the cleverest,
wittiest, most womanlike romances of her
age, all the while leading the gay life Of
her wealthy friends and fashionable asso-
clates, nursing her literary ambitions IN
secret. l have been trying to think OF
some beautiful woman of birth and wealth
who, at some other time in the
worlds history, performed some such
feat as this: but confess that at the mo-
ment my memory plays me false. The
parallel was seeking for may occur to my
readers; it certainly does not to me. l
had occasion to call on Mrs. Cruger about
a newspaper publication of one of her
stories, and was much impressed at the
time with the surroundings in which l
found her. She seems quite likely TO be
woman whose name and works will live at
dotic personalities about all such are
among the most interesting materials Of
which contemporary history is made.
"Julien Gordon" is the nom de plume
of Mrs. Stephen Van Rensselaer, Cruger.
Her husband is handsome man of af-
fairs, of a good old family as such things
go, and of fine physique. His ancestors
came here from Holland early in the last
century,, and his great grandfather, L be-
lieve, John Cruger, was the first mayor of
the city of New York. He was named
Stephen Van Rensselaer, after the last
PATRON of the city of Albany, who was
the father of his mother. Colonel S. V.
X. Cruger has war record. He served IN
the army of the Potomac, in the l50th
regiment Of New York volunteers, &C.
companied General Sherman in the
Atlanta campaign, and was badly
wounded in the battle Of Resaca. On
his recovery some months afterward he
accompanied Sherman on the march to
the sea as captain and chief of ordnance
on the staff. He was mustered out brevet
Lieutenant colonel and engaged in the real
estate business after the war. AS con-
troller of the Trinity church corporation
Colonel Cruger fills unique position in
New York life, but he is a director also in
some ten or a dozen New York corpora
tons. So there IS no danger OF his being
described as ''the husband of Julien Cor
dom" Yet l dare say there are good
many men who would be proud to
be SO known. The afternoon l called
to see Mrs. Cruger she had just
of Lippincott's. When l entered
the apartment where she was still
meditating. doubtless, the advantageous
nature of the contract he had Offered her,
l was instantly struck with the picture. 1t
was the early afternoon of raw winters
day, and although the streets were yet
bright with sunlight, the shades in Mrs.
to exclude every particle OF daylight.
Tall lamps stood here and there, each
shaded into a dusky glow by deep red
draperies. The white curves of statue
cleaned here and there from some corner
of the room, whose ceiling was high
enough to suggest that vague idea of inn
mensity which is SO pleasing to the human
Imagination. On great couch at the
f rom OF the the doop the hosess
lay at full length. supporting
herself on one elbow and holding a great
fan of some marvellous Partisan fabric in
the other hand. She was robed in long,
loose yet clinging garment of India or
China silk, whose folds, semi-transparent
even in the twilight. revealed, as though
not intended to conceal, each outline of
ton of concealment and fevealment
which beauty is not apt to find distasteful
and which beauty alone saves from criti-
cism. As she lay thus at full length, with
her dark eyes cleaning and her luxuriant
dark hair knotted in some Cleopatra-like
fashion upon her shapely head, "Julien
Gordon" was, indeed. an unusually hand
some and bewitching creature. Huge rugs
of skin strewn loosely over the floor or
across her feet served to sharpen the lines
of contrast between her person and her
surroundings. [ made up my mind that
she was an artist in more senses than one;
and while quite prepared to find that her
reputation for esprit had been exaggerated,
i was forced to confess that Mrs. Cruger
was quite as interesting as people reported
her to be.
cullen Gordon" comes naturally by her
Partisan polish; her mother was Miss
Paris, the favorite niece of Washington
Irving, who gave her away when she was
married at Sunnyside. Her grandfather,
Daniel Paris, was, understand, lawyer
of distinction in the interior of New
York state, and cullen Gordon" her
self first saw the light of day
she was years old, she knew no English
at all, and had already begun composition
in the diplomatic language of Europe,
which she uses with such careless grace in
that first book OF hers to make sensation,
"a Diplomats Diary" Her success IN
the literary field was so instantaneous,
measured at least by that standard, that
she has since received requests from mag
azines and newspapers for many more ar
ticles than she has been able to furnish.
For, as evidence that she has not given
up her gay life. her recent fete
champetre at Idlesse on Long ISL
and is abundant evidence. At this, the
Crugers' country place up near Oyster bay
on the Sound. besides the usual hens and
turkeys, pigs and horses which belong on
most farms, is q country house quite equal
10 anything of its kind to be found around
here. julien Gordon" carries a pencil
and note book in her pocket. she says, to
make note OF her ideas as they occur to
her; quite the proper thing that Is for all
OF Us who have 10 write, by the way, as an
idea recalled by memory seems to me
always 10 lack something of the freshness
and fascination which attended its birth
The Crugers are rich people and interest
ing ones, to boot, which is not always to
be said.
The Fighting Instinct.
The death Of old General Ralph F. Buck
land NJ Fremont, O., the other day calls 10
my mind the fact that there is in this
country something of that true courage
which can well be denominated rs 1.-THE
fighting instinct" General Buckland was
q man of influence ana lawyer Of promi-
ncnce in Northern Ohio when the war
broke our, and although he had had no
military experience, he raised regiment
IN 1861 and went to the field He was sent,
along with the fresh troops Of Ohio, In
diana and Illinois. 10 the command Of
General Sherman, forming az Paducan.
ny. lie was with that somewhat undis-