The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-20
1 BLACK QUEEN DOWAGER.
r,aiolani'S Very Attractive Residences
and Home Surroundings.

and informed me that Queen
now,oor Kapiolani would be pleased
=, see me at 2 o'clock. The visit
had been arranged upon my arrival, but
number of unforeseen circumstances
used its postponement from week to
week.
rapiolani still owns large estates and is
woman Of great wealth. She suffers
[,or7 rheumatism, which the moist eli
maize here seems to aggravate, and as a
ronseouence, lives in comparative retire
r,ert She occupies a villa on the
Treabihi road, which is called the
BRIGHTON Of Honolulu by Miss Gordon
cumming. Across the road is the beach
and the sea with the perpetual dash of
tbe surf. which may be seen as well as
heard through the dense growth of date
Mains and algaroba trees
The house is approached by circuitous
road Over the entrance at the gate was
= hoard with the notice, ''Kapu''-" keep
ont . The grounds are set in date palms,
olraroba and cOcOanut trees, but there is
- Iarl, of that care which most estates
%aTa receive was told that this was
Tba oueen S wish; that she had the labor
ofa retinue of natives whenever she saw
fiji TO command it, the people still paying
their rents in this manner-a survival of
the old feudal system which prevailed
under the Kamehamehas.
In front of the house was low hedge of
ii the tree whose leaves are used for
wrapping up almost every article bought
in the market, and which is also wrapped
about fish and pork while it is being
cooked. The villa was characteristic
SORT of a bungalow, the entire front
covered with lattice work, a door to the
I3nia in the rear of the vestibule, over
which was single window The draw
ing room in front was approached by
fight of stairs on the outside. In the
lower vestibule were two large divans of
wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, former
possessions King Kalakaua.
There are no dOOr-bells in Honolulu,
either at the residences of private citizens
or in the homes of royalty. Some one is
usually waiting on the piazza or near at
hand when you arrive, and YOU are re-
ceived unceremOniously. One of the
queens ladies came out of an inner apart
ment and met us upon the threshold. She
then excused herself and said that she
would inform the queen of our arrival.
She was a Hawaiian, dressed in trained
holaku OF blue and white checked silk
Before the queen appeared l had an OPP
portunity to study the apartment, which,
like all Hawaiian houses, was com
bination of American and native taste.
There was a set Of brown reps furniture,
such as was in fashion twenty years ago.
Over one large armchair of crimson Valvet
in which Kapiolani seated herself,
presently, was thrown a cape, an ahula,
made Of The feathers of sort of a sea-
bird. In the center of the floor was a large
a beautiful mat, such as the Hawaiians
mann ptulsad wears aCO h1lf which iS
now almost lost art. In the center of
the mat was a common Brussels rug with
a pattern of mammoth red and yellow
roses and upon this, in the very center of
thcTOom stood q towering kehele which al
nest touched the ceiling The keheles
were carried before royalty If their pro-
cessionS and were placed about the throne
in the hands of especially commissioned
bearers This enc had a wooden handle
spreading base of soft scarlet and yellow
feathers, surrounded by structure COM
posed OF the grayish black feathers of the
gull. Over the windows were lambre-
gums of Powered cotton chintz with bows
OF scarlet ribbon, but the doorways were
drapcd with some splendid oriental bro
cddc, scarlet interviewed with gold.
There were great many portraits of
King kalakaua; one in oil, another in
"a a. VIZ 'tilAi "a AliC W COLOL II OioU Ii
clay stood on an ebony pedestal. There
were many vases of flowers standing about
not on tables, as we would have arranged
them, but upon the floor; one at the foot
o. The pedestal, one beside the kehele,
and another near Kapiolani's armchair.
IheE were Oppressively fragrant, gar
denld, sJCphanotis and roses.
Presently | saw, hesitating near the
doorway OF an inner room, tall and COM
IA limo ii, i
preached, then apparently reiterated, and
then finally entered with two Hawaiian
Ladies IN attendance. 1t was Kapiolani.
her manner was strange mixture ofshy-
ness and dignity. ! was presented to her
ana she received me with unaffected cor
dlahty. and great kindness.
she must now be almost 80 years of age
"A perfect type of the Hawaiian woman,
very tall with massive frame, swarthy
SKIN and rather irregular features. Her
hair IS intensely black and was arranged
IN lofty coil on top of her head, which
dGued TO her stature. She wore a holaku
OF rich stiff black silk, and around her
neck III Of feathers Of the oo-the bird
winch furnished the plumage of the royal
mantLeS-an insignia of rank forbidden
common people. She displayed no jewels,
not even ring, her only ornament being
d proochWlth the portrait of King Kala-
Adua IN mosaic, with heavy setting of
gold
She shook hands in the American fash
Ion and then seated herself. While she
Understands English she does not speaE
H. and the conversation had to be carried
on through the medium of interpreters.
her manner was exceedingly pleasing
ana the Hawaiian-always a most liquid
ana musical language-she spoke with
peculiar sweetness of tone and infection.
The queen dowager and the ex-queen are !
not on friendly terms, and the same
; Iralned relations exist between Liliuoku-
IAN and the Princess Kiaulani. The
queen dowager, however, is exceedingly
popular among the people of all classes. [
SHOULD infer that she and the young
princess were also ON friendly terms, for
i saw upon the wall pretty portrait of
hiauIanl, but none of Liliuokulani
Inc queen dowager, after she had
seated herself, politely expressed her re-
sreI at the many things that had pre-
vented her seeing me sooner, and wished
10 know how | was pleased with the
island. There was but one answer to this
question, and l expressed my delight in
65ne beauty of the scenery, the wonderful
IloWers and vegetation and the climate.
lold her that | had left Chicago buried
III snow and sleet; that dreaded winter
ana was glad to escape from it. All this
was rapidly interpreted TO her, and she
lgpued, through the same medium, that
sne would be glad to see an American
WINTER, and that she thought snow was
very interesting