The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-11-25
VICTORIA'S SIMPLE LIFE.
How Her Majesty Passes Her Time
at Her Scotch Retreat
Anecdotes of John Brown, the Tavortte
and Favored Old Servitor of the
Queen-something About the
Royal Household.

some middle-class gentleman in com
Portable circumstances her life could
not be simpler. At eight o'clock she is
awakened by one of her four maids,
who sleeps in an ante-room adjoining
her royal mistress bedehamber. The
very heavy window curtains are pushed
aside to admit the daylight, and on
little table drawn up to the bedside
the queen has all her letters (which
she opens with a plain ivory knife,
which is relic of her girihood} and a
cup of tea or cocoa breakfast at
half-past nine is, in pleasant weather,
served in small pavilion containing
four rooms, all upholstered in very
ugly tartans, designed by the queen
herself This summer house, says the
Boston Transcript, is on the lawn, at
little distance from the castle, but her
majesty goes to it in a loose dressing
gown, belted with ribbons, and made
of some old fashioned material of
which she is fond, and none but mem
bers of the royal family ever join her
at this simple meal. During the re-
past the head piper plays various
spirited tunes on the bagpipes about
quarter of mile away; for, though the
queen is fond of the instrument, she
believes that distance lends enchant-
ment to the sound. At eleven the
royal lady goes out, dressed in black,
for her morning airing, in species of
bath chair, drawn by pony and led
/ by Francis Clark, John Browns sue
/ cessor and cousin, who, of course, dis
| plays his stalwart proportions in kits
| Once week the chair is drawn down
| to the churchyard, and the queen in
| spects the grave of the faithful and
/ departed John Brown. The village,
too, is often visited. and her majesty
I thinks no shame of herself purchasing
( serges and fianuels to distribute among
| the poor at the one little shop kept by
/ Mrs Symons.
/ At 1870 she returns to the castle, re-
/ freshes herself with an egg beaten in
/ milk, and is then ready to see Sir Henry
/ Ponsonby, her private secretary, and
t the minister in attendance. Luncheon
I is the queens fayorite meal, and she is
I then pleased to converse in a lively
| fashion. discussing the news of the day,
/ and often showing a fund of amusing
/ anecdote. In the afternoon she again
| drives out, and often stops for tea at
some cottage on the estate, where a
room is specially reserved for such
emergencies. Humble friends OF the
i queen are visited, and sometimes she
is pleased to use her sketching materi-
ais. After her return an hour is de-
voted to the little grandchildren, and
there is an interval of rest before the
II =. L,
majesty, though she is such an early
riser, usually spends two hours or more
| with her private secretary
Francis Clark, by the way, is of the
same type as his cousin, John Brown,
but. although he is deservedly loved
by his mistress. he would not venture
upon the liberties his predecessor was
privileged to take. Some funny and
| authentic anecdotes were told me by
my friend of the faithful Brown. One
day, during his time, the queen was
preparing to sketch near Glassalt Shiel,
where she had spent the previous night,
Even the queen sometimes gets out OF
bed on the wrong side" and this hap
pened TO be such morning. One table
after another was brought from the
Shicl until the supply was exhausted and
the servants were plunged in despair
but vet none of them suited her fretful
majesty. At last John Brown took one
of the rejected articles and set it down
rather hard and with much decision
before his mistress. They Gamma max
one for ye,n said he. The queen could
but laugh; the table was accepted and
amiability restored. Sometimes he,
majesty would appear ready for hei
drive in some comfortable old cloak oi
far from prepossessing appearance, but
of this descent from royal dignity the
servitor strongly disapproved. ''And
what kind of thing is that we've got
on the day?" he would grimly say, an6
the good-natured sovereign would usu
ally dress to please her attendant OF
the next occasion of the kind.
The Indian empire is represented il
the royal household by her majesty.
Indian secretary. aud her personal at
tendent, very handsome Asiatie, whC
is always gorgeously appareled il
scarlet, white and gold And thess
mon have thsir servants and their ayvr
suite of apartments in the castle
where the fragrance of curry is sai(
never to be absent. The queen is very
good to her servants and takes great in
terest in their personal welfare. AnC
of course the happiness of her humble
subjects helps to make her happiness
But wonder how many women woulS
be contented with the dull and hum
drum life led during the larger portion
of the year by England's queen.