The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1894-09-06
LADY ABERDEEN.

Honorable Mrs. Herbert, wife of General Her.
bert, most aristocratic lady, was one of those
favored, and on ringing to order her carriage
was told that 1.-THE coachman had gone out"
She had to telephone for a cab. When she en-
tered the ballroom at Government House. the
first thing she saw was her coachman dancing
with Lady Aberdeen This is q fact!
Another day Mrs. Herbert and a friend were
asked there to lunch and went at the appointed
hour. After keeping them waiting half an
hour in the drawing room Lady Aberdeen came
in, apologizing for keeping them, but said that
the "Haddo club had a meeting that morn
ing and she only hoped the servants would
have time to get them something to eat. Evil
IDENTIFY the servants hadn't, for after another
long interval a tray was brought into the draw
ing room with small plate of ham sandwiches
and some cold tea not fit to drink, and that
was all the lunch they got.
The domestics at the vice regal mansion are
most insolent. They don't attend to the guests
and make audible personal remarks about
them and laugh at their own jokes. The other
evening at dinner q lady asked the butler for
fork, and he replied haughtily, Madam, all
you require is on the table,"
At an evening party few weeks ago friend
of mine, told me that when she went in to sup
per-Quite early, too-five or six of the maids
were sitting down at the supper table, stuffing
themselves as fast they could. One was at
last induced to pour out a cup of coffee, but
poured out another for herself at the same
time, endeavoring to enter conversation with
the guests.
The servants wear no uniforms-note even caps
and aprons, which Lady Aberdeen regards as
badges of servitude. Other peoples servants
are beginning to follow suit and say they will
not wear them either.
His excellency always calls her excellency
mother" both in public and private. At the
state drawing room, held in the senate cham
Der at the beginning of the parliamentary ses-
sion. every Jack and Jill in Ottawa was pres
emit. while but few society people put in an ap-
pearance. Mother" got tired of standing
when the ceremony was about half over, SO ev-
erything came to a standstill for her to rest
She was just going to sit down on the throne"
but remembered in time her husband repre-
sented the queen at any rate in public, what
ever he might do in private. There was no
where else to sit, SO they split the difference
and dangled their lower limbs, to the great ed
ifcation of the galleries. He chatted to his
aids-de-camp and she to her ladies in waiting
till sufficiently rested to continue.
Lady Aberdeen's appearance is against her
She has good clothes and jewelry, but seems to
throw them on. At the recent drawing room
no two people would have looked more out of
place, and certainly If a caricature of vice re-
gal state were intended Lord and Lady Aber-
deem have most effectively provided spectacle
to make loyalists weep and republicans jeer.
There Is quite a romance connected with
Lord Aberdeen's marriage. The young peer
was on walking tour through Scotland, and
knowing that he was somewhere near the cas-
tie of Lord Tweedmouth he thought he would
call on him. However, the hills were envel-
oped in a thick Scotch mist, he soon lost his
way and wandered about helplessly for hours
WheE 1t lifted slightly, he perceived in the
distance q young Scotch lassie, very plainly
dressed in homespun and accompanied only by
a large collie dog. Thinking her some shep-
herds daughter, he said, MY good girl, can
You direct me to Lord Tweedmouth's?''
To his surprise and embarrassment. the
good girl" replied, IT should think 1 could.
considering have lived there all my life, being
his daughter"
They chatted merrily after this. and on
reaching the castle it turned out that the IA
theirs of the young people had been firm
friends years ago. The acquaintance thus
made ripened into friendship, friendship into
love, and their wedding bells rang Nov Z, 1877.
The union has been most fortunate one for
Lord Aberdeen. as he possesses a morhidly
sensitive and nervous temperament and is
frightened, it seems, by his own shadow, hang
ing persistently to his wife's apron strings OF
all occasions. Indeed it is common saying
tina. sac Ia the better man of the two.