Arizona republican., 1894-01-10
VICTORIA'S SIMPLE LIFE,
How Her Majesty Passes Her Time at Her Scotch Retreat.
Anecdotes of John Brown, the Favorite and Favored Old Servitor of the
 Queen-Something About the Royal Household.

If her majesty were the wife of some middle-class gentleman in con- fortable 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 bedchamber. The very heavy window curtains are pushed aside to admit the daylight, and on a little table drawn up to the bedside the queen has all her letters (which she opens with plain ivory knife, which is relic of her girlhood) and 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 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 8 quarter of mile away; for, though the queen is fond of the instrument, she believes that distance lepds enchant- ment to the sound. At eleven the royal lady goes out, dressed in black, for her morning airing, in a 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 a 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 thinks no shame of herself purchasing serges and fannels to distribute among the poor at theone little shop kept by Mrs. Symons.
 At 12:30 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 the minister in attendance. Luncheon is the queens favorite meal, and she is then pleased to converse in 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 room is specially reserved for such emergencies. Humble friends of the queen are visited, and sometimes she is pleased to use her sketching materi- als. After her return an hour is de- voted to the little grandchildren, and there is an interval of rest before the nine o'clock dinner, after which her 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 Shiel until the supply was exhausted and the servants were plunged in despair, but yet 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 canna mak' one for ye," said he. The queen could but laugh; the table was accepted and amiability restored. Sometimes her majesty would appear ready for her drive in some comfortable old cloak of far from prepossessing appearance, but of this descent from royal dignity the servitor strongly disapproved. And what kind of thing is that ye've got on the day?" he would grimly say, and the good-natured sovereign would usu- ally dress to please her attendant on the next occasion of the kind.
 The Indian empire is represented in the royal household by her majesty's Indian secretary, and her personal at tendent, very handsome Asiatic, who is always gorgeously appareled in scarlet, white and gold. And these men have their servants and their own suite of apartments in the castle, where the fragrance of curry is said never to be absent. The queen is very good to her servants and takes great in- terest in their personal welfare. And of course the happiness of her humble subjects helps to make her happiness. But wonder how many women would be contented with the dull and hum drum life led during the larger portion of the year by England's queen.
 LAKE PUmr-O OUT FOR ORE.