The morning news., 1896-12-27
Copvrlght. 1896.

| the wife or the King or france Sne mace
no greater change than has taken place
in the life of Consuelo, now Duchess of
| Marlboroug.
Within a year she has stepped from the
| schoolroom to the proudest duchy Of the
United Kingdom. Her husband is god
child of the Prince of Wales. The prin-
cess, when she visited her few weeks ago,
called her "our first duchess" And she
is installed in the greatest castle in Great
Britain, and lives, so to speak, at the foot
of the royal throne.
She is the recognized head of thousand
tenantry, all of whose women come to her
for advice. She is the Head OF the
| Church." in a way, for the Old custom OF
throwing open the chapel at Blenheim for
morning service has been revived, and eY-
cry morning the little duchess, sometimes
with her liege lord following, goes through
the long stone corridors leading to the
stairs that lead down into the sunny end
| Of the castle, where on level with the
| spreading country the chapel is placed.
| The journey through the corridors is
long one and Consuelo, before she opens
the castle door leading into the ducal pew
has time to collect her thoughts.
| These are now all of New Year The
coming year will bring forth great deal
for her And she feels deeply its respon-
sibnities. But with that peculiar sweet
ness and Inconsistencies which is gift
from neither of her parents, she goes on
thinking of others as she has always done.
The duchess has been busy making lit
! tie holiday gifts for friends at home
Her own circle is such wealthy one that
it would be impossible to make them gifts
fl,-ss s.,tY
value so the value of the gift must lie
! in the sweetness that goes with it.
And so the duchess has been getting up
little remembrance gathered as much as
! possible from her English life.
For months past ever since she arrived
! at Woodstock, her girl friends have been
writing to her to tell them about her new
home. Is Blenhe.m the wonderful place
| it is pictured in history? Is 1t that great
| spreading castle that the king planned be-
| cause it would afford space and training
| quarters for the whole English army? Is
| it pleasant or is 1t like Croome court,
where the Countess of Craven lives-a
dark, dingy place, elegant only In its
vastneSS?
To these the duchess has written long
| letters, for she is the promptest little cor
| respondent in the world, telling them of
| the glorieS of Woodstock, its falling
| leaves, its great trees, its stone bridge
| with the rooms underneath almost toucn-
| ing the water, of the cavalry of Wood
! stock which calls her husband colonel.
|
striven to carry to her friends the glories
1 of Woodstock. One set of presents has
/ been pine cones gathered together in fam
| cful shapes to form a very large, hand
some SCRAP receptacle. The cones are tied
| with ribbons upon a gold wire frame in
/ the form of a basket Upon one side there
| is bit of birch. bark enameled With the
monogram Of the duchess. The edges of
| the bark curl and are touched with gold.
| The wires of the basket are solid gold.
| so the little gift has such intrinsic value
/ CnnlH QuCneSS
| of penuriouSneSS.
TO her closest friends the duchess is
| sending pictures of herself. These are
! lately taken in London and show the full
| face Theyt are only bust deep. Around
| the head is the same wonderful aureo,e
of hair that looks curiously ike halo
These pictures are mounted upon panel
| cards made of water color paper. upon
crest;- underneath is the autograph.
Around the frame there is vine OF hoW-
| ers. These are copied from the garden
! of the duchess. One flower that grows
| close to the sun dial is famlng little
| poppy that turns with the sun Il IS small,
| but lovely. 1t furnished the only brllllant
| coloring to the immense bridal banquet
| which the duke had sent from Blenhelm 10
New York year ago. out OF the great,
| mighty mass certain flowers We're selected
for the bride to carry, Dut the niue pup
| MES bloomed upon her table all the week.
! These are on every painted caro- sne sehus
away. -,r.. 40 ,i++,.
| naintings for the Duchess has considera-
| ble talent with the brush. She copies small
| scenes around Blenheim and frames them
with broad gold bands tnat set theth m Oh. Oh
| admirably atoning for their faults. Nearly
| all of her gifts are prepared IN IIlS way
with her own hands, by little strokes OF
The Duchess has always been most
! painstaking with her gifts. year ago
| when she was leaving her natlVe laho lot
what would surely be very long sldy
/ ohroad che did not forget the home friends
for a single minute. Letters We're coming
| bv every post and kilograms arriving every
| hours from friends abroad, royalty, title
| and statesmen. But Consuelo did not heed
| them nor leave home until she maue q
small remembrance for every one OF tne
old friends. Each cousin, each aunt, each
little friend received some token from her
to remember her by.
Her fayorite gift was, as now, photo
/ graph mounted in IanclLuA way anu ue-
ATound the pictures intended for the
aunts and cousins she drew a trame IN
gold and through the frame she wound
nainted blue ribbon ending with a true
lovers knot at the top. This was sent Wltn
New Year thought whenI am far away .
But to one aunt COnSuelo sent the pest
nJctlIre of all. 1t was a portrait of her
self. drawn by herself, and her friends
saw it is the best likeness she ever had
"One draws ones own Iace the IiTst tlIne
1 one draws" she wrote in laughing note
land | hone l have succeeded IN making
my own likeness for you. 1 wanted 70 do
| %N-tSf'
Won would like nothing better than some
thing / had done myself"
The picture shows the duchess IN little
\ dress Of soft white stuff with a cape
thrown around her shoulders. A soft bor-
der Of ostrich feathers touches hervery
hair. Around the picture IS a band OF
shaded gold and a twist of white ribbon
runs through It.
sweet little picture for a girl to make OF
herself for a favorite relative.
If society women whose hands are over
laden with things they must do could only
learn a few points In contentment OF this
Young duchess they would be happier and
who knows but more successful women.
Consuelo is taking her position as calm
IN as though she were queen, with the
humbleness which queendom has always
given It's women. She has lost some OF
her smiles and her manner Is not 50
quick. but a deep serenity Is taking its
mace Unless something happens TO dis
turb this she will be known as "Consuelc
the Good" in the annals OF ducal history
az her grand-grandmother. the first Ouch
sse Is known as sarah the Proud"
one of the New York gifts this winter
which has been making her a great deal
OF work IS the gathering OF souvenirs
"Sometbing from historic Blenbeim
has been a constant demand. To one home