The times., 1898-08-07
Gayety Has Reached Its Zenith
at the Resorts.
WASHINGTON DEADLY DULL
The Marriage Tomorrow Evening
of Miss Hills and Mr.. O,NeiIi-AI
Society Talking of the Belmont
Venetian Fete de Mutt at Newport
Other Topics.

tainment like unto that just achieved
by the Belmonts, at Newport-no matter
what folks say about there being moth
ing new under the sun.
The invitations sent out We're for a
Venetian fete de mutt" which, to the
ordinary mind, suggests moonlight, and
plenty of it; mysteriously gliding gon-
dolas, Italian love songs and, possibly,
stIlettos.
But, what's IN a name?
Those hidden knew their hosts far too
well 10 do them the injustice of suppos-
ing they would content themselves by
| simply doing what was expected of them.
| Therefore, they took 1t as matter OF
| course that the evenings pleasure was
| arranged on a strictly American basis.
and that even the moonlight had been
eliminated by an electric plant that made
| the grounds of Gray Crag Park as
| bright as day and twice as picturesque.
| Then too, there was an electrical car
| rouseI or merry-go-round, on which So
ciety danes and maids emula.ed the
| equestrian feats of the men and plucked
rich prizes with tueir lances, Just as
gamins at the country fair stab with
their poniards at the reluctant rings
which win The guerdon of another ride.
| But the merry -go-round was only part
| of the gay frolic. There was a cake
| walk. participated in by fast-black ne
groes and negresses, who footed their
| most fantastic measures to win the ap-
plause of the spirited company.
| Then followed all the attractions of
country fair-fakirs crying their wares
| and nostrums rogues for night ply
| ing their beguiling trade tricks, and for
| tune tellers dipping into all sorts of fu-
| lures for those who desired to try their
| luck in the bright beyond. Led by Mrs.
| Belmont, the bellies and beaux heard what
| the fortune tellers had TO say OF what
| was in store for them
| More than this, there was wild West
| Show" with whooping Indians and pistol
| ing, lariating cowboys. the 'Deadwood
| Coach" hold-up and the rough riding
| feats Of the frontier.
But this was not enough. Down from
| New York came Manager Edward 4.
Rice, escorting Alice Atherten, whose
| gowns were the wonder and admiration
| of the folk of the social swim, and whose
speciaIties SO pleased the eye and ear
that there was recall after recall, Mrs.
| Stuyvesant Fish and Mrs. Hermann Oel-
| richs who were assisting Mrs. Belmont in
| the entertainment, leading the applause
All this time two bands played on the
| lawns, and Narragansett Bay was all
aflame with a pyrotechnic display. From
| all the nearby islands in the bay, and
| from many boats anchored of the shore,
the fireworks, the rockets and the bombs
"famed and fiickered on the night. or
| course there was banqueting, and the
frolic lasted long.
| Then when the guests We're ready TO
| give over the funmaking they found that
all their coachmen and equippages haa
been dismissed, and that in their places
were numbering van filled with rye straw
So guests and participants bundled in and
| euioyed an old-fashioned straw ride
And now it is all over, Newport will
| have something TO talk about forever.
| and a day.
If the reported visit TO this country Of
| H r. H of Wales is not rumor bern
of such stuff as dreams are made OF,
| this is going 10 be a particularly mad
| world my masters, when society gets him
| in charge. 1t looks as if benignant tate
| had sent that pair of fiedgling princes
| over here for the express purpose Of CIV
| ing society something to practice Its hos
| nitaiitv on. so as to train it properly for
| the reception of the illustrious parsonage
who will most any day be king OF Great
| Britain and emperor of lndia-it really
| and truly does. And H. r. II. will enjoy
| himself Immensely. and give his enter
| tafners the solid satisfaction of knowing
| they are getting some sort OF apprecia-
tion for their pains. Which is not always
! the case. The first time the Prince OF
| Wales came to see us he was slender
youth. shy almost to awkwardness and
annareutlv hopelessly addicted TO blush
ing. Oh, the changes of time. he went
home honestly delighted and has kept
the memory of our hospitality. so green
in his heart all these years that noWa-
davs he never fails to say TO the Ameri-
| cans he meets that his visit TO TINS coun-
trv is one of the pleasantest recoilections
Of his youth.
| Among the honors paid his royal high
ness during his stay in Washington was
a magnificent reception given at the
| White House by President Buchanan and
his handsome niece, Miss Harriet Lane,
now Mrs Johnston, who. incidentally,
was recently received b. Queen Victoria
at Windsor, and by the Prince and Prin-
cess of Wales at their house in London.
That same night, or perhaps it was
some other night-it is such long way
| back that nobody is expected TO remem-
| berthe prince was treated TO display
| of fireworks in the Monument Lot Ac-
cording to a reliable citizen, who expects
to join the Oldest Inhabitants Associa-
| tion next year, the royal guest admitted
that he had never seen tine like of the set
pieces nor heard anything to beat the
band though, being a royal guest, he
doubtless did not word it just that way.
The newlylacquired ilonors of Mrs
George n. Curzon, formerly Miss Mary
Letter of this city, seem very real now
that Letters from the People have
found their way into print, asking just
what the title will be, of a woman who
is about no do her share of ruling billions
of subjects in that far-alway, Oriental
East, that used to belong to the great
Moguls.
In the first flush of triumph somebody
said that, as Mr.. Curzon was to be
the viceroy his wife would naturally be
the vice-reine. Then. some other body
said she wouldn't Then, the two bod
les decided to submit to arbitration and
the decision was given that both were
equally wrong-as bodies often are
Should Mr.. CurZon,' said the journal
istic umpire-"succeed the Earl of Elgin
he would In truth, be the vice-reine, rep
resentfng as he would, the queen. 1t is
J possible that Mrs CurZon would not only
| rule with her husband aollt she might rule