The times., 1898-03-06
MEN. WOMEN AND FAME.
Gossip About Celebrities Vow Prom
tneptIv before the PubIic.

autograph are soon parted. and his rage
was great last summer when wealthy
autograph fiend offered him 200 gold
dollars for the two words OF his name.
written under the fiend's own eye. lt
was fortunate for this tracker OF lions
that she. for 1t was Il woman. did nOt
understand Ibsen's native language. as Ire
used some large and powerful NorwsS-
ian words on stOrming out OF the sunny
/ hotel courtyard. where the imDOrtuEate
female had found and cornered him. n
/ scrap of Ibsen's handwriting now COM
/ mands high price in the circle Of auto
l graph seekers. and since the old gentle
man divides his correspondence and liter
airy labOrs between neat little American
/ typewriter he himself and a clever
/ amanuensis, his signature is more diff
/ cult to secure than ever. Rudyard Kip
| ling Is another popular author who thor
| Oughly abhorS contributing TO the little
| blank books. who. with their owners be-
| set his path. and none too gentle are the
means employed TO coax a signature from
| him. When hurting through Boston one
/ day to catch train a guest at the hotel
/ whence the author was setting forth in
/ haste in cab, hearing who IL was had
i slept under the same roof with him. ran
/ of hatless down the street after the We
| hicle. He shouted and gesticulated and
! evinced such a desire to stop the cab that
/ hailed the cabby. whom Mr. Kipling had
! richly tipped for making all possible speed
| Naturally a halt was made the author
| opened the door TO inquire the reason
| just as the hatless man arrived. fountain
/ pen in one hand and a little book in the
\ other. S8t sight of the familiar prepara-
/ tions the policeman fell back. looking very
! foolish; there We're a few intense words
| from the author. the cab dashed of and
| the owner Of the little book went back 10
| his hotel n sadder and wiser man.
The young Duchess of Marlborough
| has been communicating gentle shocks
| of puzzled surprise to her noble friends
| and relatives in England by running all
/ her informal notes and letters of on a
| typewriter. For a time the very con-
/ ventional circle in receipt of these mis-
/ siyes. so neatly printed out even to the
| address and signature, wondered Wheth-
| er to laugh or cry. when 10 it's infinite
relief it was found that the ex-Empress
I Eugene, on account of her failing eye
| sight. has adopted the typewriter Who'll
! iy for that portion of her correspond
| ence conducted by her own hand Added
! TO this comforting news was the infOr-
| nation that the Queen can and does
| write very neatly on a typewriter Occa-
| sionally. consequently the writing ma
| chine has earned q distinct social value
! in England. The one the Duchess OF
| Marlborough uses is OF American make
HtOAnltA Cl Il C4dE lGLie iNtstlu ueSk
| and very sUmptuOuSiy trimmed with
| gold and red enamel wherever such dec
| Grafton is possible. The paper her little
I grace uses in the machine is sent her
| from the States. and is the ordinary
| quality used for single copy work, but
/ in the center at the top of every sheet
/ is stamped a black ducal corOnet, with
/ the letters C. NJ in gilt beneath
! Roman society has made a great lion
I of the eccentric author of that very
/ doubtful contribution to literature. The
/ Triumph of Death During the winter
| D'AnnunziO has given a series of read
/ ings in Rome in the drawing-room of an
| important social leader. and the thrOngs
| of the supremely fashionable who ma
| neuvered To secure tickets to the func-
| tions We're fully amused for their ef-
! forts. At one end of the grand salon,
| in an old Roman palace. a dais three
steps high was raised and covered with
scarlet cloth All natural light was ex-
cluded from the room, and no artificial
illumination introduced. save about the
dais, where towering candelabra held
perfumed wax candles. softly shaded
Crimson velvet curtains framed the
dais, myrtle and orange trees. blooming
in tubs shed their sickly perfume about
a great gilded chair upholstered in red
| velvet, in which D'Annunzio sat. arrayed
| in black. to read from Dante. the Bible
| and his own works The effect of the
I 6AOcAii- uhtiCu SetlOE. lile WE45ltE tQOES
/ and the funereal novelist. was said TO
/ have been overwhelming on at least the
| feminine portion OF the audience Many
\ tainted away. but returned 10 the scene
! of action To witness the final crOwning
| Of the reader, with a laurel wreath by
] a damsel, dressed 10 represent fame
Americans may be surprised TO hear that
| throughout these readings neither Dan
! nunziO nor his audience broke down in
| laughter. though the comicality of the
| scene was undeniable-
Princess Victoria. the only unmarried
| daughter of the Prince and Princess Of
Wales. is n woman looking for some use
| fui mission, that royal girl may ill
| without disgracing her family. She does
| not wish to marry, though divers good
/ offers have been made for her hand since
I of the three sisters she is far and away
/ the most clever and companionable, and
/ a number of eligible young German and
| Swedish princes and grand dukes have
| really wished TO have her TO wife But
| the Princess Victoria has not vet found a
| husband to her mind and to her mothers
/ great disnnay she cheTisheS an ardent am
/ bition TO be a genuine wage-earner. Two
/ years ago she fitted herself for nursing
! and announced her intention of entering
/ a London hospital There were serious
/ family conclaves and not until sent to in
I terview her very decided grandma on the
/ question did the young princess relin-
4 quish the plan. InheritinE decided ar
/ tistic taste from her mother. this royal
| spinster is now turning her attention TO
! bookbinding, and the designing OF book
/ covers The library at Sandringham is
really enriched with some of her excel
/ lent work, and at a recent exhibition of
/ book covers in London two examples, con-
! tributed by a Miss Matthews, won prizes.
1 1t was not until weeks afterward that the
| judges, dispensers of prizes. or The royal
/ family themselves knew that the ener-
| getic princess had won these testimonials
Z to her excellent taste and handicraft un-
der so commonplace a name.
The same royal etiquette that forbiGs
/ Princess Victoria adopting any calling
| denies the Marchioness OF Lorne, better
| known as the Princess Louise. from
! putting her talents as n sculptor to any
/ professional uses. 1t is cruel fact,
however that the LOrnes have very
I small income and the marchioness has
eXtraVa CANT tastes. In addition. she is
| a most vigorous and Independent lady.
! who openly deplOreS her fate in having
been born a princess, and who has COM
promised with her mother and family by
/ OStenSibly refusing TO receive orders for
any work done in her studio. She is al
| lowed. however. TO volunteer TO contrib
| ute busts. portraits panels. bronze bas
( reliefs. statutes. fonts. affairs, etc. with
seeming royal generosity to churches.
public buildings. squares. etc. in England
or the colonies needing such Ornamen-
tatiOn. These she executes in her stu
dio in Kensington palace. with more
than amateur zeal and care. In return
for her kindness thanks, ensrosSed on