The times., 1898-11-13
LEGEND OF THE LAcE-MAKER
The Miracles Performed by n bright
BruSes Maid.
(From the Bo=t. n Herald.) }


Her jewels of great price were not the
only things bequeathed to her daughters
by the Empress of Austria. She left a for
tune in a collection of laces to the elder
that has already proved a bone of con-
tention between the two ladies. These
laces, 1t is claimed by connoisseurs. are
priceless, and should never be trusted be-
yond the walls of museum. Should they
be seen, however, a fresh impetus might
be given TO the industry of lace-making.
now in a languishing condition. The
Queen of the BelgIans was the first 10
sound the trumpet OF alarm about this
falling off in Flanders, the cradle Of the
art of lace-makins. As the legend Iuns,
it was Jacqueline. Countess of Flanders,
who was deeply in love with her noble
husband. the handsome Henelick, nut
who did not return this tender Ieelirs-
with the ardcr it deserved. He mad even
made eyes at the Countess mad
Serena, who. for the sole crime of being
beautiful. was sent by her mistress to a
dark and noisome place of conceament
in a corner of the palace. The room
where the poor girl was confined C1enel
on a small. damp garden. and there she
would sit sadly and mourn for her be-
loved, the equerry, Luitpold One cav
her eyes filled with tears; she praye.i TO
the Virgin to come to her rescue by
some miracle. and then. raising her rea.y
eyelids. she beheld a million of white.
silky threads. so tenuous and arranged IN
such wonderful patterns that she was
lost in admiration before them
BY and by she began to wish she could
initiate the lovely patterns of good Mary's
threads, for evidently they had been
placed there in answer to her suppica-
tion. At last. after month of patent
and arduous toll and many prayers. she
achieved piece of gossamer cobweb-like
work that rivaled the miracuIol threads
arrayed by her holy patron The lace
+ was sent to the countess, who shed I ars
of delight at the sight of so much besu-
ty. The next step was to send for the
captive and marry her to the equerry.
bestowing sum of money on the happy
pair that would have kept them in COM
fort ever after; but. independently of the
countess, they became rich, for the young
woman taught her art to seven daugh-
ters, from whom descended all the Bruges
lace-makers. This Is sweet romance,
but from whom did this pious Serena re-
ceive the threads with which she i'm
tated the heavenly cobwebs? II "a been
suggested she unraveled her stockings,
and, again, that she plucked the solien
| hairs from her head, but why will 10 ks
be SO dreadfully practical? 1t is sufficient
/ tnat the nanu-maue lace OF ltnuers Is
the most exquisite thing wrought by hu-
man fingers, and the fatal looms have al
most destroyed its art with their new il
| dustry 1t was the elegant Marie An
toinette who gave the first blow to lacs-
making The splendid lace worn in O.
fusion at the courts of Louis NV and
XIV were replaced by the gauzss and mus
| Inns of the Queen, and though the Em-
press Josephine brought back the fash
| ion. it has been the same as then The
looms have produced perfect, too peri CT.
limitations and cheapened the marvellous
labor of years. 1t is now proposed by ths
Belgian Queen and some other sovereign
ladies' to make point of wearing only
hand-r:ade lace, and binding themselves
nv solemn compact not to allow an inch
of machine-made lace on their p t,icoat :;
and under linen. We shall see what ef-
feet this will have on the modern mon
dame and how her bills will increase!