The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-04-28
$4,000 IN FLOWERS.
Mrs. W. G. Whitney's New York
Friends Fairly Deluged Her.

~ eS4AA3 @CAtASO0 &2OAs
New York, April 2S.-Twenty-f1ve thous-
and dollars was spent in New York city
this past week to welcome Mrs. w. c.
Whitney home
No woman has ever received such a
floral ovation before. It was society's
tribute to it's leader
Not even the famous Marlborough-van-
derbfIt wedding equa1led in it's floral dec
orations the house into which Mrs. Whit
ney was carried.
In fact, she travelled from Aiken, s. C.,
to New York surrounded by the rarest
But though Mrs. Whitney was surround
cd by MOWERS en- route from Aiken to
ude of the or orafon was honor rh of her
home coming. Mr.. Whitney, prior to their
leaving the south, had telegraphed to a
leading New York florist to spare no ex-
pense in decorating the house from top to
bottom with blossoming plants, palms and
And no expense was spared. Not
inch of the walls of the great house was
dows. Flowers stood in vases in every
conceivable place. The entire house was
a garden of fragrance and beauty. When
the doors Were thrown open and Mrs.
Whitney was borne through the hall, she
passed beneath a massive Gothic arch
way of tall palms and blooming azaleas.
which extended from the door to the foot
of the staircase. 1t was a most beautiful
dream of the florist who was it's archi-
tect, so deity were the masses of brilliant
color intermingled with the green. The
effect was BRIGHT and inviting suggestiye
of good cheer and a hearty welcome home.
And so they carried her, ten men in all,
up the stairway and across anO Their flower
laden hall into her own magnificent sleep
ing room, draped in soft blue and literally
overgrOwn with the coStliest roses. Tall.
stately American Beauties, apparently
bowling their heads in welcome, roses SO
rare that they have not yet appeared on
the market, deep crimson roses and roses
with petals of the most delicate blush
honor of the mistress of the home
But hardly before Mrs. Whitney could
she found that her New York friends.
who are legion, were not content that Mr..
on her: they, too, wished to send some
floral greeting. So it happened that i'm
Fifth avenue in the vicinity of Fifty-sev-
enth street was impossible, SO, crowded
ger boys were tumbling over one another
as they rushed up and down the steps of
BOZ "a Of Ws9 earrhbg gv 6 6aSd 5e and big
a long procession for blocks away.
The servants oa meyer had 1;4 SO much r,l work
constantly opening the door and receiv
ing the packages, and not only on the day
day throughout the week.
And each box and basket of flowers was
taken directly to Mrs. Whitney. until.
vase by vase, the roses had to be removed
to make room for the new arrivals
All society remembered Mrs. Whitney.
The cards, which overlooked the numer-
Gus card trays, bore only the names of
the most exclusive men and women in
town.
At last the flowers which Mr. Whitney
had ordered had to be taken away. The
house was not large enough to hold the
flowers already there and those which
were constantly arriving.
Mrs. Whitney's favorite flowers, vioIets
and lilies of the valley came in the great
est profusion, and she kept them close by
her all the time.
There were spring flowers also in great
abundance, which she found a constant
delight. Jonquils, varico1ored tulips, daft
fodils and lilacs, with big punches and
pots of pansies, with their soft, velvety
petals and odd little faces.
There were rare orchids and valuable
roses, and then there were peach bios
SONS, white lilacs and moss roses group
ed together and carnations in every vari-
ETY., and. in fact, all the best and most
expensive flowers in the market. And in
addition to the cut flowers there were
poisoning plants in plenty.
Outside of the flower show such an ex-
hibition of flowers has never been seen
before in New York.