The record-union., 1899-03-03

on for a long term for deserving his
family in China, and going to a for
eign land The gossip had it also that
Mr.. All Fong had paid fine of many
thousands of dollars and had settled
down with good sized fortune to live
all his days with his first family in
Picking. How much of this is mere
gossip and how much history no one
can say confidently At any rate the
All Fong family in Honolulu has never
seen it's father since that summer day
in 1892, and everyone in Honolulu be-
lieves the story as to the fate that be-
fen Papa All Fong in Peking More
over, the Honolulu and San Francisco
newspaper have published the gossip
about Mr.. All Fong and no one has con-
tradicted them.
Mrs All Fong and her children have
gone right along, apparently needless
OF the absence of the husband and
father. The estate is well managed, and
is in such shape that it earns its divi-
dends with little personal care of the
family. When the first daughter was
married to Captain Whiting it was de-
cided that each girl should have her
share of the family patrimony when
she married. Mr.. Whiting got $780,
600 in cash and $250.0O0 in property
and securities. So it was then settled
also that the dowries We're to consist of
money and property and securities to
the value of $350G00 each.
Eight of the thirteen girls are unus-
ually attractive and would be much OBJ
served in any general assemblage of
young women the world over All the
All Fong girls are petite and have
peculiarly graceful ways, winning
voices and certain vivacity that has
no comparable counterpart in Ameri-
can life. They range in, hight from
five feet two to five feet seven, with
the average at about five feet five. The
girls are good singers, and have the
love of the Hawaiians for string music.
For years they have been famous for
their Waiting. Many a young naval
officer has sailed away from Honolulu
harbor with fond remembrances of his
first appreciation of the soulfulness and
beauty of Straus' waltzes after party
at the All Fong house Five of the
girls are unusually handsome, and
would win attention for that reason
alone in any society. Two or three of
the girls have the Chinese almond slant
in their eyes quite marked and they
feel dreadfully about it. But they are
the very jolliest of the All Fongs and
by the grace and accomplishments that
they have evidently studied to over
come any facial defect they are partic-
ularly popular. Two more have
faint suggestion of slanting eyes, but
their superb compilations and limpid
dark eyes make them particularly pre-
possessing.
All the girls have dark hair, four
have deep olive compilations and all
have small hands and feet. One or two
of them are what would be called fairly
fat but none Of the others would weigh
over 100 pounds
But it is the manner of dress and the
chic style of the All Fong girls that
make them such attractions to naval
officers and promising resident Ameri-
cars in Honolulu. Possessed of wealth
and a natural genius for color effects,
the All Fong girls have from the time
the eldest went to dancing parties till
the youngest, a year ago, made her
debut in Honolulu society at the age
of 10, worn some of the most heart
crushing gowns man ever looked upon.
A modiste from Paris has been kept
at good salary for over ten years near
the All Fong home, and she devotes her
talents solely to the mother and the I'M
married girls in the family. Once every
two years she goes to San Francisco,
thS nee across the continent to New
York. thence TO Paris, where she spends
some thousands of the All Fong fortune
in great boxes and cases of the latest
e.,
A famous officer, recently retired as
Rear Admiral, is commonly quoted as
having said that he never knew the
genius of color effects in feminine garb
until he saw eight of the All F'ong girls
punched together at ball at King
Kalakaua's palace. Sitting on one of
the many piazzas at home on warm
aftel noon, in their variegated gowns of
silk and challies, the All Fong girls
present an idea of a big, good natured
human bouquet of colors. One has
afterward a confused recollection only
of q group of merry girls in vivid scar
lets, pinks, magentas and half dozen
other shades of red and purple. with
sashes and ribbons galore in a score Of
harmonious and striking hues.
Unlike all other young women in
Honolulu the All Fong girls have cult
waited the ways of Americans and En-
glish That is characteristic they have
inherited from their Monaghan ancest-
ors-the knack for knowing what will
please the Caucasian race and then set
ting about to accomplish it. The All
Fong girls have become proficient ten
MS players, and very few are more
adept at whist and poker Hundreds
of officers in the American and British
navy know what good tennis and card
players the All Fongs are, and man
of-war no sooner touches Honolulu
than the young men aboard who have
been there before begin plans for get
ting early at the hospitable All Fong
home.
The All Fongs' social position has
been assured in Honolulu for ten years,
and since the father went to China
never to return to Honolulu the posi-
ton of the girls has been settled be-
yond argument. The marked attention
the naval officers have shown to the
girls has given them a prestige that
their money could not buy even In mer-
ce,:ary Honolulu.
The pleasant manners of Nine. All
Fong and the, smiles which she lavisheS
upon all her daughters attendants have
been potential i'm making the All Fongs
the favorites they are. The pagoda
marsion has always been kept open to
the girls friends. Every gentleman,
naval officers especially, who went there
was sure OF warm welcome. Dinner
parties have been given there hundreds
of times. Some have been costly and
elaborate. All the officers aboard ship
or any gentlemanly tourists In the city