The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-09

When Connie Gilchrist married the
Earl. of Orkney. the :virtuops, matrons of
the British aristocracy were aghast AT
the spectacle of saucy, smiling mink.
blle-eyed sunny-haired fairy Of the
music hall, dancing in her pink silk tights
straight into the very heart of their SOL
ernn realm of rank and privilege, says
the New York World.
True Miss Gilchrist was married from
all aristocratic home. From the magnia-
cent house which the old Duke of Beau
fort has provided for her in the West
end of London, she went in her bridal
robes to the fashionable All Souls
church. where she was welded TO the
young earl with lavish ceremony. And
Beaufort gave the bride away, the Earl
of Onsiow was the best man. and the
proudest mobiles of the land, after wit
Messing the ceremony and taking break
fast in the West end house, went home
and tried to tell their wives and mothers,
who were not present, how the bride was
dressed.
And other actresses grayely discussed
the question whether Comics elevation
to the peerage was due to Der invariable
habit of splitting in every new pair of
stage shoes for luck before putting them
on.
The British matron needs a short mem
ory That was only In 1892, and the beau
tiful countess is now an ornament of
the peerage and moves in the very best
S. of society She is a daring huntswoman,
having been provided with fine horses
by the Duke of Beaufort; and no acct
dent of the hunting field has occasioned
more regret than the broken ankle which
interrupted her hunting this year with
the Bucks and Bedfordshire packs.
THE COUNTESS CLANCARTY.
The Countess of Orkney is only one of
many stage beauties of London who have
become titled ladies. Checkered has been
the career of Belle Billion, who as Count
ess Clancarty is another dashing Diana
of the hunting field and the idol of the
tenantry of Ballinasloe. Belle Billion and
her sister Flo, tall, dark-haired and
stately were the daughters of a private
soldier. When she was fifteen she ran
away from home with the son of a coun-
try squire, and afterward with her sis
ter travelled from provincial town to
town in a gypsy van, giving a "one-act
comedy"
They drifted to London and upon the
music hall stage, where after the usual
adventures, Belle was married to Lord
Eunlo, heir of the Earl of Clancarty.
The Earl promptly cut off Dunlo's al
lcwance, and Lady I'unlo went Lack upon
the stage to support him. Nevertheless
the young man was induced to sue for
divorce, in which suit he was unsuccess-
full.
The old earl died in 1891, two years after
the marriage, and left a large but en-
numbered estate. The couple had become
reconciied, and twin sous were born to
them, Lord Kilconnel and the Hon. Fran
els William LIE PoerTrench. After their
appearance the countess telegraphed hel
sister Flo: Nothing succeeds like sue
cess. Double bill tonight"
A girl baby and another boy have since
been born to the countess, who lives. very
quietly on her Irish estates. is liked by
the local gentry and is doing her best
to make up for rather bad start in life
She Is quite heroine to the British pub
lie. who think that the old earl treated
her badly and that she has shown great
courage and forbearance.
THE COUNTESS OF DERBY.
The marriage of peers and actresses Is
not a new development of English aristo-
cratic life. The twelfth Earl of Derby
of sporting fame, great at cock fights and
horse races, married Elizabeth Farren
who in those days had no superior lr
playing the parts of fine ladies on the
stage. so that she had no difficulty what.
ever in taking the role in real life.
Like her case was that of the beauti.