Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-12-28

lnlNNAhS.
Tae recent visit OF Emperor WuuaNl
ot Germany to the duke oJ MARI
borough and his American ul, hess.
formerly Miss Consuelo Vanderbilt. Mt
their historic Hlenhojm palace At
Woodstock. has revived interest in The
home which the american girl secured
by her marriage to the present owner
0f a famous English title
IN article in Ainslcr'S Magazine
gives many readable "details OF the
home life Of the duchess 1t is by
Miss Elizabeth L. Banks, formerly OF
Oshkosh. Part of 1t is as follows,
Up there. where Won see the big
trees and the grand gate and the high
walls and things that's thc palace
whore her grace lives.
was spending few days in the
ancient town of WoodStock We had
wandered past the poStolce and
Chaucer's house and the old Rear no.
tel, and had finally seated ourselves to
| rest under tree near a great gate at
the entrance To Blcnheim park.
Won mean that is the home Of the
duchess of Marlborough >" asked
Yes. the American duchess, she AN
swered
Tell me about the duchess" | said
How do You like American ladies to
come here and live in your beautiful
palace"
"0h, we like American duchtsses
very much There was Lilly Duchess
YOU know; she was American That
was before Consuelo Duchess came
We We're all SO sorry when Lil4
Duchess went away, because we loved
her and we didn't know what kind
of lady his grace would bring To theI
palace, but when her new grace camel
and we saw her at the station, | saidl
to my brother, Her grace is just rs NICE
as Lily Duchess, and such young
lady and so pretty That was three
years ago. Her grace is very good
now, especially at Christmas times
She gave all the village children a
Christmas tree in the palace. ana we
all got presents. And then the other
day She gave us n picnic treat in the
gardens, and we had sweets to eat
We saw their lordships in their pcram-
bulators.
Their lordshins2" | asked.
Yes, Lord Blunford hos two years
old, and Lord Ivor, who's Just one
year old her grace's babies YOU
know Lord Blandford will be duke
when he grows up he's the heir"
So the child chartered ON concern
ing the grand people, rs She called
them, who lived in the palace She
told how the young duchess delighted
everybody when she first arrived in the
town by going shopping nj all the
quaint little shops--how at the village
diapers shop she had gone in and or
dered red flannel to make petticoats
for the women who lived in the aims
houses, She had told the saleswoman
she wanted enough to make 10 petit
| coats, and the salcswoman had said
Yes. your grace. three yards in each
! suppose" while the duchess had re
piled, oh. dear no. five and one halt
yards in each | think" And from that
| timc the width Of the red-hanucl petit
coats to be worn by the almshousc
women had been a source OF wonder
and remark in the village
The daughter of the American VIII
liam *. Vanderbilt is The only one OF
the English duchessos who lives in a
palace. The rest live in halls" and
castles Moreover, Blcnheim palace
is, without doubt, much finer and
more magnificent place than are any
Of the palaces in which the queen OF
! England resides. Blenhem palace as
| is shown by the inscription over the
great gate at its entrance, was erected
by the bounty of Queen Anne for
John first duke of Marlborough, and
his Duchess Sarah. in 1905, and thus a
queen Of England gave to one Of her
subjects a far grander place to live In
than any Of the residences which have
been occupied by her successors on the
throne. Hundreds Of years before, on
the grounds where now stands the
palace. there had been a royal palace
in which had lived several kings of
England. The doings and misdDings Of
these kngly residents are told In
English history as well as by Scott In
his novel Woodstock When Brenheim
park was but a forest King Henry the
Second and his courtiers INDUCED their
passion for the chase. The American
duchess lives in an atmosphere Of his
tory. tradition and romance. The
very water that she drinks comes from
q spring which, 500 years ago, supplied
the bath Of the beautiful Lady Rosa
mond. the fayorite OF King Henry the
Second The story OF Fair Rosamond
and Rosamond's Well Is one that the
Woodstock folk are never tired Of re-
peating, and It is pretty. though
pathetic, tale.
The underground passage has disap-
pcared and the bower OF fair Rosa
mond II centuries gone, but In this
century. with an American
duchess living in the palace but few
Yards off so saw the villagers. every