The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-15

! crtown, Earl of Kelso, Earl lnues and
! Sir John Times ker The ducal line Is
an old and honorable ono and includes
somc OF the best known names In Eng
/ land.
1 The duke is young and handsome
/ fellow very popular In the younger elite
circles of London. lie has often been
| entertained at William Waldorf Astors
house, and II was there he met Miss AS
\ tor She is also young. having just com.
pletcd her 10th year. In appearance she
is n slight graceful figure with full olive
complexion. dark brown eyes and chestnut
brown hair, resembling very much he,
OF New York and Philadelphia society,
after her marriage and before II, when
she was Miss Mary Paul
| Since Miss Astor's debut In English SO.
ciety she has been u pronounced favoritc
her beauty was not her only charms, he,
Nivasions sunny nature endeering her to
every one. Tho fnct that she VIII enjoy
dowry estimated at $4,000, 900 did no,
decrease her popularity and she was eager
lly sought by a hundred OF London's most
| eligible young men.
She evirced early. however dislike
of such attentions and whilo kind to a.l,
seemed to possess the happy faculty of
discriminating between those that do.
served and those that did not deserve her
care The young Duke Of Roxburgho has
alwnya. enjoyed her warm admiration AID
Ifriendliness and their engagement Is at
tributed to generally by the very rapt at
tentiona which the Young nohleman has
been paving her. Miss Aston. with hor
father and several friends, Is now visiting
the dukes ancestral seat just on the bor-
der OF Scotland. Floors castle, Us II Is
called. !
Besides Floors. Roxburghe possesses SOW
eral other ancestral castles and local hold
ings aggregating upwards OF 10, 600 acres
OF land He is possessed, too, OF n not
tinconsideruble wcnlth, amounting to up-
ward OF s2,000,00o. He succeeded his father
| In 1899, upon the lattor's DEATH
The first member OF his family to at
tain International fame was John Kcr
OF the forest OF Selklrk. He was prom
inent In affairs OF state and was rewarded
In 1877 by a charter from the king to all
lands and tenoments In Auldtownburn. His
descendant. Robert Ker, was knighted and
raised to the peerage In 1900 as Lord Rox-
hurghe and was shortly after created Ba-
ron OF Cessford and Clavertown and Earl
/ OF Roxburghe. He was succeeded In these
title.s by his grandson, Sir William Drum.
mcrd, who afterwards became secretary OF
state and d knight of the garter II was
this ffth earl. however, who won the high
est destination and was created Duke OF
RCxturghe
On his death the tito was transferred
to the Scots line, Lord Bellenden. hts
kinsman, and on the lattcr's death again
reverted to new branch. Sir James
| lnnes Norciiffe. In his son the old
line was re-establishcd by marriage aud
Sir John Ker, the seventh duke, was the
offspring of the happy union, The dukes
mother IL Lady Anne. Emily Spencer
Churchill, the aunt Of the present Duke
OF Marlborough. The latters marriage to
Consuelo Vanderbilt has turned out so
happily that Lady Churchill has been the
staunchest friend OF Miss Aston and lis
doubtless well satisfied with her sons an
tfcipated matrimonial venture.
Desrite all these glowing prospccts which
the elder Aston has contemplated with
beaming eyes for the past few months
Miss Aston may not accept all the lurid
traditions of her illustrions sutton yet.
The governing hand of Mrs. Grundy is at
the tiller and circumstances may become
such that the dainty little beauty viii
consent to link her fate and fortune with
nobility and thus relieve the distress OF
her fathers social aspirations.