The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1901-01-23
The QUEEN IS DEAD.

rG0rnDH0
always Of the same design AMI coloring
which by royal order might not be dupli-
Gated for any one else.
The queen hated tobacco smoke with all
her strength, and it was forbidden to every
one to indulge in the fragrant weed within
the walls of Windsor. 1t is not recorded
that this rule was ever relaxed but once,
and that was on the occasion of the visit Of
King Charles of Roumania to her majesty
in 1892. Then the smell of Havanas was
observable everywhere save in the apart
ments of the queen herself and the adjacent
corridors. On one occasion cabinet min
lister, who was devoted to his cigar, re
Nvod a letter from the queens private sec
rotary, Sir Henry Ponsonby, saying that in
future the monarch would be glad If the
official would refrain from saturating his
dispatches with tobacco smoke before send
ing them. He turned the royal snub to nc.
count by writing note to each of his col
leagues telling them that it was the royal
order that IN future they should not smoke
when preparing dispatches for the queen.
Victoria always took most of her personal
belongings with her when she went on a
Journey, and it was therefore no easy task
for her household to make the change from
one place to the other. The moving Of the
court from Windsor to Osborne is described
by one who has helped in the moving as
worse than three fires and an earthquake
all at once" Everything except the car
pets and pictures had to be removed from
the royal chambers after her majesty left
them and set up in good order in the other
palace before her arrival there.
Upon one occasion Victoria was ready to
4 L 4 -. ii TOD
herself in her carriage, when it was noted
that the mistress of the robes, the late
Duchess of Sutherland, was not In her seat
in the carriage opposite her royal mistress.
There was row, but presently the MISSING
woman appeared literally on the run, and
In a drenching perspiration, and visibly
frightened. The queen looked at her tardy
subordinate, but instead OF scolding her
took her own watch from her belt and pre-,
sented it n the duchess, saying "YouT
watch must be bad timekeeper-let me
give you this one," whereat the duchess wept
for joy.
The life of maid Of honor, lady of the
bedchamber or other female memb Der of the
household ut Victoria's court, while not at
] all that of mental, was not in any sense
sinecure, but as service in the royal house
hold confers gredt social prestige the posi-,
| tions in question have always been eagerly
| sought. VictOria's women used to take dn
early breakfast and await summons from
their mistress before venturing into her
| presence The morning was usually passed
| in reading tae newspapers to her majesty
| till near luncheon time. The queen par,
took of this meal with her own family, the
women of the household eating apart at ,
o'clock.
From to D. m the women accompa
MED their mistress on her daily drive, after
which they read, arranged photographs or
| completed fancy work begun but not fin
| ished 10y royal fingers. This continu al
until the queens dinner hour, about Q
| o'clock. BY this time all concerned were
/ likely to be weary, and no one was ever
/ heard to complain because the waits" or
| terms Of service rarely If ever exceeded
| five months in any one year. The pay OF
| the ladies of the household varied from G3OO
to $500 per annum. Most of them were
peeresses or at least of noble blood. An
| untitled woman who was member OF the
queens household was privileged by reason
of her service to use the prefix honorable
before her name. Along the duties of the
ladies' in waiting during Victoria's reign
was the repetition in her majesty's ears OF
all the court tattle Of the day.
| Victoria's appetite was good Here Is Il
menu OF luncheon served in 1892 ut the
home of her granddaughter, the Duchess OF
Fife, to which the royal grandmother is
said to have done ample justice;
Minced venison, boiled capons, OK tongue
cold roast chicken and York ham, cold grouse
cold roast sirloin Of Scotch beef, pastry, chedai
cheese and salad. 1884 champagne, dry biscuits
and 30 years old dry port.
| Victoria possessed a most remarkable
memory. She rarely forgot face, and tc
the day of her death she could recite the
pedigree of almost every noble family in
| England, of all the German royalties, the
exact arrangement Of everything in chest
| of drawers locked up a twelvemonth be
fore, and every slight or civility offered tc
her consort, Prince Albert, during their 2.
years of married life.
The queen was very fond of dogs, and be-
kennels at Windsor used to house about q
Of them. They were petted in life by roya
hands, and at death received elaborate
burial. The kennels at Windsor are elab
crate affairs, the yards being paved witt
/ red and blue tiles and the bed chambers
with white bricks, and contain sleeping
benches covered with straw, hot waite
pipes, baths, etc A tiled portico along I'll
| front OF the kennels, where Victoria USE
often 20 walk, is known as 1.-THE queen
veranda"
Nearly 60 years ago an American visitin
In London, and who saw the queen shorLl
before her coronation, described her thus
"She is a dainty little maiden, only fee
= 10 inches I'm height, with delicate figure
fiowerlike face, a slender arm and exqu
sitely poised head. The face was lit
pensive, but nevertheless mirthful, the co
ners of the mouth turning up decided!
The tendency of the upper lip was to cur
and like most English people she held hi
lips slightly open, allowing mere sugge
I | ton of white teeth to appear. She wore
simple gown of soft white india muslin
. bound around the waist with satin ribboI
Her waist was an English one, long an
slender. The dress was embroidered wit
field daisies, and strings Of pearls wei
around about her throat. Her arms wei
quite bare and without ornaments, and 81
wore no rings on her slim fingers She r
tanned her regal bearing to the last, but a
most every other characteristic given
this description disappeared many years
fore her death.
1t is said that Victoria used to consid
herself really at home in but one place, al
that her private garden at Osborne, on q
Isle of Wight. There she had plot
r ground - her own private property -
which no stranger was ever allowed to
u trude. A Swiss chalet has been built the
p and fitted up as sort Of family museuI
, and in the grounds themselves the que
= | has exnloited her personal taste in the ma