The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-10-26
The Gifted y -
y Caroline Duer.

as only flower, carefully nurtured and reared
! IN the osressing warmth OF dollhouse. can be.
She is SMALL perfectly formed and admirably
hmshed; her eyes almost black they are
so dark her hair. soft brown, and her speech
most gentle
It is q morning caller who found her at home.
after a visit to Newport She came into the
craving room with that crisp, well-groomed APP
pearanoe characteristic Of New York women
Miss Duers drawing room is indicative OF her
life Il is filled with costly briea-brac beautiful
paintings and many books. Above quaint ola
desk hangs portrait Of Miss Caroline Duer
painted by Mrs. Leslie Cotton and presented 70
that young lady by the artist, IL is clearly like
| her, yet one regrets the smile upon the painted
lips. for Miss Duer's smiles are rare and as en-
chanting as infrequent. But the eyes shine with
| almost as much fire as in the real ones below.
10 see the beautiful original of painting be.
side the portrait is always trhe unhattering 10
the painting The poise Of head, the arch Of
an eyebrow, the turn Of throat. and the feetine
smile upon the lips are not things to be trans
ferred to canvas.
The first representatives OF the Duer family
IN this country was Colonel William Duer, who,
after serving many years in the British army in
India, came to New York married the daughter
OF Lord Stirling and became one of the principal
men Of the colony
Miss Duer was born in New York CITY, some
where near Sixteenth street She has forgot
exactly where, in the rush and change OF
great city, but OF the time she is quite certain
1t was in 1865 To see Miss Duer is 70 doubt this
by some twenty years. Care and kindly spirit
are not encouragers OF wrinkles Miss Duer
scarcely remembers that she was ever taught any
thing, except by her mother She has never
been to school other than under Bishop Doane In
Albany for a year and a half, at one time. Her
father is James G. King Drer, a member of
the banking firm of Duer, King & Co, and her
mother was before her marriage Elizabeth Meads
f,e, 4.
dent of the board of trustees OF the Albany
academy
Miss Duer spent most of her childhood at
Weehawken-on- the Hudson, Just above Castle
Point, where her grandfather, Mr.. Benning Duer.
owned large estate, adjoining that of the King
family.
Miss Caroline Duer and her sister, Miss Alice
Duer, now Mrs Miller, wrote rhymes and jingles
for their friends many years before the thought
of printing anything entered their minds The
final move in that direction came about in
most unexpected way. One day Miss Caroline
Duer went into George H Richmond Co.'s pub
fishing house 10 make purchase. While she
was looking over some new books Mr.. Rich
mond came in and, seeing her, stopped to speak,
/ Presently ne said that he had heard through
mutual friends that she and her sister had written
some verses, and asked If he might see them.
/ Miss Duer sent the poems to him and he inn
medately asked permission TO publish them.
/ The book came out under the title Of Poems
I BY Caroline and Alice Duer" and was widely
read and commented on Many critics jibed at
the verses because they we're written by society
girls and as many more wrote paragraphs OF fiat
terry for the same reason. few praised the
! little book sincerely and some wrote encouraging
letters to the young women. urging them to con-
tnue their efforts. Not few of these letters
were from men of literary reputation and others
of culture who knew little, or knowing, cared
less about Miss Duer's social position
Miss Caroline Duer's first accepted poem sent
to a publication OF any sort was printed in Col
liers Weekly. Since that time many humorous
and society verses and stories have appeared over
her name in the magazines Il Went poem
written after the style Of Walt Whitman, by the
/ Duer sisters, is as funny as possible and worth
reprnting in full:
1 Once went to Long Island City, prepared TO
/ take the train for Jamaica, Babylon, lslip,
/ Oakdale, Bayport, Patchogue, Moriehes and
the Hamptons.
bine to conduce to my comfort. These
are things / never forget.
! Soon l sought out the parlor car porter, ebon-
20 oaieiai Of the Tong Island railroad, o
man, O black brother, the best seat for me,
and there, take my bag, umbrella hot
water tin oveTcoat and galoshes.
| That one few, Aat-footed. followed. The
crowds observed me-
entered the car and selected some one eiss's
!
/ Assured of my comfort shortly the train started
! Oh Hunters Point Oh fat and uninteresung
landscape Oh, Newton Greek Oh, hell
oh. SMELL Who can describe you, nose
absorbing and resistless1
| I might have slept, but the newsboy, vociterous,
importunate, entered.
Here you are All the latest magazines--Har-
per's Scribner's, Century, Lippincott's,
! Frank Lesle's, Cosmopolitan, Ladies
Home Journalee Puck Judge. Life. Town
| hated that newsboy ardently. The dust hlew
! in my face. einder got in my. eye, the
| window shut my thumb, the train
stopped at other stations than mine,
But now / know it was all for the best, for
| had / not these diseomforts endured !
should not have written this song, and
what would you have done thenf
Senegal years ago Miss Caroline Duer was III,
and during her sickness her fevered fancy de-
manded that Cleopatra, George Washington and
many famous people Of the past should appear
I before her While she was conyalescent the sis
tiers talked over the possibilities Of such gath
! crng, and began writing the story Of house
/ party wherein were present many famous people
/ OF the past Before they had finished the last
/ few chapters there appeared in Harper's Weekly
! the beginning OF similar story by John KEN
| dricls Bangs, entitled THE Houseboat the
| Styx" The story written by the Misses Duer,
| though the FIRST chapters were already in the
/ hands Of the publisher, was Withdrawn Tor
short time, but later appeared In Golfers Weekly
| under the title Of IAN Impossible House Party
Several Of Miss Caroline Duer's poems have
/ been set TO music notably The Nocturne," music
written By Fsirborn and Good Night set 70
music BY Massenet, One OF her greatest treasures
| is a ietter from Massenet written IN French IN
scraegly hand in which he asks her permission
\ 70 make use Of her verses in this way and mod