The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-09-20
CLAY-CLOPTON MEMOIRS.
Belle of the Fes" Repte With Stories of Famous Men and
Women of Ante Belum DAYS.

Excellent reading and rich in aneedote
is the book entitled "A Belle of the Fiji
ties" This book might well have for It's
subtitle Anecdotes of Our Country"
writes Martha Young in the New York
Times.
The book Is memoirs of Mrs. Clement
C. Clay of Alabama, edited by Miss Ada
Sterling. Mrs Clay NOW Mrs Clay-clop-
tom is more than fourscore years OF age.
From the cradle Mrs. Clay has moved
in circles legislative, and among events
romantic and important
There has been no prominent figure In
the political arena, in army and navy cir
cles, in social life of the past century
whom she has not seen and known. In
the stirring times of the ffties and early
sixties she was the acknowledged belle
of Washington.
you must see Mrs. Clay" said Lord
Napier, then minister from Great Britain,
to an English nobleman; she is the most
charming woman in America
Senator Seward, on the occasion Of the
celebrated Guvin ball, at which Mrs. Clay
impersonated Mrs. Partington exclaimed
on meeting her for the first time, to Sem
ator Clay:
"Clay, she's superbr'
yes" replied Senator Clay, when she
married me America lost its Siddonsf'
Mrs Clay is whole-souled and generous
in her praises of the many bellies who
were her contemporaries. She tells most
delightful anecdotes of Mrs. Roger Pryor.
Mrs Burton Harrison, Mrs. Pugh, Mrs.
Slidell (mother of the present Baroness
Erlanger of Paris), of Adele Cults (Ms.'
Stephen A. Douglass, Of Mrs. JEFFERSON
Davis, of Mrs. Brockholst Cutting (the
beautiful Marion Ramsay, of lovely Mel
lie Marcy (Mrs. Gen. McClellan), mother
of the present mayor of New York. and OF
many others of equal note and charm.
Very fetching is the story of how the
Austrian minister, the Chevalier Hulse-
men. presented the gift of his empress
to Miss Therese Chalfant, GMrs. Senator
Pugh of Ohio as Mrs. Clay relates 1t:
ut was at ball at which pretty wom-
en- thronged. AS the minister's gaze rest
ed upon Miss chalfont, his eyes expand
ed with admiration. Approaching, he
knelt suddenly before her, exclaiming:
!" Madame, l, have from my empress
piece of precious lace'-and he fumbled,
but, alas! vainly, in his pockets as he
spoke which her majstey has command
ed me to present to the most beautiful
woman In Washington You-you are
more, the most beautiful in the world!
[ have not with me the lace, but l will
send 1t if you will permit me-! And he
kept his word"
Quite as charming Is the story of her
own conquest of Chevalier Bertinatti the
Sandman minister. 1t was upon the oc-
casion of soiree at the house of Secre-
tary Guthrie, "at which half the world
was present" Mrs. Clay wore a gown OF
silk of the color Of pomegranate blooms
the most gorgeous flowers of our South
land; her headdress was Sandman, gift
sent across by consular friend.
Seeing me at some distance" 1 quots
from the text, "the chevalier failed tc
recognize me and asked of the .hostesses
with whom he was conversing, Who Is
Eat lady wis my kontree woman's orna-
ments?'
| upon lcdIIlHB my iucheieJ hS NoAi'S @SN
ward quickly and, gazing admiringly al
me, he threw himself on his knee be-
fore me- kissing my hand as he did so
with arden gallantry,) as he exclaimed
" Madame, you are charming wis "a
headdress like my kontree womenl Mad
anne, assure you, you have conquest m'
behind and now you conquest me before!
and he howed nrofoundly."
M. Bertinatti married Mrs. Boss of Mis-
sissippi. whose daughter became the Mar
uuise Incisa di Camerana.
Apropos of anecdotes concerning am
bassadors, there are many pleasing one
of Lord and Lady Napier, not the leas
being that of toast of Lord Napier t.
a great American.
Lord Napler's Toast.