The National tribune., 1907-11-28

toner presents herself, thinking per
haps. poor innocent creature, that she
is only going to look, but not purchase.
She is shown into a beautiful room,
with soft, becoming light and luxuri-
antly comfortable chairs, in one end
of which is a tiny stage hung with
delicately tinted silks. The warm, per-
fumed air of the room goes to her
head, and when there appears upon
the little stage a charmingly pretty
girl. possessed in a high degree of that
fascinating something we call ''chic,
clad in a perfect dream" of a gown.
gracefully turning this way and that,
the poor woman feels herself under
hypnotic influence. and be she rich
or poor, young and pretty, or old aho
ugly, she buys that dress. These young
syomen employed by the famous houses
10 show off their dresses are called
"mannequi,l'' and are exceedingly diff
cult to find mannequin must be
pretty and distinguished looking, but
above all her figure must be perfect,
not too stout, the lines delicate, with
slender waist and modest bust. when
these young ladies arrive at the estab-
iishment of Madam or Monsieur in the
morning they take off their styllsh
street costume and put on a close fit
ting skirt of black satin and silk jersey
which forms the foundation for the
marvellous costumes they may be called
upon to don While waiting to be
summoned, they sit around in large
room filled with clothes presses con-
tanning robes which represent hand
some fortunes. nibbling cakes and
candies. reading novels, or manicuring
their pink nails Each costume has Its
name, and finally the door of the great
room opens and a saleswoman asks
for a particular one. A mannequln
rises, and dresser quickly puts on
her the desired creation, deftly
handling ell its mysterious fastenings.
and so roDed she Saunters, gracefully
and easily, with the air of young
Duchess, out into the other room, and
steps upon the tiny stage When told
to retire she does so with fascinating
smile and bow, knowing well the weak
ness of her sex, and feeling perfectly
confident that she has sold the gown
Poor, lovely, ill-starred Mary of
Scots, it seems as if posterity could
not let her sleep in peace after her
life's fitful fever. A short time ago
the public was told that her beautiful,
bright. auburn hair was only wig
after all, and now that her son James,
who afterwards became James l. of
England, was not her son at all, but
the offspring of a soldiers wife, i'm
posed by Mary upon trusting, too
little habit of providing bogus heirs
has always been more or less favorIte
one in foreign countries under stress
of circumstance, history being we'll
sprinkled with pretenders. The story
goes that Mary's baby, who came into
the world in less than three months
after the murder Of her favorite Rizzio,
vas born dead, and quickly concealed
behind a large stone in the room in
Edinburgh castle, where Mary lay in
her state bed. The soldiers baby was
at once smuggled into the castle. put
into the bed with Mary, and brot up
as her son. What gives some color
to this surprising story is the fact that
about 80 years ago workman, repair
ing this room in the old castle and re-
moving a large stone, found the re-
clothing of Mary's period. 1t was
rumored in the 18th century that
James /. was a supposititious child,
and perhaps he was. 1t is hardly
worth while at this distant day to spec
ulate upon the effect on English his
tory if the Stuarts had never occupied
the throne of that country. AS all
without heirs-only one having been
married, "Bloody Mary" it would take
a little study to find out just who would
have succeeded Elizabeth had it been
proved that James was not Mary's
child. Perhaps there would never have
been any Revolutionary War" Per-
haps we would have been too well sat
isfed with "Merrie England" to have
ever left it. Who knows!
Mrs. Sarah Grand, whose book, "The
Heavenly Twins" made such stir in
the literary world when it appeared
several years ago. has been telling the
public lately what she would do If she
were a millionaire. Mrs. Grand would
90 a great deal of good. She would
hunt out the deserving and give them
their hearts desire, If money could do
it; the worthy young man should be
started in life, the good daughter dow
cred, the wants of the invalid supplied,
the hungry child of the street clothed,
warmed and fed, the broken-down and
discouraged set up again, etc. As to the
way she would treat her enemies Mrs.
Grand has not quite decided, as she
regrets to say she does not think there
is anything at all in the "heaping Goals
of fire. theory Nowadays the sinner
is only too apt to regard any gift or act
of kindness on the part of the one he
has injured as an overture for the re-
sumption of friendly relations, a sign
of contrition, and not to be, as of course
he should be, racked with remorse for
ton of this truly Christian spirit. Mrs
Grand says that if she had her way
there should be no poverty but the lack
of love, no punishment but the with
drawal of love, which all sounds very
pretty and ideal, but not very practical.
Altho the aged Emperor of Austria
Franz Josef, seems to be better again
and his death no longer expected from
day to day as was the case awhile ago,
yet his people cannot hope to have him
with them a great while longer. AS is
well known, the Emperor has no son to
succeed him, one of the most poignant
sorrows of his life being the tragic
death of his only son, Rudolph, many
years ago, and the throne will there
fore pass TO his nephew, the Archduke
Francis Ferdinand. To this royal gen.
tleman, the pomp. glory, power, splen-
dor, etc. which attend this elevated po-
sition are robbed of much of their daz-
Zling brilliancy and attractiveness by
the fact that his children, whom he
loves tenderly, are debarred from the
throne, and that his wife. the Princess
OF Hohenburg, can never enjoy the
proud title of Empress. The Archduke
Francis is the eldest son of Karl Lud-
wig the Emperor's late brother, and
of Princess Annunciata, the daughter
of King Ferdinand IL, of Naples He
fell madly in love some eight years ago
with the Countess Sophie Chotek, who
altho of noble rank, could not be con-
sidefed as a proper bride for the heir
to the throne. All his imperial rela-
tives, the court officials, together with
bis uncle the Emneror tried 70 dc