The San Francisco call., 1908-03-29
Duke of Abruzi Is Considered The
Real Catch of Many Seasons
Miss Elkins, Who Fell in Love at Firsl
Sight, Girl Of Great Charm and Daring
Bv Robert ". Bradshaw


WASHINGTON, March 2s-with re-
hearsals for a comic opera going on
almost daily and the task of selecting
/ the proper man or girl for the proposed
tableaux vivants to take up it's time.
Washington really had so much on
hand that the announcement of the
Imminent" engagement of the duke
of Abruzzi and Miss katherine Elkins,
: only daughter of the senator from West
/ Virginia and Mrs. Elkins, served to
bowl" everybody over completely. The
duke is the real catch of many seasons
4 for he is not only cousin to the king
/ OF Italy. which will insure the highest
consideration at every court in Europe,
! but he is man who really does things.
He has travelled continuously and to
great purpose, the discovery of two
mountains in South Africa will attest.
Incidentally he is gallant discoverer
! for one of these peaks he named
Margharita after his own country's
/ queen and the other Alexandra, after
| the we'll beloved consort of England's
sovereign
I saw the duke when he came to
| Washington last summer in command
4 of the fleet Italy sent to represent her
/ at the great international display at
Hampton roads and must say he would
I
and we'll proportioned, with the car
riage of soldier. the duke was a no.
ticeable figure in an assemblage where
/ the sailormen of half dozen nations
were on their mettle to do credit to
their country. After the foreign
fashion. he wears a very military
mustache. his closely cropped head is
| thickly covered with heavy hair which
stubbornly tries TO curl. his eyes are
full and large. his mouth firm and his
| finely shaped head is beautifully car
| ried. In manner he is suave and court
! ly and his freedom from affectation is
absolute. He speaks English fluently
and according to a debutante, dances
divinely."
LOVE At FIRST SIGHT
According to everybody who had any
! possibility of knowing the circum-
stances, with Miss Elkins and the duke
! 1t was a case of love at first sight.
She met him at dinner dance and inn
| mediately turned hostess herself, send
ing out telephone invitations for a 10
/ o'clock dance next evening with his
royal highness as chief guest and all
| the debutantes and dancing men as fell
i low guests. After strenuous few
days not over a week at most. the
duke was gone. Miss Elkins and her
mother later in the summer journeyed
/ to Europe and from time to time news
i flashed across the water of an auto
journey through classic Italy with the
+. gallant royal highness" as one of the
4 party.
of the engagement, which was prompt
! ly and emphaticaly denied. By
| this time society had enough to
do to discuss the matrimonial pros
poets OF Miss Elkins very rich
grandfather, former Senator Henry
G. Davis fAlton Parkers running mate
on the democratics ticket in the last
lcampaign). and in following the devil
Gus courses of this autumnal romance
Miss Elkins and her springtime fancies
were entirely forgotten. Once again
/ the spring is upon US. and whether or
not the romance will blossom into the
full flower of a stupendously important
international alliance is the burning
topic of the day.
II 1t is q foregone conclusion that it
will not be a morganatic marriage,
for Miss Elkins is one American girl
whose high spirit would brook no such
arrangement-no matter what official
standing she might have on the other
side of the water.
MISS ELExINs Is DARING
For all her great wealth. the pros
pective duchess has grown into a very
capable. independent girl. She has a
she ever entered, and she is absolutely
thrilling in her daring when she es-
says to take hurdle or follow the
hounds She cares not at all for
bridge, and teas are her abomination.
She dances well, is versed in jiu Jitsu-
having been a patron of the famous
Japanese. exponent of the art. Yamas-
hfta who had also among his pupils
the president and the two elder sons
of the White House family. Miss Ell
kins fences with wonderful skill and
steers a motor car with a careless
grace that signifies dauntless cour-
age and Il steady nerve Withal, she
is very feminine and attractive She
has a pink and white complexion free
from bIemish. a dimpled mouth, a
wealth of light brown hair and ex-
| pressiye brown eyes Miss Evelyn
Walsh. daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
| Thomas F. Walsh, is one of her few
| chums. both girls having the daring
to do pretty much anything that re-
quires physical courage.
Strangely enough, until the last year
Miss Elkins has entirely escaped hav-
ing her name attached to any of the
Il gallants of the day. This season, hav-
ing denied the report of the engage
ment to the Italian duke. Miss Elkins
was called upon successfully to dis
1 credit the report of her engagement
| to Joe" Letter and later to Billie
Hit. son of former Representative
fIIitt of Illinois
The engagement has not been an
nounced and the duke has sailed.