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Show A CLOSE VIEW OF MRS LYJLN GAGE. She Helps Her Husband Carry the Treasury Portfolio and Leads Her Social Seet. As the gaieties of the present season .gradually decline, society of the capital is taking a retrospective view of the past winter and its functions, and the grand dames who have presided as bostesws thereat. And as this year will solve the perplexing question of I executive rule for the next lour veaiia j to come, there is a social ae weil as a diplomatic interest enveloped in the political cloud which will burst on election elec-tion Tuesday, next November. Socially, the question is, who will be the leaders next year? Will the same group of matrons constitute the feminine femi-nine quorum of the cabinet that have graced it during the past four years, or will there be entirely new faces and j customci introduced into this denart- ! ment of state? j If coming events result In the former alternative, society will be pleased, for never in the history of the country have ! the ladies of the cabinet formed such a delightful group as this season. With each, noted for her originality and possessing pos-sessing some peculiar charm of manner, man-ner, society during the present admin- 1 s if 1 W$05- 7 -55&J.5jjfeBs- rrk . i tatration has been able to carry out its entertainments upon lines of almost unlimited diversity; and to this fact must be attributed much of its remarkable remark-able social success. A hostess who comes in for a great share of the honor of this success isAqls share of the honor of this success as having been a leading factor in its promotion is Mrs. Lyman J. Gage, wife of the Secretary of the Treasury. Etij dowed with a gentle nature und charitable char-itable disposition, and occupying a high social position, both in the east and west, Mrs. Gage went to the capital floon after the appointment of her husband, hus-band, and was imimediiately accorded a place among the leaders of Washington Washing-ton society. The entertainments gfiven by Mrs. Gage, while of the most delightful and enjoyable order, have not been marked by extravagant display. To the contrary, con-trary, they have been conducted upon the lines of elegant simplicity that characterize the truly refined and cultured; cul-tured; and invitations to these functions func-tions have been regarded as an honor by those who received them, and responded re-sponded to with flattering cordiality. Although sne is generally considered a western woman, Mrs. Gage comes originally from, the east. She was born of a conservative New York family fam-ily by the name of Lansing, which traces its ancestry back to the early Dutch settlers. She has been married twice, and, strange to say, each time haa linked her name with "that of a Gage. Her first marriage took place when she was a very young woman living in Albany, N. Y. .Mr. and Mrs. Gage moved to Colorado, and it was only a comparatively s'hort time when they had settled down to a happy married mar-ried life that Mrs. Gage had become a widow. At that time the present Secretary of the Treasury had a position in a bank in Chicago. Some time after he was sent to Colorado to attend to an affair of financial importance, and while diversifying Ms business with the socialities of Denver, Mr. Gage met the charming young widow. He was deeply impressed, and saw Mrs. Gage several times, but. In his diffidence, failed fail-ed to press his uit. .Finally he was compelled to return to Chicago, securing before he left, however, the happy privilege of writing to Mrs. Gage. They corresponded for some time, and Mr. Gage evidently thought his prize secure. But one day the news reacihed him that another wealthy Colorado business man was an ardent suitor for the hand of Mrs. Gage. Realizing for the flrit time that he had never really declared his love, and was in danger of losing the woman of his choice, young Mr. Gage left his work and rushed to the telegraph office to send this brief message: "Don't do anything until you see me. By first train. GAGE." Securing a leave of abeer.ee, he took Che train for Denver the same everting, and when he arrived went immediately to the home of Mrs. Gage, where he declared Ms love, with the happy result re-sult that he was accepted. It was not long after that the couple was married, mar-ried, and, like the characters in the fairy story books, have' lived happily ever since. Mrs. Gage then moved to Chicago with her husband, and has been intensely in-tensely devott'd to his interests- during every stage of Ms rapidly progressing career. The home on North State street, Chicago, is one of the handsomest hand-somest in the west, and there, as "in Washington, are given the delightful entertainments to those who frequent exclusive society. Mrs. Gage is a woman of distinctive bearing, tall and graceful, with deep blue eyes. Her iT.anner is simple, earnest ear-nest and engaging, and her conversa-Uion conversa-Uion brilliant and wtltty. She Is very fond of music and literature, and is a devoted patroness of the fine arts. Her entire residence in Washington has been only a. succession of triumphs, and should she go back to live in her western home, society will miss her; and Washington charitiles will be the poorer, for s(he Us as generous to 'the poor as to the rich. |