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Show a ' ' 'V-I 'V-I : - , ...a : yW3fc--j&l". X;iv4 V 1 5 . .A y - ymH . (vr ' '."- - ' -; J. n- ', Vy ; 1 ; ' V SWI - Upon Whom Will the "Dollar llliiK 4; Princess'" Pretty Alice Muriel ti I , Astor, Daughter of the Late I" ' Col. John Jacob' Astor, Confer i' V r I Her Newly Acquired Dowry of M Amm" Lady Ribblesdale, titled mother of Alice. v.'.l probably have something to eay about the matter i ; L.Jr Deciee, formerly Vivien Could, U an excellent example of an American girl who found happineaa in marrying a titled foreigner Five Million Dollars or Is It Ten? ' '.- . r A i - r M ' Although just twenty-j;j j, petite Alice Astor has been a matri - monial target for five ytcrs. . For two years now, more than on. eager heir to an English coronet, has been casting longing look. ' at Lady Ribblesdale'a daughter. Dollar-hungry aristocrats besiege the titled mother and her wealthy daughter on all aides. AnI what about American suitors will Alice give herself to an . ' American-or follow in the footsteps of the many rich American girls who have acquired European titles with their wedding rings? Speculation in England as to Alice's decision is augmented . . hy Lady Astor's prominence both politically and socially a great deal of tact that prevented their paving for their titles with thsir blood. The stories of Anna Could and Helen . Zimmerman, Duchess ' of Manchester, most be familiar to all newspaper readers, and the fact that they are only . two of innumerable other victims of fortune-hunters may well cause the keeper of the family purss-strings to '' take another look whea suitors who bear' historic names come courting the lovely young daughter. The war and its aftermath of bitter nesa bava almost shut the door on anions ef Americas girls with German and Aus triaa noble houses, which is not greatly to be regretted. If she is to cast aside the Idea ef marrying a title, thsra's the other side . ef things for Iluriel Astor to regard. What happens to poor hnsbsads ef rich woman, when they haven't the advantageor ad-vantageor handles p--or a family tree er a eoronetf MARGARET LKAVfTT, dsughter of a prood eld Knickerbocker family, as rich as it was haughty, eloped to Jsrsey City with Joseph SmoUen, chauffeur, sometimes called the "Candy Kid," and married him in spite of the tears and rage of the Leavltta. Before the end of five weeks she came home of her ewa accord, and six months later died, leaving leav-ing her husband nothing but bitterness In her wilL The family gardener was ehosea by Jolts Breitung, who enjoyed eight days of presumed bliss with Mix Kleist, before be-fore she decided' that Ufa in the lowly station of wifs to a gardener was insupportable insup-portable and sued for a divorce. ' Then there wss Miss Julia French, of Newport, whe eloped with her chauffeur, Handsome Jack" Geraghty, causing se much fearing that the bride's parents are said to have quarreled and parted as a result. But after a few years, the case went on the docket of a law1 court, with Julia as the plaintiff pleading for divorce, based, when the last analysis is mads, en the defendant's lack of money and . breading. Mot much cheer In that direction for the eyes of ths ten million dollar hslresst Muriel has already known what it is to be pursued by suitors for bar hand. Does her mother ever talk ever with her the long line of noted men whe once laid aiege to her own heart, when she wss Mrs. John Astor, to distinguish herself from Mrs. John Jacob Astor, second wife ef her divorced husband, who lost his life on the Titanic? Earl Curson, Earl Kitchener and tho Esrl of Rocksavage were among them, as wss the Esrl of Rose be ry, whose son announced himself as determinedly as the man to win the hand -of MurieL Maurice Rostand, only son of France's great poet, and Anthony J. Drexel, ef Philadelphia, also - competed for the present Lady Ribblesdale's band. Why did she reject them all? And why did shs accept Lord Ribblesdale, nicknamed by the late King Edward . "The Ancestor,'' because he looked a though he ought to be the ancestor ef great family T But than, whe ever listened to and profited prof-ited by another person's experience ? . Muriel will have to take her tea mil-- mil-- Uoa American dollars and bestow them where her heart flies first. For now, presumably, aha is her ewa mistress and may encourage penniless young artiste and discourage wealthy but cleae-osted peers, if she chooses. - QF COURSE, shs nsednt marry at all. She might, for instance, go into pontics pon-tics there's eur ewa Lady Astor la the Bouse ef Parliament itself I Or she might follow in the footsteps ef the founder of the family's Immense, fortune and ge into trade. Girls from' wealthy families are doing It every day what with interior decoratuu and exclusive bonnet shops and perfume chain-stores I . Some of the "best people" are going ea the stage or into moving pictures -even royalty in staid old England is not exempt, we hear. No doubt any one of these things would find a uss for part, if not all, of the ten million dollars. ' senior, hat been divorced by his first wife, who found him thrifty to a degree that might be termed parsimonious, though he is one of the richest land owners ta the empire, it Isnt so strange that the "Dollar Princess" wasnt tempted to put her millions into his determined hands. But there have been other noblemen who hadn't the handicap of years er weren't marked "second band" and there will probably be etlll others. Muriel msy well screw up her pretty face and press her Angers to her temples in sn effort to decide what to do with these troublesome tea millions. HERE'S one thought: International matchmakers, whe used to do a thriving thriv-ing business in marrying titles' to weslth, erent finding business se good since' the war. The past June, formerly considered the month of elaborate wedding . ceremonies, wssnt worth talking about in matchmaking circles. Fashionable churches, hotels, esfss, drassmaking shops, jswelry sad flower shops were virtually deserted, especially la Central Europe. In the old days, whsa rich Americans "ran across the pond" as frequently as Datives of Covington, Xy go "over the river" to Cincinnati, romances used to bud on every outbound steamship and flower in some European capital. . "The girls" of most of the wealthiest fsmilies rsther expected to pick up a prince or at least a count some time or other and use more er Isss nsnslly mere of - "dad's" money la restoring ancestral halls er modsrnixing thirteenth-century Italian palaces. It has been estimated that more thaa a billion hard-earned American dollars . have rolled out of this country as marriage mar-riage settlements for Americas daughters daugh-ters in the last thirty-five year. Also that - out of 174 merriages ef ' rich American girls to titled Europeans less than twenty turned out to be happy' going entirely upon resulting divorces, separations and known dissgreements. ' Still, who ever stopped buying roses beceuse other people were scratched by the thorns? Hsiresses ef "coal bsrons," "steal kings" and "canned-goods monarchs" might be wandering about on tho other side today looking over the family trees en the market if it weren't that traveling travel-ing isnt so inviting as it used to be, . and there's such a lot of bother about passports and exchange going up and down and nobody knowing whether titles are going to be worn mack lonirer! Titles that' only carry bankrupt, estates In unsettled countries look like liabilities now. And no one can be sure of the vslidity of claims to baronial estates in these uncertain days- The man who lives under a . Government today where titles - are permitted may wake up some fine morning to And himself him-self in a land where a title if a danger-eus danger-eus thing. REMEMBER Frances Simpson Stereos Ste-reos of New York, who married Prince Dimitri Calitxin, of Russia, In 19191 Shortly after their marriage, the Prince waa ordered oa a secret mission to Jspea and Siberia. Bis wife sailed with him. They had to visit Vladivostok and Omsk. They were at Vladivostok whea the Soviet troops aprese. Prince Calitxin and his wifs stood la grave danger, and it waa only good luck and "AXP would you do with a million VV dollars?" Whs iasnt toyed with that fascinat-, fascinat-, . ing idea, svsn whea there was no possible pos-sible chance of a million dollars thrusting thrust-ing itself into their possession ? But here is a little .American girl who baa just corns into, a Ave-mOlion-, dollar legacy (which, report has it, has grown now to tea millions) 'and who N f sees the problem of what to . do with n. . . Shall she follow established precedent and buy herself a duke? Or shall she follow equally well established precedent prece-dent and purchase a fascinating poor man? It will need some serious thinking out, and Alice Marie! Astor, daughter ef the late John Jacob Astor and the ' - present Lady Ribblesdale, is probably receiving plenty of assistance- from dollar-hungry aristocrat ef the Old World. It baa been whispered about for the last two years that more thaa one eager heir to a coronet has. cast long ing' looks at Lady Ribblesdale's aloof young daughter and members of the peerage were not alone in their interested inter-ested regard of the little heiress, if report re-port speaks truly. 'Wasn't there seme rumor about a good-looking American" , at the Embassy in London ? And ' what about the American naval officer upon- whom Muriel was said to have smiled, and the poor, struggling young English artist sternly forbidden the house by stepfather, Lord Ribblesdale? "The Dollar Princess,' London calls her, and although she has but Just arrived ar-rived at the age of twenty-one, Muriel has been a matrimonial target for Ave years. " There was the son of the Earl of Rosebery, former Premier of England, wa whom the Ribbleadalas were presumed pre-sumed to look with favor, who entered the lists some two years ago with ths grim statement that he always got what he wanted, and went out again recently without having achieved it. - Lord Dal-many Dal-many to give bin his ' proper title-is title-is mere thaa . thirty years Muriel's ' ' c""a. tv sVssm Lsssir fissiw . v .'".' '' |
