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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1957-12-04, Page 2LABOR OF LOVE — Mrs. Frances Kuchda looks with a critical eye at the results of her painstaking ar istry — a crocheted version of 'The Last Supper." Mrs, Kuchda estimates that she spent two to three years in actual labor on the work, which measures 30 by 50 inches. FASHION HINT NOT IN TEXASI—Texans, with a long tradition of boasting that everything is the biggest in their state, will be shocked to learn that someone there has ordered what are believed to be the smallest pair of eyeglasses ever produced. The tiny spectacles measure less than an inch and a half across the front and can almost pass through the rim of a normal-sized frame. -sesse .ense 1," antesnes Women Are So Unpredictable Desiree was a lovely, twenty. three-year-old French, girl from. itouen. She hed a handsome htles• band, co-director of a Paris fashion house, who gave her everything she needed — a lavish Vereonal allowance, plenty of servants, en anartMent off the Champs-Elysees, and a beautiful country house overlooking the pefine. He adored her. And yen ppparently, so much luxury hauseated her, By chance she met in the street : down-at-heel disreputable- .looking Artiat, Not only was ne an unsuccessful painter, but he was ugly and sffered from gross earbuncles. His chances of get- ting even a second glance :from a pretty girl seemed slight. Yet at once lee,swort her heart. Within, a week of their meet- ing she ran out on, her husband, leaving him a note saying: "Your money, luxury and scrupulous attentions have long sickened time. I can stand them no more, 10 do not count on me as your wife any longer, I have found a mission in life, thank Heaven, &man so low in means and pros- pects that he really needs me to make him happy. You'll frob- ably laugh at him if you ever see him — he is so adorably e ugly — but now I know I can never leave him." This quality of unpredict- ability which is so deeply em- bedded in women has shocked many a man who supposed he bad the whip hand or could assert his will easily. H has been ahown in a hundred dramatic ways. After a drinking spree in Cali- fornia, an elderly salesman quar- relled violently with his wife. "I'm going to kill you," he cried, and dished out' of the house to his car, where he kept a revolver. He obtained it and was strid- ing down the garden path when se silk rang, out and he threw up his•arnis and dropped dead. The wife he had threatened to kill had dashed upstairs, grab- bed her revolver, taken steady aim from her bedroom window and got her shot in first! These impulsive actions often have fatal results. A short-sight- ed woman in a small Canadian !town disputed her ex-husband's claim to some property. She felt it belonged to -her, "I'll do you if you don't give it up," she declared. Twice she nearly made good her threat. Once she fired at him from point-blank range, but the trigger clicked on an empty chamber. Another time she plunged a knife into his ribs, but skilful nursing pulled him round. Wisely, perhaps, he disappear- ed. But the implacable woman eventually traced him to a dis- tant town. Now, thoroughly worked up for river act of sworn ;vengeance, she 'knocked at the door and a man appeared. "This time you're getting what's coming to you!" she cried, as sh epumped bullets in- to him. She went back to her !hotel and took an overdose of sleeping tablets, but was dis- eovered before they could take effect. Then she learned the grim truth. The Mari" she had shot and killed was not her ex-husband, but a stranger who had the ill- luck to hear the• same name and resemble him Slightly in lead! A fragile-looking girl, now famous for her humanitarian work, was nearly expelled for a rash and impulsive act While at school. A fondness for practical jokes of a rather Morbid kind distinguished her, And, at a WellekalWOP, girls* school in the liettle counties, on parents' visit- ing days she conceived the idea of staging a death scene, Helped by a chum or two in her dormitery, she prepared a bed so that it seemed to have el corpse in it, They pulled the sheet Over the dummy figure, put a Bible en the bed, and on a side table. placed a wreath, some flowers, a lighted candle and a wooden cross. Imagine the headmistress's an- guish when she brought some parents into the room! She really thought a girl had died! This very unpredictable ele- ment may be in some a quality of greatness. In others, it veers on madness. Some remarkable gift of clair- voyance would be. needed to know what a Belgian girl, Ca- mille; was going to do next after she had taken a meal of curry. This. Indian dish excited her to daredevil acts of hair-raising recklessness. Affected by one of these fits recently, she went to a funfair in Brussels, and put down her francs for half a dozen shots at a dancing ping-pong ball at a shooting gallery. Then, with the loaded gun in her hand, she turned to the proprietor and coolly ordered him to become the Aunt Sally. "Now go to the target end, and put one of your prize china dogs on your head, and I'll shoot it off," she commanded. "Not on your life!" he replied. "Are you crazy?" "Then, I'll kill you!" she said, levelling the rifle at him. He saw the queer light blazing in her eyes and greatly' agitated, re- treated to the back of the tent and put the largest blue dog on his head. Hardly had he taken his finger away before she fired, shattering the target to pieces. "Good shot!" she said. "Thank you for being so brave." With that, she ran away, laughing. Love at first sight never ceases to be fascinating, due to the unpredictability of women. A young man travelling on London Underground, recently noticed a very attractive girl who every day caught an Inner Circle train from Charing Cross to Liverpool Street at about 5 p.m. "If only I could find some way of speak- ing to her," he said to himself. "But it's quite impossible.", Yet, one evening as she was walking up the steps at Liverpool Street, and he was quite close, she suddenly lost, one of her shoes. With what avidity did he bend down and retrieve it! Thanks to that incident, he gut his chance in a million of speak- ing to her. Their romance blos- somed fast. The time soon came when he said to her: "Thank Heaven you dropped that shoe. I think it was providential. Without it, we'd never have met." 'Providential!" she repeated, smiling. "I somehow felt you . wanted to talk to me. And that seemed the best way of effecting an intreduction!" Expensive Art An hour before the first paint- ing went up for auction, every seat was taken in the lushly draped main salesroom of New York's Parke-Bernet Galleries. A stiff "first come, first served" rule prevailed for chairs. And although such well-known names as Mrs. Stavros P. Niarchos, the Winthrop Aldriches, Mr. sand Mrs. Henry Ford II, and the David Rockefellers managed to find places, many a millionaire and his elegantly fur-clad lady were forced to stand and crane their necks to see the stage. Arriving late, Eleanor Roosevelt was able to slip into a seat beside Helena Rubinstein only because of the gallantry of an ealrier, comer. On sale were 65 superb French pictures from the estate of the late George Lurcy, To see them scattered to the four winds, 'even the standees could consider them- selves lucky. With a hard-boiled selectivity that made the New York Social Register look like a telephone directory, Parke- Bernet had ruthlessly culled the art collectors' world, dividing it into those: (about 1,000) permit- ted into the actual presence of the auction and those (about 750) who, according to one gal- lery official, "were not in the $50,000 to $100,000 class" and had to watch and bid from other rooms in the building by means' of the first closed-circuit teevi- sion eve? u7sed -auction. Another s2,.000 enthissiasts who wished ege be present 'were not, for reasons of space, welcomed• at all. Twenty Pinkerton detec- tives made sure that the cate- gories were stricly observed. Soon. after the first item, a crayon drawing by Picasso, was bought for $9,000, it became ap- parent that art history was being made on Madison Avenue. With a slight nod or the most discreet scratch of a nose, buyers' agents advanced their bids for the more substantial works, $5,000, $10,000, and $20,000 at a clip. Presale estimates of top prices were left far behind, The evening's high, for instance,.. wet $200,000, paid for Renoir's "La Serre," aeose- garden scene optimistically ap- praised at ,$140,000.. The, price wrung an amazed "I congratu- late you, sir," from the hoares auctioneer, Louis Y. Marion, who at the end of the" evening called the spiraling sums nfantasticn and unique in his experience. The total sum realized from two and a half hours of frenzied bidding was $1,708,500, the largest amount ever gathered from a single auction of modern painting there or abroad. When, during the following two days, auctions of lesser paintings, period furniture, and various art &ejecta' froin the leurcY collec- tion brought in an additional $512,855; the total amounted to an American record. for art auc- tions of any sort. In addition to the Renoir, the works sold' the first evening in- cluded a brilliant orangesand- green •Tailitian scene "Man Ta-- poro"by Gauguin (which sold for"$180,000), ,a Touleteee-Latarbe gouache "Aux Ambassacleurs, Chic" ($95,000), Mallet's "Femme Dans tin "Jardirn ($92,500), and ' representative works of Degas, Bonnard, Pissaro, Sisley and 'latrine. The top price for the Renoir was paid by Hafts Stiebel Of Rosenberg gs Stiebel, Ind., a firm of New York art dealers, probably on behalf of a private collector. Alexander N. Goulette this, a Creek shipping magnate, bought "Man Taporo" and spent another $70,000 to get Bonnard's "Still Life With Cat." From Newsweek. Drive With, 'Care: Time to be at least thinking' about that Christmas dinner, and I think you'll find the following hints really valuable, and espe- cially helpful to those who are pressed for time. ,- ** As an inexpensive, easy, yet delicious starter to serve try: HOT SPICED APPLE JUICE 1 quart bottled apple juice or sweet cider 1 teaspoon cinnamon 20 whole cloves In teaspoon nutmeg In a saucepan, combine apple juice or cider and remaining in- gredients. Simmer, covered, for ten minutes. Strain through a very fine sieve and serve im- mediately. Or make the day be- fore and refrigerate, reheating just before serving. Eight serv- ings. For, the turkey, use savory stuffing made the day before: SAVORY STUFFING 1 cup, plus two tablepoons butter or margarine le cup minced onion 34 cup diced celery 21/4 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning 18 cups lightly packed day- old bread crumbs (coarse) IA cup minced parsley (optional) 1/ teaspoon pepper 1/ teaspoon dried thyme (optional) Melt butter in deep kettle, add minced onion and simmer until tender. Meanwhile, combine re- maining ingredients, Add to onions and butter and heat well without browning, stirring frequently. If the mixture seems too thick, a small amount of hot water may be added. This amount, is sufficient to fill the crop and body cavity, of a bird weighing about 10 pounds, drawn weight (minus head, feet, and organs). Refrigerate until time to stuff the bird on Christ- mas morning. Baked stuffed sweet potatoes not only taste good but look at- tractive and can be baked the day before On the same oven as the pielets). , . BAKED STUFFED, SWEET POTATOES 6 medium sweet potatoes Of uniform size (about Nur pounds) 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 teaspoon Salt Pihehtof cinnamon Pinch of' nutmeg 14 cup top milk Heat oven to 425 deg. F. Scrub potatoes ,and arrange on .oven rack. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender'when tested with a fork. Remove from 'oven and cut in half Jeregthwise. With a -teaspoon, scoop out soft center, leaving a r,14 inch layer inside of shell. Set eight of the potato shells aside, Mash pulp, adding butter and other ingredients; beat with fork until creamy and fluffy. Heap into eight shells; leaving surface rough, and, using pulp from the extra potatoes if needed, Carel and refrigerate. About one and. one-half louts before dineer, remove Stuffed potatoes from refrigerator, end 30 minutes before dinner, place In a 350 ,deg, E. oven for 30 Minutes, Serve at once. Serves eight, 14 cup 'brown sugar, firmly packed 1 teaspoon salt Pepper to taste., Peel onions. Pour two cups of boiling water into'" a saucepan, adding one 'teaspoon of salt. Add onions. Cover and boil gently until just tender — from 20, to 30 minutes. Drain and add, re- maining ingredients. Return to medium heat and cook„ uncov- ered, until golden and glazed, turning often. If you want a second vegetable you can serve boiled, whipped squash; and don't forget to add a bit of sugar along with other seasonings, for it greatly ten- proves the flavor. Also' use plenty of butter. * The -mince oielets can bake along with the sweet potatoes the day before. 4 MINCE ritiors 21,e cups packaged -mincemeat 1 3-ounce package cream cheese 5 teaspoons, top milk or light cream 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoon grated`lemon rind Prepare pastry, using packaged mix if desired, 'Roll out % of pastry to 1/4 -inch thickness and cut into eight five-inch rounds. Fit these into three-inch muffin tins and place onescpaarter cup of mincemeat in 'each shell. Roll out remaining pastry and cut into eight 31/4 -inch rounds, mak- ing a single one-inch ,slit in the center of each round. Place one of these rounds on each pielet, tucking bottom crust up over top crust. Pinch edges together tightly and flute. Bake. at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. • Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, cream, auger, and lemon rind together with' a fork until creamy. • Remove pielets from ,oven, cool and refrigerate both ,. pielets and cheese mixtures. Dar- ing dinner, warm pielets cooky sheet in warm oven with • heat turned off and place a srrtall' round of the cheese-mixture- on 'top of each when serving. Before the cold weather comes, gather Christmas decorations in the woods. Pine cones and dried. Twigs can 'be tipped with white paint and used to adorn gift packages or the Christmas tree. TOO Tired To Go 'To Own Wedding It worried the energetic, good- looking American, airman when he found that the sweet-faced, charming European girl be had first met operating a lift in a big city store was bone lazy„ But he couldn't help himself falling head over heels in love with her and, within,. at few weeks their %Vega, ding date was fixed. The mat day dawned. There he was looking debonair and smart in his uniform e— waiting at the fashionable. Washington church fee his lackadaisical but lovely bride. And there was she — fast asleep in her diaphanous blue nightie in the, bedroom , of her luxuty hotel It was 10 a.m. and the ceremony was due to begin. When the best man dashed round to the ,hotel he found hes, bedroom door was locked on the inside. He and members of the hotel staff banged on it repeat- edly and at last roused her. "For goodness' sake, let me sleep in peace!" she cried angrily: "I'm never punctual, anyway. Tell Jack he'll have to change the time to twelve noon because I'm dog -tired and don't feel like hurrying." Her embarrassed bridegroom was furious, but all his protests proved unavailing when he went round to the hotel to try to rea- son with her. By that time she had reluctantly risen from bed and was slowly donning her wedding dress, yawning heart- ily-as she did so. "You've got to face the fact that I'm naturally lazy and hate being pushed around," she drawled. Being a woman, she got her way and the wedding was post- poned for a couple of hours. Even then she was a quarter of an hour late arriving at the church! A hard-to-believe story? Per- haps, but it's true. There are some men and women so lazy that even most important events in their lives seem too much trouble. The police in a North of Eng- land city were recently called to get a middle-aged woman out of bed. Her long-suffering hus- band, knowing she was not ill but just work-shy, had tried a bucket of water, without effect. "She has, not been up for three years for more than an hour or two a week," he told the magis trates next day when she was prosecuted for letting the house get so dirty it was a menace to health. "She loves lying in bed more than anything else in life and takes after her mother who was also bone idle." The woman was fined $15, after declaring: "I hate work of Any kind," This was by no means a 'record of bed-keeping for a 'healthy person. A perfectly 'fit ,spinster who died . rebuilds, stayed be- tween the sheets for forty-fiva years.: '"She was well-to-clesalld Occu- pied Most of her time With needlework," said a neighbour who, did the woman's shopping and chores for her, "'She never got up, although her health was good and, she ate well, "She confided to me that in her youth she had ben jalled and as a result she vowed. that she would be lazy for the rest of her life, She took to her bed and stayed there, "Some of her old lover's let- ters, a little tear-stained, were found under her pillow after her death." Ever heard of anyone suffering from ergophobia? It moans fear of work. A doctor said that. a. Miellander , was a victim, of this "complaint" and had been out of bed only twice in four years, As a boy thie man had been so idle that he'd never been able to stay on a job for more than a .week or two without being fired for "sheer laziness," An uncle left him a few thousand pounds when he was twenty-one, so he at once fired himself from his part-time job and resolved never to do another stroke of work, In Huddersfield, a West Riding employer, suspected that twenty of her employers were addicted to laziness. With a view to speed- ing them up rather than fire them, she lilt on a bright idea. Addressing them all one morn- ing, the employer said: "I have easy job for the laziest per- son employed in this workshops, Will he or she please step for- ward?" Instantly, nineteen of the workers advanced. "Why don't" you step:' forwArd like the rest?" the employer in- quired of . the remaining one. "To n'iubh trouble," said the workman, 'yawning. Another employer in the United States declared that when he has a tough job in a plant and can't find an easy way to do it, he gives it to a notoriously lazy employee. "Within a week he always finds an easy way and then we adopt that Method," smiled the employer, In a Lincolnshire magistrates' court, not long ago, a man charged with sleeping in. a stable was stated by the police to be "utterly lazy and a hater of hon- est work.". The man knew there was $180 waiting for him at his solicitor's office, but was too lazy to go there and collect it. In South America a govern- -ment railway inspector once ask- ed an able-bodied young man what his duties were, "I fill the water jugs in the office every day," he replied. Passing to an adjoining room, the inspector met another young. than with his legs up on a table. "Are you employed here?" asked the inspector. "Yes, sir," was the answer, "I am assistant to the man in 'the next room." Zoo, affectionately muzzles Movie queen& posing for a of Hollywood, Lotus refused' ' after. Its bltih, TABLE TALKS eJamAnattews. * Glazed small onions will prove a Welccittie addition to the dill net, prepared as folio-We: GLA2ED SMALL ONIONS 3 pounds small onions 3 teistespiioni blittet- KISSINI KIN— a tw o Lotus, -t n a I the "Sara Diego fier two-month-Old offspring in the claSsic froth ner employed by publicity picture with their newest child. Also In the tradition to allow the youngster to be photographed' fo r several weeks