Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-02-09

The New York correspondent Of the
London spectator tells the following
| pleasant tale: ..
| The same woman will be at the ope-
ra on one evening in full dress, In pri-
vate box, and If she does not own box,
at the next performance in the stalls or
the parquette, with arms, shoulders and
head all covered. a lady whom knew
had rather an unpleasant experience In
an attempt, some years ago, to disregard
this tacit understanding among the sex
In regard to dinner dress at hotels. She
belonged to an ultra fashionable set, and
having married South Carolina plant
er, soon adopted what we call 'planta-
ton Manners and affected no little
scorn of simple hammered, reserved
New England folks. She was ut New
port, our great seaside watering place,
and having just returned from Europe,
took great airs upon herself. One even
ing, at the tea table, a gentleman sat
down near her, and the butter plate be-
fore him happening TO have no butter
knife by it Mt the moment, he, instead
of calling the waiter and waiting for
one to be brought, used his own perfect
ly fresh, bright knife to take bit of
butter. He was a man Of culture and
social standing, but a Yankee, and one
whose social pretension she wished To
fiout. She seized the opportunity, and
calling waiter, said in an elaborately
subdued, but decided tone, "Tuk q away
that butter; that gentleman has had his
knife i'm it, He took no notice of the
remark, which drew all eyes upon him
and upon the lady. But by and by she
stretched out her hand and took from
the plate some chipped dried beef, which
hx.fxy 4, L..
was well enough, Of course; but he
said, only as Ii he were asking for more
tea, Take away that dried beef--this
lady has had her fingers in it," In this
encounter, such as 1t was, he was tho't
to have had the best of it, and she did
not forgive or forget. So q few days AZ
terward II should have mentioned that
there was the slightest possible ac-
! quaintance between them) they being
at dinner, she, conspicuous in the full
dress she had adopted since her tour 10
Europe, and which was so very "full "
that it would have attracted attention
under any circumstances, took one from
dish Of fresh figs before her, and put
ting it on plate, handed it to him with
an expression of complaisance, but say
ing in tone of unmistakable siynifi-
cance, which could be heard all around
her, "a fig for you, SIR" He accepted
1t graciously, and taking in his turn a
leaf from the garniture of the dish, offer
ed it to her with "a fig leaf for you,
madam" She fled the table, and kept
her room until her intended victim left
the hotel. 1t was generally agreed that
he had done what a gentleman would
shrink from doing; but the provocation
was such that he was held guiltless of
offence and applaudcd for his wit and
nobody, except, perhaps, few of her
slaveholding friends, pitied her. This
Is the last Instance that know of, of a
lady's appearance in full dress at a
public table. But am told that with
in the last three or four years 1t is COM
ing more In fashion among the fastest"
sets at the height of the season ut Sara
toga, and one or two others of our gay
est watering places.