Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-06-06

visits or sociable, old-fashioned tea-par-
ties are not so convenient as they once
were, calls are practicable, and, after
you are fairly launched upon them, en-
ioyable. The trouble is like the trouble
in most things, in the getting started.
Once begun, how many things glide on
with tolerable smoothness and swiftness!
There are certain preliminaries necessary
to calling, with which all ladies are
familiar, of course, not the least of which
is the making of an elaborate toilet.
Where you are intimate, or where the
people are very informal, or where you
have recognized position as an uncon-
ventiOnal and rather eccentric person
you may venture to stop at your friends
house, in your ordinary go-to-market
dress, or to run in with your hands full
OF parcels, on your way home from a
shopping expedition. But this has the
air of making a convenience of your
friend, and rather takes away from the
pleasure of your call. A call is like a
frosted cake-it is prettier for a touch of
icing-a little sugared ceremony which
melts in your mouth, and adds sweet
ness to the plums. Many ladies do not
feel at all complimented when, on de-
scending to receive guest who has sent
up her card, and has arrived at an hour
when the ordinary business of the day is
supposed to be well over, they find the
sofa and the table Uttered with bundles
| in brown paper, which their visitor has
laid aside. II had some errands to do,
and as [ passed the house [ thought |
would call and see how you all were"
has about it an air of killing two birds
with one stone, that is not agreeable to
the second bird.
One of the vexations, however, about
calling is what may be styled the reverse
side of this picture. It is rather provok-
ing, when you are seated in all your
glory in your friends drawing-room, to
hear her flying about over your head
with rapid and nervous steps. and to
know, by the opening and shutting of
drawers, the closing of doors, and the
various muf1ed sounds that come through
the register or down the stairway, that
she is preparing to astonish you by her
grandeur. You are in mood to count
moments precious, and a half hour
taken out of your afternoon is an injury
and an injustice, about which you can
not say word. Invariably your host
ess apologies with great suavity and
wait.
Another thing: if callers come, as they
sometimes do, at very inopportune mo-
ments, why should there be any ofense
taken or implied by a request to be ex-
cused? Yet somehow most people feel.
if this message is brought them, much
as if they had had dish of cold water
upon their faces, and leave with the
mental resolution never again to go near
{" that house," or, at least, not in a long
time. IF a person has taken the
trouble to come and see you, the least
you can do is to see her." says friend
whose opinion | respect.
In cases of sickness, of course no one is
offended, if possessed of any sense, at a
request to be excused; and it is sugges-
ton whether any one ever ought to be.
The excuse, however, that sounds soft
and reasonable on the lady's lip some
times grows hard and crisp in transit,
and by the time the domestic repeats it,
word of regret, or momentary appear
ance, if you can do more, would save
the danger of misunderstanding or
wounding pride.
If friend has paid you the honor of
a call, YOU ought to return it within
reasonable period. One of my friends
whose calls are delight to those who
love her, calls so seldom on her acquaint-
ances that they measure her visits by
the children's birthdays.
"When you were last here" they OBJ
serve, "Lulu was so high" or "Harry
had just put on knee pants" or "Willie
was the baby when you came before, and
now he is nearly three years old"
! Such visiting as this so intermittent,
and with such long intervals, makes of
friendship a tradition and memory
merely. We do not want to see that our
friends are growing older ever time we
visit them, nor to measure the space be-
tween meetings by longer muster-roll
of incidents and events. A day or
week together shall form you more
part of your friends life than twenty
formal calls. But calls quicken the
pulse of friendship, and give room for
feeling and cordial greetings, and are
altogether too good to be dropped out Of
social existence.-Mrs. NJ. e. Sangster,
an HateZIgencer.
Fashion Notes.
STRIPED stockings will be fashionable
this year. The stripes, however, are mar
rover than formerly.
HAIR nets, which are again fashionable,
are brought out composed of Vesuvius
and mandarin braids.
ALL the latest imported dresses come
with cravat attached, either of the
same material or color as the material or
some contrasting color. They are made
of double silk, often having a different
colored facing.
MANY of the new mantles have ruch-
ings Of raveled-out silk round the top;
sometimes the silk is is of the same color,
4 .