The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-04-21
courE D'osMoyDs QUEER PARTY.
xyb.t % Rsdonte l.. who GO 10 II, and What
,hry DO There-A Very Pnriaian AFFAIR.


r,iouie ON Tuesday. the 81 OF April. at his hotel
on the boulevard Maillot." What is redorde2
"A public ball, or the locality IN which 1t is
oiycn" says tho French dictionary; but that
will not do. This was ono Of the most strictly
,ri,atc and in sense exclusive. affairs We
have had for years in Paris, and the cards were
vigorously personal. So the French dictionary.
rs though conscious OF its own iccbcncsss. TO-
fers me. in foot note. to its Italian colleague.
'RidoNO- place, retreat shelter" This is bet
tor: for the Counts entertainment is essen
TALLY snug and private in spite OF its dimen-
sions To make it all the snugger. fancy cos
tunes -dsguises. in fact. Of one kind or other
arc imperative both FOR mon and women. can
rctno further in my answer to the question.
What is q retlo,de?
N,xt" Who Ia tho Com,c Desmond ?" A
nrisian would never ask. hut there Is some ex-
csc for the foreigner. These rough notes will
saNlce for the auswcr-Od st family in France;
n'h. eccontric a keen sportsman painter. for
the fun Of the thing; one of the most noted of
amateur musicians :an author between whites
Ouda might point to him to show that abe
sometimes paints her Crchions from tho life.
Tho other day he breakiasicd tho Prince OF
Wales
How people tried to get to this redoWel-tho
strain Of Russian or Rouman for that other one
ut Grayitla was nothing TO II. Must | slntc tho
reason? Because half of them had no business
TO to there The Count is Frcnchmau and
eccentric: his cntcrtainment was Ia be hoth &C.
centric and Ftcnch. | snid that be was cNclu-
sive in making out his list but | did not say he
was squcumisli. IL was 10 hc one Of those PC
cuIiar rcvels in which phrvne may meet Lu-
crc'c-cXcusc the neglect Of the unities-nnd
lu'rcce, of course. was simply mad 20 20, Her
mcDJniid carefully preserved in mask and dom
mo, she would hear and see and say nothing.
and crafty her curiosity to tho iull.
Al Midnight am bowling along through the
Porte Maillot on my way to the Counts house.
am really going into the country, and drive
long way down lonely avenue Of villas skirt
INK the Bois-nOt lonely Just now as there are
dozens oi Carriages golnE the same ROAD.
glimner ~ Chinese lanicrlis. y crowd OF ser.
yants-it is too late and two lar for the oilers Of
tue Boulevard; here II Is at last--a speck OF
light and life on an immense background Of
darkness and rebosc: Paris Il going to sleep.
anything 81 that sort; the wheels crunch over
thggrayel Of the drive. aud We are ~ The door.
Of the visitors. aud this l. done with eNtiaor-
binary care by tile Counts son The ladies un-
musk for moment before him. aud him alone.
aud then pass on. with tho comforting AS
surancc that their secret is as safe ~ I 1t Were
in the keeping Of their confessor They turn
into pretty Moorish smoking room. and here
they are received by a Tyrolcse peasant. the
master of the house-talsh. u face Of dstnc-
carefully II II were 'outhful dandys black or
brown. He appears - give hit guests their
choice OF continental languages for greeting.
aud he certainly speaks English to perfection.
His dress has evidently not come from the cos
eLamais on NJ thu Alns i becdmes him one does
not know whether he looks the truer peasant or
Tie truer noble; perhaps because there is 50
little difference between the best specimens OF
both. He has a little court Of photographic
monsters around him, masked as niggers, Cal
complexion of blacklead, hideous in effect. like
an Ashantee trying TO turn pale. They bow
soiemnly at tho same time as their mas
ger. and motion the visitor toward the
ballroom. There is policeman on duty
10 the rather narrow, passage-,a mask
la ha rts.f ~. mi "A
moment be mistaken for chapel there is
large. organ at one end. and the estrada COM
now used as the bufei. Strange musical toys
They will not be played Tonight; the band Of
something more appropriate. Here again the
scene seems TO change from chapel To court
of Justice. the mus iciaus are dressed rs menu
bers Of the French bar. But IN truth II may be
anything, barrack especlaly: ior look at all
Tor the most part1a 6ide6Ts Old Field Marshal
In scarlet and nodding plume pnre-b looded
mil'tiaman Of somsrs d"wai IN 5n3rt seke,
lifeguardsman in mighty stock his head
mere apple On the t2p Of p4le' Tho might have
antcipatory calling out Of the reserves. with
the pensioners TO boot The aged General is
very lively he bows. mows Ike an infant. tot
ters through the waltz. and h. would smIrk out
right but for fear OF cracking the, paint on his
face. L is Cnpoul OF the opera. Who are the
restp Who knows! Capou! Identity Is only a
whisper; but We may hear more by and by
For the present let US be content 70
not too nicely done 10 the life for the sake Of The
proprieties, will bear looking at. His grand
iather lost his head in the revolution. and the
grandson Is footing 1t in the costume, or no cos
tune. OF the murderers. Why not! Let by
cones be bygones. especially just now. The
Austrian gawk. recruit OF six weeks standing.
IN white undress uniform is far from bad. the
Bedouin il a masterpiece; 80 is the Venetian. IN
doublet and hose and the short CLOAK Of stiff
hrocade. As Tor the ladies. the Arab seems 10
have brought his whole narem 10 stock the fete,
there are so many sultanaS, wives OF sheiks, and
first favortes IF the sane, IN all the costumes Of
TIE last HMtrAu shepnerdesses however are
not wantnG-hOw could they be az such tlmg
and there are danes ~ the court Of Louis Nv.
% remind us tina, we are still IN the land OF
France. These wear their diamonds. and one
OF them is estimated at 100000 as she stands. in
TINS article alone. TO say nothing OF her moral
But who are they" We must come to this
sooner or later and we had better get It over NJ
once. In some Instances II is easy enough TO
say. most OF the mon and a lew oil the women
wearing neither mask nor naiht. Ihey are me
denzens. then, OF three Nords-thG hrst. the
the second. the world Of AT. literature. aud the
oylhsses; the thlrd-wclL do not press, me. II
OIL stood revealed, We should probably iind
Prnc" ~ Orange; the Prince de Baurremont;
Irouhc,2kOy, also a Prince; the NrOmts de la
iALouse-he repres nis the navy IN NE SUITE
OF the Marshal: the Marquis AbHac-he repro
senis the army IN the same quarter; Nlcomte
Ponlatowssi aud Joa him Murat two mora
Princes; FItz-James Duo de- Pourtales. de
Brmont-AEy ono will givc YOU the handles 10
these names Mlngle with these. as plckln.s
from the second sroupe. Gustaye Doro ana
Carulus Duran Cuppt", sweetest Of poets Is
eud.er; widest u uupyesGrioS: Gounod Car
yahc konng, Hrnr de Pene-you see am
takin.i them pel.ncl. And for tue indies
Sarah Bsrnhaldl. ; 'Auellor Leonide Leblanc.
Geline Montalaul. laOia Marie krauss suzanne
Lager. Ahec l.rguaull-ln fact, the originals Of
me whole I'll lerdlhrrs case Of theatrical
eelehriu"s pttne day. In regard TO a full half n
them confess u De only repeating rulnOrs, but
U'y nrc III" runOi api t4e well informed. Ihey
arc al down III the list OF invitations no more
can ne knpwn-the resi- is secret between them
ana lhrlr MAIDS. who fastened on the masks. |
cannot wonder at their keeping those masks ON.
se'!ng WhoRre the people VINO have tau zen thelrs
OIL Lima, aud Cora. and " LOulOu.' Tor
Instance. and MaGcmuiselir Nin"tte. These
ihaD grouped on one side OF the hall. arc inccd
y u row oi perfectly silent motionless masks,
ir"led 10 the chin ~ black. not a feature visible
pu' ui9 Eyes, anu thrsr, IT SONS. liked IN the
stoLy STARE 81 fascination, These are under
h'''l ~ b" the gfdtdeS ddhifS Ol the EuuDOurg.
WHO haNe cone 90 iluk on aud Tor u thln- else
neither 70 dance. To- lHugn, TO speak. or even
msllr Iher" Is something rather awful in the
~haMnry with whlih thry play TINS negative
Ir'' L'rpuoiy respects Their prNacy, II is
Que oi lir conventions Of tine tctr. Your own
mother may be there, or your own wiie-yOu are