National Republican., 1880-03-27
SOCIIL SECRE ETS.
How Some People Sustain Life In Washing
ton City.

How Some People Sustain Lilo In Washing
ton City.
There Is certain alleged belle of Washing
ton society who occupies very peculiar posi-
ton. 1t is hardly possible that she could be n
belle in any other city in the country, on the
basis possessed by her, in tho glorious free
and. d.casy town of Washington. She isa blonde
beauty of about twcnty.scven summers. Her
| blonde hair comes from the best wig-makers,
| and her complexion is us brilliant as the latest
| Partisan novelty can possibly make it. This
| young lady belongs to an old Southern family.
| She is seen at every prominent social gather
| ing. No matter how select diplomatic re-
ccption, this young lady, attended by n dis
nal, me!nncholy-loOking mother, appears ear
liest upon the scene, aud is among the last to
leave. Very few people seem TO know
the two beyond mere bowling aCquant-
ance, and yet they are invited everywhere.
| Occasionally they will appear at the hotels for
brief time, only taking their meals there,
| however Then they will disappear from all
public eating-houses, and only be seen in the
! gldcd halls of fashionable society. A certain
| inquisitivo newspaper man, with longer ears
| and sharper eyes than are possessed by the
| average, who goes out great deal in society,
| in looking for rooms ono day found one that
suited him in II retired locality up town. A
short timc after his arrival in this new house
| he found that the blonde aud her mother had
also quartered in the same house After liv-
| ing in the house four or five months he picked
| up n rather interesting history concerning the
movements Of this gay bird of society. 1t
appears that the daughter had II small income
| left her by some Southern relative that was
| barely largo enough to support her alone. Her
| mother, who was widow before the war,
married during the war Southern gentleman
who lost his all in the downfall of the Con-
fedora cy; and, being Southern gentleman of
the finest old school, he had never been
trained up TO anything so vulgar rs work. The
mother and step'iathcr combined TO squeeze as
large section of high life rs they could out of
the meagrc income of the daughter, and have
certainly reduced living upon nothing and
going into society to aboutas fine a point US it
has ever been done. They engaged one
large room in this house, for which
they paid $25 month. They then engaged
from n caterer one meal n day for the three,
which was delivered at 3 o'clock in the after.
noon. For this meal for three they paid $25 a
month. They saved up enough bones and bread
and broken remains of the afternoons rcpa,t for
tho IL O'clock breakfast. Tho stcp.Glthcr,
mother and daughter all lived and slept in tho
same room. Thus the living of three mem
bors of Wushington's most fashionable society
was reduced down to $50 month Tho
young lady had IL carriage every evening, hGr
income boing economical in such u way
| that tho balance of il could be used
turn their calls the house whero they live is
respectable enough, and no ono can adopt q
more popular fashion in Washington society
| than to be out when calls are returned. The
| returning Of calls Is purely pCrfuuCtory,
and MS a necessary consequence, the less nu M
Der of people there are to receive them, tho
| creator amount of business can be done in tho
course Of an afternoon.
This incident of high life In Washington
suggests another. Treasury clerk married
a sweet young bride from Massachusetts, and
engaged such palatial quarters as his 81 200
would permit upon Thirteenth street lie
made arrangements for caterer to deliver
meals for two. The land,ady was Il woman
of Southern birth, aud had seen better days
before the war. She rented rooms more Ia
satisfy her desire for cheerful society than for
| the money. The Treasury clerk aud his bride
had their meals to come in to them for week,
whom their hostess--that is what the lodging.
house keepers call themselves suggested, with
q very persuasive smile, to the young Treasury
clerk, that herself and daughter had u spare
room next to them, whero she intended to
| have q caterer serve meals, and that, AS an ac-
commodation, tho same caterer might serve
the four, and they all eat together In the Same
room. The young clerk consented, rather Hat
tered at the idea Of sitting down at tho table
0fso distinguished member ofo Of the fist
| families of Virginia. Up to the timo this now
arrangement began there was plenty to cat,
| but Immediately after the new service the
young clerk aud his bride found tho table
rather scauty and insufficient. 1t amounted
practically 10 such low dieting ns TO verge
| upon the borders of starvation. The modest
clerk endured this for two or three weeks
and then he went to the caterer with n COM
| plant, lilo said; "seo hcrei you arc paid to