The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-12-05
tJE1 PRESS.
[Harper's Bazar.l
A Dinner Card.

Mr.. Hdntleg, whom long years of practice
had renderedsperf fa his meter of host,
COMPREHENSIVE the almost imperceptible sig
nal, offered ibis arm to Mrs. Elphinstone,
with whom he was talking and moved to-
ward'the door. The company followed in a
softly-rustling procession, Mrs. Huntley
bringing up the rearreo on the arm OF Aleck
Dent, her husbands Junior partner, freshly
returned from China, and the guest of the
evening. There was no confusion as to
place. Mrs. Huntley had reduced dinner
giving to science, and each least detail
was carefully planned and provided for. A
nod, smile, a gesture OF a lilac gloyed
hand, and each person was at bis appointed
seat at table table spread in the wondrous
fashion of the day, and to whose adjoining
had gone all the resources and the lavish APP
pliance of modern decorative art.
The family tinted and heavily embroid-
cred cloth was oVerlaid here and there with
lengths of linen, transpareatly fine and
edged with priceless old lace. a multitude
of sapers, rose red or green, each with its
little lace trimmed shade, cast their pale
glows on the low bank of flowers which ran
the tables length, on the alterntt tie fire and
iridescence of many hued glasses, and the
jeweled CLEAN of Sllviatis decanter and
salt cellars. Beside each lady's plate stood
an arrangement of choice roses in the form
of horseshoe; for every gentleman was a
boutonniere of lilies; aud upon the napkins
lay exquisite dinner cards of white silk,
hand painted and scented with violets,
Such dinner tables are too common i'll the
luxurious life of to-day to attract special at
tention from those to whom they are Gus
tomary spectacles. But Aleck Dent had
gone to China before the tide of modern
luxury had risen to half food, al was too
lofa La, cd RI h tn G
exhibition. He admired and spoke his ad-
miration-admired the arrangement of the
flowers, the beautiful glass, the perfect
adaptation of detail to effect; and Mrs.
Huntley listened to his eulogiums with
pleasure 1t was an old story to her, but
women do not easily weary of hearing their
household gods extolled.
"What land of luxury it has grown TO
bep' he went on. What pains are lavshed
on the merest trhes! This card, even''-
picking up the one at the side of his plate
-"why, it is little work of art, really
charming"
$50 it is" admitted Mrs. Huntley.
''rhose people at the Decorative Art Socie-
ty do have the loveliest things. A great
many of their designs are made by real ar
fists. you know"
''But | don't know. There was no Dec
orative Art Society when | went away"
replied Aleck, still studying the slken paint
ing intensely. AS he looked a sudden
thought seemed to come to him. His eyes
gave out swift sparkle, then set as though
seeing vision. For brief moment he was
oblivious of the very existence of his hand
some hostess. This was the picture that
Aleck Dents mind was looking at: A room
in stately city house; girl seated in bay
window shaded with amber curtains, paint
-. A.. eel
sensitive boy, seated near her, his hat on his
knees-watching the sheen cast by the am
Der light on her satin-smooth hair, watching
the long lashes which shaded her eyes, the
slender fingers which played rather ner
vousiy with the paint brush-stTuggling not
to speak, wretched at the enforced silence,
at the sense of coming separation. 1t was a
picture which had frequently risen before
his mind during the 10 years of his absence !;
but what had revived it now? He studied
the dinner card to find out.
Cyclameni Yes, it was a group of cycla-
men that Evelyn Morris was painting that
last morning. He remembered it perfectly
now. There was something in the graceful
little picture that recalled her style-the
choiceness and charm which seemed insep-
arabic from all that she touched or did. And
just at that moment two tiny letters caught
his eye traced in the shadow of leaf-'E
NJ" Could they stand for E-Impossibe!
and yet
Ten years had taught the raw boy world
ly wisdom. His pause of retrospect took
him much less time than [ have occupied
in telling, and he recovered himself in time
TO betray nothing to his bright-eyed hostess.
Soup aud chablis had been followed by fish
and entrees, before, with skilfull inadver-
ence he returned to the subject of the din
ner card
"who creates these dainty things, do you
supposeP" he queried.
'Al sorts If people, no doubt They don't
tell unless you ask, and perhaps not then !;
but never thought to ask. l presume a
great many things are the work of poor la
dies who are glad TO earn a little something
under the rose"
"And are all these on the table by the
same hand?'
"Oh, yes, they come in regular sets, ten
or dozen or dozen and
half in each. These silk ones
are awfully dear-but then they are the
prettiest l ever saw. Therese, please show
your card to Mr.. Dent. He has been SO long
in China that he isn't used 20 such vanities
as the rest of us are"
"Don't you use dinner cards in China"
asked Therese, otherwise Mrs. Denham, a
handsome, sleepy blonde, with a fringe of
oddly-colored hair falling above her eyes.
She outdid her commission, for she borrowed
her neighbors' cards left and right, and
placed half dozen of the pretty things with
in Alexis reach while she spoke.
81 suppose we must have something of
the sort, but not like these, or surely should
have noticed them," he replied, as he stud
led the cards, The subjects were various
a spray of-wild azaleas;a woodbine tangle
with an elf balanced therein as in a swing;
a lily with sleeping fay in its cup; curve
of jasmine framing in reach of sea and
one tiny sail. Each al all bore the impress
of the same delicate taste, and in every one
in the darkest leaf of the lily, beneath the
shadow of the woodbine swing and the crest
of the breaking wave-appeared the same
family traced Z. NJ. Aleck Dent studied
them with an interest which made his neigh
Dors smile; then, recollecting himself, he
pushed them aside and the conversation
shifted to other matters.
1t was not till the ices had come and gone
that he ventured on the question which,
through all the progress of the dinner had
been uppermost in his mind.
"By the way, what has become of the Ed
ward Morrises? Miss Morris married long
ago, Supposed"
"rhe Edward Morrises. Let me think.
~ 10 81 AOhS Z" 0iA1O Si11SO hO"AN any 1hAhS
about them"
''Are they not in the city, then?"
sob, no! Didn't you know that? Mr..
Norris lost all his money, and they went
away. Where did they go? heard at the
time, but IL is so long SINCE"
''Mr. Morrisi Why, they called him a
millionaire. How could he lose all his
''Oh, it was that horrid business of the
some railroad. l never can recollect such
things. Anterior will tell you all about it.
1t made an immense disturbance at the time
and Robert Morris-the other brother, you
know-was found to have forged an immense
quantity of stock or bonds, whichever it
was, and ever so many people were ruined
by il, or would have been had not Edward
Morris sacrificed everything to buy up the
forgeries and save the family credit. But it
took all he had to accomplish it. And after
that they sold that lovely house of theirs
and went away to some little place-in Jer-
sey, think; or was it Connecticut?-some
little cheap place, anyway, and there they
have been living ever since. | met Evelyn at
dinner once; it was about four Years ago, |
think. She was staying in town for al few
DAYS, but FORGET with whom. She was as
handsome as ever. 1t does seem thousand
it?-that such a pretty girl
should be shut up in a poky country village
where no one sees her."
"And you are sure she has never mar
ried?"
''Oh. no. certainly not. What chance is