Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-26
HIGH LIFE IN NEW YORK.
The Way s'society PeOpie'' in the Great
Metropolis Keep Up Stylish Appear.
ance.


ance.
From the New York World
Few Of the guests who attended the large re-
ception at Mrs. !G.'s last week know of that
ladys struggles to keep up appearances and the
devices she resorts to at the entertainment.
But Miss G. must absolutely make her debut
this season, and so that very enterprsing
woman, her mother resolved to give fine re-
eeption.
The dresses, coming directly from the fash.
ionaoie modistes. did not have to be paid for at
once. Those settled for. the collation. was the
next subject of anxiety. and this was managed
at no great expense, although it had to come
from one of the most famous caterers. Four
hundred invitations had been issued; it was safe
to assume that 200 would be likely to attend.
and refreshments Were ordered for 100. On such
occasions the caterer of course must make lib
erai calculations on the subject of appetites.
What the caterer felt on the subject will never
be known. but perhaps long custom had ha-
b'tuated him to such tricks, for they are by
no means confined to the poorer of society
people.
An out-cf-town wedding took place in the
fall, at which the bride was the only daughter
OF wealthy banker, and the crowd which as
sembled at both church and house was composed
OF the elite OF New York. 1t numbered some
4oO, all OF whom partoOk of the sumptuOus col
lation which had been ordered for 800 After
wards the caterer wrote to the lady who had
given the order saying that as refreshments had
been served to 100 more people than the esti-
mate had been given for he thought 1t only fail
that AGO should be paid for This, however, by
no means suited the ideas of the bankers wife,
who positively refused to pay for more than the
800.
Carpet, dry goods and china dealers also suf-
Ter at the hands OF these socially ambitious peO-
pie. Last week lady entered the store of a
large china and glass importer and selected a
handsome set Of desert-plates, to be sent home
on appreciation. She wanted, she said, to see
them on the table by gaslight. They were each
0rnamented with different hand painting and
We're valued at 800 per dozen.
That evening dinner party was given at the
lady's 9Th avenue residence, and the guests
looked admirngly at the dainty porcelain which
held their grapes. but the next day the plates
were returned to the store
They did not suit" the boy was told who
| called for them, and. strange to say, on the
Drown-stene steps he met a boy from another
china establishment who had inst had a large
pyramid aid set of highly ornamented candle
labfa returned to him.
That afternoon when the aggrieved man met
his friend the well-known carpet-dealer whose
establishment Is but few blocks distant and
recounted his experience OF the fraud practiced
upon him, the carpet man laughed and declared
that he had had innumerable tricks of the kind
played on him.
why, only last month"; he sad ''as many
as eight OF my finest Oriental rugs, several of
which were worth q thousand dollars or more.
figured at fashionable reception. In the
morning a lady drove up to the store and
| entering made choice of all these beautiful
carpets, which she thought would Just about
suit her rooms. They were to be sent at once
and the following day could ascertain If they
all suited Well. the next day they were all
returned. but that evening they were very
much admired by the guests, more than one OF
whom felt no little envy for the owner of such
treasures.
"Once sent number of fine portieres to a
house to see which best suited the parlor and
dinlng-roOm furniture. Those, too, were re-
turned alter the reception. SO you see your eX-
perence is quite common one"
Dealers in bronZes and other works of art are
sometimes similarly VictimiZed but perhaps the
dry-goods men have the worst time of ALL Often
have rich imported costumes been sent to the
house and worn before being returned, and i'm
the case OF bonnets and fine lace shawls this is
no uncommon occurrence. Many are the per
feet loves of bonnets" which are worn to after
noon receptions or teas and afterwards re-
turned. One woman who dealt at downtown
store used to have suits for her boys sent home
as well as cloaks and bonEets for herself Final
~ clerk hadhis suspicious aroused by the fact
that one of the boys suits was very slightly
soiled. The case was reported and the woman
was made to pay for the clothes. and no more
things were sent ION appreciation" to her house
This, however, was perhaps an extreme case,
ana she did not hold the same exalted social po-
sitiOn of the other ladies referred to-
Mrs. r.. who lives in 45th street, near Fifth
avenue. greatly admired q two-hundred-a and
iitty-dOar impOrtedwrap she saw at a large dry
goods establishment She could not afford to
buy IT, butt ,s,d II cent to her homo tho bow re-
ceiying instructions to wait until she made I'D
her mind about it. While he amused himself
making faces in the hall looking glass, she cut a
paper patten of the cloak. then sent it down
She bought some material very much the same
and her ''mported'' garment attracted more
than slight attention.
The very fact that these women are able TO do
such things proves their credit to be excellent.
for, of course. otherwise the goods would not be
sent to them. Some Of them are very wealthy,
and. one would imagine, had no excuse for
such actions. good many OF these people,
who think nothing of such tricks, would shrink
from any act Of open dishonesty. but that even
this is not always the case is proved by the pre-
vaing fashion Of having detectives not only to
guard wedding presents out to keep the guests
from picking up pieces Of rare and curious brio
a-brac which may adOrn the parlors
An old lady was heard to say the other day
that on her return from each of her numerous
European tours she had brought home enough
little ornaments to fill all the tables and stands
OF her drawing-room, but gradually they disap-
peared. The pieces taken showing that the
thief had been some person of educated taste
Perhaps it is on the whole just as well for
those who do not belong to the fashionable New
York society. where every one, it would seem,
suspects their friends and acquaintance of de-
signs on their property.
From the Philadelphia Call.
The morning after the Vanderbilt ball, gem
tleman entered a prominent jewelers. establish
ment on Broadway and said, 81 would like to
look at some diamonds" sDiamonds? Yes.
sir" replied the clerk in rather an embarrassed
manner. .Er-couldn't you drop in after din
ner?" mo" said the gentleman, 81 am
obliged to leave town. Why can't see them
now as well as after dinner?" "Well to tell
you the TRUTH" responded the clerk, confiden-
TALLY, 1--WE haven't any to speak of in the store;
they were all rented out for the Vanderbilt bali
last evening""
Struck Oil.
1t was Woodward avenue car, says the De-
troit Free Press. A lady richly dressed sat in a
corner Of the car and said to some one with