Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-31

How Fashionable Receptions are Orna
mented with Borrowed Plumage,
No,g York World.


Eeag York World.
Few of the guests who attended the
large reception at Mrs. G.'s last week
know of that lady's struggles to keep up
aDDearauces and the devices she resorts
10 AT the entertainment. But Miss g..
must absolutely make her debut this sea-
son. and so that very enterprls1ng Wo-
man, her mother, resolved TO give nne
reception.
The dresses, coming directly from the
fashionable 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 ex-
pense, although of course 1t had to come
from one of the most famous caterers.
Four hundred invitations had been issued;
it was safe to assume that 200 would De
likely to attend and refreshments were or
dered for 100. On such occasions the ca
terer of course must make liberal calcu-
lations on the subject OF appetItes.
What the caterer felt on the subject will
never be known, but perhaps long custom
had habituated him to such tricks, Tor
they are by no means confined to the
poorer of society people.
An Out-of-town wedding took place in
the fall, at which the bride was the only
daughter of wealthy banker, ana the
crowd which assembled at both church
and house was composed of the elite OF
New York. 1t numbered some 400, all of
whom partook of the sumptuous collation.
which had been ordered for 300. After
wards the caterer wrote to the lady who
had given the order, saying that as refresh
ments had been served to 100 more people
than the estimate had been given for he
thought it only fair that 400 should be paid
for. This, however, by no means suited
the ideas of the bankers wife, who posi-
lively refused to pay for more than the
300
Carpet. dry goods and china dealers also
suffer at the hands of these socially am
bilious people. Last week lady entered
the store of a large china and glass inn
porter and selected a handsome set of
dessert PLACES, to be sent home on appro-
baton. She wanted, she said, to see them
on the table by gaslight. They were each
ornamented with different hand-paintlng
and were valued at 500 per dozen.
That evening dinner party was given
at the lady's Fifth avenue residence, and
the guests looked admiringly at the dainty
porcelain which held their grapes, but
the next day the plates We're returned to
the store.
s'They did not suit" the boy was told
who called for them, and, strange to say,
on the brOwn-stone steps he met boy
from another china establishment who
had just had a large pyramid and set OF
highly Ornamented candelebra 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 expert
ence of the fraud practicedsupOn him, the
carpet man laughed and declared that he
had had innumerable tricks of the kind
played on him.
"Why, only last month";" he said, "as
many as eight of my finest Oriental rugs,
several of which were worth thousand
dollars and more, figured at a 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 fol-
lowing day l 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.
sOnce | sent number of fine portieres
to house to see which best suited the
parlOr and dining-room furniture. Those,
too, were returned after the reception. So
you see your experience is quite COM
mon 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 i'm
ported costumes been sent to the house
and worn before being returned, and IN
the case of bonnets and fine lace shawls
this is no uncommon occurrence. Many
are the ''perfect loves of bonnets" which
are worn to afternoon receptions or teas
and afterwards returned. One woman
who dealt at downtown store used to
have suits for her boys sent home, as we'll
as clOaks and b0nnets for herself. Finally
a clerk had his suspicious aroused by the
fact that one of the boys suits was very
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, and she did not hold the same ex-
allied social position of the other ladies
referred to.
Mrs. T., who lives in Forty-fifth street,
near Fifth avenue, greatly admired atwo-
hundred-and-fifty-do dollar imported wrap
she saw at large dry goods establish
ment. She could not afford to buy it, but
had it sent to her home, the boy receiving
instructions to wait until she made up her
mind about it. While he amused himself
making faces in the hall loOking-glass, she
cut paper pattern of the cloak, then sent
1t down. she bought some HdleTlal very
much the same and her ''imported" gar
ment attracted more than slight atten-
ton.
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 thems Some
of them are very wealthy and, one would
imagine, had no excuse for such actions.
A 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 prevailing fashion of having detect
ives not only to guard wedding presents
but to keep the guests from picking up
pieces of rare and curious bric-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 disappeared, 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 fash
ionable New York society, where every
one, it would seem, suspects their friends
and acquaintance of designs on their
property.
The Last Chance.
This week is the last chance you will
4 I'LL