The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-01-05
Shoot Folly as it Flies.
Few of society's shams-How Fashionable Re-
options are Ornamented with Borrowed Plumage

From the Ne,c York Horld.
Few of the guests who attened the large
reception at Mrs. G.'s last week know Of
that lady's struggles to keep pappearances
and the devices she resorts to at the enter
tainment But Miss g. must absolutely
make her debut this season, and so that
very enterprising woman, her mother, re-
solved to give fine 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 expense
although of course it had to come from one
of the most famous caterers. Four hun.
dred 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 liberal calculations 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, for 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 and the
crowd which assembled at both church and
house was composed of the elite of New
York. Itnumbered some 400, all of whom
partook of the sumptuous collation. which
had been ordered for 300. Afterwards the
caterer wrote to the lady who had given
the order saying that as refreshments 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 positively refused
to pay for more than the 300.
Carpet, dry-goods and china dealers also
suffer at the hands of these socially ambi-
tious people, Last week a lady entered the
store of large china and glass importer
and selected handsome set of dessert
plates, to be sent home ON appreciation.
She wanted, she said, to see them on the
table by gaslight They were each orna-
mented with different hand-painting aud
were valued at 800 per dozen,
That evening dinner party was given
at the lady's Fifth avenue residence, aud
the guests looked admiringly 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 brown-stone- steps he met boy from
another china establishment who had Just
had large pyramid and set of highly or
namented candelabra 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 car
pet man laughed and declared that he 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 fashionable
reception. In the morning a lady drove
up to the store and entering made a 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 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 house to see which best suited the par
lor and dining room furniture. Those, too,
were returned after the reception. So you
see your experience 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 in the case of
bonnets and fine lace shawls this is no un-
common occurrence. Many are the "per-
feet loves of bonnets' which are worn to
afternoon receptions or teas and afterwards
returned. One woman who dealt at a
downtown store used to have suits for her
boys sent home, as well as clocks and bon
nets for herself. Finally clerk had his
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 "on appreciation" to her
house.
This, however, was perhaps an extreme
case, and she did not hold the same exalted
social position of the other ladies referred
| to.
Mrs. T., who lives in Forty-ffth street,
near Fifth avenue, greatly admired two
hundred-and- -ffty-dollar imported wrap she
saw at a large dry goods establishment.
She could not afford to buy it, but had it
sent to her home, the boy receiving instruc-
tions to wait until she made up her mind
about it. While he amused himself max
ing faces in the hall looking-glass, she cut
paper pattern of the cloak, then sent it
down. She bought some material very
much the same, and her 'imported" gar
ment attracted more than slight attention.
The very fact that these woman 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 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 detectives 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.