New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-22
SOCIAL SILHOUETTES.
,r1Sc THE. IMPRESSIONS OF MIR. MARX MAN
HAITIAN.

vi matters that IN the gaudy ana Any NJ
v,bi,b is summed up by " going everywhere .Uo
,erson or persons who went everywhere always ''.'
the .ure and keen spur OF a permanent en- "''''
l. di1 NOT sccm credible that the Specla ueNol"P-
mont which cvuic optimist. moralSt OF denuhcidtor
have an frankly conceded to mean Soci'tN' 'ou'"
cxis+ without a universal desire and aptitude l'I
sincere recreation. Those who drank OF the ele'-
.sr,y waters were thirsty and they drank because
b,, tlirstcd Ihad no suspicion that they drank Tor
anvothcr reason. | was Young. and had not YET
learned nv fellowship with mortals who were Ike
mills FLASHING an almost empty stream aud produ'-
tive Of no appreciablc CrjSt The apartments ol my
hosts were AS vet for me halls dedicated to unmiNed
diversion was prepared for mordn1te folly ana
Tor untold hlppancy. | pr.dcd myself upon beng
wise in my generation and upon having my WIS
dom rs ready and tangible as the modiSh flower IN
my buttouhoIc feel; within me a vast capacity LOT
snecrinr and dcpreciatiuC. | had cultivated a Ger
tain inward flourish of the hand toward my nous
t,cbc and q certain sarcastic elevation of the eye
broys In my fresh and rryld adolescence took
the S,uptural solomon az his word. II was an
vanity OF cour,e il was. Miss Van Dam who had
mock like swans and little redgold curs cluster
Inc dense and delightful lust at the milky nape OF IL
who gave me a smile by six good degrees brighter
than that which she gave 20 the famed deNpot OF
frts Dick AllegnIuey-who had talked the Ger
man " with ne for tire" successive balls when at
least twenty men would have mortgaged the gloss
Of their radiant boots to have had her as partner
yes even that sweet reiguing bit of feminine
deity Miss San Dam, all vanity like all the
rest of H. Such was my superb. placid theory then.
! knew very well that there many people in
the gay crowd who did not begin to get the Nee zest
from il that secured But / accepted uuthIuklugly
the innocent belief that everybody attained some
sort of positive pleasure. | never thought other
wise Ii never occurred to me TO think otherwise,
AZ first But ultimately drittad into the habit of
Observing Observations for man of brains, is
dangerous mental mool. With the average man of
fashion 1t Is quite harmless. and for reasons need
less 10 state.
Those who affirm that became an ronical and
uirr,lless critic of New.York society because Lucy
Van Dam rejected me and married that recent inn
rort9tiou of English idIocv. Lord Slantmgiortead.
ar az liberty t. circulate their tatuous doGmaS
care nothing for such baselcss gossip. esteem II.
indeed a proof Of weakness that I. Mark Manhdt-
tau should even respond by vague aliuslon 10 their
a,rid dSprrsious ! have become an observer for
yariou, reasons Prominent among these, think.
is tendency toward prefcrrln1s sensible book and
big elastic lounge IN my nice suite of rooms at The
Bolingbroke 10 manc habh'e and suicidal brandy
and.,oda az the Metropolitan Club long after repu
table hours | suppose that II had not become an
observer. these impressions. which now hand % my
good friend. Mr.. Edgar Fawcctt and which he Will
publish at his discretion and with whatever altcra-
tons a, regards syntaX or elimination his trusted
taste may find proper would never haF" been
written.
Ny first exploit IN the way of pure and simple OBJ
scryation d., directly traceablc 10 Mrs Ridge Nay
Erdgewav No ore had ever before known the
Br.Igeways until this lady insisted upon having
then importance brilliantly tr1u,p.re. IL was said.
after she had successfully ~torIed ia" portal, OF
patr.,lu favor. that she had effected her deter
mined purpose of " knowing people because SOC
c.ctv langu.dIy gazing at her ub.IWtou, card, had
half mad. up it, mind that she must be Ridg'way
before >ouudlv deciding that she WIS in reality .
Erdgcwav. Everybody had OF course heard Of the /
R.dsrwav,: there had been Rdgeway in New /
Yor, "a, far back a. $50. Il was pretty good dis
taue, to rycolcct. but few kuickcrbo0 Ser grand
mother, had been abb" % revive their >r1ie lAtrt-
geures and state that family OF Edceways had
once taken house .u Bond street had" got about,
aud had aftcrwtrd gone abroad. Tn" name had a ,
certain halt spurious familiarity. dlowsaY Endorsed |
b. fading griudmammas. But Mrs. brd-eNaT .
who was not no an RId-cw1y, prohted 10y tins
q Iu.ol- investigation. There Is no douot that She
rapid. secured % distinct prc-t.Ee. She had large
basement house DO Thirty seyeuth-st.. and size
ISSUED cards o. receptions ana dinners with .
rfIv d., AIe-- hospitality. She introduced people
4. Aer husband. and 20 measure Mr. brogc"ay .
who va. % pale quIc,,eut man with probably .
a.ap., fortune made in some Nt"-Lus.dud cry. De-
came mildly popular. But Doe never achieved the /
sll.cucr I viii not ~ay "popu.arty OF Ai- VIE +.
lie vt, always o. kind Of matrimonial shadow. /
can ,.e him now. while write these confessions +
LOOMING, no SIS good feet of lauA height with has
ru,..te badness, ms tua.d articulation. his sauow .
v..ace his tlomu.1us eyeglasses his Ions tu.n /.
restless hands, and las perpetual roll of two rather /
ggtu1us. drad--uF eyes DO the direction OF MS F.
dominating wife
D,muatIu. I'D % couuubul sense Mr.. Rdgewav I
Bird srvar indeed was. She bad evidently long ago
p1t her husband lu the background and Dee made a .
most conveniently neutral and Unobt!usINe one /
lut She herself was 9u Immense and comprehensive /
foreground Not physically speaking, bat IN the /
sense 20 yItJc.ou-. leycrIoA and literally ebuleut
personality She always impressed me a. woman [
or the verge ot tho emotional boIug-point She /
had achieved hcr purpose when met her. She had .
got INTO society she know pretty nearly everybody
l had the fancy that she ciyH 10 me because .
had not 40' into society, but because had taken
hereditary position there, and did not only kuo" /
ur.tt, nearly everybody but knew cor had the easy
clam % know. alI people who were OF the least /
note Blu; If Mrs. Brldgeway was strenuous snoO' /
| never found 10 out Others NAV have made such /
discovery; [ did not II takes "a -nob e. catch a |
suob. as u takes :, thief to catch tibet M'S. /
Brdgeway and / met and became undouDted /
friend, saw her everywhere. She never missed % /
kst,Icdrun even: there Is enormous significance lu
that simple statement, for the leaves OF allan /
brosa are not more nut.tudmous than at certain /
seasons are the kettlcCrums of New-lOrk. once /
retrosucctyely decided 1T the end OF % very iestdl
February that / had taken Mrs. Brdgeway INTO
dinner twelve stnct times since the thirty -hrot OF
the preceding January We were still excellent
fr.pJs hut | had now fully recognized and ac-
oepted one unpalatab,e fact-Mrs. Bridgeway bored
me failed wholly. at first, 70 comprehend why.
She was uuqucston4bly pretty. Her hgure was