New-York tribune., 1885-03-29
SOCIAL SILHOUETTES.
krrSe THE IMPRESSIONS OF MR- MARK MAN
HAITIAN.
XXIV.
A NEPHEW OF NINE.

o. Ubv IL seems to me as if he could not DO more
Immersed ia all kinds OF social engagements thah
he is at present"
NV sister said this with certain meiahchoiy
pride, as though her sons new Importance ehVaiieu
his Hlial alienation while at tho same time IL oeai'
its distinct sef.gratulating thrill
ponlipe is Mrs. Scoharie Putnam. and married the
dad millionaire who was her husband when had
reached the age of about nine. | remember her
wsddno at Grace Church so we'll and yet so oddly
I can SEQ her standing at the side of an elderly
gentleman who looked as wiry as a spider and had
A little nebulous beard of gIayish pink, with eve
iashes of the same color. ScOhare Putnam was
great match for her, or any girl, as recoiioc'
.lsarlv eomprchendng then for besides having
a very large fortune he was either a'Scoharle OF
Putnam-I was not quite sure precisely which ne
was. in the sense of high ancestral distinction ana
no doubt compromised with my own ignorance by
splepdidly ranking him as little Of both. There
Stood Pauline at his side, in the big dusky church
with its painted windows. wearing the denseiy
lowered costly heirloom OF ven ~ when her own
loother had been married How fresh ana mouesI
and lovely she looked then And all me! how
twentv years or so have played the mlscmet Wltb
her roses and lilies But that marrage,In0rhihgo Oh
hers was my first realization OF what paizae. tne m
arcb-cvnic somewhere calls a faulty INSTITUTION
tamnered nv Affection" The whole sweet ana
stately ceremonial makes charming picture III my
meInory-one that ~ framed WIN macaToohS anu
~
nainfully though not dangerously Ill on the day
which follow Paulne's wedding. G0od heavens !
how these trhes mingle with larger anu storner ''
events as we sweep q retrospective eye over our
iivest How many of that blithe patriclan Weuulhg-
partyiaregone to-day where 1t has been silu Inere
Is neither marrying nor giving III marriage M 10, fUr
how many wears has Scoharie Putnam, tne eldeIiy
bridegroom, been laid away thero IN the tamlly
yault of St Mark k's-iD- the Boweryf And here am
actually making its oaToIc.e atmss oa ,no sof th;nH INK
that this panorama we call life used to move along
on much slower rollers than now Perhaps tue hTst
perception that we are getting TO DC mlddieageu-
fbat tbe re de gdrCon should end and something more
serious beginHis embodied IN desire 10 pluck Old
Time by the forelock or scythe handle, whenever
II NAV be- aud assure him thai ho is really IN
devil of hurry. Only yesterday, at my dressing
mirroru discovered seven new, assertye, uhpro-
pitiable gray hairs. Alas 1t seems hitting enough
rrown-up nephew Soon enough, no doubt, l shall
play, in the large, whrlng drama OF things a SILL
Nv sister had been right. Bradford Putnam was
certainly immersed in social engagements II would
be hard to find any one more actively aGnS H
ouuemest He is at the present E Sra's dsscnto 5ds'
downv moustache whose color may be calle
hereditary pink. He is very slender, though iie not
ill-made He has passed about FIVE years of his life
In England. where he made an attempt TO enter
Cambridge and signally failed; At the age OF
twenty he Eisy Ss mother nGw in
Mt the age of one-andtwenty, he promptly became
. young gentleman of fashion he has continued
Notwithstanding his residence in England, he IS
not at all ;English. mean in speech, department.
personality. In dress he is English throughout.
His collar Is rigid lofty, lustrous. gncompromsing.
ft ia strangelshow the soft beardless cheek which
comes into incessant contact with this pure ana
stern ridge of linen ever manages to preserve l.se
so nicely uuscahed. HIS clothes fit him as II they
were kid instead of cloth. They are always iroBed
before he puts them on, and his tall SILK hat has
preternatura gloss created by some deft comDlnac
Hon of vaseline and ironing which Is secret of
vital importance between himself and his valet:
think that if you saw upon his vestments bit OF
thread large as the nail OF yeur smallest nngeI
YOU would be sure to observe IL. should fear tho
charge of exaggeTation If were to record the NUM-
Der of his Overcoas. In this respect he is prepared
winter From saftron-drab with huge pearl buttons
TO bottle-green with hint OF sealskln at the edges
to show the luxurious lining inside. they run
The same thing with his multiplicity OF boots.
gloves shirtstuds and scarf-pins- He is child OF
Stenoine comfort. He has his victoria, his
brougham his dOgcart he has at least eight horses
ct his command. for driving or riding Whenever
Won zee him You notice something that is different
about his immediate surrounding from what you
noticed when lie last entered into your conscious
ness; if it is not new morse @ new grop
II IL is not new cane it is new pocket-D0ok-and
so on, through vistas. as one might say, OF
snmptuous and inexhaustbe novelty. On all
articles of a purely personal sort he is fond of
having some costly cdchet-his monogram IN
diamonds ii The banhle permits in twisted gold
or silver If taste thus decrees or in some moro
subtle device of jewelry, wrought both 10 startle
aud to delight. ,,.,,..
their supreme forms ! an aware OF word,
recently coined which fills. the struggling news
paper would say, a needed want" This word, OF
contested etymoogy. though widely accepted sig
nifcance does not apply to my nephew. Bradford.
with all his circumambient elegance and modisi-
ness, IS emphatically not dude" The dude
prattles Bradford is sphinx of reserve. The dude
nanses decorously upon the threshold of vice Brad
ford suggests, with sort of dark dignity the most
comprehensive yet iangad corruption. Inc dude
owns to fresh untried realms OF sensation; ; Brad
ford has in this respect traversed the known globe
and aw ats new sea to explore, new lsthmns to
discover. The dnde has unkintied passions; Brad
ford is an extinct volcano. with crater that now
and then lifts TO air no stronger sgn OF its eeng
than lazy curl of smoke cigarette-smoke. If you
ford has nothing but a fatigned experience and
spaoious despair The dude still enjoys his youth !
Bradford dimly recoilects that once, at some
remote epoch, he was young
He il not yet regular member of the Metropol-
itan Club but was made. after his Irturn from
Harvard, a sx-months' visitor at my own favOrte
social resort Being good many wears his senior,
and also secretly feeling the modification that
was his uncle once or twice addressed him with
what beloved all proper and needlnl courtesy.
on each occasion quite disarrayed me- was
prepared, of course, to be genial ELUSIVE, even
m idly aifectionate. / remember 80 well the hTst
time that met him in one of the dcorways OF the
Metropolitan. We exchanged greetings. His
mother had told me that he was in town. 1T seemed
Queer 10 tilink OF MIN dt al as RfOWb up
one pointed him out TO me had not seen him since
he was a little boy, and acted accordingly
Braddy." said, holding his hand. "you are like
your father. butt
he interrupted me- i think no did It, in some
peculiar way by means of his eyelids | was con-
scious OF their quietly naughty droop before /
became aware of his voice pacid. u little nasal,
much more American than English OF intonationl
while he said: - q,
Look here. Just drop that. Pm not called
sBraddy' Haven't been for hundred years, more
OF less"
Bat always used-"I began.
He tapped me on the shoulder. /" OF course you
always used, old man." he said, with paralyzing
smile
IUncle" would not have been agreeable. was
prepared-I may even state that bal neryed
myself to meet Uncle." But HOld man" wholly