Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-01-30
NEW YORK GOSSIP.

NEW York. January q. 1885.

rlOuSly a1tcCtS the young SClOnS OF New
YOrks alleged arstocrHcy. 1t has been
discovered that II regular habit exists
among u certain set Of society men of So
cretly stu1ing their pockets, after dinner
or in the smoking rooms which are some
times provided at parties. with their hosts
cigars. AS long as the supply thus obtain
ed holds out they smoke fine cigars or
offer them around among their friends
with an air of ostentatiOn. This gossip
doubtless rests on facts. The occurrence
is only one of those occasional revelations
of the strain Of vulgarty which runs
through New York society, in which mon
ey often atones for lack Of manners and
oftener for lack of brains.
1t is Il fact that many Of the men who
figure Mt large social entertainments here
would be ashamed to have their hosts
know their parents or grandparents. But
why this dread Of being considered what
is called "low-bOrn ~ The hosts them
selves are often as anxious to hide their
family antecedents from their guests as
their guests are anxious to hide the same
matters from the hosts. In my opinion
positions should be reversed. The worthy
parents should dread the responsibility Of
being added to the band of llmsy up
starts, who owe their all to the success in
life achieved by their fathers.
During recent large wedding re"ep-
ton | noticed one Of pinkertOn's detec-
tives. faultlessly attired in clothes of the
latest cut. in the room. in which the cost
/ ly presents were displayed. IT has become
customary now To employ detectives at
large social entertainments They always
are well dressed and not unfrcquently far
more gentlemanly in their manners than
/ their employers.
was highly amused ut an incident in
the performance of Apaiune at the Cast
no the other night Owing in a great
measure to Francis Wilson's uproarious-
ly funny acting III leading part this
Operetta is proving as successful as the
same composers Beggar Student. one of
the cleverest bits of business which Viii
son introduces is an imitation of Jules
Levy, the cornetist. He putfs up his
cheeks rs if they would burst and blows
into his thumb rs if it were the mouth
piece of Il cornet. Finally he acknow-
edges the applause which always follows
with an air of proud Self-satisfaCtion. The
other night. while Wilson was in the mid
die Of his trick, ! happened to glance at
one of the proscenlum boxes to the right.
There. leaning far over the rail his eyes
sparkling with fun. his face beaming with
ii bright smile, was Jules Levy, enjoying
the take off rs much Is anybody,
Oneof the principal events in theatri-
Gals this week has been Lawrence Bar
rett's revival Of Julius Caesar at the star
Theatre The pupils Of the l.yceuin
School of acting having been rchparsing
the market scene of this play, to which a
well drilled squad Of supernumerarcs adds
greatly, offered their services to Mr.. Bar
ret and their well considered and spirited
participation i'll the performance has great
ly enhanced its merit. In his attention to
details and careful distribution Of charac-
tiers Nh. Barrett resembles Henry Irving
more closely than any other American ac-
tor. This, by the way is Il good season
for the Legitimate, Barrett and Edwin
Booth both playing here to fine houses
and Irving having had good business ear
lier.
Two jolly old people. nearly always CON
spicu"uS in the parquet on opening
nights at the various theatres, are known
as the "'i'wo Orphans They are the pa
rents of those clever comedians the liar-
risons-Alce and Lew. They are called
the two orphans because their children,
on account of their professional travels,
are obliged To leave them alone SO much.
But the O!d-pcuple are cared for by Alice
and Lew with the tendereat devotion-aS
witness the old Gentleman's brand neW
outfit this winter
| saw near the City Hall Elevated rail
road station the other day one Of those
hangers on at race-traCkS with whose
face had become familiar at the Sleeps
head Bay COURSE. He had attended to the
lunch counter at which We, IN the habit
Of hastily eating sandwich between the
arrival of the last train at the track and
the first race. Recognizing me, he struck
me for the loan of a dollar ITO play in the
chuck-a-luck race.
''ShOw me Il chucll-a-llck race" | said
as had never heard the term, and YOU II
get the dollar"
With the a!aCrity, with which he in
summer hobs between his counter and the
betting ring, he led the way down Chath-
am street and into one Of the dingy build
ings of that mysterious thoroughfare.
Climbing up one long flight OF stairs we
entered Il fair sized square room. The
blinds We're closed, the windows down,
the shades drawn, the gas jets obscured by
clouds of tobacco smoke. Around each
end of a long table sat the crowd of dark.
les and white boys who, with hungry and
excited looks gaze at the piles of money
paid in and ont from the betting stands at
the race tracks. heard the rattle Of diceI
on the table, and then saw one of thei
darkicS move Il tin horse over one or tWO}
squares painted on the table. On CiOser\
inspection | saw that Il race course in min
iature was painted at either end Of the
long table. the course being divided into
sections numbered from one to n hundred,
Every time player out of the ten taking
part in the game, each of whom threw 81
into the pool, cast the dice he moved his
tin horse over a number Of sections cores
pOnding to the number of points on the
!, dice. At last one of the players got his
horse ON to the Tooth section, gathered
in the greenbacks paid the proprietor 80
cents commission on the game and chuck
ed down Il dollar 10 start the next pool.
| may say that the hanger-on who had
pumped me lost the dollar | had lent him
in his first game ; but AT all events had
found out what a "chuCk-a-luCk' race is.
A funny anecdote concerning Freddy
Gcbhard is going the round Of club cir
cles. He went To Newport lately to look
after his estate there. Arriving on his
grounds late in the evening he saw that
the tall flag staff on the lawn was distig
ured by wooden sign, apparently nailed
ON about twenty-five feet from the ground,
Thereupon Freddy started on IA run and
reaching the pole Jumped as high as the
impetus would carry him, and then climb
ed the rest of the distance until he|
thought himself within arms length of
the sign. Just rs he stretched out hls|
hand To seize it he saw to his dlsmay inI
large black lrtters on the sign the word
"I 4 \ T." When "Freddy' touched
the ground he was painted, but twenty-tive|
feet of the pole were not.
Secretary Lawrence of the COneY ISlaudI