Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-05-22
THE NEW YORK "eELLE."
The Girl Who Ate an Orange Most Dalnti-
ly-One OF the Old-Time FIctions Real
lied by Means OF Menu Cards.

The Girl Who Ate an Orange Most Daintf-
ly-One OF the Old-Tlme Fictiorrs Real
ized by Means OF Menu Cards.
I''Clara Belle" in Cincinnati Bnquircr.1
The exquisite girl Of fashion may get
through the dancing involvements of the
ball with enormous success She may
waltz on the tips Of her uucorned toes as
lightly as though angelic but invisible
wings were lifting at her shoulders. She
may simulate the ingenious simplicity Of
childhood 90 cleverly that her partner
feels as though he had not c.asped flesh
and blood, but something as vague, ethere-
al and squashy as the very ghost of
9stheticism. She may so discount the
graces Of professional effort that all the
pleasures OF the ballet are forever spoiled
for him, because the sight of prosy high
kickers viii merely recall his mind to the
POsey of grace which she has presented.
But when she goes to the supper table
the real test Of her skill is made. Eating
is an awfully mundane and gross act for .
dainty girl 70 be caught at, anyhow; and
II she be dressed In the gnuzy tuIle of q
society debutante, with the sweet purity
OF sixteen years expressed in q beautiful
face, and altogether a suggestion that she
the test Is more perilous. Mabel Is Just
such creature. I sat across the table
from her at Mrs Bradley Martins great
ball. No matter how hungry she may have
been, she resolved to forego the gratifica-
tion Of her appetite and sup on such re-
fined things as glass of champagne and
an orange. Her heart longed for some of
the goose-liver pie, but her lips said that
the thought of it fairly shocked her. 1t
was substantial piece of the roast veni-
son that she wanted, but her pouting ques-
ton was how could Adolphus suppose that
she could swallow the horrid blood-red
flesh. So she slipped the wine and then
tackled the orange.
It was evident that she had rehearsed on
the orange and felt confident that she
could slide It down her throat without
spiatter, slubber or muss. She first took
IL carelessly between the tips of her small
fingers, toying with it as though the task
of eating it involved no special effort at
grace. Next she laid Ii on her plate and
with knife cut IL into quarters. Thirdly,
she lifted q section with the thumbs and
forehngers of both hands and neatly sep
arated the peel from the pulp at the ends.
This freed the latter until It lay almost
disconnected on the peel. The fruit had
been chilled in refrigerator until it was
as cold az a chunk of ice. At the instant
when her refreshment from the cold, cold
bit of orange was to have commenced dis
aster intervened. A gentle repartee had
just been emitted from her lips, and they
still bore the smile of ineffable blandness.
The eyes of Adolphus were fondly ravish-
ine har 70 ~ A.
ter of orange did not slip into her dear
mouth, butfell into the low corsage of her
dress. II a piece of ice had slid down her
skin, lodging in a spot in the region OF her
belt and quite inaccessible at table she
couldn't have yelled "Ouch !" with more
vim or scampered to the ladies' dressing
room with greater celebrity.
Elaborately hand-painted menu cards
arc still an adjunct of ball and other for
NAL suppers. You all know how the i'm
poverished hsroines of fiction always turn
their artistic accomplishments to account
by painting pictures. which outsell the
work of professional brushes. At present
it is a fact that women can, II really clever
with pencil and brush, get tolerably good
pay for painting bills Of fare The cards
come outlined from the dealers, and the
colors and finish are done by hand. The
names Of the guests are also put on. A
story is current in society of a woman
who, having been cast out of q certain
circle, partly because of sudden poverty,
but chiefly for her wickedness, found the
Job placed in her way by q stationer OF
painting menu cards for a state supper in
the very clique which she had once figured
in This gave her q chance for vengeance.
The principal guests found on their cards
caricatures of their own faces deftly intro
duced into the o.namentation.