The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-07-22
LADY LANGLEY'S PARTY.


Lady Langley prided herself on baing
woman OF fashion. By a judicious horti-
cultural process, her visiting list contained
only the names of wellk known people; and
she was not only anxious to get into the
smartest set in Lonioi, but was in fair
way to do so before long. Using her friends
as stepping stones across the river of social
advancement, she hal dropped them as
carelessly a other women discard their last
seasons gowns or the troublesome admirers
To know Lady Langley oGe season, to he at
her smallest dinners or most select dances.
was no guarantee that one woull be ad-
united to her social circle Sly months hence
1t must be owned that the people she
dropped did not appreciate the process
ferhais they were unaware that LADY
Langley was only fulfilling the law of 60
'ial evolution The survival of the tittastr
expressed tn whole nj hor earthly creed.
Time was, when SIR Samuei was plain Mr.
Levy AMI tn family mansion had been in
tho vicinity OF Bayjwater, when to see
clty knight at hor dinner, or minister
iron Ieru al Der balls, had been the summit
OF this lady s ambition. But times had
changed Tho husband had made big coup
on the stock exchlp e, changed his Hebrew
patronym mic, eutered parliament and voted
with his party SO obedieutly that he had
been rewarded with baronetcy by an out
going Tory cabinet The wife, good look
ing woman with no obtrusively Isfaelitish
characteristics, now set up for a beauty,
wit an IA woman of fashion. She was not
o6Jectionably pushing; nor did she exhibit
the mingled siyness and pride which is so
often seen in the women of her race Her
al oil
too long, were trunphs of their kind AMI
| lhe company was often admirably selected
The mansion in Park lane was admirably
adapted for balls; AMI it was not Lady
Langley fault if these latter entertain.
ments were sometimes trihe mixed Oi
her own choice she admitted only the best
people within her doors; the rest she quietly
and politely ignored
| But do what she would, there was one
woman who refused to be discarded who
called pertinaciously at all hours of the day
| III Park lane, aud Inundated the i4angleys
with invitations and that was her elder sis
| ter, kebecea AbrahamS. Mrs Morrison
| AbfahanS was the wife of an opulent money
| lender, who lived at Berkeley square. They
| gave suppers, at which certain Dung sprigS
| OF the nobility were glad to appease their
most by putting In an appearance, and
| where few dramatic aud literary lions
were sometimes TO be seen For the last
few years, indeed, Mir. Abrahams, in wooing
responsibility, had avoided shady trans
actions, and had even been known 10
lend III )ney at % DER cent, on cool Sc
curlty; piece of sef-denial which raised |
him, IN his own eyes, to the position |
OF philauthropist and benefactor to
society.
Now, Lady i4angleys house was the onyl |
one OF any social status into which the |
money lender and his spouse had the entry, |
and they were heroically determined never |
to give up the right which their near rela-
tionship implied.
Lady Langley was, however, equally de- |
termined to be rid of this last connection of |
her former and less brilliant days Re- |
betca must be made TO feel that her society |
was no longer acceptable. Mrs Morris |
Ahrahams was large, overdressed woman
with small black eyes and a nose of the
most uneluivocal type a woman whom it |
was impossible to cut, because she seemed |
impervlous to the most deliberate snubbinr.
SO Lady Langley determined to hasten the |
crisis by leaving her sisters out of her
party.
This dance was to BE- the event of pre-
Lenten season Somehow OF other Lady
Langley party had become the topic of
the hour 1t was known ON good authority
tDat certain royal parsonage would prob
ABLY look IN for an hour, and the ingredi-
ents OF this soree i'll time had bsen carefully
chosen. 1t was to be quite a small dance;
but all the women, if possible, were to be
motel beauties, and the smartest young men
III town had been beaten no for the occa-
N Ira a pArll I1ati |
three-quarters of an hour, about which the
most extraordinary rumors were rife: and it
was known that a marvellous supper was to |
he served, at small tables for two exactly |
at O'Clock. The women would all appear
IN eighteenthcentury gowns, with pow
dered locks; the men were to take their
choice OF court dress, with white hair, or a
correct last-century costume. Not single
lsraelte had been invited and Lady Lang
ley Was determined that her rooms should
not be "spoiloi' by the compromising nasal
organ and orerdone toilet of her sister. No
the dance was to be nothing if not smart
She had made it vital question. She
would stand or fall on the success OF her
party.
i week before the dance Mrs Morris
Abrdhams called on her sister in Park lane.
Lady Langley was smilingly bland: Mrs |
Abrabams was overwhelmingly affectionate
but she angled for an invitation in vain.
Merely little dance got up for one or
two of my pretty rI-friends-quite
Juvenile party! But | have taken world
OF trouble to got the best people together.
There's that new American, you know; the
prince wouldn't come unless she was asked -"
1t seems an old thing, Maria, that you
consider your own sister not good enough
for your ball, blurtei out Mrs. Morris,
with rising wrath.
My dear, don't put things in that brutal !
way. You must know what ] feel You
can't come to the dance without Morris.
aud Morris is.-well he isn't exactly in ON
set
No, thank heaven we aren't in your set
Maria. sincerely hope your ball will 10 a
success and Mrs. Morris Abrahams swept !.
10 tho door and rustlei her long skirts Tor
he last time over her sisters threshold
The money lenders spouse WAS Iivid with :
rage ami modification rs she drove back 10
Berkeley luare OF one thing she was re-
solved, 1t should be war to tue kuife hence t
forward between her youngest sister and d
herself a
for some days she nugsed various schemes
d VehSence, and ut last hit upon plan.
Ae'i'G u Sihai supper party arranged Tor q
.he night before the famous powdered ball /
The wrote a little note to a certain Mr., Jer
iinSham, young journalist, and babe him :,
make one OF Der party. After supper. when u
he others had set down to roulette, the lady II
inveigIed the man of pens and e.
nix on the topic Of Lady Langleys ball Of P
curse Freddy birmingham was going; was O
10 not to chronicle its success i'll at least t;
wo wee,ly papers! Mr. birmingham was r
III elao'rately dressed young man. who
vent every where and knew everybody
md could tell you ali about Your nairh.
'ors business. He knew hundred droll IL
tories, and used to spend his evenings
to elderly dowages behind their
ans
hrs. Morris Abrahams did not think if {.
necessary to mention that she was not in. Il
'Ised to Der sisters ball; but out of pure %;
uriosity she would like to have a list Of all r.
be beauties who were TO be present. Did %
dr. birmingham know exactly who was GO a. a.
hn