Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-15
40 In loose, slip.shod fashion. We are
O mutual dependence society.

tHiS mOihtbt 4stlrou w hSoteioie bn''~o
one OF the group says: "0h, Mr.. Wheat
croft. hear you're father. What is
Il? Another Hamlet ?" Ladies" said
courteous Mr.. Ben. Teal, the stage
manager, "will you 90 and choose your
dress? Up four flights of stairs,
10 the right" I tell Mr.. Teal
that not for tho wealth OF the
Indies could I walk up one fight OF
stairs, so / will hunt up some rags OF my
own. Can any one guess what that hunt
cost me? 1 had my stage clothes I'M
packed, and they were spread in confu-
sion before me. Dresses that had been
filed by comely form / threw aside
hurriedly, not daring to look at them a
second time. How those bits Of gold en-
broidered satin became 1.-Two memories,
wriDging my heart with pain at the vision
of past glory and power that rose like In
censs MS the faint perfume of dead pow
der pervaded the air How had flung
off one dress to rush into another, with
that boisterous strength which had been
mimic With what feelings Of certain
conquest thoss bits of poor faded tinsel
had been donned, and now-the crum-
pied masses strewn around me were filled
with skeletons Of my dead hopes OF
all the crowd who looked for clothes on
Monday was there ono whose search was
as strange and sad as mine
BY the way, on looking over my rags
il struck me my legitimate wardrobe was
remarkable for its paucitv. Tights and
small unmentionable garments were
there galore, but-well, at last sewed
up a mantle / used to wear in "The
Snake-Charmer into a skirt, and with
sundry bits of embroidery and a largo
red drapery 1 managed to render
myself decent. When CARRIED in
this queer mixture | locked like a
cross between an Empress of Byzan-
tiun Is. G. anything and first witch in
pantomme. | dressed at home, took a
very expensive cab-for which / still owe
(cenfiding iverymen, bless you land
drif.eds on the stage ON the eventful
night. was giving greetings to Nine.
Modjeska when i remembered | had no
rouge on. and was very much kali
somined. Some ladies were there, and
| asked il i could have some rouge
Again the stairs, again l said L
could not get up. Nine. Modjeska
took all tho trouble to go with
mo to her room, and giving me in
charge Of her maid left me to complete
my painting. How sweetly graceful it
was Of her to take so much trouble for
me at a moment OF intense anxiety, for
the task of acting in such performance
is no light matter for the nerves. The
play began. and We, the star supers, spent
charming evening. We held little re-
ceptions in various corners. We went on
at the right timely luck-and then
faded of.
After the second act member OF the
press who wanted to see MIR. Booth came
on the stage, and looking about said {:
Where is Hamlet ?" There are two
hundred Of them on the 0. 7. side, said
A. NJ. Palmer, pointing to all the lead
ing men clustered together, and certain
ly there was not one man there who
would not have made more creditable
performance of Hamlet than he did Of the
courtier CT guard which he represented
on this occasion. AS for the women
well, have said, I think, that we were
the worst lot of supers ever seen, and l
believe j am right.
CHEATING THE DIRECTORY.
A few DAYS ago / desired to call upon
young friend who is reckoned among
the swells of New York. | had forgotten
his address, and turned to the directory.
To my surprise. for he had lived in the
city all his life, and was we'll known
about town, his name did not appear
there. / then hunted for the names Of
several mutual friends from whom | ex-
pected to obtain tho desired informa-
ton, and, to my increased establishment,
found that their names, too, were
omitted. Fortunately, | found copy
of the "Society List" the directory
that prctends to contain the names of
the elite OF the city. and in that l dis
covered the object of my search.
II was while talking to my friend later
on that loosely referred to his having
been dropped from the list of citizens.
"Why, my dear fellow" was his reply
"there's nothing accidental about that.
1t is the result OF design, and congratu
late myself on having been clever enough
TO keep clear OF those deuce1ly per-
sistent fellows that so around collecting
names.
"But what in thunder do you want
to keep your name out OF tho directory
for ?" | cried, completely mystified.
He laughed.
ats getting to be vulgar, old fel,
he said. at is considered more aris-
tocratic nowadays not TO have your
name sandwiched in with lot of ordi-
nary people. The gentleman of to-day
is traveller. He ha, many residences,
and prefers to have it thought that he Is
moving about from one to another
Anyhsw, it is an established fashion
and rapidly growing among the So
lcct."
My friend, who would be frst-class
fellow if he had not been wealthy and
member of very fast set, mentioned
many other reasons for the desire of the
dude TO be unknown to the common herd.
Some Of them were mora substantial
than those already quoted. Many swells,
like Mr.. Evander Berry Wall, the ex-
king of dudes, and young Howell Os-
born, who spent fortune almost before
he had left his swaddling clothes, were
annoyed by those horrid fellows, trades
men. If their names were not in the
directory and they had conveniently or
dered their articles to be sent to another
address it would be difficult for the per-
sistent creditors to make themselves as
annoying as if it were otherwise.
JURY SERVICE.
Then there were unpleasant acquaint-
ances who might be all right when met
about town-in the billiard-room, the
gambling hall, or the hotel corridors
but whom it wouldn't do to have calling
at ones own quarters with the possibility
of meeting there some of those eminent
ly heightened friends who are the leaders
OF society. Another reason, and this is
really very strong one. is to avoid jury
service. TO be compelled TO serve on
Jury. together with lot OF honest, every
day citizens, perhaps to be locked up in
a room with them over night, would in
deed be terrible. To the gilded youth,
- -. Al. o,.ax, ;starc1 roppdor tb;a