Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-10-11
A SOCIAL SUCCESS.

1 Sewing Circle of Midvale, was promptly
I chosen president of that organization at
| the annual election of officers. which oc-
cured soon after the ambition of Mr. John
| Clineher had been gratitied Miss Clinch-
er and Miss Valeria Clincher, the daugh-
ily family. were both elected to positions
| in the literary society of Midvale, and thus
ON account of the success of the father the
whole family suddenly feund themselves
in office Mrs. Chncher and the Misses
Clincher at once began to lay plans for a
brilliant campaign at the national capital.
Born apparently to life of poverty on a
barren farm Mr.. Clincher, by the sheerest
vagaries of luck, while yet in the vigor of
his life, had become millionaire sev eral
times multiplied, without any special ex-
! ercise of cunning or judgment on his part,
though he was possessed of what his neigh
bors called "good horse sense" But his
riches made him mighty and elected him
to Congress, and his wife and daughters,
having already knocked about the world q
bit and acquired something of the Teneering
and assurance of good society" determin-
ed to cut broad swath in the highest So
eiety circles of the capital, il any way
conld be devised to gain admission To the
charmed set Mrs. Clincher and the girls
managed to put in their time very agree
ably shopping in New York and Philadel-
phia, buying elegant gowns and bonnets,
and such like female toggery, as Mideale
had never dreamed of before.
But it was all changed now. There must
be a snow of grandeur consistent with the
dignity of Congressman and million
aire, to begin with. More important than
that was the determination Of Mrs. Clinch-
er that her daughters should be quite AZ
conspicuous in Washington as in Midvale
society, and so there must be costumes
from the best American modistes at the
very least, and possibly the richest re-
sources of the French capital would have
to be drawn upon to satisfy the newly
created demands of the little village of
Midvale, so far reaching is the dominion
of modern society. Of course the larger
portion of these purchases never saw the
light of day in Midvalc. The orthodox
population of that secluded berg would
have been shocked beyond recovery had it
been revealed to them that the ladies OF
the Clincher family had gone to the very
extreme of the fashion in ordering their
evening gowns, with wealth of Longitude
at the southerly end, and a paucity of the
same at the northerly limits, in the snowy
regions of the neck and bosom. twas on
" in the seclusion of the Clincher mansion,
in the late hours of the night, when there
was no.danger of interruption, that the In
dies guiltily put an these gowns, repulsive
to the morality of the place, and it requir-
ed some practice even when none but they
were present to accustom themselves to
the badness of the fashion.
Mamma, ! do believe | shall faint the
first time go into company in these aw-
iul gowns" said Miss Clncher one day.
"Its all well enough to learn to look at
myself in the glass, and to have you and
Valeria gaze at me and talk about me
without my having fit but it will quite
another thing when strange men stare at
me and make remarks in their minds about
the shape of my neck and arms and the
quality Of my skin. know they'll do il
and l don't believe | can stand it. I'd like
to know the name of the inventor of this
horrible way of appearing to he dressed
when you are not"
"Well, | suppose it will take nerve, -
said Mrs. Clincher, "but we always 20
through with what we undertake you
know, and we'll struggle with the situa-
tion as best we can when we come to it,
ooh, I'm not bothered half so much
about that as / am about what shall say, -
bemoaned Miss valeria. II just know |
shall make fool of myself among all
those smart people, who have been used
to society and did what is it'"
Diplomacy, I suppose you mean" said
Miss Clincher with n superior air
Yes diplomacy; that's what I'm afraid
of more than anything else. I've read in
the papers that those foreign ministers and
the other foreigners who are with them,
are awfnlly smooth and deceitful and that
you never could know whether they mean
what they say, and all the time they are
just overwhelming you with stuff that leads
you into all sorts of traps, and you don't
know what to do. like people who say
in plain way, just what they mean"
"But we mayn't meet these fellows al
all, said Miss Clincher, at which Mrs.
Clincher looked up quickly with Il sly
smile at the corners Of her mouth.
"You know" continued Miss Clincher,
THAT Mr.. Struthers who preceded papa in
Congress, tried his level best to get his
family into the toniest society. and onlygot
| laughed at for the manGuvres he and Mrs
Struthers made and the mo ney they spent
And think Mr.. Struthers is just as smart
az papa, because he is a lawyer and papa il
just poor farmer who made money by
luck in getting hold of a lot of land which
had coal ami oil and natural gas"
'1f your papa is Mrs. Struthers | am moi
Mrs Struthers," said Mrs Clncher quietly
The Clinchers had taken the finest avail
able mansion in the city, for which they
paid rental of 8 1000 month. They
had not gone into society because there
was no society in the fashionable sense, 'a'
Mrs. Gin cher explained to the few com
mon-place acquaintanccs she had made
She and her daughters expected to enjoy a
very gay season. But in tho privacy o.
their own rooms the Misses Clincher were
in despair.
"Why, Mamma, we have not been motto
ed at ali, )" said Miss Clincher one day il
early January, land here IL the beginning
of the season, when all the fashionable la
dies are making up their lists, and were
not as much made of az though we were
in Midvale. I'd rather be at the top O
things there, Pm sure, than a perfect no
body here, and with all our fine gowns
too
why, | haven't 30 much as set eyes on
a foreign diplomat, even in the street." ex
claimed Miss valeria in great heat "rhat
is, if / have they must just appear like
other people and I'm sure il they do,
shall be awfully disappointed, for want q
count or lord to look distinguished, and
not like common Americans"
oWait," said Mrs Clineher.
Within a few days there wa an in
| G ...uunAil. ~ Il,n q .a.,I ron;