Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-25

wealth and she is elegant looking.
Everything about her position makes her
a leader. But her drawing room is not
popular and it is easy to tell the reason.
She has tried to introduce English GUS
toms into this PLAIN American country.
A lady whom every one has learned
to know and like describes a call at her
house in the following manner. "I
called upon Mrs. Blank because my posi-
ton demanded that should make the
first call, and then l had heard that she
was sucn a brilliant woman that l was
anxious to meet her. When the butler
announced my name she turned a face of
the kindliest welcome upon me. Il
hope you are enjoying your. first winter
in Washington - she said, and then
turned to a group of ladies and gentle
men at her right and began talking in u
laughing, witty way which they all en-
joyed more than 1 for I could not hear
word and evidently was not expected to.
She knew all her other guests well and 1
was perfect stranger, for she made not
q single Introduction. 1 was just med
itating departure, for L felt forlorn,
when she turned upon me with win
ming smile such as sne had first vouch-
safed me and said: "Won't you go to
the dining room, Mrs. - and have
cup of tea? GU will find Miss - at
the table, A great hope sprang up in
my heart that ! would find friend as
well as a cup of tea in the dining-room,
and passed on through crowds of people
whom l had never seen but who seemed
to be intimately acquainted. l think l
never before saw other people having
quite so genial a time. Reaching the
time dining room 1 saw girl who was
presumably Miss -, for she was seated
at the tea-ur but soc was engaged in a
most piquant parley with half dozen
men vino were evidently foreigners. I
waited patiently for the cup of tea which
L had been led by the hostess bland
words to believe only awaited my COM
ing, but il was not until every foreigner
had bowed himself out that my lady
turned to me and drawled: "Have you
had tear" 'No, but l should like cup
very much, said cheerfully, all the
time cherishing hope that she would at
least pretend that she was as glad to see
me as the gentlemen who had just left.
But no, she only said: "One lump?''
Us though she was giving me my choice of
hanging by the rope or death by cleo
tricity. I slipped tea and she looked
weary until a pretty girl and a half
dozen men came in and then she gushed:
ooh, you dear old duck, you knew l
would be bored at this wretched tea
table. Why didn t you come before?''
Tnever found out why the duck had not
been on time for 1 left chagrined and
home sick.
MRS. SPEAKER REED TALKS.
Mrs. Reed, the wife of the speaker of
the house is another lady who agrees
with Mrs. Harrison that the unkindliest
custom in Washington is that of not
making any introductions. In talking
of it she related little incident of how
when she first oams to the capital as a
member wife she took q friend with
her to call upon lady high up IN the Of
fioial scale and who had just returned
from abroad. They entered the room,
were received winningly by the hostess,
who soon had to give her whole attention
to some new arrivals. The ladies who
were receiving with her looked at them
ooldly, ohatted among themselves, and
they drifted through the rooms fairly os-
tracised because they chanced not to
know any one. "We soon took our de-
parture, said Mrs. Reed and the |
lady who was with me said: eff |
this is the hospitality for which wash |
ington is so famous 1 will have none OF |
it, 'and never again when she returned |
for visit, could persuade her to go with |
me to that house. 81 always, continued |
she, Introduce people who enter my |
drawing room and whom see are stran-
gers, if for no other reason than because |
l do not want them to feel as miserable |
as did at my first call at that house. |
One need never continue the acquaint-
ance made in so impromptu fashion. l |
have talked with number of ladies on
the subject, and we all agree that, in
spite of fashion s edict. we will make in
Productions. In further piquant chat
about good breeding this little wo man,
who by the way is as clever as her IA
mously clever husband, said that TO her
the perfect lady, was the one who
quickly interpreted the character of
every one who came into her pres
ence. and tried to make them feel at
their ease. She paid q pretty compile
ment to Mrs. Window, the wife of the |
secretary of the treasury by saying that
she came nearest TO her ideal of we'll
bred woman. "She always sees every |