Wichita eagle., 1890-03-06
QUEER WASHINGT0NIANS.
EXCERPTS FROM OVERHEARD CON-
VERSATICNS.
The Women Want social Distinction" !"
the Men Want Influence" and the Col
ored People Want to Be as Much Like
White Folks as Possible.
TSpeciai CorTesponderce.l

w ASHINGIOS, 49, ne StTcSC cars ana
! herdics of the capital, like public conveyances
the world over. are full CT human nature.
| This is particularly true of the cars and
herdics which carry people TO and from the
! Capitol. In these vehicles high and low sit
| side by side. Senators rise and give up their
seats to laundrywomen and mechanics step
upon the corns Of rich and mighty statesmen.
| In these cars ono must overhear conversations
whether he will Or not, since ears, fortunately
or unfortunately, may not be closed to all
| outward sense as may the organs of sight.
| confess that | for one never made the slight
| est effort to avoid overhearing these frag-
ments OF gossip, and during the past week
have taken no little pleasure il jotting down
! in my note book memoranda OF large num-
| ber of these conversations accidentally over
| heard
"AlI the natives here in Washington talk
| alike" said a well dressed woman from New
| England to her companion. "Have you no-
| ticed that the genuine Washiagtonian in
| variably talks like a negro? Well, it is So
the Washingtonian, even il person Of cui-
! ture and travel. always calls a door a doh
| The other day heard Washington lady
telling about the 'hafeour' she had spent with
| ono Of her friends and it was only by dint Of
close questioning that | was able, without
giving otfense, to discover that she meant q
half hour. Then they all say Yes, indeed,
after every other sentence III ordinary con-
vcrsation That Yes indeed, is heard about
five hundred times day Oh an average, and
as an expression Of concurrence it finally be-
comes rather tiresona One day last week
made the round of senatorial calls with
friend of mine who IS in the swim Of official
society. 1t was beautiful day. give you
my word Of honor that at every one of the
thirty houses we called at the weather was
talked about in the drawing room, and this
was invariably the formula of the converse
ton: Isn't it q perfectly lovely dayP Yes,
indeed That Yes, indeed applied to every
thing and anything, is still ringing i'll my
ears"
What has struck me most" said the other
woman, ''iS the manner in which the genuine
WaShingtOnlaps pronounce the name OF their
lovely city. They do not call it Washington
at all. With them it is always and forever
'Wa-a-a- -shinhon,' with a long, lazy drawl on
the first syllable ard a slurriGg over of the
other two. That, suppose, is the negro Of
it."
group Of bright women, on their way to
the Capitol, were talking Of their experiences
in Washington society. Said one:
81 have e little story to tell which shows as
plainly as anything can the influence this
official society of the capital is having on our
imitators, the colored people, A friend of
mine has a very faithful negro servant who
is known as Susie. Susie is not only good
servant, but she is ambitious for social hon
ors, as all the women ia Washington appear
to be, and she owns a beautiful green silk
gown. One day last week Susie asked her
mistress to write a few notes for her, and
this is what she dictated:
DEAR STR-bIiss Susie Jones requests the pleas
ure Of your company TO an ice cream sociabe at
her residence, No. street, y W, Tuesday
evening Basement door. Admission, ten cents
Full dress required Como and bring your girl
Tuesday evening came, and with it a
large aSsemblage of colOred men and women
in the basement. Every one cheerfuly paid
ten cents toward the cost Of the ice cream
and every guest was attired in evening cos
tune"
"Well, that is very funny" said another
member of the group; "but let me tell you
that the colored people are not the only ones
that get this craze for social distinction and
style. One night last week / accepted the
invitation of an old school friend of mine and
attended a progressive euchre party. The
guests were a nice lot of people, but all
clerks in the departments and in stores, and
folks like that. The prizes for the euchre
cost about s., all told, and yet imagine my
surprise to see in the society column OF the
paper next morning glowing account of
the progressive euchre party at Mrs. So-and-
SOS mansion (which by the way, is board
houSel and tba 81 that ba 1,ri1a,
given were the most beautiful and costly
ever offered in Washington. Worse than
all, in the list of guests | found my name
sandwiched in between a lot of senators and
members of congress and high officials, not
one of whom, to my personal knowledge, had
been there | afterward learned how it was
done. Mrs. So-and-so had invited all these
distinguished people, and had given the So
ciety reporter, boarder in the house who
was anxious to stand in with her landlady,
the list of persons invited as the names Of
those present"
That is nothing new in Washington socie-
ty," said third. Il have seen that very
trick played by people who are supposed to be
above It, Printing the names Of prominent
persons invited but not actually present has
made the reputation of more than one anbi-
tlous society woman in this very city. For
several weeks l have lived in the house at
which lives Miss NiInmo, who IS one of the
most conscientious and successful of the wo-
man society reporters of the capital. Almost
every morning women drive up TO the house
in their carriages and ask for Miss NiInmo.
These are the ambitious entertainers, who
are to have a tea or reception, and who want
to make sure that Miss Nimmo viii be on
hand TO report their affairs with all becon-
ing pomp. How they do court that little
woman! They pay her all sorts ot compli-
ments, ask her 10 dine with them. TO drive.
and to shop and would make her valuable
presents if they dared-ail to get favorable
notices in the society columns of the Wash
ington papers. Why. | declare. if it isn't just
lihe 'worSiug' the newspapers for good no
tees of an actress or q circus"
That is literally true said the fourth and
last of this group of passengers. Il know
young man, formerly connected with one of
the newspapers. who obtained q situation as
private secretary 10 q certain rich senator.
with good salary. simply on the strength of
his ability to work the newspapers for good
notices OF the teas and receptions Of the sena-
tors wife He does his work well. and Mrs.
Senator - is coming rapidly TO the front
as one of the social queens Of the capital.
The fair goSsiper whispered the name Of the
senator. but not 50 low that was unable to
overhear it. Still, do not think II best 10
put the name in cold type.
Said young and stylish woman 10 her
companion In Z herdic;
Il know good story about Miss Redtop.
Senator Blanks daughter. You know her.
of course. Well, you remember what = pink
complexion she has and what lovely red hairs
She was ct the Shorehsm cafe for lunch the
nfher NIGHT after tra nrnsrn with yc,1,,,- Rrit-