Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-22

PASSING INTEREST.
wrN F course she was from the west
S{N<f..l The least acute observer could have
as seen that at glance. She looked as
N1ftNy pretty as picture in the feathery
NJ white garment that covered her bare
neck and shoulders as she sat down at table
in the big hotel dining room and plunged at
once into animated conversation with the others
Of her party.
do you know" she giggled, ''that Col Bill
ger told me today that was the prettiest girl
and the sweetest that had visited Washington
from our city this year. He said had only
one rival, and who do You suppose it was? Why,
Aggie. She's a rather tough rival, too, you
know. To begin with, she's awfully hand
some. l never could see it myself. confess.
tunny, but she always seemed to me quite plain.
However, she is really beautiful and no end Of
belle. l know she's belle because L saw
four or five men talking to her at once in the
corridor the other evening""
GOING TO THE BALL.
The theological student on the other side Of
the table smiled in a sickly sort of admiration
and made some remark to the effect that he
party that night
Wei l should most everlastingly-that is to
say, l do SO anticipate. hope the colonel will
ask me to dance ten times. He's awful sweet,
think. And by the way, ma, don't forget
that note told you to write in answer to the
Jones invitation. If come back tonight from
the ball and find it unwritten I'll drag you out
OF bed and make you do il. !"
MA, who was a matron of that degree Of
avoirdupois which is properly an attribute of
the motherly woman and who sat close by at
the end of the table, decorated, though not in
evening dress, with profusion of large dla-
monds, smiled submlssively and replied:
POINT FOR A WAGER.
"TI bet you that you will come home to-
night and tell me that you've had the best
time you ever had in your life"
"I'll bet you WON'T" rejoined the maiden
poutingly.
"I'l bet you dollar you will"
"NO-Fm busted, so can't"
well" said ma "here comes the waiter
with the soup. Hadn't you better take off
your gloves?"
The damsel hesitated in responding to this
suggestion, remarking that her dress had no
sleeves worth mentioning. However, she
solved the difficulty finally by unbuttoning the
long mousquetaires at the wrists, thrusting
her dainty little hands through the openings
thus made and pulling the gloves back up the
forearms sufficiently to get them out of the
way. Thus she was enabled to consume the
soup and subsequent courses without embar-
rassment.
LOVE AS TOPIC.
From the opposite side of the board the
theological student continued to gaze upon
her with soulful admiration and the same
sickly smile. He was very pailid youth, all
the color which should have given to his coun-
tenance the hue OF health having apparently
ietreated TO an abnormally large pair of ears
which stood out on each side of his head like
bat wings Although the maiden was talking
and acting at him chiefly he could find nothing
to say In response save now and then a mono
syllable. But a shade OF pale pea green seemed
to steal over his physiognomy when Ma" sud-
denly remarked:
II think Col Bilger's in love with you.
Claire"
"oh, rats" giggled the pretty girl "He
| amt at ALL"
I'm sure he is. ;"
mans in love with me-"
well, so they are, most of them"
ma, you fatigue me awfully. It's perfectly
silly to talk that way, just because q few gen.
tlemen have been attentive"
GENTLITY DEFINED.
"Any way, the colonel is a very refined gen.
tleman."
''Yes, and an elegant gentleman as we'll 1t
isn't every refined gentleman that is elegant
too"
What is the-er-precise distinction Miss
Claire? asked the theological student timidly.
"Oh, it's simple enough. In our part of the
country we emphasize distinctions of that sort
Very likely they are not understood here in the
east To begin with, a man who has good man.
| ners and a character without flies on it, so to
speak. Is perfect gentleman. II he is excep-
| tionally weil-bred he is termed a refined gem
| tleman. Surprising that his distinguishing
| mark is that he dresses handsomely. he is an
elegant gentleman. Maybe he is both Guilt
| waited and well dressed-in that case he is
called very properly an elegant refined gentle
man. But if you want to express the highest
| possible praise, such as may rarely be be-
slowed, you say that he is perfectly elegant
refined gentleman. You see
SUCH DISTINCTIONS ARE REALLY NECESSARY.
1.-The most refined gentle man may be far from
| elegant. 1t may be that he is well bred, but
the cut of his coat and his pants is against him.
So, when We call a man refined gentleman it
is usually with mental reservation, as it we're,
to the effect that his clothes don't fit him. The
| same remarks will apply equally well to ladies'
who may be perfect ladies, refined ladies', ele-
CANT ladies, elegant refined ladies, or, in cases
necessarily rare, perfectly elegant refined
| ladies. In the same way we divide ladies and
| gentlemen into classes. frst-class lady is
practically the same thing as an elegant refined
| lady. woman who is elegant but not refined,
is a second-class lady, while third-class lady
| is one who possesses refinement but can't afford
| to employ good dressrnaker."
$50 elegance in the-er-west is considered
| more essential than-er-mere refinement"
| why, of course. And very properly so.
Speaking Of Col. Bilger, should have no hes
itation in calling him frst-class-a perfectly
| elegant, refined gentleman. Would you, MAJ"
| PA HAS WORD TO SAY.
"Not q Bit" responded ma promptly. And
| then she added:
| II think the colonel is serious. What would
| you say to him for o son-in-law, pap"
| Pa. the fat and sleepy-looking pater familias,
| who had not said q word before, woke up sud-
| denly at this and replied:
81 was Just thinking that there was likely to
| be slump in wheat within the next ten days.
| As for Col Bilger, il he wants Carrie-Claire,
meant suppose he'll come to me when he's
| ready to talk business"
Upon which pa, having thus summed up the
| question of the coloners possible wooing,
| relapsed into q revery, the object Of which was
| to determine whether or not he should sell
| zoe, 900 bushels of grain that he hadn't got in
expectation Of the anticipated drop in the
market And conversation once more became
| general with the arrival Of the entree.