Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-01-01

to ask, How came Mrs. Brown here?' the matter Is referredto me and consult my list and the introducer is made aware of the dissatisfaction. This naturally l makes every Patriarch very careful and so we become Q. conservative body, a close corporation.
 II am not. you understand, in any way responsible for invitations, but l scrutinize them all and enter the list
 in book keep the lists of past years,
 and they make quite voluminous library, representing no end of labor and trouble, but success, of course, is
 the recompense. Once a patriarch, al ways patriarch. He can't resign and | he pays his $l00 whether he's in Flu rope or in mourning, but it's understood | that the spare invitations come to me
 with thy which to take care of strangers. What is the rule of adms ,ion?' 'I go about and take the general | sense of the body concerning the can | didate.''
 ''Bu: isn't it very dsagreeable for | you sometimes?"
 | "Oh, yes, but nobody ever accomp- | fishes anything in this world without running the risk of making enemies. Of course there are plenty of people to
 take otiense and say. We've as good | right to be in :~ anybody but success | is the final test of a man, and my balls have succeeded.
 used to run the f. U. U. C., tamlly Circle Dancing Class, for the younger | people. Then I gave two series of balls | year. Inc F. (. D. C. was held at six | houses, my own being one, and the Cotillon started in opposition to it. | Tho Assembly started in opposition to the Patriarchs. l shouldn't want to | give you it's real history: it might | offend people who are still living: there were those who wanted to get in and personally should have been very glad | to have had thcm, but it wasn't possi- ble and they started on their own ac- | count; and they had to invite much the same persons, and it ended in perfect
 harmony, my wife being an Assembly member.
 ''The F. c. D C. was dropped two years ago, and I gave in it's stead the | first New Years ball at Dehnonico's. Whom thought of it first I went there
 and said, now. you do as l say and
 this thing will give your house greater prestige than i ever had bcio ore The 1 first difficulty was the decorations l But 1 went to d man who had. I knew, some beautiful tapestries in France | and I said to him, There are the Astors
 and Vanderbilts and ever so many rich | mon in New York; now you send for | those hangings and let me use them for l the ball and you're sure to sell them. , | He sent cable message and we hung the whole place with them. The next difficulty was the up stairs supper room, but we turned 1t into q cOnSerVatory | with flowers and vines overhead on | wires, you know, and the ladies' dress | ing room we made into Japanese | room. There were 100 people there and 1 it cost <7, 900.
 Last year I was in mourning for my l mother, and didn't give a New Iears ball this year l meant to go to Del
 monico's as before, but he objected to
 our driving nails, etc.. and l was really l driven to the Metropolitan Opera House l Once that point was settled of course l tho idea grew. With one hundred and
 forty-four subscribers and twelve invi-
 tations to each subscriber there are | likely to be l,5OO people. There will
 be 15O couples in the German after
 supper and that is simply enormous for | a German.
 II am going to have presentations to
 the lady patronesses, Mrs. William
 Astor, Mrs. Philip Schuyler and Mrs.
 George Peabody Wetmorc, you under
 stand. At the Queen balls they have
 three presentations. I've been wonder
 ing if we couldn't have two Gere, that
 would be quite swell, wouldn't it nov :" "How do you account for tho trouble
 about the electric lighting?'
 'I don't account for it. The Opera l House people did everything for the l Centennial ball, and there they stood
 up and fed at a counter while this will
 be a very different affair. We shall | have guests who will know whether
 the canvass back duck has been cook ed
 twenty minutes or thirty and whether | the terrapin stew ought to have black | sauce or yellow. We shall receive tho
 very finest people in the country, and | the success of the ball will be made by
 those who arc there. Why, Pinard and
 klunder can't risk their regulations by
 failure in their departments, for it
 marks an epoch in social history. We
 shall have fifty servants in livery be-
 sides Pinard's men. And the cost? Oh, say S15.OOO.
 "Who will be the most beautiful
 woman at the ball?"
 l "Ah, there you touch question upon which l should prefer to express no
 opinion. New York is city of beauti-
 full women.''
 Your duties keep you much occu-
 pied g
 "Yes, am tremendously busy: give
 my personal attention to every detail.
 There havo been people who have said. | 'McAllister, socially, is too liberal I
 am liberal. 1 believe in being liberal.
 That talk about the Four Hundred is
 all very we'll, but the Four Hundred is
 much like the light brigade; itwouldn't
 take long to shoot it away in charge.
 There are good many old fellows | among us, and we must have new blood
 if society is to exist at all. Resides,
 this is a growing town. No, it's not my policy to be too exclusive"
 | ELIZA PUTNAM HEAToN.
 THE DOINGS OF WOMEN FOLK
 In the Week Between Christmas and tho