The morning call., 1891-02-16
NEW YORK SOCIETY
SECRETS EXPOSED.
How a Young Man of the Empire
City Obtains a Pedigree.
In Order to Become Welcome Guest in Some
Of the Most Exclusive Houses He Must
Be Possessed of One.

HILL Won, anu CHdrley MllldIu nau pecOme
a welcome guest in some of the most ex-
elusive houses, that he was outftted with a
pedigree, writes Edward Egaleston in his
new novel, "The Faith Doctor" now run
ming in the Century"
Charley's mothers father was named
Van Dam. The family had been a little
ashamed of the old Dutch cognomen; it had
such wicked sound that they tried to shift
the accent to the first syllable. Among the
fads that Charley had taken up for a time
after he came to New York was that of col
lecting old prints. In looking over a LOT of
these one day in secondhand book-Shop,
he stumbled on picture of the colonial
period in which was represented one of the
ancient Dutch churches of New York.
There was single stately carriage passing
In front of the church, and the artist had
taken the pains to show the foot
man running before the coach. The pic
ture was dedicated to rip Van Dam, Esq,
President of the Council of the Colony of
New York" AS a Christian name Grip" did
not tend to take the curse off the Van Dam.
But this picture made Charley aware that
at least one of the Van Dams had been a
great man in his day. BE reflected that this
must be the old Rips own carriage define
ated in the foreground of the picture OF
which he was the patron; and this must be
his footman charging along at breakneck
pace to warn all vulgar carts to get out of
the great gentleman's road. Willard bought
the print and hung it in his sitting-room;
for since he had been promoted in the bank
and had been admitted to fashionable club,
he had moved into bachelor apartments suit
able to his improving fortunes and social
position.
Willard hung this print on one side of tn e
chimney in his apartment. chimney that
had a pair of andironS and three logs OF
wood in it. But whether this or any other
chimney in the Graydon Building was fitted
to contain a fire nobody knew; for the
building was heated by steam, and no one
had been foolhardy enough to discover en-
pcrimentally just what would happen If
fires we're actually lighted in fireplaceS so I'M
realistic as these. On the other side OF his
chimney Charley hung print of
THE sToRMING OF STONY POINT.
Oae evening Philip Gouverneur. one of
| Millard's new cronies, who was calling on
him. asked:
"Millard, what have you got that old
meeting house on your wall for?"
WELL you see," said Willard, with the
air of a man but lauguidly interested-your
| real gentleman ALWAYS affects to be bored by
| what he cares fOr-'you see | put it there
I
''Wha. do you care for that old cuss?"
| went on Gouverneur, who, being of the true
blue blood himself. had fad of making
| game of the whole race of ancient worthless
Il don't really care" said Charley; out
| as my mother was Vandam, she may have
| descended from this Rip. l have no docu-
| ments to prove it"
"Oh, see. Excuse me for making fun
| of your forefathers. | say every mean
| thing | can think of abO ut mine, but auoth-
! ar ar,'c faf
! couldn't help smiling at the Westinghouse
on one side and that old-fashioned, bloody
| bayonet-charge on the other"
"Oh, that's only another case of ances
| tor" said Willard; my great-grandfather
| was at Stony Point.
1.-THE more fool he" said Gouverneur.
My forefathers, now, contriyed to keep
out of bayonet-charges, and shed for their
| country mostly ink and oratory, speeches
| and documents"
| for ancestors his mother did. The one thing
that enabled Mrs Gouverneur to look down
on the whole brood of railway magnates,
| Silver-mine kings and Standard Oil operat-
| orS, who, as she parased it, had intruded
into New York" was the fact that her own
family had taken an historic part in the
Revolutionary struggle. At this very mo-
| ment she was connecting ball in memory
of the evacuation of New York, and she
was firmly resolved that ON this occasion no
upstart of an Astor or a Vanderbilt, much
less any later conner, should assist-nobody
but those whose families were distinctly OF
| Revolutionary or
| COLONIAL DIGNITY.
| In truth, Mrs. Guuverneur had some feel
| ing OF resentment that the capitalist fami-
lies were of late disposed to take themselves
| for leaders in society and to treat the merely
| old families as dispensable if necessary.
| This assembly to be made up exclusively of
| antiques was her countermoye.
| 1t cost her something of q struggle. There
| were amiable people, otherwise conSpicu-
| ously eligible, whom she must omit If she
adhered to her plan; and there were some
| whom she despsed that must be asked on
account of the illustriousness of their pedi-
| gree. But Mrs. Gouverneur had set out to
| check the deterioration Of society in New
| York and she was not the woman to draw
| back when principle demanded the sacrifice
of Ter feelings. She had taken the live
| lest fancy to young Mi'laFd, who by Il
| charming address, obliGing manners, and an
| endless stock OF useful information had
| made himself an intimate in the Gouver-
nrur household. He had come to dine with
them informally almost every other Sunday
evening. To leave him cut would be a
| dreadful cut; but what else could she DO +?
| What would be said of her set of old china
| if she inserted such piece of new porce-
| laiA? What would Miss Lavinia Vande-
| leur, special oracle on the genealogy of the
exclusive families. think, If Mrs. Gouver-
HtuE SUUulu US 81 ItGItduL W IlSuL pIluCl-
| pies as 10 invite young man without q
| single grandfather TO his back, only because
| he had virtues OF his own?
say MOTHER" said Phillip. her son,
when he Game to look over the list, you
haven't got Charley Willard down"
has no family"
F." No family Why he is a descendant of
| old Governor Van Dam, and one of his an
| cestorss. was an officer under Wayne at Stony
| Point"
Are you sure, Philip?'
Certainly; he has pictures of Stony Point
and of Rip Van Dam hanging in his ro0m
No Revolutionary party would be complete
without him"
| MRS. GoUVERNEUR LOOKED AT PHILIP
| Suspiciously; he had a way of quizzng
her; but his face did not finch. and she
was greatly relieved to think she had
missed making the mistake of emitting a
friend with so eligible a backing. Willard
| was invited, rather to his own surprise,
and taken into preliminary councils af a
matter of course. When the Introductory
minuet had been danced, and the ball was
at lis height, Philip Gouverneur, with a
smile of innocence, led his friend straight
| to Miss Nandeleur, who proudly wore the
very dress in which, according to a rather
shaky tradition, her great-great-aunt had
poured tea for General Washington.
Miss Vandeleur," said Philip, "let me
present Mr.. Willard"
Miss Vandeleur gave Willard one of the
| bows she kept ready for people of no par
ticular consequence.
Mr.. Willard is real old crockery" said
Philip. in half-confidential tome "Some
of us think it enough to be Revolutionary.
but he is descendant of Rip Van Dam, the
old Governor Of New York in the seven
teenth century,"
Miss Vandeeur's face relaxed and she re-
marked that, Judging from his name as well
as from something in his appearance, Mr..
Willard must have come, like herself, from
one of the old Huguenot families.
Revolutionary, too, Charley?" said
| Philip. looking at Willard. Then to Miss
Vandeleur: Zone of his ancestors was sec
ond in command in the charge on Stony
| Point"
"Ah, Philip. you put it too strong; l."
| "There's Governor Cadwallader waiting
to speak to you, Miss Vandeleur," inter-
rupted Philip. bowling and drawing Willard
away. Don't say word, Charley. The
most of Miss Vandeleur's information is