New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-12
THE Woes OF DINNER-GIVERS
SOME UNPLEASANT GUESTS.
From The San Francisco Argonaut.

Mrs Brown, driving down Broadway in n cab
sees Smith and Jones walking up from Wall Street
the best friends in the world. Delightful fellows
Smith and Jones, and go so well together" They
are always making jokes, and the best company
and tbe best friends in the city. 50. the next time
she has people 10 dinner, unthinking Mrs. Brown
asks them. They come in smiling like summer
seas, suddenly sight each other, fall into tIlun-
derous gloon, do not speak at ALL look cross, inter-
rupt each other talk over each other, look at each
other os Il there were nobody there Everybody
gets uncOmfOrtable-dinue Is a fasc0 Afterward
Mr.. Brown abuses Mrs Brown for her lack OF tact;
and Mrs Brown weeps on her best lace handker.
chief, which was never meant TO be used. And all
this unpleasantneSs because Smith contradicted
Jones, last Monday week in political discussion.
QuarrelsOmeneSs is unC oubtedly weakness OF
very young men who have not their delicate feel
ings quite under control. Young nlen who think
they have been snubbed have nearly turned the
lOyeliest heads in Gotham white by bursting into
sudden anger when asked 10 break bread with a
tend in human shape, who walked by them on the
avenue yesterday without seeing them The in
suited ore, with his rage simmerng under his shirt
bosom, and threatening TO boil over altogether, as
his gaze encounters that Of the demon who did not
recognize him, brides like an angry horse, and
with expanded nOstrils looks iri0UsIy at the low.
born wretch looks him over as IL appraising him
from head to foot.
Then he says in husky whisper TO his hostess.
WHO has come to speak sweetiy to him, with
smiling lips:
"If I'd known that beast was going to he here,
wouldn't have come"
Dear me- she murmurs in agony, have you
"No-not exactly. The brute cut me on the
avenue yesterday.
Not intentionally; surely not. lie wouldn't
cut fly that he'd never met before. He's the most
amiable man in town. Did he look you straight in
the eye-really cut you dead?n
Not regularly "-chatng; " ne didn't look AT me
at all. Bat il was q cut. Oh make no mistake,
| know q cut when ! see one. I'll not give him
chance TO do that twice-confound him.
lie goes across 20 lady sitting near She cutter,
speaks honeyed words ~ her and does not see the
ennpflpr ma At lors hon Hp
grows angry and talks 10 her, too. They both talk,
and she turns Der head first to one, then 10 the
other, until She almost dislccates her neck.
Finally she says, with the nervous smile OF alarmed
embarrassment
Really, don't believe you know each other.
How awkward Of me TO forget.
She introduces. They bow stiily and with
fury in their eyes. There Is heavy silence and
then the lady says with fictitious vvacity, tanning
herself vigorously:
But they DO not respond being engaged in
thinking up crushing things TO say at each other
later on across the table
Some Of these indictments do not 20 so far
as t. appear at the dinner when the company is
not agreeable They refuse beforehand. and their
refusal has the recommendation OF being honest.
They do not talk OF previous engagements or uLi-
avoidable business meetings. They say frankly
and candidly that they DO not want 10 meet
Birdie Tompkins or Jackie Brown Some months
earlier in the season, girl. whose parents do
q good deal of entertaining, showed me letter
she had just received In answer TO an invitation
to dinner. In her note, she had said that she
hoped Mr. Smith would come. as she expected
Miss TOmpkins, whom he had met before and
must remember as most charming girl, etc.
Mr. Smith appeared TO think differently on the
subject. lie thanked her sweetly for her kind
ness in remembering him, but regretted that
he could not cOmc-hc would be happy to. If
lie could talk to her, but as 10 entertaining Miss
Tompkins, he did not quite think that he wanted
What would yor do with man who wrote
you letter like that?' said the recipient, with
compressed lips and angry eyes.
Send him packing next time he cOneG'
Yes, that's the right thing to do, but he's
such a charming fellow when he's it good
temper He's very amusing and creditable and
to to" send i''t a man like that packing
Then you must overlook the lctter-pretend
you never got II.
ness as that. lie ought to be punished-ought TO
Then get him manual OF Social Usages,'
mark the chapter on The Etiquette OF Letter
Writing and send il to him A.,
Il don't want to offend him, you see. And
if You look closely at the letter you VIII n9uee
that he says he would he charmed % come II he
could talk to me. That rather Softens it,
Lets you down easy. You'd better bear It,
since it was done with such delicate consideration
Meeting her fortnight after, the natural query
was: o.,
:" How did you punish that recalcitrant friend
of yours who refused to entertain Birdie lomp
kinS ?' ,,,,...
To which came the bold and unblushing reply:
Asked him TO dinner the week after. -,
But the most remarkable people 70 be met WIN
by the experienced entertainer are the people VINO
change their minds. Changing tie mlhd Is gen
orally privilege assigned to the female. and. TO
the credit Of the male be il said, the female u
far ahead of him in the rapidity and daring with
which she performs this popular feat. OF course,
with good many females there Is always tie
question whether there is any %n md 10 S0 ine9
probable hypothesis and grapple with the main
question.
lady and her husband are asked TO dinner
by MI and Mrs. MOntg0mcTy-Sikes. Ihey consult
about it, 1t will be desperate bore The Skies
always have such death-heads at dinner, ana the
clarct is invariably corlled. Let's not 60 lou
e %ad tell dd her re Te ESf IN he SaBy
Group. 1t had Group once last winter, SO 1t won't
be regular lie. IL.
writes that the baby is sick, and so she cannot 60
Then the next day she meets Trend al a yea,
who says she Is going TO the dlnner also, u'at
celebrated amateur actress is TO be there and IT VIII
be very amusing. The lady goes home ana begins
10 want to 60 But she waits Tor two days before
She tells her husband, and then he wants to go.
In the approved and reasonable haScunhe ni''ii'i'
Now, YOU see! If you hadn't told that Lie
about tie baby, we could have gone and had
They wrangle about that for little time, and
wen, Why can't the baby get better? Babies
But you've written that he was desperately
ILL.,"
"Of course; but he takes sudden turn for the
better Group dissipatcd by homeopathic medi-
cines We have a wonderful homeopathic physl-
clan And now that we have fortunately been
relieved of our anxiety OH that head, cannot We
beg that you will still extend 10 us your most
kind invitation for dinner on Tuesday neXt?'
well, go ahead and try it. They can't say
they won't have us. They asked us, and | want
10 see the amateur actress
Then the Montgomery-S their dinner party
neatly made up, the deficiencies oil filed and a
lot of cut-glass and Royal Worcester hired for the
occasion, get the letter.
Good gracous-thoSe people are coming after
ALL" cries Mrs Skies, with IN expression other
wise than hosptabc on her patrician countonance.
Has their mother been rcsurrected from the
dead ?" says Mr.. Skies
oh, not those people-the ones whose baby
had Group"
|" Has the baby died =?
No; it's got well, and they want TO come;
,,o do ,,-;th Thorn In breaks everything mn