The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-16

behold if one of those proud silences is
INDUCED in, ones partner promptly ex-
cuses himself and never comes back for
another dance the whole evening, and an
attempt at airy badinage generally results
in covering ones head in the cold gray
light of the morning after the ball and
sQuirming in Tepentant anguish at the
silly. vapid sound that perSflage has re-
peated 10 one's self at this uncheerful
hour.
Theirs once was a girl who carried the
story of this particular form of wretched-
ness to young married friend, who
though she had the finest baby in the
world, could yet remember with perfect
ease her own debut four wears before
Yes. indeed" said the friend, cheer
fully. II remember quite well all the
silly things [ said. often cred over them
and felt l could never look he people who
had listened to them in the face again.
But I'll tell You what-things that would
sound feariully silly in a person of my
age. married and with a baby and all, are
just thought to be deliciouslv innocent
and girlish in a debutante. Pink cheeks
and dimples carry off so much. After all,
one must learn TO talk. and practice is the
only way TO learn. One must make mis-
takes at first; you will improve every day :;
don't let yourself be discouraged; your
blunders don't sound half as bad TO others
as they do to you" After which that
QCUubdubO VIGIL away GULL
forted.
There's another Derplexity the debutante
Is going to be confronted with, and that's
the secret OF what makes popularity. She
sees that pretty girls and clever girls and
rich girls all have excellent chances to be-
gin with. but that even those with all these
things in their favor don't invariably make
q success, while occasionally girls who
aren't really pretty. not witty at all. nor
rich either, come in and make a tremend-
Gus success OF it right over he heads of
girls with tie qualities they lack. She
wants to know why that is. Well, the
best way TO fnd out is to ask one of the
men who dance with that sort of girl as
MANY times as she will say yes during the
evening.
What do you see in Mary Jones?" you
say. shes not pretty and she's not very
clever"
Then the young man will look at you as
II be suspected you were moi only bad
tempered, but little jealous of Mary as
well and answer: "Oh. she's not beauty,
perhaps, but she's an awfully attractive
looking girl, don't you think SOP and then
she's such good sOr.."
And when you come to analyZe what ''a
good SOFT" means you'll find that 1t i'm
plies Mary Jones is Jolly and gay and good
tempered, and very unselfsh about trifles.
She doesn't say nasty things about other
girls; she Is willing 10 lei every body share
il her fun, she never plays any mean
social tricks; she is not taken mn with
herself all the while, and she is honest,
genuine. frank and kindly. She is the girl
who likes to talk to old gentlemen to give
them the pleasure of bit OF gay gossip
with fresh young girl; she takes time to
be civil 10 the old ladies'. she sympathizas
with bashful girls younger than herself
and is good between whites TO awkward
boys. She doesn't dangle about in hot
rooms all day munchiug bon-bons and
reading novels, but is full of interests and
vigor of high health and OVERLOOKING spir-
its. The important part is that she doesn I
pretend to be any of these things but really
is what she seems to be. The debulaute
will Learn in time, as every one does learn.
that while il is very easy TO pretend il Is
very d ifficult to deceive people with pre-
lenses. Our friends all know our real char
acters pretty well, and the way 10 make
people think we are good tempered ana
kindly is to be good tempered and kindly.
Another lesson the pretty debutante is
learning while she is about ballrp oms
like frisky young butterfly Is the lesson
of adaD;ability. A little experience teaches
her that even though she was the cleverest
girl in school and the valedictorlan or her
class it is best not to talk philosophy OF
discuss serious pro blems between the fig
ures in the cotlllon. She will have plenty
of proper occasions TO show what she
knows, but in the ballroom such topics are
heavy and unsuitable. and she had much
better content herself with merry give
and take of nonsense and nothings. so that
nothing Is lost when the dance comes to
break in upon a sentence. Or II the debu-
tante happens to be of the purely butterfly
order of mind she Will soon learn when
she chances TO sit beside some grave
elderly man al dinner that though her limo
cent chatter may amuse him for the mo.
ment he will easily tire of it. and her best