Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-11-22
A SOCIAL VERDICT.

"A OUClAI LhDlO1.
Royal Mathews was invited to dine at
the Lossings, strictly family affair, and
was duly elated, for he knew 1t meant the
crucial moment of his life, when he would
be considered u possible lover for the clever
Edith LOSING, to whom he had lost his
heart on first acquaintance
The dinner was one of those dainty sg-
gregations Of silver and cut glass and dec
oratiye china which give bizarre effect
to our meals at the present time even
when ones feelings must be tied with
blue ribbon or kept out Of sight, and when
1t is social crime to eat anything with
spoon. But Royal Mathews was accus-
toned to modern luxury and would have
died before he would have admitted that
he did not know the whole social shibbo-
leth. That Edith LOSING would attempt
to judge of mans morals by his man
ners never occurred to him.
Before the dinner was we'll begun Ma
thews was aware that in some way he had
offended Miss LOSING.
Edith Lossing's friends were much
afraid that she would end her days in sin
gle blessedness, or else 60 through the
woods and pick up the fgurative crooked
stick as a last opportunity. So many eli
gible men had sought her hand and been
refused that 1t was currently reported that
she had been disappointed in love and was
determined to live and die an old maid.
Her friends had on several occasions an
nounced themselves satisfied with the can
didate only to be told that Miss Edith had
refused him.
The trouble was that Edith was hyper
critical. 1t was SO with other things be-
sides the affections. She took all the
sweetness out Of life by finding its sugar
was adulterated with chalk. She left the
sky out of her landscapes and mutilated
her friends by petty criticism. She had
heard or read somewhere that manners
were the shadows Of morals and by this
half inch rule she measured men.
The day after dinner she went to lunch
with her best friend, who boarded at a
stately hotel and was person of common
sense, the scarcest commodity on EARTH
She was fond Of Edith while bewailing the
positive virtues which made her SO dis
agreeable.
"'I met Allen Holbrook In the lobby,
and he stood and talked with me without
removing his hat, }" she announced to her
best friend after they had lunched and
were seated in the parlor Of the hotel.
"Then suppose you will disallow him
single good quality, remarked the B. F.
"But 1t was such want of respect, I"
complained Edith.
"Put 1t on another basis Perhaps,
new woman, he was treating you with the
freedom of good oomradeship. Could he
pay you greater compliment"
"The new woman will demand every &C.
acknowledgement of social FORM" answered
Edith. lit was unbearable rudeness."
"Let us think that he was so glad to see
you that he never once thought Of his hat.
1t will be more charitable. But, tell me,
for am dying to know, Is Royal Mathews
to be the happy MANI"
Royal Mathews Is an insufferable
boor," retorted Edith with good deal Of
asperity, showing that she was secretly
hurt.
"What did he dor You told me he was
to dine with you yesterday. Did he eat
with his knife?''
Worse, thousand times worse"
"Did he do as Emerson did when Mar
garet Fuller was his guest-eat In his shirt
sleevesp"
ono and he Is not an Emerson"
II insist upon you telling me the depth
and breadth of his transgression. If you
do not, shall ask him myself when he
calls at 8, as he promised"
''Very WE'LL I will tell you, and the
consequences be on your own head. You
know that pride myself on my house.
keeping, and that all the glass and silver
is taken care of by myself. 1 think can
claim spotless brilliancy for the tableware,
yet when that man sat down at the table
what do you think he didP But you would
never guess-no, not in a lifetime. The
wretch picked up a corner Of the table,
cloth and deliberately polished first his
glass, then the plate and finally the silver
at his plate 1t was done in moment,
but with no attempt at concealment. I
was so thankful that no one else saw him
the affair would have been talked over
in the Kitchen"
Edith waited for burst of indignation
from her B. f. and was surprised at a
peal Of laughter. This was followed by
grave thoughtfulness, and then the Best
Friend said
"My dear, Royal Mathews was uncon-
sciously following habit acquired at the
hotels Of our country, where food is served
in haste and often by incompetent help.
do not imagine the poor fellow was for
moment conscious of what he was really
doing, and admit that the habit Is very
careless one. But it rates several degrees
less than crime
II don't know about that" said Edith,
k,wxtA utxxy.