The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-03-27
GOTHAM'S TEA hooks.
Mrs. Aston Has One in Which Palms
Are Silhouetted Against
the Dying Sun.

New York, Feb. 2O.-tSpecial.1- Mrs.
John Jacob 4Astor's new home. recently
thrown open to society through series
of house warnings, has what her friends
consider the ideal tearopm It lies well
back upon the first floor pf the dee,
house. Its entire rear wall is of glass:
allow ing the last rays Of sun to linger,
over the 5 o'clock tea service and its
furnishings are palms. Chairs-yea.
there are resting placcs-chairs, nigh
cushions and unique stools, but you get
tn" lasting impression of late sunlight
sjlhonettcd with palm fronds.
Over the arched entrance is cascaied
Russian scarf, for i, is Russian tea
with lemon that is served here. Lead
ing to the tearoom is the reception room,
which connects mysteriously by curtans
and arches with the dining room which,
IN turn, connects by sliding doors with
the dining room of Mrs. William Astor.
who lives III the twin house next door
That little tearOOu is inexpensive Civ
ell the broad window and the palms all
can have tea i'll the dying sunlight when
tired nerves are getting themselves ten
stoned for dressing for dinner.
No house but has IL tearoon for Lent.
LII one of the finest avenue houses Their"
Is no provision for Il tearooln: and whu,
does the hostess do these afternoons
when the gay world Subdu"s its cayrty
to gossip and it's reyclry to tea: She is
at home III her tearoum as others are.
Her little tea nook is an imprnvised one.
1t Is IN Il corner of 4 great drawing
room. \ screen, tall and ..alr.ieI with
glass. makes til" tcaruom. ana Il lttl,.
tea service upon Il Cairo stand Uors the
rest. There are very old chairs within.
this enclosure. One is of wood with
broad arms. and another. also of wool
is Naples chair. black as your hat,
AID as uncomfortable as an ironing
board. but carved until You cry out with
JOY at its intricacies
Mrs. c. 2. HuDtington's ttaroom is.
ike the rest of her Fifth avenue pal
ace: uncxcelled Its cups ar" as large
as bowls. No one serve tea in the deuii
tassc. The linen under her tea tray is
I'm" as thread. and the silver is the
heavy oSihiz"d work now fa<hiuua tie.
l1er room Is Il maze Of drapery the fcs-
toons being dc,~ndent from the sides If
doorWays and above mantcl<. Mrs.
Huntington herself is a Rembrandt wul,-
an III 1;"' and her r""lS ar" l'ai.. .rtei
pale blue and cardinal. Her tcarr,m
carries nut ,h'S" 'r,lors alternately az
coro11S ~ the daily taste Of the hostess.
Miss Gertrude Vanderbilt traru,m
is girls room. This hcires>. who
could maxi. greater splurgr than the
Marlborough girl. persists in being ONLY
a girl. If she spends money it isn't on
herself
Her traToom is n square partmDnt
III the rear of the grand >aluiI IF her
1atherS enormous house on Fifth ave
nue.. Ii looks out upon the avenue and
has window that :iances towards Cen
trail park. The furni,ur" Of the room
Is ol''t ana lnnk' the pink being the pre-
!, else shade which Miss Gertrude. wore. 10
the Aston bail. in chiffon. The tea ser
vice is an arm holdin. the kettle. Be-
meath ar" the cups resting upon au iDlajd
table.
There is a couch supplied with the phi.
! lows from the gowns that have been en-,
, deared to the Young hostess. and u,s,n
little shelves, everywhere around the
room are cups OF thinncst china. Dro,.
ping III for l-enten cul, of tea the caller
Is asked to select cup. which is thei,
. lifted from the shelf ami flied with tea.
n neat maid slips i'll and nut IF fhc
room, taking out and bringing back tit.
cups.
1t would he shocking at the beginning
Of Lent. when the soul is plunged deer,
est in self condemnation. to suggest that
! these AFTERNOON teas are the vehicles for
the gcntlcst and most persistent flirta-
tons of the year; and that the Easter
announcements and Easter weddings arr
only the reflex Of the Lcntpn afternoon
mains that over the litti. ia tables.
more cups of the amber are poured fni
the men than for tie women Even
Elisha Dyer the great cotillon leader ami
! the husband of a wife of marvellous beau
ty, enjoys the Irnten tea table anl a
whisper with the prcttiest girl. while
Mrs. Elisha bushes over her cup into the
bewildered face Of the college lad. home
for day. The Lentcn tea table is too.
too sweet for mortal resistance.
The new hean!i.S of the season, those
budded this year. and others just canning
int" full bloom have their little tea
rooms. Miss Evelyn Burden. who lost
her jewels when her mothers were
stolen in the greatest jewel robbery that
ever happened in New York Possesses
tiny tearorn that lies in the extension
Of the parlor floor "f their town house.
This tear'om is filled with souvenirs of
journeys. Its curtains are silk net and
the tea service is blue delft
Miss Kitty Dner. the belle of the
bud season. combines houdoir. tearooIn
and self III the most fascinating way
And Miss Amy Bend who is reported
! engaged to marry Willy X. Vanderbilt
when report is not connecting him with
in her tearoOm and gives little musicales
during the Lenten afternoons. when
there's nothing going on but evcnSong
IN the churches. ceremony which Miss
Bend. who is very devout, often attends.
Though tea from England was the
room in its beauty is an American in
vention. In Paris. when Nine. Faurc
sends out cards for 5 o'clock tea. her
invitations are in French. except the
words - o'clock tea. which are in
English. Tho French have no words
terms for the r. s. Y. P. which we
place upon invita- tons that need reply
Nine. Faure has tearoom which was
furnished for her by Mrs. William Astor
while that lady was visiting at the
Presidents house last spring. 1t is in
Marie Antoinette style. and has all the
poor Queens little fancies from the glass
silk laid in the cover. Marie Antoi-
nette'S boudoir was her room for day
luncheon. but she did not call them aft
ernoon teas Nine Faure has the
Queens boudoir almost repeated in the
arrangement of her small tearoom. even
t" the tables. the escretoire and the
seen Mrs. Potter in La Collier de la
Refine will recognize the picture.
In London there is not a tearoom that
compares with New York's tea spots.
the best being those of the two beauti-
1.anstry and Lady Randolph Churchill,
the former now in the zenith of her
spirits and beauty and tn, latter keep
ing quiet.
Mrs. Dimmick. soon to be Mrs Harri-
son. Won Benjamin. it's said over the
teacurS. If So, all the more promise uf
permanent bliss for both
The woman who can call for hot wa
ter. set it boiling, rinse the teacups in
the scaltlinS fluid, heat the teacup put
in the tea leaves. cover them with boil
ing water. shake them thoroughly, fill
the pot full of water. cover with silk
cosy and set down to steep minute.
all the time Keeping up q run of pleas
ant conversation. is the woman who can
keep house without scowling. If she
can pour the cup of tea, milk and sweet
en- it property. without forgetting il
YOU like il clear" she is the woman
who is not going to neglect you in the
matter of steaks and new potatoes
That is Mrs. Dimmick to T.
Architects plan the tcaroom when
they are designing the main floor of
house. and those who build on Fifth
avenue have money to put artifice
enough in that one little ten feet square
of room to make You wish in the gloam-