New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-08
NOTES ON SOCIETY.
THE STORY OF MILLY-THE OLD OPERA
HOUSE.
.1r n THE rR1FIE THAT OFTEN CHANGES TIE
CURRENT OF ONES LIFE''-THE SOCIAL MAJ
&C crOGRAPHICAL PUZZLE

A wcll-known modern author, In speaking vi
New-York describes what he designates DIS ','0
social map. comparing It to a geographcai pu~~,e
wherein differently shaped and separate pieces
.ach ats into its place. although the lines 'hat
separate them are distinctly visible IN Europea"
cities" he says, zone instinctively SPEAKS VI '''
social scale whereas one familiar with NC"
York will be much more inclined to speak Oh .i,e
social map" He goes on to say thu' 'no peopS
N these different sets are far from being uncoh-
-. =, enc another's existence and that often
sn., n,erao from one social division to the next
An instance Of this sort occurred IN the case u
Miss Mily W.. which somewhat reversed '''e g.
eral order OF things inasmuch as 'his so''. 80
grant first belonged to what Is generauy KNOWN
whether Justly or not. the smart set. nc,
..,o- oor,a ~ IN old Knickerbocker family, ana
mac fa+ lazy and apathetc. She took passive
kind of interest In her daughter Miiiy' saw on
elaborate coming OUT tea Tor her' anu -,
vhen the invitations showered In, pieaoeo II"
health and sent her to her balls with her ia'hei
"a moor man. rose to the occasion nopiy' anu
n.rSnrn,ed this somewhat irksome duty In the same
.,,oort,ous manner In which he fulfilled his pusi-
ness obligations Milly had spent large part 0,
her life abroad and had but very lew iriei.os ""u
.,,houob she was taken diligently TO the pest
pIaces by her papa, she was obviously ho' a '
ce.s Night after night she would appear IN .he
h.,,roon, on the arm Of her father. whose muuie-
aged club friends would say few peasant woiu'
IN the girl and pass The patrons whose oauSh
tors wero having beautiful time would glance
r,.v,rv,v M her through their lorgnettes from
their dais along the WALL and she would ieei '"ei'
comments although she could not hear them.
do you see many young people tna' yoo ""N"'
nv dear?" would her father often ask.
..No papa. scarcely any," she would reply. inc
vounr people never came around Miliy Inc o'u
gentleman was as innocent OF the ways u Wv
world as Milly herself and each felt at near no,
rtbly guilty at the state OF AFFAIRS. Iet' IN .ons
thcvY ms
at home. "A very nice oahce 'A's e''
her father would say.
every nice, indeed. papa" Then DO ~ouiu 'u.n
"a h,s wife I'VE had very pleasant ume my
dear: wish that you might have oeea WIN Us
Mrs w. was a placid woman. She 1eit sa'is"eo
At having her daughter in good SET inc esne
CIRCLE IN which she had moved and had hcr oene'
cra never surr,sed, never worried, never specuiat-
"A - we, natural enough under the circumstances
that Mf,ly should acquirs the reputation "a 49,
q trine heavy: and she. conscious OF th's 'eroo' "
society. and being rather dimdent young peisoi'
moulded herself unconsciousiy on t'o "o''N wynn
icn which a pity.
y. .. .,,r,o,s vna, trihe will sometimes change the
.,rrert OF our lives After Miss WIS second season.
when II seemed settled fact that she was soo,A'
failure a girl whom she had known aproao a''" va"
was IN town for the winter asked her 10 coi"e VIZ
her 10 a dance. Her mother was IN the oou'h " ~.
time and her father was delighted that she snoIu
And
~. the dance was in SIS ballroom. fraught 10
her with many a memory of neglect and loneliness
a. .rterne the room she perceived to her osmay
that there was no one there that she Knew so"o -
the peop,e she knew by sight having see" '"o,'' ..
various large functions but she dio not see ms
acquaintance. She wore blue gown winch ""s =.
becoming (she was really very pretty girp, anu "
nar amazement IL soon became apparent that sne
~. belle For the first time In her He she ie''
the exhilaration and excitement OF success
lyon dance d!vnely" murmured youth VINO was
,aasine the cotion "yet do not see you OUT much.
Miy, thinking Of her two seasons appren'.ces-p
~ that sort OF thing looked NJ him IN amazeneh''
.~vor wore not at the DIS the BIS mention
,nr severa, people that she knew o. by name ou'
Who belonged 10 quite another set-'h!s Urine pa
,ron,zIne,y. which appealed TO sense OF humor
which Milly suddenly developed and which cahceu III
her eyes. $780,. ,,o, nc
mind 81 suppose then" he said. that you i've IN
the country. You ought 10 go out more ne aaueu
benignly. you really wouio nave d" ' e
time" ,,.
After this dance Mllly who really had excellent
senss mentally argued the pros and cons OF her own
case and decided that there were great many reay
nice sets. and that a young person failed with 'he
Understandable people, there was no reason why she
shoud no. succeed esewhere-and finally that 1t was
batter 10 be head among foxes than tail among
Hons" When her mother returned she found re-
bellious daughter She refused any longer 10 be con-
Aned TO a limited circle which. she argued had treat
ed her with courtesy and she elected 10 go WIN
the people by whom she was evidently appreciated
In this her second debut. she was complete sue
oass In her TWO years OF experience with her world
aha had become wiser If a sadder maiden. and had
cleaned good deal of worldly wisdom From belle
10 bride is quick transition. She married shorty
ofterward young fellow whose people were pam
but rh and et nat .et IT
would have been more keeping il Miy had become
a shining light in the circle INTO wnlch she hao mar,
which had treated her cavaerly. But she did not
She used the means that Providence had given her
ss sort Of retaliation and became as great snob
q her mother and much more active one:
Thackeray says that we are an snoDs AZ neart ne
Ing what constitutes ultra smartness 1t is certainly
not family, nor altogether money; It seems TO be "a
certain distinction that small. set arrogates 70 ITSELF
while the world oddly enough aseep,s II at Its own
Academy Of Music once more" said the ancient
d nnsr 81 tab is' HoW we'll Here the
people glanced At zach Sheg Mams
across her sweet faded face fitted smile full of
a How Il Carries me back" she nurmuTea II think
no opera house ever looked 50 gay as that one. DO
With girls and men? We used to cali 1t the chatter
had 50 many ,Ss ch seo old S
soui Ard W. have never liked any one 50 well in
His voice rang out from the donton tower
Non 70 scordar al me-"
uuoted her husband . 40.
"fiow they love to talk of those stupid old days!
snid an up- to-date young woman who was present,
n her neghbor young man OF the period. isn't II
funny to see them get sentimental? Shall you
make any entries in the Horse Show? VINO won the
think after all old things are the best" said the
Colonel tenderly continuing the quotation
called gtterns horseshoe as those open ones "a,
brilliant they were hung in yellow satin! The Bel
Inonts and the Cuttings and the Heckschers-what
ahoals OF beautiful creatures used to be in them!
IND young women not nearly so pretty nowadays.
You must pardon a vieux moustache, mes demoi-
seiles ne continued with the Frenchiied galantry
Of his day. as litter by reminded him that his
remarks were not particularly complimentary 10 the
nrerent company And as ne the bright young
faces looking at hin, with awakened attention he