The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
MRS. SUMMERSS DINNER.
F0RMALITIEs AND INFORMALITIEs
or LIFE IN sITKA.

ON Ceremony Even IN Time or Dinaouity-
Social Amenitie- In the Fsr-oE Port
The seal patrol feet had como hack from IN,
Retiring Sea and sitka ,Yas nanny. When IN,
old brass smoothbore in front OF the harraok,
barked its warning 20 the town and it's welcom,
TO the ship, the thirty.nine persons who consti
tuted 1.-THE society" OF the Alaskan capitel bur
ried down ~ the long pler. enthusiastically ron
graduating themselves on the return of IN,
first revenue cutter from the westvard. tn,
next day there was greater 10y, The boomine
Of guns from the bay announced that the flag
shin of the revenue cutter fleet WINS in. and now
the official round OF g~ayeties, that comes every
fall when the fleet gets home, would begin,
The tourist nuisance was over for the season,
and for n month sItka could enioy herseI.
alone and uninterrupted. The Cnptain OF the
flagship came ashore in the morning TO make
his official call on the Governor, and in the af.
ternoon n most distressing report ran around
the town.
Have you heard, ~ said the postmistress 10
the Doctors wife. that Capt. Haley Is ordered
below at once2"
Eyes, It's So" answered the doctors wife.
Isn't It too bad. thought he'd be staying Mt
least n month. There we're several seizures,
and Mr.. Summers will have 20 hustle to get
through with his work in time for Haley. He's
only going to stay three days. We were going
to have such good times. for"
II suppose somebody will be doing some
thing, any way"
"Oh, OF course, they'll do something, but
then II won't be anything like a. ought to be-"
Sitka society Is very proud Of itself. II you
have the notion that Sitka is somewhere out
beyond the defnite limits OF anywhere. and
that a jovial Western informally pervndes its
social functions, you do a violent injustice to
tho fnpta In fba firthaaf nuflytpu atatiop
where Uncle Sans sailormen carry his flag his
officers are gentlemen. and their wives are
eent1eYomen md - ~ 49, r,a,d adhor.noo -
the formal requirements can be found than in
a naval station. That is what sitka Is
practicaiiy. "hen you nave counted the
officers and the Government officials you have
listed the persons possible in society when 40.
-. $780,, ~ ~. .--
cIety Chooses 10 ne formal. but "hen society
chooses to be informal. which is a great deal of
uaIly the facts os to the domes,,c economies
place, and little details of furntshine and nc eouIp'
-. - - - lnp
"9 :, WAR "i' = N ,h Longer ar,ar .no se or .so OF sa eae a,, mouse .s:
arrival of the flagship that the Postmaster. who
o. 1ooIsna no ~, mno
"ohiah' iookhis up 'ne s'ree.' sa" son'"ry
..Tbere's Mrs. Summers,s Tim. :" she said IN
her sister i wonder whore he's goingf"
The'sister, came and looked over her shoulder
and together they watched the Chinaman. AS
he turned in at the gate of Lieut.; Hammond'.
.ump
He's after Mrs finger bowls.
I suppose it's for Can't. Haley"
Now, the Postmaster knew from long .o.
with Sitka's domestic conditions
that Mrs. Summers. having onlv one set Of
Ave. So,vIa ,ur.,,a,,n ho,, "mry u SCI No u
sSss il, iSsDP P!sysrs So she wife sss Sss s,v $ssa5 ! ~
dinner, II she had seen Mrs. Hammond's
Tltngkit, girl Harriet going, to Mrs. Sum.
OF coffee spoons. but the inferen: e would have
been the same.
In the Summers apartments in the old bnr-
since Mrs. Summer had begun to show the
Alaskan capital the perfection of the art OF
-! don't see why. Tim couldn't take care of it
all by, himself" Mrs. Summers was saying to
But not for so elaborate an AFFAIR" an
swered her husband from the depths of his
ger any one man. even a Chinaman. Don't
you think he does enough in getting IL readv2
There isn't a man on the coast can beat him
at that"
We'll, he might serve a, well. He has
man in Sitka who knew 5 solitary thing. What
ever shall | dor Mrs. Hammond said could
have Harriet, but she's almost worse than no.
Tim says he knows a man who will do very
What's his name?r
'Sam Sing. He's been on q ship and he kent
che restaurant at Unalaska."
"A Cnalaska! My soul and body. we are in
for it. If / get through with this one, ri |
never try another,
dress and walked over and stood between the
of his wife's dressing room. She was
busy as he had been. He watched her a minute |
or two, and then said n a surprised tone;
Why, that's the old velvet! thought you
were going to wear the new one"
she looked up al him with eyes mat were
very near surusion.
nNoi, she said; not to-night; l promised
JULIA wouldn't.
well. why. notE
why, don't you know, Anna Gilbert hasn't
IN evening" dress with herr She thought no
body ever dressed here. and she didn't have a
thing tiiat could De maze 10 40, couldn't
ask Julia without her sister. and l couldn't
give u dinner without Julia. she said 1t was
going TO be so formal that she'd better not
come, because she'd have 70 be in street dress.