The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-01
THE HIRED GUESTS.
ONE OF THEM TELLS ABOUT THE
TRICKS OF THE TRADE.

versAl Provtdext" With Whom They Reg.
ister-Must He Well Informed and More
or Less Accomplished.
"It was not till prevailed upon Mr..
Whiteley of Westbourne Grove to place my
name on the register he keeps for supply
Ing people with evening guests that rec
ognized the justice of the appeIlation, tn,
universal provider, said a gentlemanly
looking man recently.
my first engagement was at the hons.
OF rich provincial manufacturer, who,
having made fortune had left his native
town and started an establishment in the
west end. Some friends-for q considera
tion, you may be sure-introduced him t.
30 many good people that he at last ven
tured to Issue invitations for dinner,
with a ball TO follow, but the day before
the event the poor man had such number
of refusals that he had to apply to Mr.
Whiteley, and ], among others, helped tc
fil the vacancies.
1T must not be supposed that the part
of hired guest Is an easy one to play. The
conversational tastes of the people we Wis
It are so varied that ] have not only to
keep myself posted on all questions and
gossip of the day, but be prepared to set
the ball rolling on all sorts of abstruse top
les from theology to spiritualism.
GAS a rule, generally get my instruc
tions some days beforehand, but II they
don't come to hand either call or write
, Public questions require very delicate
handling For instance, II the discussion
turns on the wretched Armenian business,
find that the ladies are for interference
at all costs, while the gentlemen are not.
"From dining out SO much have nat
urally cultivated q very fastidious palate
This is fortunate, for were j to eat other
wise than sparingly the brilliancy Of my
conversation would be sadly dimmed. Din
ner conversation requires considerable
management. When first started, / used
TO let of some of my best jokes to while
away that melancholy half hour which
precedes the dinner. They were invariably
so utterly wasted that / now never joke
till after the first course, and then only
slightly, till see how the dinner Is appre-
ciated.
although do well during the season,
think like Christmas best. Strange as
it may seem, there are still number Of
families who love to keep Christmas In
the old fashioned way.
mot long since one Of the sons Of my
host blurted out during the evening that
It was his last night at home, as next
morning pal and himself intended start
ing for South America, and, after making
their way to the Amazon river, start or
ohid hunting to make their fortunes
"Being the favorite son, the family, OF
course, wero greatly disturbed at the news,
seeing which calmly announced that dur
ing my travels in South America had
personally explored every inch OF the river.
'You are too late, my boy said. All
the naturalists met last year were terribly
disappointed The country has been liter
ally stripped. You won't find an orchid
there, can promise you.
"Tho grateful look the mother gave me
pleased me almost as much as the 45 note
my host slipped into my hand at parting
1.-THE growing dislike Of patrician young
men to dancing sends many Belgravian
footman to Whiteley's during the season.
Although we hired guests are treated with
the most charming courtesy in high life
indeed, the higher we go the nicer find
the people are-still some of our tasks are
far from pleasant. Look here, Mr. -
young Lord - once said to me: My sis
ter's been and fallen in love with a cad of
fellow hate. Now, 1 want you to cut
him out You're a good looking fellow, so
think you succeed. If you try, but fail,
I'll give you 60; If you succeed, I'll make
It eco
Il did succeed, but my rival took 1t out
of me in Regent street the night after he
got his congo. am bit Of bruiser my
SELF but he was better.
1.-TWO other hired guests and myself
W re once the means Of bringing about the
marriage of very accomplished, amiabie,
but dreadfully plain girl. At the house
ere was engaged noticed that not on
" was she not asked to dance, but was
completely ignored by all the marriageable
men present. But after the hired guests
there were three of us-had trotted her out
a dozen times and whispered it about the
room that she was very nice girl and
not bit ugly when you came to talk to
her, other fellows took her on.
"When I met her at ball six months
later, was glad to hear she was engaged.
ga distinctly unpleasant episode occur
red to mo last Christmas. One Of tho
daughters at house where was engag ged
to dance lured me during the evening into
a violent Irritation. As she knew who /
was her conduct naturally surprised n:a.
"Still, the way In which she encouraged
me was SO unmistakable that at las. de-
cided she was really In love. For quito a
couple of hours I debated with myself
what to do, deciding that 1t would b my
duty to tell her during the next dance thas
an impossible gulf separated US.
II might have saved myself the trouble,
for after short conversation with a good
looking fellow she had not spoken to dug
ing the evening che came to mo and SID:
please forgive me. 1t was very wrong,
know, but have only been flirting with
you to make Charley Jealous. / had row
with him yesterday. think I'll make it
up now. Don't say word. told Charley
you were South African mi.lionaire.
Please don't tell him who you re :. y are. 4"
--Pearson's Weekly.