The times., 1898-05-15

entertained at dinner last nlgnt py Col'
and Mrs. Bingham.
Apart from the pleasant excitement of
watching the brilhans assemblage of dis
tinsuished men and beautifully gowned
women as they crowded into the old Cor
coran Gallery on Monday night II was
amusing TO listen to some of the COM
raents the occasion evolved. At the eX-
treme end of a row of chairs, quite near
the door. sat a yelve. robed dowager with
a diamond frosted aigrette noddinS COM
placently among the puffs of her snowy
hair To her left were ranged her three
charges. each as pretty as the tabieauN
that came along later. and all of them
as full of exclamation points and inter-
rogations as the average boy. One Of
them wanted 10 know If the President had
arrived. Mr.. Mckinley Is not coming,
announced the dowager with positive
ness born of her propinquity TO headquar-
1ers. II just heard Secretary Long tell
Miss Patten that he had called by the
White House for the President but that
business prevented his coming even for an
hour
Il can't help watching Miss Patten and
Miss Boardman." whispered the white
satin blonde who sat between the dowager
and a brunette in topaz yellow. They
are really convincing me that there Is
poetry in selling programs
They have already convinced them
selves that there i money in it. asserted
the dowager. who was in a position adapt
ed TO the acquiring Of reliable information.
About three minutes ago Mr. Anderson
paid Miss Patten SO for his program and
Mr.. Sprague has just given her go
You are looking a the transaction with
s0rdid eyes. interrupted the blonde, with
the fine superiority of one above such
views. y am on a higher plane. / am
thinking how very becoming program
selling is under a favorable circumstance
Ike this Every time Miss Boardman
makes change she bushes the color of her
brocade and Miss Patten is so captivat-
ingly busy
Not buster than Mrs. Hopkins Is TAX
ing down the names Of he people she has
To trust for programs and the dowager
chuckled with satisfaction that others had
been. as she expressed il. caught in the
same fix as herself and had 10 run in debt
for a quarter.
That is natural enough" said the topaz
girl with a wise little nod. People who
come to place like this in evening dress
and mean 10 ride IN their own carriages
10 a supper at home really have no need,
generally. for a purse, and they over
looked the exception tonight-like we did
And then the dowager Chuckied again.
Perhaps she was a very rich dOwager and
relishei the novelty Of being unable to
meet her obligations. A poor woman would
not have been able TO see the fun Of the
thing.
Even during the tableaux the comments
were kept up in a skirmishing fashion,
each in turn whispering TO her neighbor,
who would pass ii along:
Isn't he lovely2 I wonder if bachelors
ever sit in that nice. sentimental fashion
outside Of tableauX and think up girls
like that2 Isn't Sweet Sixteen lovely? &?
Oh. dear. she wavered-do applaud
louder, / like her in that pose best.
Isn't Mrs. Williams lovely? She stands
like glorifed wax-Oh. doesn't Natalie
Barney look just too lovely? Do applaud
louder, sirls-and isn't that snow perfect
ly thrilling? Oh, look! Here comes
Baroness HengelmulIer to sit in the audi
ence-isn't she perfectly lovely? Oh,
dear, / wonder II / could look like tnat
If had on her silver brocade and jeweled
stomacher and twisted pearls in my hair.
There comes Prince Troubetskoi-isn' he
perfectly lovely-I mean perfectly horrid
in those clothes And, oh. do look al
Salome, girls-Iook mammal Isn't she
just too lovely TO live? She blazes with
diamonds like King Solomons mnes-and
oh, just see those lovely, lovely Dresdens
How could Mrs. Barney ever think up so
many beautiful ideas-and don't you wish
she had posed? She is so perfectly
lovely"