The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-02
Real live Ducks
Tn a Pond on Young UanderbfIfs
FAREWELL Bachelor Dinner Cable.

New York, April William X. Wander
bilt the younger gave a farewell dinner t
his bachelor friends last night at Sherry :
1t was the most costly and the most origi
nal bachelor dinner ever given in New
York The young host has a pretty fancy
!H such matters, and so has his betrothed
Virginia Fair.
Miss Fair, indeed, was the inspiration
of many of the cleverest surprises of tn:
affair. No rural damseI ever worked
harder for church fair than she over
this feast-from which she was to be ex-
Guided She lowered over the scene until
the last moment, smiling, restless. induI-
Gent, authoritative, as unselhshly alb
eorbed in the spirit of the occasion as If
She had been fixing things" for a child
ren's party.
Fixing things" for this banquet was no
Joke. It demanded a great deal of work
&c well as a great deal of thought and a
great deal Of taste. The preparations be
gan weeks ago. There were a hundrede
and one things to be done, as such things
had never been done before; but the tri-
aImph of invention was the table itself, as
Is fitting when folks are going TO eat, and
the table shall be told about first
Il was a table and duck pond combined.
To consider it first in its capacity of table,
IL was oblong and large enough to seat
thirty persons and still leave each a great
deal Of room. As three Of the invited
bachelors were unfortunate enough TO be
absent, the twenty-seven who did sit down
had more elbow room than they really
reeded.
Besides the generous outside stripe ap-
Portioned for the accommodation Of plates
and glasses, etc, was a bank of American
beauty roses two feet wide. running clear
around the board. Enclosed within the
border were two duck ponds and foun-
tain-not to mention a variety of fascinat-
ing nOn-esSeutials.
The fountain was in the exact center Of
the table. and it was very graceful af-
fair, fashioned out Of the precious metals
and spraying upward and around thou
sand tiny gets of dejcateIy perfumed
liquid, which the artfully arranged lights
caused to resemble showers of rubies aand
diamonds and emeralds. 1t was fanked by
what have here been called, irreverentIy.
duck ponds.
In lovelier ponds did ducks never swim.
Titania might take swimming lessons in
them with gratifca ton. The sides and
bottom Of each shone with the FURNISHED
warmth Of gold leaf-which is Just as good
as real gold to the eyes of a duck and lust
as inferior to nice mud. The bank of roses
already spoken of formed also the banks
of the golden duck ponds. and in the CEN
ire of each duck pond was little island
on which grew a great white Towering
shrub.
As Nature has not provided ducks of
superior character to swim at millionaire
bachelor dinner parties, it was necessary
10 be content with ducks that are worth
no more per pound than other fat ducks.
with some attention to whiteness Of plum
age and tractability of temper. A Roman
youth giving dinner party with duck
pond accessories woul probably have
Silded the birds, but that would have been
cruel Nevertheless, the duck question
gave rise TO a little furry q excitement at
the eleventh hour.
At $50 yesterday evening Miss Fair
fiuttered into the banquet room-which is
on Sherry's third floor, looking into Forty
fourth street-intent on putting the final
touches to everything. She was greeted
by chorus Of deep-throated "alIacks."
in each Of the golden ponds swan three
large birds-birds so robust and well nour-
ished that any poulterer with an eve to
business would make special display of
them.
They were strong swimmers and they
knew il. They were constructed on bat
Ieship lines, and needed plenty of sea
room. They had a great deal to say: thew
had some kind of vendetta among them
selves. and they appeared anxious to leave
the room.
That wasn't my idea at all!' exclaimed
Miss Fair in dismay. THAT wouI6 snoiI
The effect entirely. They are too large
5hose ducks. and too noisy and too rough.
IT large birds were required we wouId
have ordered swans, which are much nicer.
Take these away and bring small ducks
7ae smallest you can get"
Sherry's men descended upon the large
ducks and bore them, quacking. fappfng
II the lower regions. and their next an
pearance will probably be made in asso-
citation with green peas and brown gravy
And after much excitement and running
about half dozen pretty and we'll bebav-
ed ducklings We're brought. with clfpped
wings. to swinm in the golden ponds. neck
eXperimentally at the American Beauty
roses. Chamber awkwardly ND the banks
Of the Towering islets. tumble back with
helpless little splashes gobble IN the
crumbs tossed to them by young Mr.. Van
Neroit and his guests, paddle spasmodi-
ea-ly al each pop Of a cork, look perfectly
innocent during the height Of the CONVEX
saion. and generally behave themselves
like well brought up little birds.
= here were TWO orchestras to play +u7es
The finest orchestras that could he had.
there were clever people to sing and dance
1nd crack jokes, and there were charming
little surprises introduced at every turn
pnat there were toothsome things to eat
and nice things to drink goes without
saying.
The guests. most of whom were Harvard
rhums OF young Mr. Vanderbilt drank his
health and that of Miss Fair a great many /
times Is also true. They sang colIers /
songs and Aud Lang Syne." and all tba /
other things thar spirited and warm |
hearted young men might be expected n /
sing on such occasions; and they dij r,- |
20 home till very late
They were exceedingly young. rbesa /
luxurious banquetters-so yourE that Svd- /
rey Smith and Roman Baldwin. who are /
counted among the young SCI IN the 400 !!
looked and declared that they felt like ma I
t7iarchs. They were not ali New Workers. I
- any means: for William X. Vanderbilt /
Jr-, has made some ot his warmest friends !
since he went 10 Harvard
Among those who helped him 10 bid 1
Farewell to bachelordom were Robert /
Livingstone Gerry. Frederick Martin Ds- |