The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-21

I
are in prime fashion, and the young
/ lady who can think of the sort of enter
tainment which dwelt fartheSt from the
minds of her Older and more wise par
ents, is looked upon by her associates
/ as having a talent for the unhackneyec
and a genius for the new
About two weeks ago the first serious
attempt at the outre was at a party in
Wood cottage. the giver of which Ahad
had her heart deSacinated by news OF
the marriage of a man whom she had
known quite well in other days. Invi-
tationS to a number of carefully Sc
lected friends specified that the hostess
intended to mourn appropriately the
| loss of her old sweetheart Those in
tending TO accept invitations were in
Structed TO bring with them love let
ter fer someone who had gone out of
their lives, or if anyone had been so I'M
fortunate as never 10 have had a sweet
heart, she should bring some sad sort
of old love tale, and. above all, no one
must come prepared 10 revel in aught
but tears.
They came in numbers, and a dolor-
Gus evening began. The love letters
We're read, but somehow they didn'
seem sad to anyone except, possible.
their recipients. The natural spirits OF
the young ladies' could not be kept
down by any sort Of assumed sorrow.
and what the cockney calls laugh
ture," was soon heard above all wailing
over broken hearts.
But it was a party given about a week
ago that rivals of the two young ladies
who gave it despair of surprising. The
hostesses were two sOphOmore.s, and the
same Wood cottage was the scene of
the orgies.
Black-edged were the invitations, and
q of oil wi +
tended, in accordance with the instruc-
tons of the cards.
One of the givers OF the party is a lit
tie girl with a goldy head and seeming
TO possess d spirit as sunny as her hair
The other is of a darker beauty, and
her chief charm to many is a way she
has, when speaking of herself, to drap
her eyes and make a funny little droOp
ing expression with her lips, as if dep
recating the indispensable.
Someone had said (and they took the
sentiment for the governance of the
EVENING": "One of the days in the year
complebed today was the anniversary
of my death" These young ladies had
picked a day, saying, as no one knew
just what day TO Celebrate, any day
would do.
The guests were received by funel
really gOwned hOstesses in funereally
decorated rooms. Everything white had
a black cross on it; everything black
white cross. There were purple shades
on lamps and candles-purple that is SO
much more somber than black. After
d reception, during which the hOstesses
preserved the demeanJr of newly made
widows, and the guests OF neigh'bors
come TO mourn, the first ceremony of
the evening began.
The SirlS-and by some strange acct
dent there were just thirteen of them
sat in a large circle about an impro-
vised cauldron, make of a chatting dish
and some sort OF legs Alcohol was
poured in, and sulphur, and when that
was lighted there were flames of the
weirdeet sort and smoke to delight
witch's heart. To be sure. the girls had
noses, and were compelled to open win
dOws and gasp for fresh air, greatly to
the detriment of all that was digni-
ffediy somber. But after the 'cauldron'
had been put out the window and the
rooms made habitable again by the use
of air and incense, again the thirteen
sat in a circle. Then the cards, of
which each held one-black- bordered
by the hostess We're read.
After each had read her card, the hos
tess announced that she would read a
story written especially for the occa-
sion by Boston realist of some little
note. 1t was story of weird rebukes
and somber falls from barn lofts, wild
dashes through the night. and of wo-
men in wet clothes
Barely was it finished when the little
blOndy girl cried: Bring forth the fun
eral bake meats" and the refreshments
appeared at the Withdrawing of a drag
oned screen.
And then these sOmber young ladies
dare to do that which goes toward
making life-they ate amidst all. that
was reminiscent of death. and then
came into the room a most shocking
tendency toward feasibility. Not even
the Mortified hostess, with a reading
Of silence and Shadow by Edgar !
Poe. could keep down mirth. and in a
while the party had broken up amid as
merry laughter as any wedding ever
knew.