Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-11-01
FOOTMEN.
Guards of the Doors of the Rich Who
Are Adopts in Dissem-
bling.

There are many paralyzing things to
be met with in ones first winter In
society," remarked a little debutante,
but L think OF the whole the most
terrifying OF all are the footmen in the
smart houses. 1 really mind them more
than anything else, for they are far
grander than their employers, who are
generally most kind.
we ave no carriage and mamm is
an Invalid, so L have to do the calling
for the family, and l assure you it takes
a deal of courage to walk up the broad
flights of steps belonging to n OF
those huge piles of masonry and delib-
erately ring the bell and ask for the
ladies. If l were anything but what
l ana poor gentlewoman-I would
not feel myself so entirely out of place.
If [ were a footman belonging to some
ones carriage, a tradeswoman, a music
teacher, a massage rubber, a manicur-
list OF any part of the retinue of a big
establishment, / should feel respect
able, and as if there were a raison d'etre
for my being there. But the express
sion of a high toned fiunky as he re-
ceives my care in an absent minded
manner, looking owe my head into
vacancy as if 1 did not even exist, is
most trying.
"They are not all so ar~istocratic,
however. I know one liveried gentle
man in a grand house who is most
fatherly in his kindness. He is rather
ancient, and is evidently one of the old
retainers of the family. I have called
- H. I1,-, - L.
leave mammals cards and the next time
to leave my own for a dance which I
attended. OF course. Mrs. T.. my
hostess, does not know me from Adam,
and asking for her was purely a matter
of form; but the kindly old retainer
evidently wished TO give me a chance.
- think Mrs. L would like to see
YOU he said. Please come up to her
own sitting room and | will see.'
Trembling at my presumption. but
not knowing how to refuse, l found my
self actually ascending the grand mar
BILE staircase leading to the private
apartments above. [ knew it was all
a mistake, but what was I to do? Open
ing the door of al exquisite little sit
ting room, the well-intentioned servant
motioned me to go in and then disap-
Peared, while l waited in a state of abb
solute collapse, trying to think of what
on earth [ should say when the state
ly Mrs. T. made her appearance. To
my great relief, however. my friend
returned with a cr~estfallen coun-
%tenance, having probably received a
sharp reproof for having brought me
up TO milady's sanctum.
Mrs. L is very sorry that she
cannot see you, miss he said; she is
particularly engaged
Feeling very small indeed, I de-
scended the sacred staircase and igno-
r1%iniously departed. Oh, how delight
full the dear old familiar Fifth avenue
sidewalk seemed after my frosty eX-
perience! But I scored on my visit
anyway, for a few days afterward at a
luncheon party the talk turned on the
decorations of boudoirs, and [ said cas-
ualIy: I noticed in Mrs. Is bou-
doir the other day that she had a new
way of draping her curtains and pro-
ceeded to give a few particulars about
the room which showed my familiarity
with the arrangements. / saw at nee
the girls were impressed by my being
evidently intimate enough to be re-
ceived in her own private apartments
by the great Mrs. Z, and it is need
less to say I did not deem it necessary
to explain the why and the wherefore"
N. Y. Tribune.