River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1900-02-22
FOOTMEN.
Guards of the Doors of the Rich Who
Are Adopts I'm Dissem-
bling.

There are many paralyzing things to
be met with in ones first winter in
society,"" remarked a little debutante,
Shut L think on the whole the most
terrifying of all are the footmen in the
smart houses. / really mind them more
than anything else, for they are far
grander than their employers, who are
generally most kind.
"We have no carriage and mamma is
an invalid, so / have to do the calling
for the family, and | assure you it takes
a deal of courage to walk up the broad
flights of steps belonging to one of
those huge piles of masonry and delib-
erately ring the bell and ask for the
ladies. If | were anything but what
| 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 or 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 flunky as he re-
ceiyes my card in an absent minded
manner, looking over my head into
vacancy as If l did not even exist, is
most trying.
.They are not all so aristocratic,
however. l know one liyeried 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
at the house twice this winter, once to
leave mammals cards and the next time
to leave my own for a dance which |
attended. OF course, Mrs. Z, 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.
"'I think Mrs. 2 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, / found my
self actually ascending the grand mar
Bile staircase leading to the private
apartments above. l knew it was all
a mistake, but what was to do? Open
ing the door of an exquisite little sit
ting room, the well-intentioned servant
motioned me to go in and then disap-
peared, while / waited in a state of abb
solute collapse, trying to think of what
on earth / should say when the state
ly Mrs. Z made her appearance. To
returned with a crestfallen
tenance, having probably received a
sharp reproof for having brought me
up to milady's sanctum.
"'Mrs. z is very sorry that she
cannot see you, miss he said; she is
particularly engaged
"Feeling very small indeed, 7 de-
scended the sacred staircase and igno-
miniously departed. Oh, how delight
full the dear old familiar Fifth avenue
sidewalk seemed after my frosty ex-
perience! But / 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-
ually: Il noticed in Mrs. Us 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 once
the girls were impressed by my being
evidently intimate enough TO be re-
ceiyed in her own private apartments
by the great Mrs. Z, and it is need
less to say l did not deem it necessary
to explain the why and the wherefore"
N. Y. Tribune.