The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-17

broken GOWN ana KEPT neF HIIeen
minutes on Fifth avenue until she could
get another. That's another word that /
never thought was used anywhere, much
less OF a dinner party. but two or three of
the women repeated 1t several times dur
ing the dinner. / heard it almost as much
as / did damn which ratified around the
table two or three times.
Il didn't think it would go any further
than that; but when the coffee came the
woman, sitting opposite me gulped down
a glass Of water and turned to the man
next to her.
Look out for that she said. it's hot
ter than hell
THAT was the first time really want
ed to cry;and l am certain that couldn't
have felt more mortified If l had said IT
| myself
1T was at least a relief when the wo-
men got up and entered the drawing
room. 1t was bad enough to hear those
things said under any circumstances; but
in the presence of a lot of men 1t was
worse. Yet nobody seemed in the least
surprised but me. Everybody said damn
! just as they said very but it didn't
make any more difference.
Il got more and more nervous the
longer l stayed there. and I was delight
ed when 10 o'clock came Some of the
| things they said | couldn't understand 1t
/ -
Il understood the jokes so far as the
words were concerned; but couldn't see
the point. l tried TO smile. but / know
l must have looked as stupid as ever, be-
cause Mrs. Y looked over at me once
| and laughed.
." You poor little goose she said you
| don't understand any of these things,
and it's a good thing you don't. There
| actually was a time once when l wouldn't
| have understood them
When she said this a man at the 9TH
er end of the table laughed out loud.
Listen to that damned jackass,' she
said. Yet he taught me most all that
know
Then everybody laughed, even 1, al
though l felt very much more like cry
ing"
This account of a young girls first ex-
perience at a dinner may have been
| colored by her lack of experience; but
the growing use of profanity in society
has often impressed many persons not so
susceptible as she. Expressions like
damn it!' are tossed off as easily as my
dear and women who used occasionally
to indulge in a swear word in private
20 relieve their overweight feelings are
now just as willing to speak it before
twenty persons.
1t is regarded as an evidence of eman-
| hesitate to swear nowadays is thought
to show the contempt for the stupid con-
Ventionalities of society that proclaim her
woman of the world.
1t is a fact that young women just out
OF childhood are frequently astonished at
the freedom with which women use the
words and phrases not associated in Their
minds with good breeding or refinement.
One explanation for the popularity of pro-
family just now is the fact that it is Eng
fish, according to certain opinions
Just how long this fashion will prevail
In New York 1t is not easy to say, al
though 1t is growing, but few persons be-
lleve anything so opposed to good taste
ana gentleness in women can ever become
permanent defect in America, for the
American woman, although she is adam
able and likes to absorb the style of the
day, has a splendid power of recovering
herself when her head once tells her
that what she is doing is not creditable
or becoming.
Have you a matrimonial trunk?" A
collection of buds which burst through
the petals of seclusion into the garden Of
society at the beginning Of the present
season says the New York Herald. IS
responsible for starting a fashion which
1t came about in this way, according to
the explanation of one of the young wo.
men. The marriage of friend had led
to a revelation In the number and variety
of pretty things" gathered by the bride
In anticipation of the change in her state
The young woman who wasn't going IN
be married-at least not just then-was
all admiration. When she had told her
friends about the lovely things that Ma
hp1 hgI clo
ingly, if she would have as nice things
at her own wedding
Her own speculation gave her the idea.
why, of course can have just as fine"
she said suddenly, land so can all Won
girls. I'll tell you what Wen do Wen
start to fill a matrimonial trunk"
whats a matrimonial trunk?" asked
the others in chorus.
That's an invention OF the spur Of the
moment" returned the proposer. This
Is what / suggest-Let each girl set aside
from among her trunks one particular
trunk which is to contain only those
things which are to be part of the trous-
seau."
What trousseau" again demanded the
girls None of us is engaged"
'Of course not" answered the inyen-
tor. But we will be in the course ,f
time. Such things have been known to
udppen' YOU KNOW. wen, Wnen we get
married we will not be without hnery.
If you don't want to use trunk for the
purpose, why, you might take a box from
a dry goods store, line it with rose-col-
ored silk and cover it to match the tint
Of your room.
Into this box or trunk put now and
then bit of finery. l know what l shall
start mine with--that beautiful sandal
wood fan l got for my birthday. Then a
fine lace handkerchief once in a while, a
pair of slippers, or something like that"
Yes" put in another of the buds. And
! shall put away that eiderdown dressing
sacque mamma gave me the other day.
haven't worn 1t yet, so it will do nicely"
All the others discovered they had some
thing suitable to the purpose. and so the
fad of the matrimonial trunk was fairly
started. Since the decision was made the
girls have been adding to the collections.
and they are now in an advanced stage
of perfection. Every three months 1t is
the intention OF the young women to hold
a private exhibition, at which each will
be given an opportunity to view the pro-
gress made by the others.
The matrimonial trunk is now a thor
oughly established institution in certain
quarters. The girls. when they get new
piece of fnery, tell each other they have
something more for the I'm. t." as they