The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-20
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

One table stood empty in the mems dining
room of the hyphenated hotel the other
evening and the suave headwaier refused
TO surrender il to an applicant who stared
hopeessly about the crowded room. The
waiter insisted that IL was engaged. Thus
repulsed, the late arrival drift,d aimleSsly
into the corridor He had scarcely disap-
peared when a second applicant entered
the restaurant. He met with "a very diff
ferent reception. lie was known to the
headwaiter, who evidently valued the ac-
quaintance He was Immediately invited
TO the empty table and moved in its drec-
ton hesitatingly AZ he remarked that he
was expecting a friend TO dine with him
He was no sooner seated than the man
who had in vain sought table "A few min
ute- before came back into the room. He
saw his friend, who happened to be the
fortunate man, seated al the table and
moved toward him.
Hello. Vreeland." said the one already
seated. I've just gotten this table.
$50 ] see, Greatsingcr,' answered the
other. Apparently it's much better
thing in this place To be the President of
the B. X. I. G. than of the NJ. T. C."
A middle -aged man stood yesterday in a
Fifth avenue iewelry store staring in per-
plexity at three objects that lay in front
of him. On the other side of the cloth
covered counter which separated them
stood one Of the members of the firm. His
face reflected the perplexity of the patrons
a. he held up the three satin boxes to the
light and examined their contents inter-
estedly.
In one there was "A pendant composed Of
a hawless diamond almost heartshaped
and as large a. a thumbnail surmounted
a In Goa,
tached To this piece of jewelry We're the
figures $4,000. Sixteen large diamonds
around a pigeons blood ruby of phenom-
email size was second object on which his
eyes fell lugrrincly. IT, cost was $4,000.
Another white satin box held twelve large
diamonds grouped around cabuchon
sapphire Of great beauty, The figures on
it, little white card We're s650D After
he had examined them all and apparently
found nothing To turn his preference in one
direction, the patron indicated with wave
of his hand that he would come back again
and left the store without making purchase
The three boxes went back into their
cases and the proprietor'- expression seemed
more settled without being quite hopeless
He put the cases into the safe a. he re-
marked TO one Of the clerks who stood
near him:
Last year that man bought a string of
pearls for $4,000 without thinking half an
hour over il. This year he hasn't bought
a thing, and he comes from Pittsburg, at
that"
The attempt TO make Carlo DAM a matinee
hero has ended in failure. and that il not
altogether because the young Italian has
sung at one only matinee 80 far during
the season. He will sing at others. but he
will not be hero. although he Possesses
some traits that might be- thought TO pre-
destine him to that honor. He has melting
brown eyes, pearly teeth and his figure
has still the youthfulness that goes with 20.
But these qualities do not avail in making
the operate tenor beloved of young women
VINO sit IN subscription seats or hang over
the brass orchestra rails at the Metro
politan, The only hero in their eyes for
more than "A decade past has now az least
twice 20 years. He is fat and some Say
scant Of breath. But he il the matinee
hero OF opera par excellence and here
has not been another like him since Max
AIvary began his career AT the Metropoli-
tan. NJ de Reszke's physical qualities
would forever debar from the honors of a
matinee hero any mere actor. But in
singer they ara not object ionable. And
when he returns to sing Lohengrin or Romeo
on Saturday afternoon, he will once more
demonstr rate what real operate Matinee
hero is Signor DAM has one claim 10 that
honor-he is married
Others than publisher and author benefit
by the strenuous efforts to produce the
record for the best selling" book More
than one New Yorker has been surprised
this year TO receive a Christmas present
from a source that would have been quite
unknown bur for n note that first pro-
claimed the belief of the publish i'm the
great value of personal advertising" and
then requested the recipient 10 accept n
copy Of accompanying book Most of the
persons who received gratutously very
handsome volume are convinced that tho
publishers must place an extremely high
value on personal advertising or a very
slight one on the book.
WIREIESS PLANT SEIZED.