The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-10-09
= A Dinner at -
Mrs. Vanderveer'S
BY Francis NJ. Livingston.

TT was the last of Mrs. Wander
/ veer's dinners before that lady
made her regular June crossing. She
always did the same thing-went to
London for July, to Ostend for AL
gust, spent September in the Alps and
Italy, two weeks of Paris in October,
and then home, where she regularly
made her first appearance at the open
ing of the horse show.
Some of her friends suggested the
North Cape, or Vienna, or California
by way Of variety, but Mrs. Vandesr
veer was used to her route; she knew
all the hotels and they knew her and
what she wanted and she did not wish
to be bothered by making any, new ar
rangements.
One thing Mrs. Vanderveer could
do, though, which suited everybody
and that was to give dinner. She
rot only provided perfect viands,- but
she had interesting people, or enough
OF them to leaven the lump of average
human dullness, and she usually had
some agreeable surprise in the way of
odd dishes, unique favors, or, mayhap
q celebrated artist.
Jimmie Garretson, although a young
bachelor, was an old friend of Mrs.
Vanderveer's, and she often relied up-
on him to help her out at her dinners,
She had written him he was to take
in Mrs. LIE Clair. a newcomer, a friend
OF her friends, the Nesbitts, and a
lady with history which had been
exploited in the yellows almost coin
cident with her arrival from San
Francisco.
Il want you to be your incest tc
her, Jimmie" wrote Mrs. Vanderveer
make it as easy for her as possible
She is dear woman, and this is to be
her first appearance in New York So
ciety. 1t will be something of an or
deal!'
Later she wrote him that he was
not to take in Mrs. LIE Clair, for whom
she had thought of some one else, but
the second Miss Nesbitt.
The evening of the dinner Mrs. Van
derveer seemed perturbed at greeting
Jimmie. You're not to go in with
Miss Nesbitt," she said, cher fiance
one OF the officers on the Ohio. came
In yesterday and had to make a
place for him. My cousin, Mrs,
Trench, widow, who has been in
from Bermuda for some time, arrived
Unexpectedly this morning, and ]
have had two regrets at the last mo-
ment- I'm somewhat upset about my
arrangements, and I don't know just
what" Some one called her away.
A little later she returned jubilant.
TITS all arranged beautifully now.
TITS awfully good of you, Jimmie
dear, to let me move you around like
this. I'm sure you'll be very nice to-
but listen to me, you are always nice!'
She had him by the arm and was
plotting him across the drawing room
He found himself standing before q
handsome young woman about five
years younger than himself (Jimmi.
was 30) and dressed in black velvet
with a diamond star in her dark hair
II want to present my particular
friend, Mr.. Garretson, Mrs. -" jus,
then the Misses Nesbitt, who stood
near, laughed in chorus, a little loud.
ly for perfect breeding, and the name
was lost to Jimmie-:''he is SUCH q
valued friend-1 am sure" Mrs. Van
derveerS ended in soft, un1nte1l1glble
murmur. '."S
The exodus to the dining room be.
gan almost Immediately, and Jimmie
had n0r time to observe particularly
his : paTt ner for the feast until they
Hers seated 81 ths t:blG Thsn un.