The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-18

The girl with the top-tilted nose and
the copper hair gathers up her
furs and pulls down her ven.
mo, dear. can't stop another min
ute. I'm simply driven to death. and
I'm wondering II shall be able TO hold
out until Lent. You know. I'm assist
ing at Mrs. Benson's this afternoon. I
pour at Kate Danforth's tea to-mor-
row, and I'm at Mrs. Waldron's bridge
Friday. l do think II is perfectly aw-
full for things to come i'm such a bunch. 4"
And away she goes, the very tails
of her sable stole quivering with the
hustle and excitement of successful
social season. But her looks belle her
words. She fairly radiates happiness
and you vaguely feel that these siren
uous duties are the social incense that
she loves. The girls she left behind
takes a more pronounced view Of the
situation. She is positively blue with
envy. In her engagement books are
notes In plenty, but no suggestion OF
royal summons to assist"
For be IL known that the all-round
SpNAoi SuNNCSS VI tO~udy AUNOlNtS TIE
storming of femme citadels as well
as the capture Of masculine outposts.
Time was when the debutante whose
dance card was always full felt that
her position as belle was assured
Now, she longs to be taken up and
featured" as the Thespians express
1t, by her mothers friends and by wom-
en- whose social position is just a trifie
more surer than her own. She scorns
mere masculine scalp locks for her Jew
eled belt and reaches out for honors
less easily attained.
With this end In view, she contem-
plates, with fine complacence, each in
vitation to assist in entertaining the
guests of her friends. She knows that
this honor is accorded her. not because
| she is pretty, or wears well-built
frocks or has a pretty penny in her
own right, but because she possesses
that indennable faculty on which so
cial achievements are built. And after
she has served her apprenticeship at
presiding over friendly tea tables and
passing trapped chocolate. while arr
rayed in girlish white frocks, she will
be graduated into the class OF young
matrons who are elected patronesses al
smart semi-public functions. or such
fabrics are social dreams built. r.
however, to good looks she adds unim
peachable taste In dress, and to this
an obliging father, whose purse strings
are always united. she is fortunate. But
all these will fail II she lacks tact and
graciousness.
We have all met her-the girl who
| assists at one function after another
| Sometimes we wonder why she Is Sc
| much In evidence. She may be less
beautiful than her cousin who, swath-
| ed in white broadcIoth and furs, trails
up TO the receiving party. sips ianguid-
| ly at her tea, and trails out again tc
reception No. or %, according to heI
engagement book for the day. She may
| wear the simplest of point dspirit
while her neighbor across the way set,
off her brunette beauty In lace tina
cost the eyesight of more than on
Irish lassie. She may carry her al
lowance In a miniature chatellaine
while Miss Millions signs her persona
cheques. but, Just the same, at al
functions where women do oongregat,
will she be found and usually mum.
bered In the receiving or assisting
| party.
Why? BY reason OF those things
which she leaves undone, rather thar
for those things she does.
In the first place, she never loses
| her head. II any one has the right Il
| MAJ tier how admirably her plans are
laid some evil circumstance may arise
| to cause confusion, The invaluable
! social lieutenant is she who holds her
| nerves and her wits always at the ser
| vice of the hostess.
Happy that hostess who may chat
| with her guests In the drawing-room
| conscious that some absolutely de-
| pendabie friend has an eye to the SER
wants in the dining-room.
| The best OF caterers will sometimes
fall below the standard OF vigilance
and then the young woman presiding
behind the coffee urn saves the repu-
tation of her hostess.
The average guest at an afternoon
affair makes mere pretence at eat
ing. She Is there to see and to be
seen. incidentally, she has the eye
which sees through her back hair II
the dining-room appointments are
lacking. She who proves an assistant
worthy Of the name looks to II that
| the dining-room arrangements are
perfect.
Black-ciad serving people are indis-
pensable for the formal function. but
for the daintier afternoon affair there
is nothing prettier than a beyy OF
bright-faced girls passing the viands
particularly pleasing to feminine
tastes. A rosy frappe from the slen-
der, white hand of pretty girl, who
tosses in a pleasant word, takes on a
favor indescribable but always recog-
nizabie. The girl who Is really indls-
pensabic in this Office is she whose
eye does not fail to see the latest arr
rival at the dining-room, door. She
has a faculty, too. for grouping all
corners, and never allows the incoming
guests to take on the appearance of q
line waiting their turn at a quick
lunch counter.
II the affair be a card party. she has
a secret way locked In the innermost
recesses of her hearD for bringing the
right sort of people together when she
passes out the score cards. She kno ws
that the success of the afternoon may
be determined by gathering the most
congenial people together during the
few minutes while players are waiting
for the tinkle Of the bell. which means
the starting OF the race of wits and
cards for a prize that may represent
only few dollars, but many heart
burnings. And she deals out eonsola-
ton prizes with a graciousness that