Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-12
Chapter XVII.

OSSS
Chapter XVII.
| enough for all had to do. There were
| committees to be appointed and committee
meetings to attend There were dis
| gruntled members to be appeased and my
electors to be rewarded. There were SO
many letters to be written that 1 found 1t
| necessary to engage secretary for the
mornings, and SO many invitations to club
| receptions and banquets, to musical morn
| ings and "gent1emen's nights" that life be-
came an incessant whirl. / breakfasted In
bed, lunched or went without lunch wher-
ever l happened to be, dined with friends
at home or elsewhere, and gave myself to
| festivity in the evenings. There were club
programs to be arranged, greetings" and
fmpromptus and post-prandial speeches
| to be thought up-mostly in the wee sma'
hours; and, as the president of the Nota
Bene must look her part, there were mani
cures and milliners, dressmakers and hair
dressers to be sandwiched in among the
busiest hours of the day.
Then there was ''Gentlemen's Night at
| the Nota Bene. These annual occasions
had always been considered the most
brilliant affairs in Chicago clubdom,
but 1 had set myself the task of
! making this first one under my
leadership such as no future sue
cessor might hope to rival, unless, indeed;
she could twist the President Of the United
| States around her little finger, or bring
forth the ruler Of the united kingdom.
The mayors presence was nothing ne" Oh
| these occasions; SO while had sent young
Perkins, whom I had come to know so
cially, an invitation to be one of the speak
ers, which he promptly accepted, this was
| not enough 1 would have nothing less
than his excellency, the governor of illi-
nois
1 began early to pull my wires. To be
sure, Mrs. Parsons knew the man we'll,
but could not ask her assistance in this
scheme for eclipsing her own social record
in the club. But again fortune favored
| the ambitious. 1t was Philip Haven who
| helped me when 1 confided my desires and
| plans to him.
LET me think it over" he said, and
went away. But the next day he came
again.
II will give a modest little dinner party
| at the rectory," he said. Il know his
excellency sufficiently well to invite him,
| and you, with Mrs Parsons, shall do the
| honors. The governors secretary, as you
| know, is a vestryman at st. Sebastfans 8.
Among us we will arrange the affair. Then
| you will wear your most becoming gown,
and-well, is it worth trying?'
"Oh, Phil!'' I cried. You were always
good to me. When shall it be?' And we
| fell to discussing plans as eagerly as
| children. The result was small though
| brilliant dinner party, at which I sat next
the governor and made myself as fascinat-
| ing as 1 knew how; and when parted
| his excellency had promised to attend my
| ''gentlemen's night with his entire staff,
| and to speak at the after-dinner exer-
| cises.
| This was the browning triumph of my
career so far, and with a gay heart I set
about the ordering of gorgeous raiment
for the occasion. Joe had left me an ample
bank account for all emergencies. This
was pressing emergency, in my opinion,
| and the best dressmaker in Chicago, a
thorough artist in designing. was called
| into reQuisition. The result was dream
| of beauty in soft sea-shell pink. with fllmy
! 1aces and deeper rose-tints, so that I was
| like a splendid carnation when at last ]
| donned the gown.
The born club leader. aided and Allotted
by thorough club training is at her best
| not when just emerging from the shell of
seclusion. but after sharpening her wits
through hours of contact with those of
| her kind; otherwise, l should have been a
| wreck when the hour for after-dinner ex-
ercises arrived on that never-to- be-forgot-
| ten night.
had been out the night before until mid
night, and sat up an hour later preparing
| for my spontaneous happy introductions; -
and SO fatigued was 1 that my eyelds
| were still closed when my mother
| brought up my breakfast tray at half
past eight Before I was out of bed
there were three telephone calls to be
answered. and my new gown from
madame's was waiting for the last trying
on at D. Half an hour later I was on my
way in cab hurrying to the last meeting
OF my reception and program committees,
when all final details must be arranged.
Here. too, were injured feelings to be
soothed, and the need of infinite tact: for
the flower committee had ordered violets
and smilax for the table, while my gown
| called for nothing if not carnations and
! roses. OF all committees. those who have
charge OF floral decorations are most sure
Of themselves, but succeeded after con-
siderable diplomacy in getting the order
changed. For how could a president be
expected to say the right thing in a gown
| that quarreled with the flowers that sur
rounded her? How expect inspiration from
the combination of carnation-colored robe
and violet table? And when this point
was settled, there was the music COM
whose voice was expected to charm the
highest dignitaries of state and city had
refused to MARBLE to the accompaniment of
| our chairman, who was just as determined
to reserve that small portion of glory to
herself And we compromised only by
promising the chairman that we would give
a club musicale. later on at which she
should be the chief performer. Finally, at
1:3O. all these matters had been arranged,
and we separated with everything arranged
| to my satisfaction.
Then there was hurried luncheon at a
downtown hotel. when 1 snatched moment
| to read the morning paper, and was norri-
| fled to behold a two-column wood cut of
| myself alongside that of some heretofore
unknown person who had been cured of
nearly all the ills to which human flesh is
| heir, and a distorted forecast of the even
| ing's program at the Nota Bene Club
| banquet which closed with saying: "Evi-
IDENTIFY Mrs. Jack has come near the reali-
| zation of her ambition to make the social
| side of the NOta Bene even more brilliant
| than it has been In the past"
| There was a meeting of the legislative
committee at 2:30 in Mrs. Parsons library.
| had tried to excuse myself from this, but
Ohdurato.
1T is my pride today" she observed,
| that did not neglect single committee
| meeting during my term Of Office. You GER
| tainly must not begin to excuse yourself
| at the very outset. It'll never. never do.
| And SO 1 had to sit through that hour of
uninteresting details, conscious of the
preciousness of every moment. For there
were yet manicuring and hairdressing es-
| Establishments to be visited, and the recep-
/ ton began at 6. But it was over at last,
and 1 was free to hurry through the next
| two hours as fast as possible.
And yet, when stood before my
| mirror at home, arrayed in my beau
| tiful gown, listening to the fiattering
words of madame, who had come her
| self to attend. to hooking 1t and smooth
| ing out the faintest wrinkle (having kept
| her girls working all the night before to
| complete the gown, as saw the admiring
| pride in my mothers eyes and the honest
| alteration of the children. felt freshened
and eager to encounter critical audience.
| For such is the bracing power of good
1nth has