The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-04-24
By Adelaide
Gordon.

card cases in our hands. We were to
call together a bit, and the first draw
ing room we entered was fun 10 over
flowing. We found a scat near a quiet
~ dressed. shy. foreign-loOking young
woman, who evidently kueW- no one
present but the hostess, who was 200
busily engaged TO pay very much at
tentiOn TO the shrinking little figure in
the corner. My companion sat down
beside her. though, and made remark.
1t concerned the weather. The spin
ster looked a little alarmed and then
a great deal relieved to find that some
one. even an unknown. had come TO
her rescue. In five minutes the shy,
shabbily-dTessed woman had a glow
in her cheeks and a happy light in her
eyes: she was telling my friend all
about her violin studies. Ny friend
was not saying a word. She was all
attention, however. She was listening
az though OF all things in this world
violin music interested her most. and
then there was an exchange Of cards,
and the musician proved 10 be a wO-
man of world wide reputation, who has
volunteered 10 play at the entertain
ment to be given shortly by my most
agreeable friend. who would never
have dared TO ask 60 great a favor,
and whose fortune IS by no means
princely enough TO afford the big fee
that this mistress Of the violin asks
when engaged through her manager.
But such agreeability is a wonderful
power for purchasing friends and IA
vors. AS we went away from that
house, we stopped once or twice and
left cards with messages penciled
thereon; at a home where some mem-
Der of the family was slowly recu-
perating from a long Illness, at an
other where a new baby had arrived,
and at a third where the owner was
entertaining a house guest
Each card meant a kindly thought
and signified a tiny but none the less
important attention, land, though it
takes little time and energy to do it.
I try not 10 let a day pass without re
Numbering that there is somebody by
whom these little Courtesies viii be
appreciated. said my friend, as we
walked home through the twilight.
At the End of the Day.
There were guests expected for din
ner 1 knew, and after a day full of
consistent and energetic effort, my
hostess was weary enough. But in
good time, before her husbands client
and his wife, with g. couple of -neiSh-,
bors, rang her bell, she was dressed
and ready, smiling and apparently so
pleased TO play the hostess in her own
well-Iighted drawing room.
She marshaled us into her little din
ing room, where an unmistakable odOr
of too thoroughly fried fish hung in
the air, and where the new waitress
made blunder after blunder; where a
candle shade fell over with a crash,
and burnt a big. brown spot in the fine
damask cloth, and where a clumsy
young man finally climaxed it all by
upsetting his glass OF claret- It was
an hour TO try any wOman's soul, but
when we were piloted back into the
drawing room and coffee was served
and the guests reluctantly rose To 20,
they each and every one said that
they had had a pleasant evening with
a Zest that did not belle their words
We had had a good time because our
hostess had let the clumsy young man
apologize and forgiven him quite as if
the little incident with the Wine glass
was a sort of gentle joke, and by TO
means an accident With admirable
tact she had allowed the fiustered maid
TO calm down, gain her bearings and
eventually the meal was served very
nicely. When the bouillon came on
slightly scoTched, she made no excuse,
and we drank ours without thinking
because at the moment our hostess
made our host tell his best new story,
and we were set into roars of hearty
laughter.
What faults there were in the cook
ing and serving OF the viandS were sue
ceasfully hidden in the hostess charm
Of manner; she made herself so agree
able that we all did our level best IN
turn. If the wine was weak. the wit
was strong, and with something akin
to real reverence realize how, with
a little tact, a little unselfishness and
a little personal effort, my friend had
made a rainy day, full of trying petty
duties, small disappointments and un-
aVOidable annoyances, prove one Of
the brightest and most successful and
helpful in her life.
Copyright 1904 by New York So
ciety of Self-Culture. All rights re-
SerNel.l