Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-25
TO PAY SOCIAL DEBTS
CONFESSIONS OF A FAvORITE AT
WEEKEND PARTIES.
How q Considerable Girl May, With
q Little Sincere Care, Return
Hospitaities.

Written for The Star.
I've solved one mystery that's troubled
me for a long time" And the girl In the
Paris lingerie frock dropped into the near
est chair, took piece Of paper from her
hand bag and began to scrlbble vigorously.
What are you Sherlocking about now?"
asked her friend lazily from the hammock.
i've found out how Sally pays her
debts" the lingerie girl answered. still
bdsiiy writing.
Don't see anything exciting about that.
It must be by cash. check or money order.
the coin Of the realm or It's equivalent. is
the only way I've ever found"
''Goosey. don't mean that kind Of debts /;
I mean social debts. which require much
more diplomatic handling. 1t has bothered
me for ever SO long to know how that girl
makes returns for all the hospitality she
receives You know she's asked every
where; you and I are always meeting her
at week-ends and fortnights, and she's al
ways going on to some other place where
the scale Of entertaining Is way beyond
what she can afford to return. Her family
homework girl as the only servant. Fancy
her giving dinners or luncheons to people
who keep chef and butler!
Now I've found out her method; she
having a hand-in-hand talk down on the
beach. I'm making notes Of 1t. for there
no telling these days when one will wake
up to find oneself poor
A Complicated System.
my dear, it's a System. almost Lawson
esque. it's SO complicated"
What do you mean?" The girl in the
hammock struggled UP surprised.
II mean that Sally keeps her eyes wide
open all the time she's visiting. and every
night she gets out large. fat notebook
where there are pages reserved for each
hostess. and she jots down any fact that
very apropos. She keeps a list Of the birth
days of the family and of the wedding an
niversary, 80 that she can remember them
by at least letter II not by gift; she
makes notes of the latest fad of the mis-
tress or master Of the house. their personal
tastes in books. flowers. old brass or Japa-
nese prints, any and every little hint she
has picked up concerning some trif1ing need
or desire. You know how often one says
L wish had such and such or knew about
so and So meaning to get the thing some
time or to look up the information.
Its right there that Sally's on the job,
as my brother says By and by. after she
goes away, there will come from her some
little thing the hostess wants. or a note
saying that Sally happened upon the de-
sired bit Of information. The hostess is
pleased, naturally. and wonders how it is
that Sally Is always doing such gracious
things.
children Sally will delight her soul even
more than the child's by sending it some
thing especially appropriate on its birth
day. How? Cause that young hopefuls
fat note book and the entries are kept up
to date. too, for what delights a child this
year will bore him the next.
Suppose the hostess is interested in
to1g OF 1oon Dnc Coll
will go over stacks Of magazines. cut out
all the articles on the subject, slip them
into an artistic portfolio cover she has
made herself, and Of course the hostess
That's only one example. You can see
how far-reaching the systematic practice
Of such plans would be.
Recruiting Parties.
when some of these friends come back
to town in the winter Sally plans little
parties quite unlike the functions these
people give. She belongs to club of
artistic workers, where really interesting
Bohemians foregather. This club has
studio teas, and to them Sally will invite
her summer hostesses They come gladly,
because they are often able to add re-
cruits to their dinner lists from the inter-
esting men they meet there. a commodity
the average hostess finds all too scarce.
Sometimes she gives chatting dish suppers
In the studio, where she never mixes the
wrong people any more than the wrong in
gradients. Informal? Yes, but I'm sure
they're great fun.
"One of the sweetest things she does is
to send flowers to her friends. On a day
that's so sodden and dull that one only
lives because one can't help 1t there will
come modest box Of flowers from Sally.
with merry little note or sometimes one
Of her sparkling verses with either a Joke
or a sentiment tucked away in its midst.
"She never fails to send flowers that
harmonic with the color scheme of either
the parlor or dining room; you see, she
has made a note of the decorations, and
SO doesn't make mistakes A hostess whose
parlor was in old rose and whose dining
room was in blue would never get a box
of purple lilies from Sally.
"Often she does exquisite embroidered
things for her friends. She learned how
to do that French embroidery in the con-
vent, and her fingers are like fairies for
such work.
Elm other words, eternal vigilance ex-
presses Sally's method. She's not a char
Iatan, either, for she's genuinely interested
in all these friends, and she considers
nothing too much trouble by which she
can show that interest. Such graceful. un-
expected attentions do warm the cookies
Of ones heart, and so it's no wonder to
me that Sally's rating in the social Brad
street is AL"