The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-07-12
THE SPENDERS
By HARRY LEON WILSON
Copyright, by Lothrop Publishing Company.

the same broad and generously grace
full lines as her own victoria. The
fair-minded observer would accept as
sufficient promise of a good third. Yet
hardly could slighter person display
to advantage the famous GWilt-Athles-
tan jewels. The rope Of pierced dia-
monds with pigeon-biood rubies strung
between them, which she wears wound
over her corsage, would assuredly over
weight the frail Fidelia Oldaker; the
tiara of emeralds and diamonds was
never meant for brow less majestic;
nor would the stomacher Of lustrous
gray pearls and glinting diamonds ever
have clasped becomingly a figure that
was svelte-or skinny" as the great
lady herself is frank enough to term
all persons even remotely inclined to
be svelte.
But let us sit and enliven a proper
din%er with talk upon topics of legit-
innate interest and genuine propriety.
Here will be no discussion of the
vulgar matter of markets, staples, and
prices, such as we perforce endured
through the overturned and too-abun-
dant repast of Higbee. Instead of
learning what beef on the hoof brings
per hundred-weight, f. o. b. at Chey-
enne. we shall here CLEAN at once the
invaluable fact that while good society
in London used to be limited to those
who had been presented at court, the
presentations have now become so nu-
merous that the limitation has lost it's
significance. Mrs. Gwilt-Athlestan thus
discloses, as if it were trif1e, some
thing we should never learn at the
table of Higbee though we ate his
heavy dinners to the day of ultimate
chaos. And while we learned at that
Interestingly new table that one should
keep ones heifers and sell off ones
steer calves, we never should have been
informed there that Dinard had Just
enjoyed the gayest season of it's his
tory under the patronage of this enter
prislng American; nor that Lady de
Muzzy had opened a tea-room in Graf
ton street, and Cynthia, Marchionesi
of Angleberry, a beauty-improvement
parlor on the Strand because she
needs the money"
Lots of 'em takin' to trade nova
days; it's a smart sayin' there now
that all the peers are marryin' act
resses and all the peeresses goin' into
business Mrs. GWilt-Athelstan nod
ded little shocks of brilliance from her
tiara and hungrily speared another
oyster.
"Only trouble is, it's such rotten
work collectin' bills from their in
innate friends; they simply won't
pay
Nor at the barbaric Higbee's should
we have been vOuchsafed, to treasure
for our own, the knowledge that Mrs.
Gwilt-Athlestan had merely run over
for the cup-fortnight. meaning to re-
turn directly to her daughter, Kathar-
inc, Duchess of Blanchmere, in time
for the Melton MowbraE hunting sea-
son; nor that she had been rather
taken by the new way of country life
among us, and so tempted to protract
her gracious sOjOurn.
Really" she admits, we're comm
to do the right thing over here; a few
years were all we needed Hardly a
town house to be opened before
Thanksgivin'. l understand; and down
at the Kills some of the houses will
stay open all winter It's coachin',
ridin', and golf and auto-racin' and
polo and squash; really the youns
folks don't go in at all except to dance
and eat; and it's quite right, you
know It's quite decently English
now. Why, at Morris Park the other
day, the crowd on the lawn looked
quite like Ascot, actually
Nor could we have learned in the
hostile camp the current gossip of
Tuxedo, Meadowbrook, Lenox. Morris
town and Ardsley; of the mishap to
Mrs. Jimmie Whettin, twice unseat.
ed at recent meet; of the woman's
championship tournament at Chats
worth; or the good points of the new
runner-up at Baltusrol, daily to be seen
on the links. Where we might incur
knowledge of Beaumont "gusher. OF
Pittsburg mill we should never have
discovered that teas and receptions are
really falling into disrepute; that a
series of dinner-dances will be Or
gained by the mothers of debutantes
to bring them forward; and that big
subscription balls are in disfavor. since
they benefit no one but the caterers
who serve poor suppers and bad cham.
payne
Mrs. Gwilt-Athlestan takes onlv
Scotch whiskey and soda.
But I'm glad" she confides to Hor-
ace Nilhrey on her left, that you
haven't got to followin' THIS fad OF
navin' one wine at dinner; know it's
English, but it's downright shoddy."
Her hosts eyes swan with gratitude
for this appreciation.
Il stick to my peg" she continued;
"but l like to see a Chablis with oys-
ters and good dry sherry with the
soup, and a Moselle with the fish, and
then you're ready to be livened with
a bit of champagne for the roast, and
r%1~ I'd y; l~~