Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-01

ESA - sentative citizen of a goody sized
WNM Western city, in his efforts to break into
40D1 the uppermost circles of society. AS mat
% ter of fact, the man himself not wholly
- to blame for what did happen, he really be-
T11T ing the victim of the peculiar methods pre-
Mllll vailing in his environments for drawing
'VySII the social lines between the common herd
%SHllI the fashionable set and the ultra-fashiona
HJN BILE upper crust
Y ITM 1t occurred in a city priding itself on its
$SI{NY push and energy, and in one containing
~TM thousands of cultured people entirely indif-
INN ferent as to their entree into the so-called
lI|Ki social pasture where only the favored and
IlIlF )ampered few are wont to Craze. One of
IllU the great regrets of this social set the
PM fact that they could not expect even men,
I0e tion in the same breath with the four hun
dd Of fl an hesstnn eastern metropolis m 6p family
with good judgment they never
did; inasmuch as all traces of their gene
alogy lost somewhere the other side
Of the stockyards of their city, and for
many family skeleton were more or less be-
smirched with the blood of sheep, cattle or hogs,
according Dad got his start sticking pigs,
skinning cattle numbering sheep.
There may have been time few years back
when social prominence was gained in this place
in the usual manner free from agonizng and
heartrendng efforts and most liberal expendi-
lures of money, but if that ever was the case
among the people with which this tale deals, 1t
must have been long before the "blaze" Every
thing with the population of this rushing, money
SeJLlng CITY dated from ''DeIOre OF dICer Cne
event referred to- and the unfortunate catas-
trophe about to be chronicled deals with the
unique methods of climbing the social ladder,
generally in vogue long "after" the blaze
John Sharpax, Esq, of the firm of Sharpax,
Blue & Co.. was strictly and entirely self-made
man. His thriving business monument to
his shrewdnesS, and the only thing which really
bothered him and marred his happiness was his
lack of social standing. He knew his wife and
daughter to be most goodly to look upon-far
more so, indeed, than some of the scrawny and
homelylooking set of women they gazed upon
when the society of the town on parade.
He furthermore prided himself that he could
wear "spike-taiP' coat of evening with far
better grace than did some of his wealthy bust
acquaintances, who had managed, to his
envy, to set foot within the sacred social en-
closure. For quite few years back he had no
ticed that the road to distinction in the desired
direction was by way of the great celebrations
held each year in his town, generally in the fall.
Fall Festivals" they called and while
the common people were driven to understand
that the glorious events were gotten up wholly
to give them opportunity to witness parades,
hear the bands play and gaze upon the decora-
tions, it was notorious fact among those on the
inside that the real idea was to push upward
peg at the exclusive balls and banquets given in
connection, and from which the public were ex-
cluded, the social booms of the chairman of the
celebration of the parade, ball, finance and other
numerous committees Even the chairman of the
grand stand committee and he of the press, often
times hardened police reporter, wed with each
other for such honOrs.
So Mr.. Sharpax, after much deliberaton, con-
cluded to grasp the bull by the horns, hoping to
gain in one brief season a sufficiently enough So
cial standing to last himself and charming family
that, oftra1 1ixraS DIV 0vtr ihQrQI