The sun., 1908-06-21
rHE COCKrAIDs LIMITATIONS.
lt Has Social Value, but Alust Not no
Handed Around Too Breezily.

/
Handed Around Too Breezily.
! The cocktail undoubtedly has social
value. but there are strict limitations to be
observed. The idea that the cocktail is q
mere symbol Of hospitality got two strange
families into trouble when they came to
Ney York.
One hailed from the far far West, and
/ another from the South, where they usually
know better. The Westerners took large
house and furnished 1t in accordance with
their great wealth. After while people
began to say that they were getting on in q
social way, which meant that they were
beginning to be asked about and to enter
tain the sort Of people they had come East
to spend their money on.
So everything went we'll until the visit OF
q certain great lady who meant great deal
in a social way and would certainly be an
asset to them. She had heard from q
friend--a decayed gentlewoman. who did
ohaperoning occasionally for one OF the
daughters-how lovely those people from
the West were. and she went to call on
them at her request
The irreproachable footman opened the
door and with irreproachable rigor took the
card from the visitor after he had shown her
with equal irreproaohability into the draw
ing room. He disappeared and the great
lady took time to glance about the room,
which seemed very beautiful to her, as her
importance was social, not artistic.
Presently the footman reappeared, as
she supposed, to announce the approach
OF the ladies'. But no, he was carrying
something in his hand and seemed to have
lost for the time being the splendid erect
was plainly walking slowly, and trying
not to spill something on the little tray.
Occasionally he glanced down at 1t con-
temptuously but solicitously. As he ap-
preached the great lady she realized that
1t must be intended for her She took up
her lorgnon and glanced at the tray, which
was inexorably drawing nearer.
Now it was under her nose, and before the
footinan had spoken the word she smelt
alcohol. 1t was with an apologetic gesture,
he held out the tray and muttered:
Cocktail
She did not spring from her chair and
rush to the door, as her feelings prompted
her to do; she was not a great lady for moth,
ing She said THANK you" coldly, and
she ignored the look OF the footman. which
seemed to desire to condole with her over
the fact that they two should be in the
house where such thing could happen.
She did not glance at him, and she was so
Westerners never understood why she
never came to the house again.
She did not, however; the social decline
and fall of, as Silas Wegg would have had
IT, OF the family began from that time, and
to-day they are rarely heard Of in the set
they once threatened TO adorn.
1t took more than one cocktail to accom-
plish the social trouble Of the Southerper.
She gave a bridge party and invited the
more or less we'll known women she had
met in New York. There we're enough Of
them at her party to fill several pages OF
enough for all OF them. for all Of them
several times, moreover. SO she had them
made in large numbers and many kinds.
Every woman when she entered the dining
room was approached by white capped and
black robed maid who offered her a cocktail.
and the servant had been taught to know
how the various ingredients were distrib-
uted. and to explain the difference to the
guests.
Then at intervals throughout tho after
noon the same maid appeared and with two
others went from table to table to re-
vive the weary players with the same
variety of refreshment. Some Of the
women would have departed before the
game was over had it not been for the
Inconvenience their departure would have
caused to the others. AS 1t was they
taken cocktails enough to empty one of the
trays.
The cocktails had worse effect even than
driving the guests home early. They kept
them away from the house forever after
ward. The only return from that enter
tainment was a shower Of cards.
There had been little things said about
this hostess before. 1t only took the cock
tails to give a most undesirable appearance
of probability to the reports