The Delta independent., 1910-06-10

JuhSto " uiS new environment
ne round Mr.. Passavant's advice of
great assistance, Phineas Carboy
having returned to San Francisco.
Everything depends upon the man
ner In which you start out, my dear
boy, said his portly mentor with
return to the paternal manner. I'm
your position you cannot afford to
ally yourself with anything but the
very best, from your shoemaker to
your visiting-list. You must have q
man, of course, and a secretary: send
the applicants to me; l will sift them
for you. You should have at least
two equipages for town use-a ham
som and brougham, with suitable
horses for saddle and harness Do you
ride or drive, Mr.. Stennis?"
No, Mr.. Stennis neither rode nor
drove; in fact. he knew or cared very
little about horses.
"Ah, then, there my daughter can
be of service; she is accounted a very
nne horsewoman and one of the best
Judges of horsefiesh in the city. But
you young people can talk that over
together. You will naturally take an
interest in all gentlemanly sports
every man Of means and leisure
are positively identified with some
particular pastime, even to the extent
of making it fad. May l inquire
what is your favorite DIVERSION"
Yachting, by all means" said VIII
frid.
Excellent Could not be better"
exclaimed Mr.. Passavant. None but
. man OF large resources can-ah-
inouige in yachting to any extent"
Il am thinking of building boat"
said Wilfrid diffidently. What
would you adviser"
The very thing. my boy; engage
the most expensive designer and the
most famous builder, and your repu-
-ah,"
Really, my dear" said the lawyer
in narrating this little Chesterf1eldian
episode to Clara, Il begin to have
hopes of young Stennis; he is most
tractable and receptive to-ah-sen-
sible ideas"
So it came about that the rather
blase Clara anticipated with no little
interest her first meeting with the
new man.
Stennis had never before owned
visiting-card or donned a dresscoat.
but when he stepped forward TO greet
her in response to her fathers intro
duction, as he entered the drawing
room, she decided in one sweeping
glance that he was irreproachable at
least in costume and manners, even
IL the latter were a trifle nervous. At
the proper moment he offered his arm
to take her in to dinner. Ipwardly
he was greatly pertnfbed. for he real
lied that he was on view; but Clara
Passavant eXcelled in social tact, and,
taking a liking to him from the start,
before the soup was removed he was
chatting with her completely at his
ease. The dinner passed OF quite sue
cessfully on the whole, for by dint of
keeping a careful watch on what the
others did he was able to avoid any
glaring blunders, albeit rather be-
wildered at the multiplicity of glasses.
and wondering at the possible correct
uses OF the different styles and sizes
Of knives and forks and spoons. But
he committed no solecisms: he took
wine sparingly: his little errors might
even have been ascribed to a some
what different geographical environ
ment by those not cogniZant OF his
social pedigree.
He will do" thought Clara Pas
savant, and put forth all her mature
powers to fascinate and dazzle her
faf in oil ha
pIetely succeeded. for there is nothing
more dangerous to young mans
peace of mind than beautiful. we'll
gowped, and well-maunered woman of
the world in full evening attire. And
Clara was all of these things. More
over. she could be engagingly gracious
when she chose-and from this night
on she did choose.
She found Wilfrid quickly and even
cleverly responsive to the touch-and-
go topics OF current conversation and
remarkably well-informed as to gen.
eral knowledge. In truth. he was a
better-educated man than her father,
so far as wide and desultory reading
named the walking encyclopaedia" in
the old days of office and boarding
house life. Yet his mental bill-of-fare
was like "picked-up" dinner-it con-
tanned little of everything, But If
he had only known it in those early
days as he came to know it later. So
cially this was rather in his favor
than otherwise. Society. with a cap
ital prefix, prefers to be amused
rather than instructed. and barely
tolerates the man who knows enough
to see its blunders and not enough
to keep ntill about them.
When Clara happened to broach the
subject OF music ut their third or
fourth meeting she found she had
touched the dominant chord of Will
frid's nature: bei.g no mean eNecu-
tant herself. they at once met on COM