Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1910-06-04

sex to indulge in the same beverage.
But worse was to come. At the
end of the rubbers the hostess came
round with her money box and de-
manded a third of everyone's winnings
for her pet charity Everyone yield
ed up something with an ill grace.
When 1 inquired to what charity we
were thus contributing 1 was amazed
at the buzz of conversation which i'm
mediately drowned my question.
Charity begins at home, Lady s.
whispered young man in my ear.
You can't expect Lady B. to have us
here and feed us for nothing
"coin Contest" Degrading Spectacle.
TOO astounded to reply, was still
further shocked by most indecent
and degrading spectacle which en-
sued. The men placed coins of vari-
| Gus value upon the floor. Instantly
every woman in the room, excepting
! myself, was lying on her stomach en-
deavoring to pick up the coins with
her mouth A scene of wild disorder
enSued; shrieks, cries, applause, en-
| enlargement from the men, who were
betting freely upon the different wom-
en-, while the contortions of the COM
/ dignified.
! TOO disguised and Mortified for
adieus, 1 hurried from the house, be-
| ing in state of mental whirl. That
| evening from an old friend who had
| lived in London all her life 1 heard
| that this behavior was the rule rather
| than the exception, and l resolved to
| find out if this was indeed a general
| condition of society
MY opportunities were many. A
| dinner party the next evening intro
duced me to still further horrors.
| Utter unrestraint was the keynote at
| the dinner table. Elbows on the table
and the f1inging of pieces of bread and
sweetmeats were frequent sights, but
it was afterwards that the worst took
place.
| For amusement in the drawing
room before the inevitable bridge the
young men and wonderland not al
ways the young women, but elderly
ones, too-indulged in the pastime~ ]
had always imagined was only for the
recreation of street arabs-the turning
of what are called 'cartwheels,' form
of somersault which is even more de
void of decency than the ordinary
head over heels. A space was cleared
and over and over and over again
went these girls and women a per
Torrance certainly not without some
| SKILL but utterly devoid of anything
to commend it, and INDUCED in by
some bearers of names which have
made history-names honored and
looked up to, but now dragged dowI
to the lowest of levels by perform
ances such as these, to which the mos
uneducated and unrefined would only
occasionally give vent
Standing on Head "AccompIishment.
Another drawing room accomplish
ment of today is to stand on the heaf
as long as possible. This was intro
duced by a woman of title who ha.
gained herself a degree of notoriet,
hitherto foreign to bearers of he
ancient and honored name.
"A week end party at a ducal man
sion completed my establishment. Ii
the country / thought things would b,
as they used to be. But, no, if pos
sible there was more abandonment
more vulgar horse play, more practica
jokes, and ruder innuendoes than evel
, in London. The great feat of the eve
, | ming was the mixing up of the nigh
attire of the house party. Bedrooms
were ruthlessly invaded and a youn,
mans night attire put into the digni
fed apartment where queen hat
slept, while the dowager duches
found her robe de mutt in the dressing
room of a debutante.
Sunday passed like music hal
) entertainment prolonged ad nauseam
/ | and it was with the greatest relief tina
: I turned my back upon the mansion
whose historical association, antiqu
t magnificence, and picturesque SUI
3 roundings could not remove the stat
i of the modern inhabitants whose pres
ence desecrated its hallowed surround
: ings-
1 "I have paid other week end visit
r | since this memorable one. but tn