Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-08-03

ASSOCIATION.
G>>>>>~>>~~>>~
group OF young men were stand.
ing In the lobby OF the u club OF New
York smoking cigarettes and chatting.
The small talk OF the men standing
In the lobby was diverted by the en-.
trance Of young man who. passing
the group. went TO the ofice. called
for letters. received several and went
into the general lounging room to read
them ~
WHO is hep asked one. 45s
Don't know" said another. ..o (
Hes not a member Of the club"
said third. Ivan vechten put him
up. His name is Royden."
Hes got some sort Of social pull. !"
fourth put In. Hes thick with the
Traceys. What Mrs. Tracey puts her
stamp on goes"
1t doesn't matter to me-" said one
OF the party. Horace Skinner. 'who
puts stamp on him, he doesn't 20
with me-"
This remark attracted attention.
Skinner was cotillion leader TO the set
In question and could admit or decline
TO admit one who knocked at the
golden door.
Whats the matter with hImT was
asked. But Skinner walked away.
leaving his friends to find out for
themselves why he had put the stamp
Of his disnpproval on Mr. Royden. All
admitted that Royden had the man
ners OF gentleman. and from what
little was known OF his mental endow-
ments they were Mt least respectable.
But what had such qualifications TO
do with social life? People with
brains. wealth. refinement were crowd.
Ing upon the holy numbers" as n
wag facetiously called them. and here
was stranger about whom nothing
was known who bid fair TO walk I'm
and make himself ut home.
There Is still 10 be found In the So
cial swim or New York here and there
some descendants OF the leaders OF
hair century or more ago. These rel
| les or the past may be rich or may be
poor. They are there because they have
4 always been there. Should they pass
out and again seek admission they
would be obliged 10 fight their way
like the rest OF those seeking entrance.
OF this class was Miss Van yechten,
whose brother had put up SIR. Roy
den os Il guest at the u club. The Van
Nechtens had once owned farm In
l The middle OF Manhattan Island. and
\ OF such is the oldest and best in New
York society. Furthermore. Miss Van
i Nechten's ancestors were prominent In
Revolutionary days. 1t was not 10 be
1 expected that In her associations she
would take her cue from any one. In
deed, frequently when she saw her So
cial sisters who had sprung from a
composition OF rail or oil magnates
with hotel keepers daughters sDnbbing
some one she was quite likely to put
upon the snubbed her own aristocratic
seal.
/ Now, Mrs. Tracey. who introduced
Mr.. Royden, had made mistakes that
4 had Slapped her power She had youch-
ed for several persons simply on the
ground that they were geniuses, and
one or two OF them had mnde scien-
/ tihc discoveries that would save the
\ lives OF millions of human beings. She
had not considered that such persons
had no place In society. Consequently
when she took up Mr.. Royden an OPP
position to his admission sprang ND on
the part OF certain young women whose
fathers had been wreckers aud reor-
ganizers OF corporations and whose
mothers In some instances had been
/ In
pie whom the really aristocratic Miss
Van Vechten loved TO antagonlze. The
more they turned the cold shoulder on
Royden the more Miss Van vechten
loaded him with favors. She was lead
er Of n small set within the larger set
and gradually withdrew the gentleman
into this inner circle
lad he been man Of that promi-
Dence especially desirable In the social
world this would have been a mastery
move. for no sooner would lie have
been admitted TO Miss Van vechten's
coterie than he would have become de-
sirable I'm general way. AS 1t was.
his introduction only tended TO make
him a special rather than a universal
member Of the whole
Meanwhile the only person who APP
peared to take no interest In Mr.. Roy
den's social admission or rejection was
Mr.. Royden himself lie made no ac-
quaintances at the club where he was
a guest for the simple reason that
the clubs of Gotham are places where
small groups Of men who are acqualnt-
ed already sit at small tables aud
chat; others read the papers. while
others. mostly bachelors, use 1t as a
hotel. Nevertheless in certain respects
II has its being as a whole. Mr.. Roy
den found 1t convenient place in
which TO write his letters and spend
his time when not devoting himself to
Miss Van Vechten. Indeed. having no
occupation during his stay ia New