Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-06
DRESSES PRIZES
AT A CARD PARTY
Each Pays Hostess" so Cents !;
Stands Chance to Win One
of 80 Gowns.
CHICAGO'S LATEST STUNT
Players Bicker and Pass "Compli-
ments;' Mrs. S. f. Foster Says
Its All Right"

Chicago, March Ga card party was
held in the Masonic temple yesterday !
afternoon. Mrs. s. z. Foster was host |
ess. Eight hundred women and a few |
men attended. They paid so cents ad- !
mission. This was to guarantee ex-
penses for the prizes. The surplus
went 10 Mrs. Foster.
There were 80 prizes, Is silk and 10
linen gowns. These, purchased at
Mrs. Fosters dressmaking establish
ment, probably reached a total value
Of $3.50. Eight hundred women and a
few men at so cents apiece left about
$4O0 at the door. The balance, elimin-
ating hall rent. went to Mrs Foster
The men as well as the women played
for the prize dresses.
The affairs are held in the large
drill hall of the building. 1t would
have been difficult to crowd more
women in yesterday. They had no
fear of a police raid. Every woman
wanted a-dresss1sfheTe-~6 nGzZ-
OF conversation. 1t was business.
PLENTY OF PETTY BICKERING.
/ OCCASIONALLY a woman lost control of
her tongue and muttered a scarcely
audible darn the luck At times a
partner played poorly. Usually she
looked up into a disgusted frown
across the table. Sometimes a biting
rebuke went out in low tones. The
hostess did not allow open quarrelling.
You reneged,' one woman accused
another.
She did not" replied the others
partner.
Amt you got any more sense than
to trump my ace" snapped a woman
who had won and who was forced to
take losing partner at the next table
up"
"A lot you know about the game"
was the reply. I've had the worst
luck in partners today l ever had in
my life"
1t was all a matter of business. To
nearly every woman present so cents
meant something. She wanted it to
bring her a dress. She didn't care for
the pleasure and IL was a hard strain
on the nerves. When the playing was
more than half over a few pairs began
TO leave. They had had poor hands or
had drawn poor partners.
CALLS GAME UNUSUALLY QUIET.
According TO the one of the women
who left early. having a bad streak OF
luck, the afternoon was more quiet
than usual She said that the custo-
mary quarreling between a good"
player and a poor partner was not so
noticeable.
Il have had good luck, as a rule, in
getting partners" she said. There is
lots OF quarreling at times, however.
You will hear one woman accuse an
other of 'reneging, OF not playing fair.
Most of the trouble comes when a
partner plays poorly. l guess the
writeups lately made them behave to-
day"
That the afternoons work is a ser.
ious matter with the players was ad-
mitted by several.
1T is the cheapest way that can get
my clothes" said one. Il win on an
average Of once a month. II it wasn't
for these parties wouldn't be able TO
dress half as well as / can now. US
ually attend two or three a week"
OTHER PARTIES ADVERTISED.
Mrs. Foster. the hostess" denied
that there was any card syndicate, and
that her party was the Clearing
house" But there was a 10-foot sign
in the center OF the hall notifying the
guests Of Is other parties which will
be held in different parts of the city
this week.