Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-02-27
ITO BE
A SOCIAL
EPISODE
By REGINALD D. HAVEN

"A young EnSllSlmln VlSlQnS Amefl-
ca appeared at that club which is the
exponent of New York's Four Hun
dred and presented an introduction
card from Legrand Pulsifer, n whose
position had been at the apex Of the So
cial Manhattan pyramid for several
generations. The name on the card
was Ralph Maltravers, and be who
bore 1t was Il good looking young man
with the Anglo-Saxon light hair, blue
eyes and rosy complexion. Having got
through with the formalities, he lit a
pipe and sat down to a newspaper.
Half a dozen men, smelling the odor
Of pipe tobacco. lifted up their heads.
made wry faces and scowled. n few
minutes later II of the clubs lackeys
Informed the gentleman that only CT
gars or cigarettes were permitted in
the club. The stranger Immediately
put out his pipe and a%pologized on the
ground that he was w of the rule.
Had it not been for this infringement
to remain unnoticed; but, having thus
attracted attention, the members pres
ent began to ask who had introduced
a man who didn't know any more than
to smoke a pipe in the club. Pulsifer
came in and. seeing the Englishman
sitting alone. sat down with him, and
they had a long chat. When Pulsifer
left his friend several men gathered
round him and asked who had intro
duced that cad to the club. Pulsifer
admitted that he had done so himself
and explained that he had met Nal
travers in England and found him rath-
er a good fellow in his way. He had
therefore chosen to show him some at
tention. This being a faint backing.
the protesters thereafter took pains to
sit with their backs to the newcomer
whenever they happened to be in the
same room with him.
A New York club is no place to make
acquaintances, and Mr.. Maltravers
would not have been welcome ever
had he not followed the universal o
don custom of pipe smoking. But 1t
so happened that several OF the gen
tlemen present when the Englishman
had appeared at the club afterward
met him at Il social gathering given by
a Mrs. Ten Eyck, a sister OF Legrand
Pulsifer, and there found it easier to
show their disapproval of him.
Not that they were by any means
impolite. Far from it. They were eN-
cessively polite. while to each other
tbor xroro ov+roD,ol- ,,nooramoniOrS In
other words. they indicated as only a
swell can indicate that the stranger
was not and could not be one of them.
''Who is the fellow. Legrand, any
way?" asked one of them.
Pulsifer shrugged his shoulders and
said: My dear boy, he did me a favor
when | was in London. What would
you have me do when he comes to
America? However. | wish to say
frankly in justice to Mr.. Maltravers
that he has no desire to be socially re-
ceived. What l have done for him in
that way has not been at his request
All agreed that because a man had
done another a favor it was no reason
why the recipient should infict the
donor on his friends. There were 9TH
er ways of paying obligations than so
cially, and some surprise was express
ed that Pulsifer, who was himself a
barrier to applicants for admission into
the charmed circle should have intro
duced this man socially. His putting
the Englishman up at his club was
quite enough. But Pulsifer said that
all he had done in the matter was
to admit the stranger to his club and
be responsible for him at his sisters.
The women, though they showed an
icy front to Mr.. M%altravers, admired
him. One of them to whom he was
introduced said that he was n OF
the most interesting men, considering
that he seldom opened his mouth, she
had ever met. But she was very proud
Of her conversational powers, and moth
ing pleased her better than to find a