Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1947-06-27

lean ustom of having parties on
St. tricks Day. Every well,"
| she sid. "You find % of your
| friene who would like to attend
a par and I'll take care of all
the ret"
1t ,as no trouble to find Is
CTS t, come to the party, but 1
was sghtly afraid that the eve
ming puld turn into a stag par
ty wit Madame as the only wo-
man resent.
My friends and l arrived at
| the hose in large, anxious
group. Upon entering, | saw that
| all thefurniture had been remov-
ed iron the large living room.
The grind piano was pushed into
cornr and a photograph with
a moutain of recordings stood
against wall. In sitting
room vas large table loaded
with bod and drinks. Lights
were stung in the garden.
And Is lovely girls in formal
gowns waiting US.
That vas one night 25 Ameri.
| cans tina | knew gave no thought
| to home, family, or the war. The
| party ke,t morale high for weeks.
And Ill through the evening,
| Madame sat graciously in a large
| hair nea the door, magnificently
gay and thrilled with the atten-
lions of he young people she so
loved.
Madam was critically class
conscious. She knew She was
weather. than anyone else on
the island far more Influential
than the governor, better educat-
ed than tie bishop, and that ev-
eryone parned to enter her
beautiful nome.
She had her servants trained
to classify people at the door.
Businessman were led to the
small offi,e or not seen at all
after she decided to call it a day,
According to their station, callers
were led either into the sitting
room, the tea room, the garden
or turned away.
Madame and | became almost
like mother and son; she intro,
duced me to her friends as hel
American son." For reasons she
alone knows, she did everything
to satisfy my slightest whims and
I know now there were times
when | took advantage of her
She asked me to live in her home
and so l became one of the few
Americans who not only had
bed in camp but a house in town
| became acquainted with an
other French family who were
kind to me and | suggested to
Madame that we have the mother
of the family in for tea.
She frowned little. "Please,'
she said. "Not her"
I was surprised. "Why"
She fidgeted in her seat. eve
are not in the same GLASS;" she
said.
"Oh, how ridiculous" I said
"Class has nothing to do with it
She's a charming woman and
think you'd enjoy her."
"But we don't speak, the same
language" she said. "We'd have
nothing to say"
Before I could lecture her un
fair classifications, she said tc
me, "You must learn to surround
Yourself only with the beautiful
and brilliant. If a person is moi
of your own mental capacity
don't bother with him. Small
talk deadens the mind. Conver
,ation is too precious to share i
with anyone who does not keeI
YOU alert OF add to your know
ledge"
| tried to tell her that all thi'
had nothing to do with beinf
nice to people, but she said
"When you approach dog dirt OF o.,
the sidewalk, you don't wall
through it-you walk around it
When you have been in the worlc
as long as I have, you will Learn
there are people of this same
value whom it is much better te
walk around than mess up your
mind walking through"
That woman never came to tea
On another occasion, | had the
opportunity to witness her higf
position on the island. A proml'
nent family announced a party
at their home and extended an in,
vitation to Madame. She asked
me to escort her. Most fellows
would hesitate escorting 70
year-old woman to a party but
| knew I was in for rare treat
of seeing the islands best and &C.