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diff --git a/old/55300-0.txt b/old/55300-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index acb2d4d..0000000 --- a/old/55300-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6547 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Society As I Have Found It, by Ward McAllister - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Society As I Have Found It - -Author: Ward McAllister - -Release Date: August 8, 2017 [EBook #55300] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOCIETY AS I HAVE FOUND IT *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - - - SOCIETY AS I HAVE FOUND IT. - - [Illustration: very truly yours, handwritten: - - Ward Mc Allister] - - - - - _Society_ - - _As I Have Found It_ - - BY - - WARD McALLISTER - - NEW YORK - CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY - 104 & 106 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK - - COPYRIGHT, - - 1890, - - BY WARD McALLISTER. - - _All rights reserved._ - - THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS, - RAHWAY, N. J. - - - - - “This book is intended to be miscellaneous, with a noble disdain of - regularity.”--_Obiter Dicta._ - - “How then does a man, be he good or bad, big or little, make his - Memoirs interesting? To say that the one thing needful is - individuality, is not quite enough. To have an individuality is no - sort of distinction, but to be able to make it felt in writing is - not only distinction, but under favorable circumstances, - immortality.”--_The Same._ - - - - -AUTHOR’S NOTE. - - -One who reads this book through will have as rough a mental journey as -his physical nature would undergo in riding over a corduroy road in an -old stage-coach. It makes no pretension to either scholarship or elegant -diction. - -W. McA. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. - - PAGE - -My Family--My Mother an Angel of Beauty and Charity--My Father’s -Nobleness of Character--Building Bonfires on Paradise Rocks and flying -Kites from Purgatory with Uncle Sam Ward--My Brother the Lawyer, 3 - -CHAPTER II. - -My New York Life--A Penurious Aunt who fed me on Turkey--My First Fancy -Ball--Spending One Thousand Dollars for a Costume--The Schermerhorns -give a ball in Great Jones Street--Sticking a Man’s Calf and Drawing -Blood--A Craze for Dancing--I Study Law--Blackstone has a Rival in -lovely Southern Maidens--I go to San Francisco in ’50--Fees Paid in Gold -Dust--Eggs at $2--My First Housekeeping--A faux pas at a -Reception, 13 - -CHAPTER III. - -Introduction to London Sports--A Dog Fight in the Suburbs--Sporting -Ladies--The Drawing of the Badger--My Host gets Gloriously Drunk--Visit -to Her Majesty’s Kitchen--Dinner with the Chef of Windsor Castle--I -taste Montilla Sherry for the First Time--“A Shilling to pay for the -Times,” 31 - -CHAPTER IV. - -A Winter in Florence and Rome--Cheap Living and Good Cooking--Walnut-fed -Turkeys--The Grand Duke of Tuscany’s Ball--An American Girl who Elbowed -the King--What a Ball Supper should be--Ball to the Archduke of -Tuscany--“The Duke of Pennsylvania”--Following the Hounds on the -Campagna--The American Minister Snubs American Gentlemen, 41 - -CHAPTER V. - -Summer in Baden-Baden--The Late Emperor William no Judge of Wine--My -Irish Doctor--His Horror of Water--How an American Girl tried to -Captivate Him--The Louisiana Judge--I win the Toss and get the Mule--The -Judge “fixes” his Pony--The “Pike Ballet,” 55 - -CHAPTER VI. - -Winter in Pau--I hire a perfect Villa for $800 a year--Luxury at Small -Cost--I Learn how to give Dinners--Fraternizing with the Bordeaux Wine -Merchants--The Judge’s Wild Scheme--I get him up a Dinner--General -Bosquet--The Pau Hunt--The Frenchmen wear beautiful Pink Coats, but -their Horses wont Jump--Only the General took the Ditch, 65 - -CHAPTER VII. - -My Return to New York--Dinner to a well-known Millionaire--Visit of Lord -Frederick Cavendish, Hon. E. Ashley, and G. W. des Voeux to the United -States--I Entertain them at my Southern Home--My Father’s Old Friends -resent my Manner of Entertaining--Her Majesty’s Consul -disgruntled--Cedar Wash-tubs and Hot Sheets for my English -Guests--Shooting Snipe over the Rice Lands--Scouring the Country for -Pretty Girls, 77 - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A Southern Deer Park--A Don Quixote Steed--We Hunt for Deer and Bag a -Turkey--Getting a Dinner by Force--The French Chef and the Colored Cook -Contrasted--One is Inspired, the Other follows Tradition--Making a Sauce -of Herbs and Cream--Shooting Ducks across the Moon--A Dawfuskie -Pic-nic, 89 - -CHAPTER IX. - -I Leave the South--A Typical British Naval Officer--An Officer of the -Household Troops--Early Newport Life--A Country Dinner--The Way I got up -Pic-nics--Farmers throw their Houses Open to Us--A Bride receives us in -her Bridal Array--My Newport Farm--My Southdowns and my Turkeys--What an -English Lady said of our Little Island--Newport a place to take Social -Root in, 107 - -CHAPTER X. - -Society’s Leaders--A Lady whose Dinners were Exquisite and whose Wines -were Perfect--Her “Blue Room Parties”--Two Colonial Beauties--The -Introduction of the Chef--The Prince of Wales in New York--The Ball in -his Honor at the Academy of Music--The Fall of the Dancing -Platform--Grotesque Figures cut by the Dancers--The Prince dances -Well--Admirable Supper Arrangements--A Light Tea and a Big Appetite--The -Prince at West Point--I get a Snub from General Scott, 123 - -CHAPTER XI. - -A Handsome, Courtly Man--A Turkey Chase--A Visit to Livingston Manor--An -Ideal Life--On Horseback from Staatsburg to New York--Village Inn -Dinners--I entertain a Fashionable Party at the Gibbons Mansion--An Old -House Rejuvenated--The Success of the Party--Country Life may be enjoyed -here as well as in England if one has the Money and the Inclination for -it--It means Hard Work for the Host, though, 139 - -CHAPTER XII. - -John Van Buren’s Dinner--I spend the Entire Day in getting my -Dress-coat--Lord Harrington criticises American Expressions--Contrast in -our way of Living in 1862 and 1890--In Social Union is Social -Strength--We band together for our Common Good--The organization of the -“Cotillion Dinners”--the “Smart” Set, and the “Solid” Set--A Defense of -Fashion, 155 - -CHAPTER XIII. - -Cost of Cotillion Dinners--My delicate Position--The Début of a -Beautiful Blonde--Lord Roseberry’s mot--We have better Madeira than -England--I am dubbed “The Autocrat of Drawing-rooms”--A Grand Domino -Ball--Cruel Tricks of a fair Mask--An English Lady’s Maid takes a -Bath--The first Cotillion Dinners given at Newport--Out-of-Door -Feasting--Dancing in the Barn, 165 - -CHAPTER XIV. - -The first private Balls at Delmonico’s--A Nightingale who drove -Four-in-hand--Private Theatricals in a Stable--A Yachting Excursion -without wind and a Clam-bake under difficulties--A Poet describes the -Fiasco--Plates for foot-stools and parboiled Champagne for the -thirsty--The Silver, Gold, and Diamond Dinners--Giving Presents to -guests, 181 - -CHAPTER XV. - -The Four-in-hand Craze--Postilions and Outriders follow--A -Trotting-horse Courtship--Cost of Newport Picnics Then and Now--Driving -off a Bridge--An Accident that might have been Serious--A Dance at a -Tea-house--The Coachmen make a Raid on the Champagne--They are all -Intoxicated and Confusion reigns--A Dangerous Drive Home, 191 - -CHAPTER XVI. - -Grand Banquet to a Bride elect--She sat in a bank of Roses with -Fountains playing around her--An Anecdote of Almack’s--The way the Duke -of Wellington introduced my Father and Dominick Lynch to the Swells--I -determine to have an American Almack’s--The way the “Patriarchs’” was -founded--The One-man Power Abolished--Success of the Organization, 207 - -CHAPTER XVII. - -A Lady who has led Society for many years--A Grand Dame indeed--The -Patriarchs a great social Feature--Organizing the F. C. D. C.--Their -Rise and Fall--The Mother Goose Ball--My Encounters with socially -ambitious Workers--I try to Please all--The Famous “Swan Dinner”--It -cost $10,000--A Lake on the Dinner-table--The Swans have a mortal -Combat, 221 - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -How to introduce a young Girl into Society--I make the Daughter of a -Relative a reigning Belle--First Offers of Marriage generally the -Best--Wives should flirt with their Husbands--How to be -fashionable--“Nobs” and “Swells”--The Prince of Wales’s Aphorism--The -value of a pleasant Manner--How a Gentleman should dress--I might have -made a Fortune--Commodore Vanderbilt gives me a straight “Tip,” 239 - -CHAPTER XIX. - -Success in Entertaining--The Art of Dinner-giving--Selection of -Guests--A happy Mixture of Young Women and Dowagers--The latter more -appreciative of the Good Things--Interviewing the Chef--“Uncle Sam” -Ward’s Plan--Mock Turtle Soup a Delusion and a Snare--The Two Styles of -cooking Terrapin--Grasshopper-fed Turkeys--Sourbet should not be -flavored with Rum--Nesselrode the best of all the Ices, 255 - -CHAPTER XX. - -Madeira the King of Wines--It took its Name from the Ship it came -in--Daniel Webster and “Butler 16”--How Philadelphians “fine” their -Wines--A Southern Wine Party--An Expert’s shrewd Guess--The Newton -Gordons--Prejudice against Malmsey--Madeira should be kept in the -Garret--Some famous Brands, 267 - -CHAPTER XXI. - -Brût Champagne--Another Revolution in treatment of this Wine--It must be -Old to be Good--’74 Champagne worth $8 a bottle in Paris--How to frappé -Champagne--The best Clarets--Even your Vin Ordinaire should be -Decanted--Sherries--Spaniards drink them from the Wood--I prefer this -way--The “famous Forsyth Sherry”--A Wine-cellar not a Necessity, 279 - -CHAPTER XXII. - -Assigning Guests at Dinner--The Boston fashion dying out--The approved -Manner--Going in to Dinner--Time to be spent at table--Table -Decoration--Too many Flowers in bad taste--Simplicity the best -style--Queen Victoria’s table--Her Dinner served at 8.15, but she eats -her best meal at 2 P.M.--Being late at Dinner a breach of good -Manners--A Dinner acceptance a sacred Obligation--A Visite de -digestion, 291 - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -Some practical Questions answered--Difference between Men and Women -Cooks--Swedish Women the cleanest and most economical--My Bills with a -Chef--My Bills with a Woman Cook--Hints on Marketing--I have done my own -Buying for forty years--Mme. Rothschild personally supervises her famous -Dinners--Menu of an old-fashioned Southern Dinner--Success of an -Impromptu Banquet, 305 - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -The “Banner Ball”--How to prepare a Ball-room Floor--A curious Costume -and a sharp Answer--The Turkish Ball--Indisposition of ladies to dance -at a Public Ball--The Yorktown Centennial Ball--Committees are -Ungrateful--My Experience in this Matter--I discover Mr. Blaine and -introduce Myself, 323 - -CHAPTER XXV. - -A Famous Newport Ball--Exquisite effect produced by blocks of Ice and -Electric Lights--The Japanese room--Corners for “Flirtation couples”--A -superb Supper--Secretary Frelinghuysen in the Barber-shop--I meet -Attorney-General Brewster--A Remarkable Man--I entertain him at -Newport--A young Admirer gives him a Banquet in New York--Transformation -of the Banquet-hall into a Ball-room, 335 - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -New Era in New York Society--Extravagance of Living--Grand Fancy Dress -Ball in Fifth Avenue--I go as the Lover of Margaret de Valois--A great -Journalist at Newport--A British Officer rides into a Club House--The -great Journalist’s masked Ball--A mysterious Blue Domino--Breakfast at -Southwick’s Grove to the Duke of Beaufort--Picnic given President -Arthur--His hearty Enjoyment of it--Governor Morgan misjudges my “Open -Air Lunches”--The Pleasure of Country Frolics, 349 - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -I visit Washington as the guest of Attorney-General Brewster--A Dinner -at the White House--Amusing arrangement of Guests--The Winthrop -Statue--The memorable Winters of 1884-85--A Millionaire’s -House-warming--A London Ball in New York--A Modern Amy -Robsart--Transforming Delmonico’s entire place into a Ball-room--The New -Year’s Ball at the Metropolitan Opera House--Last Words, 367 - - - - -MY FAMILY. - - - - -SOCIETY AS I HAVE FOUND IT. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - _My Family--My Mother an Angel of Beauty and Charity--My Father’s - Nobleness of Character--Building Bonfires on Paradise Rocks and - Flying Kites from Purgatory with Uncle Sam Ward--My Brother the - Soldier--My Brother the Lawyer._ - - -In 1820 my mother, a beautiful girl of eighteen years, was introduced -into New York society by her sister, Mrs. Samuel Ward, the wife of -Samuel Ward, the banker, of the firm of Prime, Ward & King. She was a -great belle in the days when Robert and Richard Ray and Prescott Hall -were of the _jeunesse dorée_ of this city. In my opinion, she was the -most beautiful, Murillo-like woman I have ever seen, and she was as good -as she was beautiful;--an angel in works of charity and sympathy for -her race. Charlotte Corday’s picture in the Louvre is a picture of my -mother. The likeness arose from the fact that her family were descended -on the maternal side from the Corday family of France. This also -accounts for all my family being, from time immemorial, good Democrats. -No one was too humble to be received and cared for and sympathized with -by my mother. Her pastime was by the bedside of hospital patients, and -in the schoolroom of her children. She followed the precepts of her -mother’s great-grandfather, the Rev. Gabriel Marion (grandfather of Gen. -Francis Marion) as expressed in his will to the following effect: “As to -the poor, I have always treated them as my brethren. My dear family -will, I know, follow my example.” It also contained this item: “I give -her, my wife, my new carriage and horses, that she may visit her friends -in comfort.” This ancestor came from Rochelle in a large ship chartered -for the Carolinas by several wealthy Huguenot families. The Hugers and -Trapiers and others came over in the same ship. He did not leave France -empty-handed, for on his arrival in Carolina he bought a plantation on -Goose Creek, near Charleston, where he was buried. - -While a belle in this city her admirers were legion, until a young -Georgian, in the person of my father, stepped in, and secured the prize -and took her off to Savannah. He was fresh from Princeton College, cut -short in his college career by a large fire in Savannah (his native -city), which burnt it down, destroying my grandfather’s city property. -The old gentleman, when the fire occurred, refused to leave his -residence (now the Pulaski Hotel), and was taken forcibly from the -burning building in his chair. He then owned the valuable business -portion of the city, and at once went to work to rebuild. His relatives -would not assist him, and so he sent for his only son, then at college, -and got him to indorse all his notes, and in this way secured from the -banks the money he wanted for building purposes. He undertook too much, -and my father bore for one-third of his life a burden of debt then -incurred. Nothing daunted, he went to work at the bar and commenced life -with his beautiful, young Northern wife. - -At that time, there was a great prejudice against Northern people. My -father’s mother never forgave my mother for being a Northern woman, and -when she died, though she knew her son was weighed down with his -father’s debts, insisted on his freeing all the negroes she owned and -left him by will, enjoining him to do this as her last dying request. It -is needless to say that he did it, and not only this, but became the -guardian of those people and helped and cared for them so long as he -lived. Being repeatedly Mayor of the City of Savannah, he was able to -protect them, and so devoted were the whole colored population to him, -that one Andrew Marshall, the clergyman of the largest colored church -in the city of Savannah, offered up prayers for him on every Sunday, as -is done in our Episcopal church for the President of the United States. -Blest with five sons and one daughter, struggling to maintain them by -his practice at the bar, this best of fathers sent his family North -every summer, with one or two exceptions, to Newport, R. I., which at -that time was really a Southern colony. - -It was the fashion then at Newport to lease for the summer a farmer’s -house on the Island, and not live in the town. Well do I remember, with -my Uncle Sam Ward and Dr. Francis, of New York, and my father, building -bonfires on Paradise Rocks on the Fourth of July and flying kites from -Purgatory. The first relief to this hard-worked man was sending his -oldest son to West Point, where, I will here add, he did the family -great credit by becoming, being, and dying a noble soldier and -Christian. Fighting in both armies, one may say, though I believe he was -in active service only in the Mexican War, having graduated second in -his class at West Point and entered the Ordnance Corps; so in place of -fighting, he was making arms, casting cannon, etc. His pride lay in the -fact that he was a soldier. His last request was that the Secretary of -War should grant permission for his remains to be buried at West Point, -which request was granted. My second brother, Hall, grew up with the -poet Milton always under his arm. He was a great student. At the little -village of Springfield, Georgia, where my family had a country house, -and where we occasionally passed the summer in the piney woods, I -remember as a boy of fifteen years of age, reading the Declaration of -Independence on the Fourth of July from the pulpit of the village church -to the descendants of the old Salzburghers, who came over soon after -Oglethorpe, and it was before an audience of these piney woods farmers, -that, with this brother, at a meeting of our Debating Society in this -village, I discussed the question, “Which is the stronger passion, Love -or Ambition,” he advocating Ambition, I Love. I well remember going for -him, as follows: “If his motto be that of Hercules the Invincible, I -assume for mine that of his opponent, Venus the Victorious. With my -sling and stone I will enter this unequal combat and thus hope to slay -the great Goliath.” The twelve good and true men who heard the -discussion decided in my favor. To the end of his days this brother of -mine was guided and governed by this self-same ambition; it made him -what he became, a great lawyer, the lawyer of the Pacific coast; his -boast to me being that he had saved seventeen lives, never having lost a -murder case. I let ambition go, and through life and to the present -moment swear by my goddess Venus. This brother, after entering the -Georgia bar, started for a trip around the world. On reaching San -Francisco he heard of the discovery of gold, and Commodore Jones, then -in command of our Pacific Squadron, urged him to prosecute some sailors -who had thrown an officer overboard and deserted, and it was this which -caused him to settle down there to the practice of law. - - - - -LAW AND HOUSEKEEPING. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - _My New York Life--A Penurious Aunt who Fed me on Turkey--My First - Fancy Ball--Spending One Thousand Dollars for a Costume--The - Schermerhorns give a Ball in Great Jones Street--Sticking a Man’s - Calf and Drawing Blood--A Craze for Dancing--I Study - Law--Blackstone has a Rival in Lovely Southern Maidens--I go to San - Francisco in ’50--Fees Paid in Gold Dust--Eggs at $2--My First - Housekeeping--A faux pas at a Reception._ - - -I myself soon left Savannah for New York after Hall’s departure, -residing there in Tenth Street with an old maiden lady, my relative and -godmother, whom I always felt would endow me with all her worldly goods, -but who, I regret to say, preferred the Presbyterian church and the -Georgia Historical Society to myself, for between them she divided a -million. At that time Tenth Street was a fashionable street; our house -was a comfortable, ordinary one, but my ancient relative considered it a -palace, so that all her visitors were taken from garret to cellar to -view it. Occupying the front room in the third story, as I would hear -these visitors making for my room, I often had to scramble into the -bath-room or under the bed, to hide myself. Having a large fortune, my -relative, whom I called Aunt (but who was really only my father’s -cousin), was saving to meanness; her plantations in the South furnished -our table; turkeys came on in barrels. “It was turkey hot and turkey -cold, turkey tender, and turkey tough, until at grace one would exclaim, -‘I thank ye, Lord, we’ve had enough.’” As the supposed heir of my saving -godmother, the portals of New York society were easily open to me, and I -well remember my first fancy ball, given by Mrs. John C. Stevens in her -residence in College Place. A company of soldiers were called in to -drill on the waxed floors to perfect them for dancing. A legacy of a -thousand dollars paid me by the New York Life Insurance and Trust -Company I expended in a fancy dress, which I flattered myself was the -handsomest and richest at the ball. I danced the cotillion with a nun, a -strange costume for her to appear in, as “I wont be a nun” was engraved -on every expression of her face. She was at that day one of the -brightest and most charming young women in this city, and had a power of -fascination rarely equaled. - -The next great social event that I recall was the great fancy ball given -by the Schermerhorns in their house on the corner of Great Jones Street -and Lafayette Place. All the guests were asked to appear in the costume -of the period of Louis XV. The house itself was furnished and decorated -in that style for this occasion. No pains or expense were spared. It was -intended to be the greatest _affaire de luxe_ New Yorkers had ever seen. -The men, as well as the women, vied with each other in getting up as -handsome costumes as were ever worn at that luxurious Court. The lace -and diamonds on the women astonished society. All the servants of the -house wore costumes, correct copies of those worn at that period. The -men in tights and silk stockings, for the first time in their lives, -became jealous of each other’s calves, and in one instance, a friend of -mine, on gazing at the superb development in this line of a guest, -doubted nature’s having bestowed such generous gifts on him; so, to -satisfy himself, he pricked his neighbor’s calf with his sword, actually -drawing blood, but the possessor of the fine limbs never winced; later -on he expressed forcibly his opinion of the assault. By not wincing the -impression that he had aided nature was confirmed. - -These two balls were the greatest social events that had ever occurred -in this city. Even then subscription balls were the fashion. One of the -most brilliant was given at Delmonico’s on the corner of Beaver and -William streets (the old building in which the ball was given is now -being torn down). Saracco’s dancing-rooms were then much resorted to. -They became the rage, and every one was seized with a desire to perfect -himself in dancing. - -Disgusted with book-keeping, I resolved to study law, and knowing that I -could not do much studying whilst flirting and going to balls and -dinners, I went South to my native city, took up the second volume of -Blackstone, committed it to memory, passed an examination, and was -admitted to the bar by one of our ex-ministers to Austria, then a judge. - -Blackstone did not wholly absorb all my time that winter. I exercised my -memory in the morning and indulged my imagination of an afternoon, -breathing soft words to lovely Southern maidens, in the piney groves -which surround that charming city. From time immemorial they had always -given these on Valentine’s Eve a Valentine party. I was tempted to go to -the one given that year. And as I entered the house a basketful of -sealed envelopes was handed me, one of which I took; on breaking the -seal, I found on the card the name of a brilliant, charming young woman, -whom I then had a right to claim as my partner for the evening, but to -whom I must bend the knee, and express interest and devotion to her in a -species of poetical rhapsody. As all the young men were to go through -the same ordeal, it was less embarrassing. From the time of entering the -ball-room until the late hour at which supper was served, the guests in -the crowded rooms were laughing over the sight of each young man -dropping on one knee before his partner and presenting her with a -bouquet of flowers, and in low and tender words pouring out his soul in -poetry. When it came my turn, I secured a cushion and down I went, the -young woman laughing immoderately; but I, not in the least perturbed, -grasping my bouquet of flowers with one hand and placing my other hand -over my heart, looking into the depths of her lovely eyes, addressed to -her these words: - - “These flowers, dear lady, unto thee I bring, - With hopes as timid as the dawning spring, - Which oft repelled by many a chilling blast - Still trusts its offerings may succeed at last. - - Receive thou, emblem of the rosy spring, - Charmer of life, of every earthly thing, - These flowers, which lovely as the tints of morn - Yet ne’er can hope thy beauty to adorn. - - Oh, may they plead for one who never knew - Perfection’s image till he met with you; - Oh, may their fragrance to thy heart convey - How much he would, but does not dare to say.” - -In the mean time, while I was dancing and reciting poetry to beautiful -women, my generous brother was rapidly making money at the bar in San -Francisco, and urging my father and me to leave Georgia and go to him, -writing that he was making more money in two months’ practice than my -father received in a year. This to my conservative parent seemed -incredible; he shook his head, saying to me, “It is hard for an old tree -to take root in a new soil.” His friends of the Savannah bar ridiculed -his entertaining the notion of leaving Georgia, where his father had -been a Judge of the Superior Court of that State; he himself had been -United States District Attorney, for years had presided over the Georgia -Senate, had been nominated for Governor of the State, and for a lifetime -had been at the head of the Georgia bar. Always a Union man, opposing -Nullification, he was beloved by the people of his State, and his law -practice was then most lucrative. The idea of his pulling up stakes and -going to the outposts of civilization seemed absurd. He would not -entertain the thought; he laughed at my brother’s Arabian Nights stories -of his law firm in San Francisco making money at the rate of $100,000 a -year. But just here, my father’s purpose was suddenly shaken, by my -brother’s remitting to me a large amount of money in gold dust, and he, -my father, being then paid five thousand dollars by the Bank of the -State of Georgia for an argument made for them before the United States -Supreme Court at Washington. My gold dust was tangible evidence of my -brother’s success, and as continual dropping wears away a stone, so by -continual pleading I at last persuaded him to take me to California. -Mournfully he sold our old homestead and sadly closed up his Savannah -law office, and with me, on the 13th of May, 1850, left for San -Francisco, where in two years he made a comfortable fortune, retired -from practice and went to Europe. My brother Hall’s motto was, “Ten -millions or nothing.” He made himself, to my certain knowledge, two -comfortable fortunes. Grand speculations to double my father’s fortune -very soon made inroads in it, and the dear old gentleman to save a -remnant returned to this country. As he expressed himself to me, -“California must have a Circuit Judge of the United States. I will get -our Democratic Congress to pass a bill to this effect, and will myself -return to California as its United States Circuit Judge. I do not care -to return to the practice of law when I reach San Francisco, where, I -expect to find that, like the ‘fruit of the Dead Sea,’ my little -competency will turn into ashes at the touch. Being on the Bench, I -shall at least have a support”; all of which he carried out to the -letter, and he died devoted to the people of the State of California. - -Imagine me then, a well-fed man, with always an appreciative appetite, -learning, on my arrival in San Francisco, that eggs, without which I -could not breakfast, cost $2 apiece, a fowl $8, a turkey $16. One week’s -mess bill for my breakfast and dinner alone was $225, and one visit to -my doctor cost me $50. Gloom settled upon me, until my noble parent -requested me to bring back to the office our first retainer (for I was -then a member of my father and brother’s law firm). It was $4000 in gold -ounces. I put it in a bag and lugged it to the office, and as I laid -them ounce by ounce on my father’s desk, he danced a pirouette, for he -was as jolly an old fellow as ever lived. I went to work at once in -earnest; it struck me that in that country it was “root, pig, or die.” - -My first purchase was a desk, which combined the qualities of bed and -desk. How well I remember the rats playing hide-and-seek over me at -night, and over the large barrel of English Brown Stout that I invested -in and placed in the entry to console myself with. After six months’ -hard work, I began to ease up, and feel rich. I built a small house for -myself, the front entry 4 × 4, the back entry the same, one dining-room -12 × 14, and one bedroom, same dimensions. My furniture, just from -Paris, was acajou and white and blue horsehair. My bed-quilt cost me -$250; it was a lovely Chinese floss silk shawl. An Indian chief, calling -to see me, found me in bed, and was so delighted with the blankets that -he seized hold of them and exclaimed, “_Quanto pesos?_” (How much did -they cost?) - -My first row as a householder was with my neighbor, a Texan. I found my -yard fence, if put up, would close up the windows and front door of his -house. We had an interview. He, with strong adjectives, assured me that -he would blow out my brains if I put up that fence. I asked him in -reply, where he kept his private burying ground. All men then went armed -day and night. For two years I slept with a revolver under my pillow. -With a strong force of men the next day, I put up the fence, and the -Texan moved out and sold his lot. As our firm was then making $100,000 a -year, our senior partner, my father, asked me to entertain, for the -firm, our distinguished European clients, as he himself had not the time -to do so. His injunction to me was, “Be sure, my boy, that you always -invite nice people.” I had heard that my dear old father had on more -than one occasion gotten off a witticism on me as follows: Being told -how well his son kept house, he replied, “Yes, he keeps everything but -the Ten Commandments,” so I assured him if he would honor me with his -presence I would have to meet him every respectable woman in the city, -and I kept my word. Before we reached the turkey, my guests had so -thoroughly dined that when it appeared, the handsomest woman in the room -heaved a deep sigh and exclaimed, “Oh, that I might have some of it for -lunch to-morrow!” Such dinners as I then gave, I have never seen -surpassed anywhere. It is needless to say that my father was intensely -gratified. We had, tempted by exaggerated accounts of the gold fields, -French cooks who received $6000 a year as salary. The turkey, costly as -it was at $16, always came on table with its feathered tail intact, and -as eggs were so expensive, _omelette soufflée_ was always the dish at -dessert. Two years was the length of my stay in San Francisco. - -On reaching New York in 1852, from California, I found great objection -made to my return there as a married man, and gracefully yielded to -circumstances. Though loath to give up my profession of the law, I was -forced to make this sacrifice; so the moment I concluded to give up -California and the legal profession, not wishing to be idle, I went to -Washington and applied to the President for the position of Secretary of -Legation in England. The Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, and -California delegations urged me for this appointment; Mr. Buchanan was -going to England as Minister. He was a warm friend of my father’s, and, -when approached, expressed not only willingness but gratification at -having the son of an old friend as his Secretary of Legation, and I was -to have had the position. But just at this time, my father, who had -returned from Europe, wished to obtain from President Pierce the -appointment of Circuit Judge of the United States for the State of -California. He came to me and stated the case as follows: “My boy,” he -said, “the President says he cannot give two appointments to one family. -If you go to England as Buchanan’s Secretary, President Pierce cannot -make me Circuit Judge of California.” “Enough said,” I replied, “I yield -with pleasure. I will go abroad, but not in the diplomatic service.” -Passing the winter in Washington, I soon learned how to ingratiate -myself with the law-makers of our country. Good dinners and wine were -always effective. And as I had the friendship of the California, New -York and Southern delegations, I was dining out all the time, invited by -one man or other who had an axe to grind. On these occasions, there was -always a room prepared to receive a guest who had indulged too freely in -strong waters. Men then drank in good earnest, a striking contrast to -the days in which we now live, when really, at dinner, people only taste -wine, but do not drink it. I was then placed on the Committee of -Management for the Inaugural Ball, and did good service and learned much -from my Washington winter. - -An amusing incident I must here relate. Quietly breakfasting and -chatting with a beautiful woman, then a bride, who had lived for years -in Washington as a widow, she asked me if I was going to Corcoran’s -ball that evening, and on my replying, “Yes, of course I was,” she -requested me to accompany her husband and self, which I did. On entering -Mr. Corcoran’s ball room with her on my arm, I noticed that the old -gentleman bowed very stiffly to us; however, I paid no attention to this -and went on dancing, and escorting through the rooms my fair partner, -from whom I had no sooner been separated than my host slapped me on the -shoulder with, “My dear young man, I know you did not know it, but the -lady you have just had on your arm is not only not a guest of mine, but -this morning I positively refused to send her an invitation to this -ball.” Fortunately I had brought letters to this distinguished man, so -seeing my annoyance, he patted me on the shoulder and said, “My boy, -this is not an unusual occurrence in this city; but let it be a warning -to you to take care hereafter whom you bring to a friend’s house.” - - - - -INTRODUCTION TO LONDON SPORTS. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - _Introduction to London Sports--A Dog Fight in the - Suburbs--Sporting Ladies--The Drawing of the Badger--My Host gets - Gloriously Drunk--Visit to Her Majesty’s Kitchen--Dinner with the - Chef of Windsor Castle--I taste Mantilla Sherry for the First - Time--“A Shilling to Pay for the ‘Times.’”_ - - -After my marriage I took up my residence in Newport, buying a farm on -Narragansett Bay and turning farmer in good earnest. I planted out -10,000 trees on that farm and then went to Europe to let them grow, -expecting a forest on my return, but I found only one of them struggling -for existence three years later. In London, I met a Californian, in with -all the sporting world, on intimate terms with the champion -prize-fighter of England, the Queen’s pages, Tattersall’s and others. He -suggested that if I would defray the expense, he would show me London as -no American had ever seen it. Agreeing to do this, I was taken to a -swell tailor in Regent Street, to put me, as he expressed it, “in proper -rig.” My first introduction to London life was dining out in the suburbs -to see a dog-fight, and sup at a Regent Street dry-goods merchant’s -residence. I was introduced as an American landed proprietor. Mine host, -I was told, spent twelve thousand pounds, i.e. $60,000 a year, on his -establishment. He was an enthusiast in his way, an old sport. The women -whom I was invited to meet looked like six-footers; the hall of the -house and the sitting-rooms were filled with stuffed bull-terriers, -prize dogs, that had done good service. We walked through beautifully -laid-out grounds to a miniature ornamental villa which contained a rat -pit, and there we saw a contest between what seemed to me a myriad of -rats and a bull-terrier. The latter’s work was expeditious. We -surrounded the pit, each one with his watch in hand timing the dog’s -work, which he easily accomplished in the allotted time, killing all the -rats, which called forth great applause. From this pit we went to -another, where we saw the drawing of the badger, a very amusing sight. -There was a long narrow box with a trap-door, by which the badger was -shut in; up went the door, in went the terrier; he seized the badger by -the ear and pulled him out of his box and around the pit, the badger -held back with all his might; should the dog fail to catch the badger by -the ear, the badger would kill him. Again, we assembled around a third -pit, to see a dog-fight, and saw fight after fight between these -bull-terriers, to me a disgusting sight, but the women shouted with -delight, and kept incessantly calling “Time, sir; time, sir!” Large bets -were made on the result. At midnight we went to supper. I sat next to -the champion prize-fighter of England, who informed me that a countryman -of mine had died in his arms after a prize-fight. Such drinking I never -saw before or since; the host, calling for bumper after bumper, insisted -on every one draining his glass. I skillfully threw my wine under the -table. The host and all the company were soon intoxicated. The footmen -in green and gold liveries never cracked a smile. The master, after a -bumper, would fall forward on the table, smashing everything. His butler -picked him up and replaced him in his chair. This was kept up until 3 -A.M., when with pleasure I slipped out and was off in my hansom for -London. - -My visit to Windsor Castle, dining at the village inn with Her Majesty’s -_chef_, and the keeper of her jewel room, was interesting. I saw the -old, tall doorkeeper, with his long staff, sitting at the door of the -servants’ hall. I saw Her Majesty’s kitchen and the roasts for all -living in the castle,--at least twenty separate pieces turning on a -spit. Then I examined a large, hot, steel table on which any cooked -article being placed would stay hot as long as it remained there. The -_chef_ told me a German prince, when informed of its price, said it -would take all his yearly revenue to pay for it. Then I saw Her -Majesty’s jewel room; the walls wainscoted, as it were, with gold -plates; the large gold bowl, which looks like a small bath-tub, from -which the Prince of Wales was baptized, stood in the dining-room. I saw -Prince Albert and the Prince of Wales that morning shooting pheasants, -alongside of the Windsor Long Walk, and stood within a few yards of -them. I feel sure we ate, that day, at the inn, the pheasants that had -been shot by Prince Albert. I visited Her Majesty’s model farm, and -found that all the flax-seed cake for the cattle was imported from -America. The simple cognomen, American Landed Proprietor, was “open -sesame” to me everywhere, accompanied as I was by one of her Majesty’s -pages. In London, of an evening, we went to Evans’s, a sort of public -hall where one took beer and listened to comic songs. Jubber, a wine -merchant, kept the hotel where I lodged. As a celebrated London -physician was dining with me, I asked for the palest and most delicate -sherry to be found in London, regardless of cost, to be served that day, -at my dinner. He looked at me and smiled, seeing I was quite a young -man, saying, “If I give it to you, you will not drink it.” “Send me the -sherry,” I replied, “and you will see.” The result was I got a delicious -Montilla sherry and sent a butt of it to America. This was my first -acquaintance with Montilla sherry, the most delicate wine that I know -of, to be served from soup to dessert. - -Before getting through with my sporting friend, after paying all his -expenses and remunerating him liberally for his services, as I was about -to cross the Channel, he came up to me and said, “Mc, I want you to lend -me some money.” I saw by his face he was in earnest, and thought that he -was about to make a demand for a large amount. So, equally serious, I -replied, “It is out of the question, my dear fellow; I am here in a -strange country with my family and have no money to lend.” He roared, -“Why, all I wanted was a shilling to pay for the _Times_,” which made me -feel very sheepish. That was the last I saw of him. When two years later -I returned to London, I found he had conscientiously paid no bills, and, -strange to relate, his hotel keeper and tailors seemed fully compensated -for the food and raiment they had furnished him, by his sending them a -few valueless colored plates of sporting scenes in this country. - - - - -A WINTER IN ITALY. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - _A Winter in Florence and Rome--Cheap Living and Good - Cooking--Walnut-fed Turkeys--The Grand Duke of Tuscany’s Ball--An - American Girl who Elbowed the King--What a Ball Supper Should - be--Ball to the Archduke of Tuscany--“The Duke of - Pennsylvania”--Following the Hounds on the Campagna--The American - Minister Snubs American Gentlemen._ - - -I landed in France, not knowing how to speak the language, and only -remembering a few French words learned in childhood. It was the year of -the Paris Exposition of 1857; all the hotels were full. The Meurice -Hotel people sent me off to a neighboring house, where we lodged in the -ninth story. I saw the baptism of the Prince Imperial, and on that -occasion, and later on in Rome, at the Carnival, saw the handsomest -women I had yet seen in Europe. We then made for Florence, and there, -getting a most captivating little apartment, on the Arno, kept house, -and if it had not been for the terrible and incessant winds called the -_tramontana_ would probably have passed our days there. I had the most -admirable cook, and had never lived as well. Then the economy of the -thing; it cost nothing to live. I paid the fellow twenty-four pauls -($2.40) a day. For this sum he gave us breakfast and exquisite dinners. -For each extra guest, at dinner, I paid a few pauls; if I gave a dinner -party he hired for me as handsome a service of silver plate as I have -ever seen. His whole kitchen seemed to consist of half a dozen pots and -pans, and everything was cooked by charcoal. - -His manner of roasting a turkey was indeed novel; he placed his bird on -a spit, put it in an iron pot, covered it with hot coals top and bottom, -and then kept turning the spit incessantly and basting the bird. Such a -perfect roast I have never before or since eaten. I shall speak later on -of the Newport turkey and the Southern barnyard-fed turkey, but they are -not a circumstance to the Florentine walnut-fed turkey. In Florence, at -the markets, all turkeys and fowls were cut up and sold, not as a whole, -but piece by piece. For instance, you saw on the marble slabs the -breasts of chickens, the wings of chickens, the legs of chickens; the -same with turkeys. To get an entire bird, you had to order him ahead, so -that a few days before Christmas, as we came home from our drive, we -found a superb turkey strutting through the drawing-room, the largest -creature I had ever seen, weighing twenty-five pounds. When he was -served, the walnuts he had eaten could be seen all over his back in -large, round yellow spots of fat. As he came on the table, he was indeed -a sight to behold; the skin, as it were, mahogany color and crisp, his -flesh partaking of the flavor of the walnut, would have satisfied -Lucullus. - -At that period I worshipped doctors; my theory then was that you owed -your existence to them, that they kept you in the world, and not to -have a doctor within call was to place yourself in danger of immediate -and sudden death; so the first man I cultivated in Florence was the -English doctor. He came to see me every day; it was indeed a luxury; his -fee was two dollars. We became great friends, and as he was the Court -physician, he got me invitations to all the balls. The Grand Duke of -Tuscany, then the richest sovereign in Europe, gave a ball every -fortnight at the Pitti Palace. It was said that the Italians lived on -chestnuts and air between these suppers, and, like the bear, laid in -such a supply of food at them as comfortably to carry them through from -one entertainment to the other. Certainly such feasting I had never -before seen. The number of rooms thrown open really confused one, it was -hard not to lose one’s way. All the guests were assembled, and grouped -in the form of a circle, in the largest of these salons, when the grand -ducal party entered. The minister of each foreign country stood at the -head of his little band of countrymen and countrywomen who were to be -presented. The Grand Duke, Archduke, and suite passed from group to -group. The presentation over, the ball began in earnest. All waited -until the Archduke started in the dance, and as he waltzed by you, you -followed. When he stopped dancing, all stopped. - -I remember, at one of these balls, dancing with an American girl, a -strikingly handsome woman, a great Stonington belle. As we waltzed by -the King of Bavaria, I felt a hand placed on my shoulder, and a voice -exclaimed, “_Mais, Monsieur, c’est le roi_”; I stopped at once, and -hastily inquired of my fair partner, “What is it?” She replied, “I did -it, I was determined to do it. As I passed the King I punched him in the -ribs with my elbow. Now I am satisfied.” I rushed up to the King and -Grand Chamberlain, saying, “_Mille pardons, mille pardons_,” and the -affair passed over, but I soon disposed of the young woman and never -“attempted her again.” The diamonds the women wore amazed me. You see -nothing in this country like the tiaras of diamonds I saw at this ball; -tiara after tiara, the whole head blazing with diamonds, and yet there -was but little beauty. - -It was here that I first learned what a ball supper should be, and what -were the proper mural decorations for a ball-room and the halls opening -into it. The supper system was perfect. In one salon, large tables for -coffee, tea, chocolate, and cakes. In another, tables covered simply -with ices and other light refreshments, _foie gras_, sandwiches, etc. In -the grand supper room, the whole of the wall of one side of the room, -from floor almost to ceiling, was covered with shelves, on which every -imaginable dish was placed, hot and cold. The table in front of these -shelves was lined with servants in livery, and simply loaded with empty -plates and napkins to serve the supper on. The favorite and most prized -dishes at all these suppers was cold sturgeon (a fish we never eat), and -the most prized fruit the hot-house pineapple, with all its leaves, and -to the eye seemingly growing. Opposite the supper table, in another part -of the room, the wines were served, all by themselves, and there was, it -appears to me, every wine grown in any quarter of the globe. Everything -was abundant and lavish, and the whole affair was most imposing. - -That winter the Archduke of Tuscany married one of the princesses of -Bavaria, and the Austrian Minister gave them a ball, which I attended. -The effect produced in approaching his palace, all the streets -illuminated by immense flaring torches attached to the house, was grand. -The ball-room was superb. From the ceiling hung, not one or two, but -literally fifty or more chandeliers of glass, with long prisms dangling -from them. The women were not handsome, but what most struck me was the -freshness of their toilets. They all looked new, as if made for the -occasion; not so elaborate, but so fresh and light and delicate. I -noticed that the royal party supped in a room by themselves, always -attended by their host. - -As I was strolling through the rooms, my host, the Austrian Minister, -approached me and said, “I see I have another American as a guest -to-night, and he is decorated. Will you kindly tell me what his -decoration is?” “I really do not know,” I replied; “I will present -myself to him and ask.” - -We approached my countryman together, and, after a few words, the -minister most courteously put the question to him. He drew himself up -and said, “Sir, my country is a Republic; if it had been a Monarchy, I -would have been the Duke of Pennsylvania. The Order I wear is that of -The Cincinnati.” The minister, deeply impressed, withdrew, and I -intensely enjoyed the little scene. - -After the great works of art, what most impressed me in Florence were -the immense, orderly crowds seen on all public occasions, a living mass -of humanity, as far as the eye could see. No jostling or shoving, but -human beings filling up every inch of space between the carriage wheels, -as our horses, on a walk, dragged our carriage through them. - -The most charming spot on earth for the last of winter and the spring -months is the city of Rome. We went there under most favorable -circumstances. A kind friend had leased an apartment for us in the Via -Gregoriana, and we found Rome full of the _crême de la crême_ of New -York society. In Nazzari we had another Delmonico, and we kept dining -and wining each other daily. Here I made intimacies that have lasted me -through life. I followed the hounds on the Campagna, and was amused at -the nonchalance of the young Italian swells as they would attempt a high -Campagna fence, tumble off invariably, remount, and go at it again. They -were a handsome set of men, as plucky as they were handsome. I myself -found “discretion the better part of valor,” and would quietly take to -the road when I met a formidable jump, but I lived on horseback and -enjoyed every hour. Though carrying letters to our American Minister, -then resident at Rome, I gave his legation a wide berth, as I had heard -that our distinguished Representative was in the habit of inviting -Italians to meet Italians and Americans to meet only Americans at his -house; when asked his reason for this, he replied: “I have the greatest -admiration for my countrymen: they are enterprising, money getting, in -fact, a wonderful nation, but there is not a gentleman among them.” -Hearing this, I resolved he should get no chance to meet me and pass on -my merits. - -Several of our handsomest New York women were then having their busts -sculptured in marble; as you saw them first in the clay you found them -more attractive. Gibson for the first time colored his Venus; it added -warmth to it, and I thought improved it. - -The blessing of the multitude by the Pope from the balcony of St. -Peter’s, under a canopy, with the emblematic peacock feathers held on -either side of him, the illumination of St. Peter’s, and the fireworks -at Easter were most impressive. But I shall attempt no description of -Rome. Nowhere in the world can you see such a display. - - - - -GERMANY AND THE ALPS. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - _Summer in Baden-Baden--The Late Emperor William no Judge of - Wine--My Irish Doctor--His Horror of Water--How an American Girl - Tried to Captivate Him--The Louisiana Judge--I Win the Toss and Get - the Mule--The Judge “fixes” his Pony--The “Pike Ballet.”_ - - -We passed our summer at Baden-Baden and literally lived there in the -open air. Opposite to my apartment, Prince Furstenburg of Vienna had his -hotel: from him and his suite I learned how to spend the summer months. -At early dawn they were out in the saddle for a canter; at ten they went -for a drive down the Allée Lichtenthal and through shady woods, nowhere -seen as at Baden-Baden. They would stop and breakfast in the open air at -twelve noon, again drive in the afternoon, and dine at the Kursaal at -six. They kept at least twenty-five horses. We dined daily within a -table or two of the then Prince of Prussia, afterwards the Emperor -William, whom I soon discovered was no judge of wine, as I drank the -best and he was evidently indifferent to it. When you see a man sip his -wine and linger over it, that evidences his appreciation of it; but when -you see him gulp it down, as the Prince did his, you see that he is no -connoisseur. But I must say here, I had an intense admiration for him. -His habit of walking two hours under the trees of the Allée Lichtenthal -was also mine, and it was with pleasure I bowed most respectfully to him -day by day. - -Being anxious to cross every Alpine pass, I found a distinguished -physician who lived at Pau, France, on account of his health, and had -there the practice of the place during the winter months, and who was, -necessarily, idle in summer, as Pau was then deserted. Still believing -in doctors, I engaged him to travel with me for two months as my -physician. I agreed to give him a bottle of 1848 Latour for his dinner -daily, pay his expenses, and to give him a medical fee such as I saw fit -at the end of our trip. He was indeed a man among men. All I can say is -that when we parted and I handed him his fee, the tears came into his -eyes; he grasped my hands, swearing eternal friendship. This doctor made -a new man of me. “Throw physic to the dogs,” was his motto; “you will -never die: you will in the end have to be shot to get you out of the -world; air and exercise is all you want: eat slowly and do not deluge -yourself with water at dinner.” Of water he had a holy horror. “Drink -what good wine you wish and let water alone.” As I had the luxury of a -private physician, a friend from Louisiana suggested joining my party -with his two young daughters. My Irish doctor was the most sensitive of -men. One day I found he could eat no breakfast. I sympathized with him -and asked him the cause. He replied, “My dear boy, the habits of your -American women. I came down to the breakfast room this morning and -there I found the oldest of the Judge’s daughters with her back hair -down and the younger one combing it. This settled me.” I assured him -this was not the national custom with American women. The young woman -was simply trying to captivate him by her lovely, long, flowing tresses. -The doctor was a character. On another occasion a Frenchman lighted a -cigar in our railway compartment. The Doctor detested cigar smoke, and -as there was a large sign in the car, in French, forbidding smoking, he -touched the Frenchman and pointed to the sign. The Frenchman simply -smiled blandly. The train stopping, the conductor opened our door, when -the Frenchman quietly slipped two francs into his hands, saying in -French, “Of course I can smoke here, that sign is obsolete, is it not?” -The conductor replied, “Oh, yes,” and on we went. My Irishman got up and -commenced taking his coat off. “What are you going to do?” exclaimed the -Frenchman. “Why, throw you out of that window if you do not at once -throw that cigar away.” There was no mistaking the Doctor’s meaning, so -the cigar went out and the Frenchman staid in. - -My traveling Louisiana friend had a charming way of suggesting each -morning, as we paid our hotel bills, that we should toss up a five-franc -piece and decide, by heads and tails, who was to pay the bill. I did -this once or twice, when I found, as he always won and I lost, it was a -losing business for me; but on another occasion was forced into the -plan. To ascend the mountain at Lugano, three wretched beasts were -brought us by the Italian boys to mount for the ascent. The Judge -insisted on tossing up a five-franc piece for choice of animals. I was -compelled to give in and accede to his suggestion, and by great good -luck won first choice. My friend, the Judge, forbade the Doctor advising -me as to the animal I should take, as he knew him to be a good judge of -horses. There was a feeble, worthless horse that literally could carry -no one; his back all raw; a vicious mule who bit and kicked, and a stone -blind pony that would not go. With my experience of mules in the South, -knowing what sure-footed creatures they were, I chose the mule, had him -blindfolded, mounted him, and off I went. After waiting an hour on the -summit, the Judge appeared, coat and hat gone, and swearing terribly -that he would prosecute the canton for his treatment, and horsewhip the -Italian boys. He had let the horse go, and footed it. I soon slipped -away on my mule, letting the irate Louisianian and the Irishman settle -it, on top of the mountain, how they were to have satisfaction out of -the government for permitting such beasts to be imposed upon travelers. -I was two-thirds down the mountain when I looked behind me and heard the -most terrible shouts, and saw the Irishman clinging to the pony, over -whom he had lost all control, and the Judge hanging on by the pony’s -tail, all coming down at a terrific pace. The pony was at first gentle, -but it appears would not go beyond a walk. The Judge hung on to his tail -to guide himself down the mountain, and finding he would not go fast -enough to suit them, he assured the Irishman he would fix him, and -immediately stuck his penknife into the beast’s tail. “Fix him,” he did, -for the creature was so terrified he dashed off at a break-neck pace, -and the Judge, not wishing to be left alone on the mountain, had to hang -on by the tail and be dragged along at lightning speed. These beasts -alone knew the way down; once parted from them, they were lost, for the -Italian boys who had furnished them had long since fled from the Judge’s -wrath. The Judge and the Doctor forbade my paying the hotel bill, and I -had to do it surreptitiously. - -My doctor (who was a victim to rheumatism) called my attention to the -fact that on the summit of every Alpine pass we crossed, after all other -vegetation ceased, the aconite plant grew, showing nature had provided -there a remedy for the disease which the severity of the climate -developed in man. My Irish friend, living far from the sea, had a -passion for all fish but pike, which he detested, and which was daily -served to us wherever we went; finally, reaching Berlin, he insisted on -having sea fish. It was promised us, but, lo and behold! when dinner was -served, in came the pike, with the apology that no other fish could then -be had in the city. After dinner we went to the opera, and there, in the -ballet (superbly done as it was), were at least one hundred pike dancing -on the stage, which so upset my friend that he seized his hat in a rage -and left the house. - - - - -WINTER IN PAU. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - _Winter in Pau--I Hire a Perfect Villa for $800 a year--Luxury at - Small Cost--I Learn How to Give Dinners--Fraternizing with the - Bordeaux Wine Merchants--The Judge’s Wild Scheme--I Get Him up a - Dinner--General Bosquet--The Pau Hunt--The Frenchmen Wear Beautiful - Pink Coats but their Horses Wont Jump--Only the General Took the - Ditch._ - - -After you have been a little while in Europe you are seized with a -desire to have a house of your own, to enjoy home comforts. Your loss of -individuality comes over you. In Paris you feel particularly lost, and -as this feeling increased on me I resolved to go to Pau, take a house, -and winter there. The Duchess of Hamilton had abandoned the idea of -passing the winter in Pau, so that many lovely residences were seeking -tenants. For eight hundred dollars a year I hired a beautiful villa, -looking on the Pyrénées, directly opposite the _Pic du Midi d’Ossau_, -with lovely grounds filled with camelia bushes, and I then felt that I -had all a man could desire,--a perfect home made to one’s hand, a -climate where the wind never blows hard enough, even in winter, to stir -a leaf on the trees, the best cooks in the world, and where people -appeared to live but to eat well and sleep. A country of beautiful -women; the peasantry a mixture of Spanish and French blood; the climate -so soft and genial as to take away all harshness or roughness from their -faces--rich Titian-like women, with fine coloring and superb -figures--what more could man desire? I was, I may say, a pioneer -American there. - -A member of a distinguished New York family, who had been our Secretary -of Legation at Madrid, had preceded me; he had a lovely English wife, -was the master of the hounds, and gave me a cordial reception. I lived -there two winters, with a luxury I have never since enjoyed, and -literally for nothing, comparing one’s expenses there to living in New -York. The desire to entertain took possession of me and I gratified it; -such dinners and such wines! I ran down to Bordeaux, made friends with -all the wine fraternity there, tasted and criticised, and wormed myself -into the good graces of the owners of those enormous Bordeaux _caves_, -learned there for the first time what claret was, and how impossible it -was to drink out of Bordeaux, what a Bordeaux connoisseur would call a -perfect wine. There I learned how to give dinners; to esteem and value -the _Coq de Bruyère_ of the Pyrénées and the _Pie de Mars_ (squab -Magpie). - -Pau was filled with sick English people. I was one of the few sound men -physically in the place. I dashed into society with a vim. My Louisiana -friend, the Judge, followed me there, and I had my hands full in -establishing him socially. Shrewd, and immensely clever, he came to me -one day and said, “My friend, I am going to make a name for myself in -this place; wait and you will see.” Some little distance from Pau, -there was a large tract of worthless land, utterly valueless, called -_Les Landes_. Shepherds on stilts tended a few sheep on it. The judge at -once had an interview with the Prêfet of the Basses Pyrénées (an officer -similar to the governor of one of our States), and assured him of the -feasibility of reclaiming all this land and making fine cotton fields of -it. This scheme, wonderful to relate, was seized upon with avidity by -the Prêfet, and my friend, the Judge, was asked to submit his views. -This was all he wanted. Of course he never perfected his plans for such -work. The Prêfet, however, was at once his friend and admirer, and he -was made the distinguished and sought-after stranger of that winter. He -then came to me to get up a dinner for him, to be given to his newly -acquired friend, which he charged me to make the most brilliant and -superb dinner ever given in that place. I well remember his order to the -florist; “Furnish me for my table such a display of flowers as you would -provide for your Emperor; spare no expense.” I telegraphed to Paris and -exhausted all my resources to give him what he wished. When his guests -were all assembled in his _salon_, my friend could not remember who was -to take in who to dinner; so with great coolness he walked over to me, -and to distract the attention of his assembled guests, said, in a loud -voice, “Your horses, I am told, have run away, upset your carriage, and -killed the coachman.” Instantly the French people sprang up, exclaiming, -“What! what is it! is it possible!” while the Judge, in a low voice, -whispered, “Tell me quick who is to take in Madame J., and who goes in -with Count B.?” I told him, when he quietly said, “All made up, my boy, -let them believe it.” The dinner was a success, such a success that I -resolved to give a ball myself on the arrival from Paris of one of our -New York merchant princes, to whom I was much indebted. - -The French papers gave a glowing account of this ball, and I was fairly -launched into the French society of the Basses Pyrénées. It is hard to -convince an old business man, who has had large experience and amassed a -fortune, that any one can do anything in his line better than himself. -Therefore, when I gave my merchant prince exquisite Bordeaux wines that -I knew were incomparable, and extolled them, he quietly replied: - -“Why, my young friend, these wines are all from the house of Barton & -Guestier. Now, you must know, that the house of Johnson can alone -furnish what I class as the best clarets. I have for forty years been in -correspondence with that house, and will guarantee to produce here in -Pau, from them, clarets and sauternes better than any your house of -Barton & Guestier can send you.” I took him up at once, and the wager -was a fine dinner of twenty covers. All I had to do was to write the -above statement to Mr. Guestier, who at once sent me his own butler to -serve the wines, and sent with him a “Haut Brion” and a Chateau Latour -of 1848. As he termed it, _mise en bouteille tout à fait speciale hors -de ligne_, whose smoothness, bouquet, and flavor surpassed anything I -had ever dreamt of tasting. My merchant prince with his Johnson wines -was beaten out of sight, and so mortified was he that the day after the -dinner he sent me as a present all the wines Johnson had sent him. - -The hunt was then really the feature of Pau life, for those who could -not follow in the saddle would, after attending the meet, take to the -roads and see the best of the run. General Bosquet, returning then to -Pau, his native city, was fêted by both French and English. He had so -distinguished himself in the Crimean War that all regarded him as a -great hero. The English particularly wanted to express their admiration -of him, so they asked him to appear with his friends at the next Meet, -and follow in the hunt, promising him rare sport and a good run after a -bagged fox. To do him honor, the French, to a man, ordered new hunting -suits, all of them turned out in “pink,” and being in force made indeed -a great show. - -My Irish doctor was by my side, in great good humor, and a wicked -twinkle in his eye. Turning to me he said: - -“You will soon see some fun; not one of these Frenchmen can take that -jump; it is a _rasper_. Not a man of them will clear that bank and -ditch.” - -I smiled at this, and felt that to the end of time it would always be -English against French. It was cruel; but men should not pretend to ride -after hounds when they cannot take the jumps. - -“Look at those chaps,” he said, “in spotless pink; not a man among them -who can jump a horse to any purpose.” - -They were the nobility of the Basses Pyrénées, a splendid, gallant set -of fellows; all prepared “to do or die.” The master of the hounds raised -his hat, the fox was turned out of the bag; he was given ten minutes’ -law; then the huntsman with his pack dashed away, clearing both bank and -ditch. It was the severest jump they could find in any part of that -country, purposely chosen for that reason. My doctor’s little Irish boy, -a lad of sixteen years, went at it, and cleared it at a bound. I saw the -master of the hunt (an American, a splendid looking fellow, superbly -mounted, and a beautiful rider), with General Bosquet at his side, turn -to the General (who was riding one of his horses), and shout: - -“General, dash the spurs into her; lift her head a bit, and follow me.” - -The General did not hesitate; he plunged the spurs into the beast, -dashed ahead, and cleared bank and ditch. All his friends followed him. -Forward they went, but only for a few rods, when every horse, as if -shot, came to a full stop, planted his forefeet in front of him, and -neither whip nor spur could budge him. None would take the jump; every -Frenchman’s face became ashey pale, and I really felt sorry for them. -Not a Frenchman, with the exception of the General, took that jump. -After this, the mere mention of fox hunting would set the Frenchmen -wild. It was cruel, but it was sport. - -_Moral_: Men should not attempt to do what is not in them. - -Passing two winters at Pau and the summers at Baden-Baden, keeping four -horses at the former place, following the hounds at least once a week, -giving all through the winter from one to two dinners a week, with an -English housekeeper, and living as well as I could possibly live, with -the cost of my ball included, I did not spend half the amount in living -that I am compelled to in New York. The ball cost me but eight hundred -dollars. - - - - -HOME AGAIN. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - _My Return to New York--Dinner to a Well-known Millionaire--Visit - of Lord Frederick Cavendish, Hon. E. Ashley, and G. W. des Voeux to - the United States--I Entertain Them at My Southern Home--My - Father’s Old Friends Resent my Manner of Entertaining--Her - Majesty’s Consul disgruntled--Cedar Wash-tubs and Hot Sheets for my - English Guests--Shooting Snipe over the Rice Lands--Scouring the - Country for Pretty Girls._ - - -Called home by the stupidity of an agent, who was unable to treat with -my old friend, Commodore Vanderbilt, for an extension of his lease of -our dock property, most unwillingly we left our dear old Pau, with all -its charming associations, and returned to New York. - -I have always had a great fondness for men older than myself. Always -preferring to associate with my superiors than my inferiors in -intellect, and hence when brought in contact with one of America’s -noblest and most cultivated men (withal, the then richest man in the -United States, if not in the world), by his son-in-law, with whom I had -formed a close intimacy abroad, I sought his society, and he, in turn, -appeared at least to enjoy mine. Dining with him constantly, I suggested -that he should dine with me; to which he readily assented. So I went to -Cranston, my landlord of the New York Hotel, and put him to his trumps -to give me a suitable dinner. His hotel was then crowded, and I had -actually to take down a bedstead and improvise a dining-room. Cranston -was one of those hotel-keepers who worked as much for glory as for -money. He gave us simply a perfect dinner, and my dear old friend and -his wife enjoyed it. I remember his saying to me, “My young friend, if -you go on giving such dinners as these you need have no fear of planting -yourself in this city.” I here give the menu of this dinner: - -_CARTE DU DINER._ - -Les Huitres, salées. - -Le Potage de Consommé de Volaille, à la Royale. - -Le Basse rayée, grillée, Sauce Remoulade. - -Les Pommes de Terre, à la Lyonnaise. - -La Mayonnaise de Homard, decorée à la gélée. - -Le Filet de Bœuf, piqué, rôti, aux champignons. - -Les Cailles, truffées, à la Financière. -Les Côtelettes d’Agneau, à la Soubise. -Les Tomates, à l’Americaine. -Les Petits Pois, à la Française. - -Canvas-back Ducks, roasted. -Le Celeri, au jus. - -Les Huitres, grillées, à la Ste. Augustine. - -Le Pouding de Cabinet. -La Gélée, au rhum. -Les Méringues, à la Chantilly. - -Les Glaces de Crême, à la Portugaise. -Les Quatre Mendiants. -Les Fruits. -Le Café, etc. - -_L’Hôtel New York_, -_Mercredi, le 5 Janvier, 1859_. - -Just at this time three charming men visited New York and were fêted by -my little circle of friends. They were Lord Frederick Cavendish, Hon. -Evelyn Ashley, and G. W. des Voeux, now Governor of Hong Kong; three of -the brightest spirits I had ever met, and without the slightest -pretension; in fact, just what the real English gentleman always -is,--the first gentleman in the world. Fearing a cold winter, and a -friend who was going off on a foreign mission offering me his furnished -house in Savannah, with all his servants, etc., I took it on a lease and -proposed leaving for my native city in January. Finding my English -friends also going South, I invited them to pass a month with me in my -Southern home. All my European purchases, my china, glass, and -bric-à-brac, I did not even unbale in New York, but shipped them -directly to Savannah. Before leaving I took the precaution to order my -marketing from old Waite of Amity Street (the then famous butcher), to -be sent to me weekly, and started my new Southern household. - -I naturally prided myself, on appearing in my native city, in putting my -best foot foremost, and entertaining as well as I knew how, or, rather, -in giving to my Southern friends, the benefit of my European education -in the way of dinner giving. I found this, at first, instead of -gratifying my father’s friends rather piqued them; they said--“Heydey! -here is a young fellow coming out here to show us how to live. Why, his -father did not pretend to do this. Let us let him severely alone,” which -for a time they did. I took up the young fry, who let their elders very -soon know that I had certainly learned something and that Mc’s dinners -were bound to be a feature in Savannah. Then the old patriarch of the -place relented and asked me to a grand dinner. - -The papers had announced the intended visit to Savannah of the son of -the Duke of Devonshire, and the son of the Earl of Shaftesbury. -Southern people then worshipped the English nobility. They prided -themselves on retaining all the old English habits and customs, and of -being descendants of the greatest nation of the world,--excepting their -own. The host at the dinner announced the coming of these distinguished -men, and wondered who in Savannah would have the honor of entertaining -them. The British Consul then spoke up, he was a great character there, -giving the finest dinners, and being an authority on wine, i.e. Madeira, -“Her Majesty’s Consul will have the honor.” I secretly smiled, as I knew -they were coming to me, and I expected them the next day. This same good -old Consul had ignored me, hearing I had had the audacity to give at my -table _filet de bœuf aux truffes et champignons_. I returned home -feeling sure that these young noblemen would be but a few hours under my -roof before Her Majesty’s Consul would give me the honor of a visit. In -fact, my guests had not been with me an hour when my old friend, the -Consul, rushed up my front steps. Meeting me at the door he threw his -arms around my neck, exclaiming, “My dear boy, I was in love with your -mother thirty years ago; you are her image; carry me to your noble -guests.” Ever after I had the respect and esteem of this dear old man, -who, for Savannah, was rich as Crœsus, and before all things esteemed -and valued a good dinner and a fine glass of Madeira. My _filets de -bœuf_, and the scions of noble English houses placed me in the front -social rank in that little, aristocratic town, and brought forth from -one of its oldest inhabitants the exclamation, “My dear boy, your aunts, -the Telfairs, could give breakfasts, but you, you can give dinners.” - -Knowing the Englishmen’s habits, I gave to each one of them, on their -arrival, enormous cedar wash-tubs and hot sheets for their morning -ablutions; then a good breakfast, after which we drove to the river and -had my brother-in-law’s ten-oared boat, called “The Rice Bird,” all the -oarsmen in yachting rig, myself at the tiller, and the darkeys, knowing -they would all have tobacco, or money, pulled for dear life from the -start to the finish, giving us their plantation songs. The leader -improvised his song, the others only singing in chorus. On these -occasions, the colored people would give you in song all the annoyances -they were subjected to, and the current events of plantation life, -bringing in much of and about their “Massa” and his family, as follows: -“Massa Ward marry our little Miss Sara, bring big buckra to Savannah, -gwine to be good times, my boys, pull boys, pull, over Jordan!” Reaching -the plantations, of which there were three, Fairlawn, Argyle, and -Shaftesbury, well equipped with admirable dogs (for my brother-in-law -was a great sportsman), we would shoot snipe over the rice lands until 2 -P.M., then lunch elaborately in his plantation house, and row back in -the cool of the afternoon, dining at 8 o’clock, and having as my guests -every pretty girl within a hundred miles and more of the city. The -flowers, particularly the rose called the Cloth of Gold, and the black -rose, I was most prodigal with. I had given a fee to the clerk of the -market to scour the country for game and delicacies, so our dinners were -excellent, and the old Southern habit of sitting over Madeira until the -small hours was adopted, and was, with the bright minds I had brought -together, most enjoyable. - - - - -MERRYMAKING IN THE SOUTH. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - _A Southern Deer Park--A Don Quixote Steed--We Hunt for Deer and - Bag a Turkey--Getting a Dinner by Force--The French Chef and the - Colored Cook Contrasted--One is Inspired, the Other Follows - Tradition--Making a Sauce of Herbs and Cream--Shooting Ducks Across - the Moon--A Dawfuskie Pic-nic._ - - -In a small place, life is monotonous if you do not in some way break up -this monotony. I bethought me of a friend who lived some distance from -Savannah, who had a deer park, was a sportsman, and was also the soul of -hospitality. His pride lay in his family and his surroundings; so I -wrote to him as follows: “My dear friend, I have no baronial mansion; I -am a wanderer on the face of the earth, while you possess what I most -covet, an ancestral home and a great domain. Will you then invite my -guests and me to pay you a visit and give us a chance at your deer?” -Back came the invitation: “Come to me at once with your noble friends. -I and my whole county will receive them and do them honor.” The next -morning, by ten, we were at the railway station. Before leaving the -carriage I saw a distinguished General, a sort of Dalgetty of a man, who -preferred to fight than eat, pacing up and down the railway platform. A -ruffled shirt, not spotless, a fierce air, an enormous false diamond -pin, as big as a crown piece, in the center of his ruffled shirt bosom, -with a thin gold chain attached to it and to his waistcoat, to prevent -its loss. He at once approached me and exclaimed, “By Jove! by Jove! Mc, -introduce me to your noble friends.” The introduction made, he -accompanied us to the train, and in turn presented us to a large crowd -assembled to see what Southern people were so proud of, “thoroughbreds,” -as he called them. I repeatedly heard him exclaim, “No jackass stock -here, sir; all thoroughbreds! I could tell ’em in the dark.” On rolled -the train, and we soon reached our destination, and were no sooner out -of the cars than we were enveloped by a myriad of sand flies. You could -cut them with a knife, as it were. My friend, a six-footer, stepped up -to my guests and was presented. He then addressed them as follows: “Will -your lordships ride or drive?” - -In the mean while, his coachman, a seedy old darkey, in a white hat at -least ten years old, fly specked to such an extent that its original -color was lost, in shabby, old, well-worn clothes, seized me by the coat -tail, exclaiming, “Massa Ward, show me the ‘big buckras.’” After -pointing them out, we all pressed through the crowd to the wagon and -horses, two marsh tackeys, with their manes and tails so full of burrs, -and so netted together, as to form a solid mass; stirrup leathers pieced -with clothes lines, and no evidence of either of the animals having ever -seen or been touched by a curry-comb. “Don Quixote, by Jove!” exclaimed -the heir of the Shaftesburys, and vaulted into the saddle, while the -representative of the house of Devonshire and myself took our seats in -the open wagon. At this point, our hospitable host called the attention -of his lordship to his horses and gave him their pedigree. One was -sixteen hands high, had a bob tail, and high action; the other was a -little pony of fourteen hands, with an ambling gait. Not giving any sign -of moving, our host held forth as follows: “Your lordship, so well bred -are these horses that if they are not properly caparisoned, nothing -human could stir them; they will plant their feet in the soil and -neither whip nor spur would budge them. You see how well my boy keeps -their harnesses.” By this time I was convulsed. Cavendish, I saw, was -laughing inwardly, but suppressed it. The straw in one collar was -bulging out, one turret was gone, and a piece of rope lengthened one of -the traces. Truly, it had seen better days. If he calls that a fitting -harness for his horses, what am I to expect in the way of a house and -deer park? However, my fears were allayed. The house was a charming old -Southern plantation house, and the owner of it, the embodiment of -hospitality. When the cloth was removed at dinner, I trembled. For my -dear old father had always told me that on his circuit (annually made by -the Savannah lawyers) he always avoided this house, for in it one could -never find so much as a glass of whiskey. What then was my surprise, to -have placed before us a superb bottle of sherry, since world-renowned, -i.e. in this country; and a matchless Madeira, which he claimed he had -inherited from his father, to be opened at the marriage of his sister. - -The next morning, at the very break of day fixed for our deer hunt, the -negro boys commenced tooting horns. As soon as I could see, I looked out -of my windows and there saw four old lean, lank dogs, lifeless looking -creatures, and four marsh tackeys, decorated, front and rear, with an -abundance of burrs. Off we went, as sorry a looking company as one’s eye -had ever seen, with a crowd of half-naked children following the -procession. We were out eight hours, went through swamp after swamp, our -tackeys up to their fetlocks in mud, and sorry a deer did we see. One -wild turkey flew over us, which my host’s colored huntsman killed, the -only man in the party who could shoot at all. - -Returning to Savannah, we went after quail. One morning, being some -fourteen miles from the city, we felt famished, having provided no lunch -basket. I asked a friend, who was shooting with us and acting as our -guide, if there was a white man’s house within a mile or two where we -could get a biscuit. He replied, “No, not one.” - -I pressed the matter, saying, “We must have a bite of something,” and -urged him to think again. He reflected, and then said, as if to himself, -“Oh, no use to go there, we will get nothing.” I took him up at once. - -“What do you refer to,” I said. “Oh,” he replied, “there is a white man -who lives within a mile of us, but he is the meanest creature that -lives and will have nothing to give us.” - -“Who is he?” I exclaimed. He gave me his name. “What,” said I, “Mr. -Jones, who goes to Newport every summer?” “The same,” said he; “do you -know him?” - -“Know him?” I answered, “why, man, I know no one else. He has for years -asked me to visit his plantation. He lives like a prince. I saw him at a -great fête at Ochre Point, Newport, several years ago. He turned up his -nose at everything there, saying to me, ‘Why, my dear fellow, these -people don’t know how to live. This fête is nothing to what I can do, at -my place. Why, sir, I have so much silver I dare not keep it in my -house. The vaults of the State Bank of Georgia are filled with my -silver. This fête may be well enough here, but come to me at the South, -come to my plantation, and I will show you what a fête is. I will show -you how to live.’” My friend listened to all this with astonishment. - -“Well,” said he, “I have nothing to say. That is ‘big’ talk. Go on to -your friend’s place and see what you will find.” On we moved, four as -hungry men as you could well see. We reached the plantation, on which we -found a one-story log cabin, with a front piazza, one large center room, -and two shed rooms. There was a small yard, inclosed with pine palings -to keep out the pigs, who were ranging about and ineffectually trying to -gain an entrance. We entered the house, and, seeing an old colored man, -my Southern friend opened on the old darkey with: “Where is your -master?” - -“In Savannah, sir.” - -“When does he dine?” - -“At six o’clock, sir.” - -“What have you got for his dinner, old man?” - -“Pea pie.” - -“Is that all that he has for his dinner?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“What is pea pie?” I asked. - -“Cow peas and bacon,” was the answer. - -With this, my Southern friend stepped to the back door of the house, -asked the old man to point him out a fat turkey. The old darkey did -this, saying, - -“There’s one, sir, but, Lord help me, Massa, don’t kill him.” - -The protest came too late. Up to the shoulder went the gun, and down -fell the turkey. Now, turning to the old darkey, he said: - -“Old man, pick that turkey and roast him, and tell your Massa four big -buckra men are coming to dine with him to-day, at six o’clock.” We got -some corn-bread from the kitchen and went off shooting. A few minutes -before six, we returned, and heard indeed a racket in that old cabin. -The “Massa” was there, as we saw by the buggy, standing in the front -yard; the horse browsing a few feet off, the harness in the buggy, and -the master shouting out, “You tell me white men came here, kill my -turkey, tell you to cook him, and you don’t know them? Who in the devil -can they be?” No sooner had he got this out, when I appeared on the -scene. Up went his arms in astonishment. - -“Why, Mc., is this you? Glad to see you and your friends.” - -Down we sat at his table, and had a dinner of small rice, pea pie, and -roast turkey, washed down by a bottle of fine old Madeira, which he -called “the blood of his ancestors.” I looked in vain for a side-board -to put silver on, or any evidence of any past fête having been given on -the premises. Our host was a thoroughly local man; one of those men who, -when in Paris, would say, “I’m going to town,” when he proposed -returning to Savannah, which, at that time, was to him the metropolis of -America. This gentleman then, like others in the South, cultivated the -belief that they alone lived well, and that there was no such thing as -good society in New York or other Northern cities; that New Yorkers and -Northern people were simply a lot of tradespeople, having no -antecedents, springing up like the mushroom, who did not know how to -live, and who, when they gave dinners to their friends, ordered them -from a neighboring restaurant. - -At a large dinner in Savannah, given to an ex-Mayor of New York, one of -the best dinner-givers in that city made the foregoing statement, and -the ex-Mayor actually called upon me to substantiate it, declaring it -had always been his practice thus to supply his table, when he invited a -dozen or more people to dinner. So far from this being the case, I then -and there assured my Southern friends that no people in the world lived -better than New Yorkers, so far as creature comforts were concerned. I -have tested the capacity of the Southern cook alongside of the French -_chef_; I had them together, cooking what we call a “Saratoga Lake -Dinner” at Newport, a dinner for sixty people; serving alone Spanish -mackerel, Saratoga potatoes, soft shell crabs, woodcock, chicken -partridges, and lettuce salad. Both were great artists in their way, but -the _chef_ came off very much the victor. I doubted then, and I doubt -now, if the dinners in London are better than our New York dinners, -given by one of the innumerable good dinner-givers. Our material is -better in New York, and our cooks are equally as good as those in -England. The sauces of the French cuisine are its feature, while there -is not a single sauce in African or Southern cooking. The French get the -essence and flavor out of fowl, and discard the huge joints. Take for -instance, soup; give a colored cook a shin of beef and a bunch of -carrots and turnips, and of this he makes a soup. A Frenchman, to give -you a _consommé royale_, requires a knuckle of veal, a shin of beef, two -fat fowls, and every vegetable known to man. The materials are more than -double the expense, but then you have a delicacy of flavor, and a -sifting out of everything that is coarse and gross. The _chef_ is an -educated, cultivated artist. The colored cook, such as nature made him, -possessing withal a wonderful natural taste, and the art of making -things savory, i.e. taste good. His cookery book is tradition. French -_chefs_ have their inspirations, are in every way almost as much -inspired as writers. To illustrate this: when Henry IV. was fighting in -the Pyrénées, he told his French cook to give him a new sauce. The reply -was, “Where are the materials for it, your Majesty? I have nothing here -but herbs and cream.” “Then make a sauce from them,” was the King’s -answer. The _chef_ did this, and produced one of the best sauces in the -French cuisine, known as _sauce Bearnaise_. - -Having exhausted quail and snipe shooting and made a failure at deer -hunting, we went on the banks of the rice plantations at night, to shoot -wild ducks, as they crossed the moon. Whilst whiling away the time, -waiting for ducks, we talked over England and America. Lord Frederick -Cavendish assured me that if I were then living in England, I could not -there lead a pleasanter life than I was then leading. He liked -everything at the South, the hospitality of the people, and their simple -contentment and satisfaction with their surroundings. On these three -places there were then six hundred slaves; the net income of these -estates was $40,000 a year. They would have easily brought half a -million. When the Civil War terminated, my brother-in-law was offered -$100,000 for them; by the war he had lost all his slaves. To-day the -estates would scarcely bring $30,000, showing the change in values -caused by the Civil War. - -I was then able to show my guests a Savannah picnic, which is an -institution peculiar to the place. Leaving the city in a river steamer -our party consisting of one hundred people, after a little over an -hour’s sail we reached an island in the Atlantic Ocean, known as -Dawfuskie, a beautiful spot on which stood a charming residence, with -five acres of roses surrounding the house. The heads of families -carried, each of them, huge baskets containing their dinner, and a full -table service, wine, etc., for say, ten or a dozen people. On our -arrival, all formed into groups under the trees, a cloth was laid on the -ground, dishes, plates and glasses arranged on it, and the champagne at -once _frapped_ in small hand pails. There was then a dance in the open -air, on a platform, and in the afternoon, with cushions as seats for the -ladies, these improvised dinner-tables were filled. Each had its -separate hostess; all was harmony and pleasure. As night approached, the -people re-embarked on the steamer and returned home by moonlight. - - - - -LIFE AT NEWPORT. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - _I Leave the South--A Typical British Naval Officer--An Officer of - the Household Troops--Early Newport Life--A Country Dinner--The Way - I got up Picnics--Farmers Throw their Houses Open to Us--A Bride - Receives us in her Bridal Array--My Newport Farm--My Southdowns and - my Turkeys--What an English Lady said of our Little Island--Newport - a place to Take Social Root in._ - - -My English friends bidding me farewell, soon after, I gave up my -Savannah house and made Newport my permanent home, for I spent nine -months of the year there, with a winter trip to the West Indies. I must -not omit to mention here that while passing the winter at Nassau, N. P., -I made the acquaintance of a most polished, elegant, and courtly man, a -captain in the British Navy, who entertained me as one can only be -entertained on a British man-of-war, giving me Devonshire cream and -every luxury, and all as well served as though it had been ashore. -Meeting him repeatedly at dinner at the house of the Governor of the -Bahamas, he suggested that as it was a most difficult thing to board the -steamship that was to take us to New York, she never crossing the bar, -he would himself, in his own gig, take us out to that vessel when we -left the island. - -I had forgotten this kind promise, but on the day fixed for our -departure (it then blowing a gale, one of those terrible “northers” of -the West Indies), I received a note from this gallant captain, telling -me that his boat’s crew had already crossed the bar, boarded our -steamer, and learnt the precise spot where she would lie in the -afternoon when she would take on her passengers. In vain did I protest -against his undertaking this dangerous piece of work. Do it he would; -and taking the tiller himself, we were safely rowed in his gig, twelve -miles, and boarded the vessel. - -I afterwards learned that while he was going from his vessel in full -evening dress, with his white gloves carefully buttoned (for he was -called the dandy of the English Navy), he sprang overboard and saved one -of his men from drowning. - -On our reaching the deck of the steamer, I was struck with the -obsequiousness of the steamer’s captain to the naval officer, (she was, -by the way, a Cunarder). My friend, the captain, then introduced me to -one of his countrymen, saying to me, simply, “You will find him a nice -fellow.” He turned out to be one of the most distinguished young men in -England, an officer of the Household Troops, a most fascinating man, who -had been to Jamaica to look after his father’s estates there. I -introduced him to my friends in New York, and in return for the -hospitality extended to him then, heard later that he, on receiving -letters of introduction from me, had paid marked attention to the -bearers of the letters. I relate this as an evidence that Englishmen do -reciprocate attentions received in this country. - -Newport was now at its best. The most charming people of the country had -formed a select little community there; the society was small, and all -were included in the gaieties and festivities. Those were the days that -made Newport what it was then and is now, the most enjoyable and -luxurious little island in America. The farmers of the island even -seemed to catch the infection, and they were as much interested in the -success of our picnics and country dinners, as we were ourselves. They -threw open their houses to us, and never heeded the invasion, on a -bright sunshiny day, of a party of fifty people, who took possession of -their dining-room, in fact of their whole house, and frolicked in it to -their heart’s content. To be sure, I had often to pacify a farmer when a -liveried groom robbed his hen roost, but as he knew that this -fashionable horde paid their way, he was easily soothed. I always then -remarked that in Newport, at that time, you could have driven a -four-in-hand of camels or giraffes, and the residents of the island -would have smiled and found it quite the thing. The charm of the place -then was the simple way of entertaining; there were no large balls; all -the dancing and dining was done by daylight, and in the country. I did -not hesitate to ask the very _crême de la crême_ of New York society to -lunch and dine at my farm, or to a fishing party on the rocks. My little -farm dinners gained such a reputation that my friends would say to me: -“Now, remember, leave me out of your ceremonious dinners as you choose, -but always include me in those given at your farm, or I’ll never forgive -you.” But to convey any idea of our country parties, one must in detail -give the method of getting them up: Riding on the Avenue on a lovely -summer’s day, I would be stopped by a beautiful woman, in gorgeous -array, looking so fascinating that if she were to ask you to attempt the -impossible, you would at least make the effort. She would open on me as -follows: “My dear friend, we are all dying for a picnic. Can’t you get -one up for us?” - -“Why, my dear lady,” I would answer, “you have dinners every day, and -charming dinners too; what more do you want?” - -“Oh, they’re not picnics. Any one can give dinners,” she would reply; -“what we want is one of your picnics. Now, my dear friend, do get one -up.” - -This was enough to fire me, and set me going. So I reply: - -“I will do your bidding. Fix on the day at once, and tell me what is the -best dish your cook makes.” - -Out comes my memorandum book, and I write: “Monday, 1 P.M., meet at -Narragansett Avenue, bring _filet de bœuf piqué_,” and with a bow am -off in my little wagon, and dash on, to waylay the next cottager, stop -every carriage known to contain friends, and ask them, one and all, to -join our country party, and assign to each of them the providing of a -certain dish and a bottle of champagne. Meeting young men, I charge them -to take a bottle of champagne, and a pound of grapes, or order from the -confectioner’s a quart of ice cream to be sent to me. My pony is put on -its mettle; I keep going the entire day getting recruits; I engage my -music and servants, and a carpenter to put down a dancing platform, and -the florist to adorn it, and that evening I go over in detail the whole -affair, map it out as a general would a battle, omitting nothing, not -even a salt spoon; see to it that I have men on the road to direct my -party to the farm, and bid the farmer put himself and family, and the -whole farm, in holiday attire. - -On one occasion, as my farmer had just taken unto himself a bride, a -young and pretty woman, I found that at mid-day, to receive my guests, -she had dressed herself in bridal array; she was _décolleté_, and seemed -quite prepared to sing the old ballad of “Coming thro’ the rye”; but as -her husband was a stalwart young fellow, and extremely jealous, I -advised the young men in the party to confine their attentions to their -own little circle and let Priscilla, the Puritan, alone. - -When I first began giving picnics at my farm, I literally had no stock -of my own. I felt that it would never do to have a gathering of the -brightest and cleverest people in the country at my place with the -pastures empty, neither a cow nor a sheep; so my Yankee wit came to my -assistance. I at once hired an entire flock of Southdown sheep, and two -yoke of cattle, and several cows from the neighboring farm, for half a -day, to be turned into my pasture lots, to give the place an animated -look. I well remember some of my knowing guests, being amateur farmers, -exclaiming: - -“Well, it is astonishing! Mc has but fifty acres, and here he is, -keeping a splendid flock of Southdowns, two yoke of cattle, to say -nothing of his cows!” - -I would smile and say: - -“My friend I am not a fancy farmer, like yourself; I farm for profit.” - -At that time, I was out of pocket from three to four thousand dollars a -year by my farm, but must here add, for my justification, that finding -amateur farming an expensive luxury, I looked the matter squarely in the -face, watched carefully the Yankee farmers around me, and satisfied -myself that they knew more about the business than I did, and at once -followed in their footsteps, placed my farm on shares, paying nothing -out for labor, myself paying the running expenses, and dividing the -profits with my farmer. Instead of losing three or four thousand dollars -a year by my farm, it then paid me, and continues to pay me seven to -eight hundred dollars a year clear of all expenses. We sell off of fifty -acres of land, having seventeen additional acres of pasturage, over -three thousand dollars of produce each year. I sell fifty Southdown -lambs during the months of April and May, at the rate of eight to ten -dollars each, to obtain which orders are sent to me in advance, and my -winter turkeys have become as famous as my Southdown lambs. The farm is -now a profit instead of a loss. I bought this place in 1853; if I had -bought the same amount of land south of Newport, instead of north of the -town, it would have been worth a fortune to-day. - -To return to our picnic. The anxiety as to what the weather would be, -was always my first annoyance, for of course these country parties hinge -on the weather. After making all your preparations, everything ready for -the start, then to look out of your window in the morning, as I have -often done, and see the rain coming down in torrents, is far from making -you feel cheerful. But, as a rule, I have been most fortunate in my -weather. We would meet at Narragansett Avenue at 1 P.M., and all drive -out together. On reaching the picnic grounds, I had an army of -skirmishers, in the way of servants, thrown out, to take from each -carriage its contribution to the country dinner. The band would strike -up, and off the whole party would fly in the waltz, while I was -directing the icing of the champagne, and arranging the tables; all done -with marvelous celerity. Then came my hour of triumph, when, without -giving the slightest signal (fearing some one might forestall me, and -take off the prize), I would dash in among the dancers, secure our -society queen, and lead with her the way to the banquet. Now began the -fun in good earnest. The clever men of the party would assert their -claims to the best dishes, proud of the efforts of their cook, loud in -their praise of their own game pie, which most probably was brought out -by some third party, too modest to assert and push his claim. Beauty was -there to look upon, and wit to enliven the feast. The wittiest of men -was then in his element, and I only wish I dared quote here his -brilliant sallies. The beauty of the land was also there, and all -feeling that they were on a frolic, they threw hauteur, ceremonial, and -grand company manners aside, and, in place, assumed a spirit of simple -enjoyment. Toasts were given and drunk, then a stroll in pairs, for a -little interchange of sentiment, and then the whole party made for the -dancing platform, and a cotillon of one hour and a half was danced, till -sunset. As at a “Meet,” the arrivals and departures were a feature of -the day. Four-in-hands, tandems, and the swellest of Newport turn-outs -rolled by you. At these entertainments you formed lifetime intimacies -with the most cultivated and charming men and women of this country. - -These little parties were then, and are now, the stepping-stones to our -best New York society. People who have been for years in mourning and -thus lost sight of, or who having passed their lives abroad and were -forgotten, were again seen, admired, and liked, and at once brought into -society’s fold. Now, do not for a moment imagine that all were -indiscriminately asked to these little fêtes. On the contrary, if you -were not of the inner circle, and were a new-comer, it took the combined -efforts of all your friends’ backing and pushing to procure an -invitation for you. For years, whole families sat on the stool of -probation, awaiting trial and acceptance, and many were then rejected, -but once received, you were put on an intimate footing with all. To -acquire such intimacy in a great city like New York would have taken you -a lifetime. A fashionable woman of title from England remarked to me -that we were one hundred years behind London, for our best society was -so small, every one in it had an individuality. This, to her, was -charming, “for,” said she, “one could have no such individuality in -London.” It was accorded only to the highest titled people in all -England, while here any one in society would have every movement -chronicled. Your “_personnel_,” she added, “is daily discussed, your -equipage is the subject of talk, as well as your house and household.” -Another Londoner said to me, “This Newport is no place for a man without -fortune.” There is no spot in the world where people are more _en -evidence_. It is worth while to do a thing well there, for you have -people who appreciate your work, and it tells and pays. It is the place -of all others to take social root in. - - - - -SOCIETY’S LEADERS. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - _Society’s Leaders--A Lady whose Dinners were Exquisite and whose - Wines were Perfect--Her “Blue Room Parties”--Two Colonial - Beauties--The Introduction of the Chef--The Prince of Wales in New - York--The Ball in his Honor at the Academy of Music--The Fall of - the Dancing Platform--Grotesque Figures cut by the Dancers--The - Prince Dances Well--Admirable Supper Arrangements--A Light Tea and - a Big Appetite--The Prince at West Point--I get a Snub from General - Scott._ - - -Society must have its leader or leaders. It has always had them, and -will continue to have them. Their sway is more or less absolute. When I -came to New York as a boy, forty years ago, there were two ladies who -were skillful leaders and whose ability and social power the fashionable -world acknowledged. They gave the handsomest balls and dinners given in -this city, and had at them all the brilliant people of that period. -Their suppers, given by old Peter Van Dyke, were famous. Living in two -adjoining houses which communicated, they had superb rooms for -entertaining. These were the days when Isaac Brown, sexton of Grace -Church, was, in his line, a great character. His memory was something -remarkable. He knew all and everything about everybody, knew always -every one’s residence, was good-nature itself, and cracked his jokes and -had a word for every one who passed into the ball-room. You would hear -him _sotto voce_ remarking upon men as they passed: “Old family, good -old stock,” or “He’s a new man; he had better mind his p’s and q’s, or I -will trip him up. Ah, here’s a fellow who intends to dance his way into -society. Here comes a handsome boy, the women are crazy about him,” etc. - -A year or two later, during my absence in Europe and at the South, a -lady living in Washington Place found herself filling a very conspicuous -place in the matter of social entertainment by the departure of her -husband’s relatives, who had been society’s leaders, for a prolonged -stay in Europe. A woman of charming manners, possessing eminently the -talent of social leadership, she took up and easily carried on society -as represented by the “smart” set. For from six to seven years she gave -brilliant entertainments; her dinners were exquisite; her wines perfect; -her husband’s Madeiras are still famous. At that time, her small dances -were most carefully chosen; they were the acme of exclusiveness. On this -she prided herself. She also arranged and controlled for two years (the -winters of 1870 and 1871) small subscription balls at Delmonico’s, -Fourteenth Street, in his “blue rooms.” They were confined to the young -men and maidens, with the exception, perhaps, of a dozen of the young -married couples; a few elderly married ladies were invited as matrons. -These dances were known and became famous as the “Blue Room parties.” -There were three hundred subscribers to them. Having a large fortune, -she was able to gratify her taste in entertaining. Her manners were -charming, and she was a most pleasing conversationalist. Her -brother-in-law was one of the founders of the Patriarchs, and at a later -period her two sons-in-law also joined them, though the younger of the -two, the husband of her accomplished and beautiful daughter, has lived -abroad for many years, but is still numbered among the brilliant members -of our society. It was during the winter of 1871 that a ball was given -in these same rooms to Prince Arthur, when on his visit here. On this -occasion, the Prince danced with the daughter of my old friend, the -Major, who, in air and distinction, was unrivaled in this country. - -About this time two beautiful, brilliant women came to the front. They -were both descended from old Colonial families. They had beauty and -wealth, and were eminently fitted to lead society. A new era then came -in; old fashions passed away, new ones replaced them. The French _chef_ -then literally, for the first time, made his appearance, and artistic -dinners replaced the old-fashioned, solid repasts of the earlier period. -We imported European habits and customs rapidly. Women were not -satisfied with their old _modistes_, but must needs send to Paris for -everything. The husband of one of these ladies had a great taste for -society, and also a great knowledge of all relating to it. His delight -was to see his beautiful young wife worshipped by everybody, which she -was, and she soon became, in every sense, the prominent leader. All -admired her, and we, the young men of that period, loved her as much as -we dared. All did homage to her, and certainly she was deserving of it, -for she had every charm, and never seemed to over-appreciate herself, or -recognize that as Nature had lavished so much on her, and man had laid -wealth at her feet, she was, in every sense, society’s queen. She was a -woman _sans aucune prétention_. When you entered her house, her -reassuring smile, her exquisitely gracious and unpretending manner of -receiving, placed you at your ease and made you feel welcome. She had -the power that all women should strive to obtain, the power of attaching -men to her, and keeping them attached; calling forth a loyalty of -devotion such as one imagines one yields to a sovereign, whose subjects -are only too happy to be subjects. In the way of entertaining, the -husband stood alone. He had a handsome house and a beautiful picture -gallery (which served as his ball-room), the best _chef_ in the city, -and entertained royally. - -I well remember being asked by a member of my family, “Why are you so -eager to go to this leader’s house?” My reply always was, “Because I -enjoy such refined and cultivated entertainments. It improves and -elevates one.” From him, I literally took my first lesson in the art of -giving good dinners. I heard his criticisms, and well remember asking -old Monnot, the keeper of the New York Hotel: - -“Who do you think has the best cook in this city?” - -“Why, of course, the husband of your leader of fashion, for the simple -reason that he makes his cook give him a good dinner every day.” - - * * * * * - -Just at this time all New York aroused, and put on their holiday attire -at the coming of the Prince of Wales. A grand ball at the Academy of -Music was given him. Our best people, the smart set, the slow set, all -sets, took a hand in it, and the endeavor was to make it so brilliant -and beautiful that it would always be remembered by those present as one -of the events of their lives. - -My invitation to the ball read as follows: - - _THE GENERAL COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS_ - - _Invite Mr. Ward McAllister to a Ball to be given by the Citizens - of New York to the_ - - PRINCE OF WALES, - - _At the Academy of Music, on Friday Evening, the twelfth of - October, 1860, at nine o’clock_. - -PETER COOPER, -_Chairman_. - -_M. B. Field_, -_Secretary_. - - -The ball was to be opened by a _Quadrille d’Honneur_. Governor and Mrs. -Morgan, Mr. Bancroft the historian, and Mrs. Bancroft, Colonel and Mrs. -Abraham Van Buren, with others, were to dance in it. Mrs. Morgan had -forgotten all she had learned of dancing in early childhood, so she at -once took dancing lessons. Fernando Wood was then Mayor of New York. The -great event of the evening was to be the opening quadrille, and the rush -to be near it was so great that the floor gave way and in tumbled the -whole centre of the stage. I stood up in the first tier, getting a good -view of the catastrophe. The Duke of Newcastle, with the Prince, who, as -it happened, was advancing to the centre of the stage, followed by all -who were to dance in the quadrille, at once retired with the Prince to -the reception room, while Mr. Renwick, the architect, and a gang of -carpenters got to work to floor over the chasm. I well remember the -enormous form of old Isaac Brown, sexton of Grace Church, rushing -around and encouraging the workmen. A report had been spread that the -Duke would not allow the Prince to again appear on the stage. - -In the mean while, the whole royal party were conversing in groups in -the reception room. The Prince had been led into a corner of the room by -the Mayor’s daughter, when the Duke, feeling the young lady had had -fully her share of his Royal Highness, was about to interrupt them, when -our distinguished magistrate implored him not to do so. “Oh, Duke,” he -exclaimed, “let the young people alone, they are enjoying themselves.” -The stage made safe, the quadrille was danced, to the amusement of the -assembled people. The old-fashioned curtseys, the pigeon-wings, and -genuflexions only known to our ancestors were gone through with dignity -and repose. Mrs. Van Buren, who had presided over the White House during -Martin Van Buren’s presidency, has repeatedly since discussed this -quadrille with me, declaring she was again and again on the point of -laughing at the grotesque figures cut by the dancers. - -“But, my dear sir,” she said, “I did not permit my dignity and repose to -be at all ruffled; I think I went through the trying ordeal well; but -why, why will not our people learn to dance!” A waltz immediately -followed the quadrille; the Prince, a remarkably handsome young man, -with blue eyes and light hair, a most agreeable countenance, and a -gracious manner, danced with Miss Fish, Miss Mason, Miss Fannie Butler, -and others, and danced well. I followed him with a fair partner, doing -all I could to enlarge the dancing circle. He danced incessantly until -supper, the arrangements for which were admirable. - -One entered the supper room by one stage door and left it by another; a -horseshoe table ran around the entire room,--behind it stood an army of -servants, elbow to elbow, all in livery. At one end of the room was a -raised dais, where the royal party supped. At each stage door a -prominent citizen stood guard; the moment the supper room was full, no -one else was admitted. As fifty would go out, fifty would come in. I -remember on my attempting to get in through one of these doors, -stealthily, the vigilant eye of John Jacob Astor met mine. He bid me -wait my turn. Nothing could have been more successful, or better done. -The house was packed to repletion. Now, all was the Prince. The city -rang with his name; all desired to catch a glimpse of him. His own -people could not have offered him greater homage. - -A friend of mine at Barrytown telegraphed me to come to him and pass -Sunday, and on Monday go with him to West Point to a breakfast to be -given by Colonel Delafield, the Commandant of the Point, to the Prince -of Wales. It was in the fall of the year, when the Hudson was at its -best, clothed in its autumnal tints. I was enraptured on looking out of -my window on Sunday morning at the scene that lay before me, with the -river, like a tiny thread away below, gracefully flowing through a -wilderness of foliage, the flock of Southdown sheep on my friend’s lawn, -the picturesque little stone chapel adjoining his place, all in full -view, and the great masses of autumn leaves raked in huge piles. Going -to church in the morning, I proposed to myself a ten-mile walk in the -afternoon to get an appetite for what I felt sure would be my friend’s -best effort in the way of a dinner, as he well knew I loved the “flesh -pots of Egypt.” Fully equipped for my walk, the butler entered my room -and announced luncheon. I declined the meal. Again he appeared, stating -that the family insisted on my lunching with them, as on Sunday it was -always a most substantial repast. - -My host now appeared to enforce the request. I protested. “My dear -fellow, I can dine but once in twenty-four hours; dinner to me is an -event; luncheon is fatal to dinner--takes off the edge of your -appetite, and then you are unfit to do it justice.” - -“Have it as you will,” he replied, and off I went. Returning, I donned -my dress suit, and feeling as hungry as a hound, went to the -drawing-room to await dinner. Seven came, half after seven, and still no -announcement of that meal. I felt an inward sinking. At eight the butler -announced “Tea is served.” - -“Good heavens!” I muttered to myself; “I have lost dinner,” and woefully -went in to tea. I can drink tea at my breakfast, but that suffices; I -can never touch it a second time in twenty-four hours. I think my host -took in the situation, and to intensify my suffering, walked over to me, -tapping me on the back, exclaiming: - -“My dear boy, in this house we never dine on Sunday.” - -“Why in the plague, then,” I thought, “did you ask me up here on a fast -day? However,” I said to myself, “I will make it up on bread and -butter.” In we went to tea, and a tea indeed it was; what the French -would call a “_Souper dinatoire_,” the English, a “high tea,” a -combination of a heavy lunch, a breakfast, and tea. No hot dishes; but -every cold delicacy you could dream of; a sort of “whipping the devil -around the stump.” No dinner, a gorgeous feast at tea. - -Down the river the next morning we went to West Point, every moment -enjoyable, and reached the Commandant’s house. As General Scott was -presenting Colonel Delafield’s guests to the Prince I approached the -General, asking him to present me to his Royal Highness. A giant as he -was in height, he bent down his head to me, and asked sharply, “What -name, sir?” I gave him my name, but at the sound of “Mc,” not thinking -it distinguished enough, he quietly said, “Pass on, sir,” and I -subsequently was presented by the Duke of Newcastle. - - - - -DELIGHTS OF COUNTRY LIFE. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - _A Handsome, Courtly Man--A Turkey Chase--A Visit to Livingston - Manor--An Ideal Life--On Horseback from Staatsburg to New - York--Village Inn Dinners--I Entertain a Fashionable Party at the - Gibbons Mansion--An Old House Rejuvenated--The Success of the - Party--Country Life may be Enjoyed Here as well as in England if - one has the Money and the Inclination for it--It means Hard Work - for the Host, though._ - - -All my life I had been taught to have a sort of reverence for the name -of Livingston, and to feel that Livingston Manor was a species of -palatial residence, that one must see certainly once in one’s lifetime. -The opportunity offered itself, and I seized upon it. The owner of the -upper Manor jokingly suggested our forming a party to go there, and take -possession of his house in October, and see the lovely autumn foliage. -By acclamation, it was resolved that the project be carried out, and I -went to work, spurring up my old friend, the owner of the Manor, to -prepare for us. As an important feature and member of this party, I must -here give a slight sketch of one of the handsomest, most fascinating, -most polished and courteous gentlemen of that or any other period. We -will here call him the Major; amiability itself, a man both sexes could -fall in love with. I loved him dearly, and when I lost him I felt much -of the charm of life had departed with him. At all these country -parties, he was always first and foremost. My rapidity of thought and -action always annoyed him. “My dear fellow,” he would say, “for heaven’s -sake, go slow; you tear through the streets as if at some one’s bidding. -A gentleman should stroll leisurely, casting his eyes in the shop -windows, as if in search of amusement, while you go at a killing pace, -as if on business bent. The man of fashion should have no business.” -Again, he had a holy horror of familiar garments. “My dear boy,” he -would smile and say, “when will you discard that old coat? I am so -familiar with it, I am fatigued at the sight of it.” - -On one subject we were always in accord--our admiration for women. My -eye was quicker than his, and I often took advantage of it. I would say, -“Major, did you see that beauty? By Jove, a most delicious creature!” - -“Who? Where?” he would exclaim. - -“Why, man,” I replied, “she has passed you; you have lost her.” - -“Lost her! How could you let that happen? Why, why did you not sooner -call my attention to her?” - -Apropos of the Major, I must tell a good story at his expense: - -As my farm parties were always gotten up at a day’s notice, I was often -in straits to provide the dishes, for all that was wanting to complete -the feast I furnished myself. A boned turkey, on one occasion, was -absolutely necessary. The day was a holiday. I must at once place it in -the cook’s hands. The shops were all shut, so I suggested to the Major -that he drive out with me to my farm and procure one. When we reached -the place, farmer and family, we found, had gone off visiting; there was -no one there. I took in the situation at a glance. - -“Major,” I said, “there, in that field, is a gobbler; that turkey you -and I have got to catch, if it takes us all night to get him. Positively -I shall not leave the place without him.” He looked aghast. There he -was, in Poole’s clothes, the best dressed man in America! This he always -was. On this point, a friend once got this off on him. As he was -entering his club, with another well-dressed man of leisure, this -gentleman exclaimed, “Behold them! like the lilies of the field, they -toil not, neither do they spin, yet Solomon in all his glory was not -arrayed like one of these.” Clothes, or no clothes, in pursuit of the -turkey we went. Over fences, under fences, in barnyards and through -fields, at a full run, the perspiration pouring down the cheeks of the -dear old Major, and I screaming encouragement to him. “Try it again, -Major! head him off! now you have him!” - -Finally, after an hour’s chase, we got the bird, when, throwing off his -coat, straightening himself up and throwing his arms akimbo, he -exclaimed, “Well, Mc, the profession of a gentleman has fallen very low -when it takes him to chasing turkeys.” - -“My dear fellow,” I replied, “the great Chancellor Livingston once said, -‘a gentleman can do anything; he can clean his own boots, but he should -do it well.’” - -To return to our excursion. - -The party to go up the North River to the Manor Livingston, and ride -back to New York, was at once formed. My first discussion with the Major -was as to the propriety of taking a valet, he insisting it was -indispensable, that every college boy in England, on three hundred -pounds a year, had his valet. I contended that they were nuisances, and -it was not the habit to indulge in them here. Besides this, our host -would have his hands full in caring for us, and would feel we were -imposing on him if each of us took a man servant. This settled it. The -Major and I were to travel together and meet the party at Staatsburg. -Let me here say that people of the world put up with the annoyance of -travel better than any other class of people. - -The glorious morning that we left the cars at Poughkeepsie, and mounted -our horses, I shall never forget. That lovely ride, from Poughkeepsie to -Staatsburg, under that superb row of old trees, put me in mind of the -Long Walk at Windsor; it is equally as handsome. We speculated on the -way as to what we were to expect. “If he has no _chef_, I leave in -twenty-four hours,” exclaimed my friend. I assured him we might feel -secure of finding artistic cooking and of having a very jolly good time. -Instead of a palace, I found a fine, old-fashioned country-house, very -draughty, but beautifully placed amid magnificent forest trees. My first -exploit was to set fire to the carpet in my room by building a huge -fire in my grate, to try and keep warm. As the Major put it, “My dear -boy, burn yourself up if you will, but kindly remember you endanger all -our lives.” - -At eleven every morning we were all in the saddle, and went off for a -ride of some twenty miles, lunching at some fine house or other. It was -English life to perfection, and most enjoyable. Hyde Park, with two -superbly kept places, and its little village church on a Sunday, carried -you back to England, and it seemed then to me that you there found the -perfection of country life. - -It was whilst dining in one of these old baronial mansions, that I -conceived the idea of transporting the whole party to my late -father-in-law’s place at Madison, New Jersey, and giving them myself, in -his old residence, another country entertainment. After inviting them, I -began to realize what I had undertaken. The house itself was all one -could wish, built of brick, and nearly as large as the White House in -Washington. But it had been shut up and unoccupied for years; however, I -was in for it and I resolved, in spite of all difficulties, to carry it -through successfully. After a week at the Manor, our whole party of some -dozen ladies and gentlemen mounted our horses, and rode down to New -York, sending the servants ahead by rail, to engage apartments, have our -rooms ready, and dinner prepared for us at the village inns where we -were to sleep. It was amusing to see the gentlemen in dress coats and -white cravats, and the ladies in their handsome toilets, sitting down in -a village inn to ham and eggs and boiled chicken and cabbage; but, as we -had always sent on the wine, and had the best of servants to look after -everything, we enjoyed these inn dinners very much. Not a murmur from -any of the ladies of any discomfort; they found everything charming and -amusing. So day by day we rode, chatting away and enjoying each other’s -society, and at night, after a cosy little meal, we were all only too -glad to seek the arms of Morpheus. - -When I returned to my family at Newport and informed them of what I had -done, that I had invited a dozen of the most _difficile_, fastidious -people of Newport to pass ten days with us in New Jersey, at my -brother-in-law’s then unoccupied and shut-up residence, there was but -one exclamation, “You are crazy! How could you think of such a thing! -How are you to care for all these people in that old deserted house?” -All they said did not discourage me. I determined to show my friends -that, though the Gibbons mansion was not a Manor house, it was deserving -of the name, and was, at that date, one of the handsomest, largest, most -substantial, and well-built residences at the North. When the Civil War -broke out, my brother-in-law requested me to make it my home. - -I give in detail all I did to successfully entertain my friends for ten -days in this old family house, as it may instruct others how to act in -a similar case. In London, during the season, one hires a house for a -few days to give a ball in, and there are many very superb large houses -used there in this way every year. Telegraphing at once to the agent who -had charge of this house to put an army of scrubbing-women in it, and -have it cleaned from cellar to garret, I next went into the wholesale -business of kerosene and lamps. In the country particularly there is -nothing like an illumination _à giorno_ at night. I hunted up an -experienced _chef_, got my servants, and then made _menus_ for ten -dinners, lunches, and breakfasts, as my guests were asked for a certain -length of time; engaged a country band of music for the evenings, -telegraphed to Baltimore for my canvasbacks, arranged for my fish, -vegetables, and flowers to be sent up by train daily from New York, -purchased myself every article of food that I would require to make up -these _menus_, gave orders for my ices, bonbons, and cakes, everything -that must be fresh to be good, to come to me by express; sent up my -wines, but no Madeira, as I knew there was enough of that wine in the -wine cellars of that old house to float a frigate; looked after my -stabling, and found we could stable twenty horses in a fine brick -stable, and house all the drags and vehicles. The conservatories were -full of orange and lemon trees. The house itself, architecturally, was a -duplicate of the White House in Washington, and almost as large. It had -a superb marble hall, 20 × 45, leading to a dining-room, 36 × 25. The -house was built in 1836, of brick, in a forest of trees, with the three -farms surrounding it really forming part of the grounds, containing a -thousand acres of land. The house and grounds cost in 1836 over -$150,000. All I had to do, then, was to reanimate the interior and take -from hidden recesses the fine old family china, and the vast quantity of -silver accumulated in the family for three generations. My wife’s -grandfather had been a distinguished lawyer; being wealthy, he had some -of his lawyer’s fees which were paid in Spanish dollars, melted into -plate. I only wish it had been my good fortune to have secured some of -those old grand silver salvers. - -Before a guest arrived, everything on and about the place had life and -animation. To all my guests the house was a surprise, for it had never -before been shown to fashionable people. As on the North River, we -passed the days in the saddle, and driving four-in-hands, lunched with -many distinguished people, at their distant country places, and lived -for those ten days as thoroughly an English life as one would have lived -at a country house in England. I had invited young men to come down from -New York every evening to join us at dinner, and even the fastidious and -exacting Major, I think, was satisfied with everything. The success of -this party evidenced that a country house can be made as perfect and -enjoyable here as in any other country, provided you will take the -trouble and bear the expense. Now, Newport life is wholly and entirely a -contrast to all this, for the charm of that place is its society. You do -not bring it there, but find it there, and it takes care of itself, and -comes to you when you wish it; thus you are relieved of the care of -providing daily for a large company, to do which is well enough in -England, where you inherit your servants with your fortune, while here, -to have things properly done, be you who you may, you must give them -your time and attention. This country party I gave in November, 1862. - - - - -FASHIONABLE PEOPLE. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - _John Van Buren’s Dinner--I spend the Entire Day in getting my - Dress-Coat--Lord Hartington criticises American - Expressions--Contrast in our Way of Living in 1862 and 1890--In - Social Union is Social Strength--We band Together for our Common - Good--The Organisation of the “Cotillion Dinners”--The “Smart” Set, - and the “Solid” Set--A Defense of Fashion._ - - -Meeting John Van Buren as I left the cars in Jersey City to cross the -ferry to New York, he insisted on my dining with him that day at the -Union Club, to meet Lord Hartington, and his brother, Lord Edward -Cavendish, to whom he was giving a large dinner. I declined, as I had no -dress-suit in the city, but he would not take no for an answer. - -“My dear man,” he said, “it will be an event in your life to meet these -distinguished men. Jump in the first train, return to your country home, -and get your dress-coat. By all means you must not miss my dinner.” As -I knew Lord Frederick Cavendish so well, I really wanted to meet his -brothers, and as no one could send me my spike-tail coat as they call it -at the South, I took a way train and consumed the entire day getting the -necessary outfit, and returning with it to the city. To compensate me -for my day’s work, Van Buren put me next to Lord Hartington. Chatting -with him, I asked him what he had seen in our habits, manners, and -speech that struck him as odd. At first he avoided making any criticism, -but finally he laughingly replied, “The way you all have of saying ‘Yes, -sir,’ or ‘No, sir.’ We never do this in England; it is used thus only by -servants.” James Brady, a great chum of our host’s, being at the dinner, -kept up an incessant fire at Van Buren, who retaliated with, “My dear -Lord Hartington, pay no attention to what my friend Brady says; all I -can say of him is that he is a man who passes one half his time in -defending criminals and the other half in assailing patriots, such as -myself.” I was well repaid for all the trouble I had taken to attend -this dinner. - -At this time there were not more than one or two men in New York who -spent, in living and entertaining, over sixty thousand dollars a year. -There were not half a dozen _chefs_ in private families in this city. -Compare those days to these, and see how easily one or two men of -fortune could then control, lead, and carry on society, receive or shut -out people at their pleasure. If distinguished strangers failed to bring -letters to them, they were shut out from everything. Again, if, though -charming people, others were not in accord with those powers, they could -be passed over and left out of society. All this many of us saw, and saw -how it worked, and we resolved to band together the respectable element -of the city, and by this union make such strength that no individual -could withstand us. The motto, we felt, must be _nous nous soutenons_. -This motto we then assumed, and we hold it to this day, and have found -that the good and wise men of this community could always control -society. This they have done and are still doing. Our first step then in -carrying out these views was to arrange for a series of “cotillion -dinners.” - -I must here explain, that behind what I call the “smart set” in society, -there always stood the old, solid, substantial, and respected people. -Families who held great social power as far back as the birth of this -country, who were looked up to by society, and who always could, when -they so wished, come forward and exercise their power, when, for one -reason or another, they would take no active part, joining in it -quietly, but not conspicuously. Ordinarily, they preferred, like the -gods, to sit upon Olympus. I remember a lady, the head of one of these -families, stating to me that she had lived longer in New York society -than any other person. This point, however, was not yielded or allowed -to go undisputed, for the daughter of a rival house contended that -_her_ family had been longer in New York society than any other family, -and though she had heard the assertion, as I gave it, she would not -admit its correctness. What I intend to convey is that the heads of -these families, feeling secure in their position, knowing that they had -great power when they chose to exercise it, took no leading part in -society’s daily routine. They gave handsome dinners, and perhaps, once a -year, a fine ball. I know of one or two families who have scrupulously -all their lives avoided display, anything that could make fashionable -people of them, holding their own, esteemed and respected, and when they -threw open their doors to society, all made a rush to enter. To this -day, if one of these old families, even one of its remotest branches, -gives a day reception, you will find the street in which they live -blockaded with equipages. - -For years we have literally had but one _salon_ in this city--a -gathering in the evening of all the brilliant and cultivated people, -both young and old, embracing the distinguished strangers. A most -polished and cultivated Bostonian, a brilliant woman, was the first, in -my day, to receive in this way weekly. During her life she held this -_salon_, both here, and all through the summer in Newport. “The robe of -Elijah fell upon Elisha” in an extremely talented woman of the world, -who has most successfully held, and now holds, this _salon_, on the -first day of every week during the winter, and at Newport in summer. - -The mistake made by the world at large is that fashionable people are -selfish, frivolous, and indifferent to the welfare of their -fellow-creatures; all of which is a popular error, arising simply from a -want of knowledge of the true state of things. The elegancies of -fashionable life nourish and benefit art and artists; they cause the -expenditure of money and its distribution; and they really prevent our -people and country from settling down into a humdrum rut and becoming -merely a money-making and money-saving people, with nothing to brighten -up and enliven life; they foster all the fine arts; but for fashion what -would become of them? They bring to the front merit of every kind; seek -it in the remotest corners, where it modestly shrinks from observation, -and force it into notice; adorn their houses with works of art, and -themselves with all the taste and novelty they can find in any quarter -of the globe, calling forth talent and ingenuity. Fashionable people -cultivate and refine themselves, for fashion demands this of them. -Progress is fashion’s watchword; it never stands still; it always -advances, it values and appreciates beauty in woman and talent and -genius in man. It is certainly always most charitable; it surrounds -itself with the elegancies of life; it soars, it never crawls. I know -the general belief is that all fashionable people are hollow and -heartless. My experience is quite the contrary. I have found as warm, -sympathetic, loving hearts in the garb of fashion as out of it. A -thorough acquaintance with the world enables them to distinguish the -wheat from the chaff, so that all the good work they do is done with -knowledge and effect. The world could not dispense with it. Fashion -selects its own votaries. You will see certain members of a family born -to it, as it were, others of the same family with none of its -attributes. You can give no explanation of this; “One is taken, the -other left.” Such and such a man or woman are cited as having been -always fashionable. The talent of and for society develops itself just -as does the talent for art. - - - - -COTILLIONS IN DOORS AND OUT. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - _Cost of Cotillion Dinners--My delicate Position--The Début of a - Beautiful Blonde--Lord Roseberry’s mot--We have better Madeira than - England--I am dubbed “The Autocrat of Drawing-rooms”--A Grand - Domino Ball--Cruel Trick of a fair Mask--An English Lady’s Maid - takes a Bath--The first Cotillion Dinners given at - Newport--Out-of-Door Feasting--Dancing in the Barn._ - - -But to return to our Cotillion Dinners. A friend thought they were -impracticable on account of the expense, but I had remembered talking to -the proprietor of the famous Restaurant Phillipe in Paris, as to the -cost of a dinner, he assuring me that its cost depended entirely on what -he called _les primeurs_, i.e. things out of season, and said that he -could give me, for a napoleon a head, an excellent dinner, if I would -leave out _les primeurs_. Including them, the same dinner would cost -three napoleons. “I can give you, for instance,” he said, “a _filet de -bœuf aux ceps_ at half the cost of a _filet aux truffes_, and so on, -through the dinner, can reduce the expense.” Submitting all this to my -friend Delmonico, I suggested a similar inexpensive dinner, and figured -the whole expense down until I reduced the cost of a cotillion dinner -for seventy-five or a hundred people to ten dollars each person, music -and every expense included. Calling on my friends, they seconded me, and -we then had a winter of successful cotillion dinners. It was no easy -task, however. How I was beset by the men to give them the women of -their choice to take in to dinner! and in turn by the ladies not to -inflict on them an uncongenial partner. The largest of these dinners, -consisting of over a hundred people, we gave at Delmonico’s, corner of -Fifth Avenue and Fourteenth Street, in the large ball-room. The table -was in the shape of a horseshoe. I stood at the door of the _salon_, -naming to each man the lady he was to take in to dinner, and well -remember one of them positively refusing to accept and take in a lady -assigned to him; and she, just entering, heard the dispute, and, in -consequence, would never again attend one of these dinners. Sitting at -the head of the table, with the two young and beautiful women who were -then the _grandes dames_ of that time, one on either side of me, we had -opposite to us, on the other side of the narrow, horseshoe table, a -young blonde bride, who had just entered society. I well remember the -criticisms these grand ladies made of and about her. The one, turning to -me, said, “And this is your lovely blonde, the handsomest blonde in -America!” The other, the best judge of her sex that I have ever seen, -then cast her horoscope, saying, “I consider her as beautiful a blonde -as I have ever seen. That woman, be assured, will have a brilliant -career. Such women are rare.” These words were prophetic, for that -beautiful bride, crossing the ocean in her husband’s yacht, wholly and -solely by her beauty gained for her husband and herself a brilliant -position in London society. Turning to me, the lady who had made this -remark asked me how she herself looked. I replied, “Like Venus rising -from the sea.” My serenity was here disturbed by finding that one of the -ladies, disliking her next neighbor, as soon as she discovered by the -card who it was, had quietly made an exchange of cards, depriving a -young gallant of the seat he most coveted, and for which he had long and -earnestly prayed. Of course, I was called to explain, and quiet the -disturbed waters. The gentleman was furious, and threatened dire -destruction to the culprit. I took in the situation, and protected the -fair lady by sacrificing the waiter. After the ladies left the table, at -these dinners, the gentlemen were given time to smoke a cigar and take -their coffee. On this occasion, the Earl of Roseberry was a guest. -Whilst smoking and commenting on the dinner, he said to me, “You -Americans have made a mistake; your emblematic bird should have been a -canvasback, not an eagle.” - -It was either to this distinguished man or the Earl of Cork, at one of -these after-dinner conversations, that I held forth on the treatment of -venison, asserting that here, we always serve the _saddle_ of venison, -whilst in England they give the _haunch_. And when they send it off to a -friend, they box it up in a long narrow box, much resembling a coffin. -The reason for this was given me,--that their dinners were larger than -ours, and there was not enough on a saddle for an English dinner. Again, -I called attention to the fact that here we eat the tenderloin steak, -there they eat the rump steak, which we give to our servants. The reason -for this, I was told, was that they killed their cattle younger than we -killed ours, and did not work those intended for beef. On Madeira, I -stated, “we had them,” for, I said, “You have none to liken unto ours”; -though later on, at another dinner, when I made this assertion, the -Duke of Beaufort took me up on this point, and insisted upon it that in -many of the old country houses in England they had excellent Madeira. - -The following anonymous lines on this dinner were sent to me the day -afterwards: - - There ne’er was seen so fair a sight - As at Delmonico’s last night; - When feathers, flowers, gems, and lace - Adorned each lovely form and face; - A garden of all thorns bereft, - The outside world behind them left. - They sat in order, as if “Burke” - Had sent a message by his clerk. - And by whose magic wand is this - All conjured up? the height of bliss. - ’Tis he who now before you looms,-- - The Autocrat of Drawing Rooms. - -One of the events of this winter was a grand domino ball, the largest -ever given here. Our Civil War was then raging; a distinguished nobleman -appeared at that ball with his friend, a member of Parliament. Before he -could enter the ball-room, a domino stepped up to him and had an -encounter of words with him. “Are you as brave as you look?” she asked; -“will you do a woman’s bidding? I challenge you to grant me my request!” -“What is it?” he asked. “Allow me to pin on this badge?” “Certainly,” -was the gallant reply. As he passed through the rooms, it was seen that -he was wearing a Secession badge. It was thought to be an intended -affront to Northern people, and was immediately resented. His friend, -the member of Parliament, hearing of it, at once went up to him and -removed the badge. Many felt that this distinguished man was simply the -victim of a cruel, mischievous, and silly woman. - -The following summer, as I had been so hospitably entertained in Nassau, -at Government House, I invited my old friend, the Governor of the -Bahamas, to pay me a visit at Newport. On a beautiful summer afternoon, -I drove up to the Brevoort House, and there I found him literally -surrounded by all his worldly goods, his entire household, with all -their effects. It took two immense stages and a huge baggage wagon to -convey them to the Fall River boat. Imagine this party coming from an -island where it was a daily struggle to procure food, viewing the -sumptuous supper-tables of these magnificent steamers (which certainly -made a great impression on them, for it caused them to be loud in their -expressions of astonishment and admiration). Reaching Newport at 2 A.M., -on attempting to go ashore, I found His Excellency had lost all his -tickets. Our sharp Yankee captain took no stock in people who did such -things; so out came the Englishman’s pocket-book to pay again for the -entire party, the dear old gentleman declaring it was his fault, and he -ought to be made to pay for such carelessness. It did not take me long -to convince our captain that we were not sharpers; that we had paid our -passages, and we must needs be allowed to go ashore. - -I was determined to evidence to my guests that they had reached the land -of plenty, and before they had been with me a week, the Governor -declared, with a sigh, “That he detested the sight of food.” I put him -through a course of vapor baths, and galloped him daily. On one -occasion, we visited the beach together, when the surf was full of -people. We saw an enormously tall, Rubens-like woman, clad in a clinging -garment of calico, exhilarated by the bath, jumping up and down, and in -her ecstasy throwing her arms up over her head. “Who is the creature?” -he exclaimed. “Is this allowed here! Why, man, you should not tolerate -it a moment!” I gave one look at the female, and then, convulsed with -laughter, seized his arm, exclaiming, “It is your wife’s English maid!” -If I had given him an electric shock, he could not have sprung out of -the wagon quicker. Rushing to the water’s edge, he shouted, “Down with -you! down with you, this instant, you crazy jade! how dare you disgrace -me in this way!” The poor girl, one could see, felt innocent of all -wrong, but quitted the water at lightning speed when she saw the crowd -the Governor had drawn around him. - -The first Cotillion Dinner ever given at Newport, I gave at my Bayside -Farm. I chose a night when the moon would be at the full, and invited -guests enough to make up a cotillion. We dined in the open air at 6 -P.M., in the garden adjoining the farm-house, having the gable end of -the house to protect us from the southerly sea breeze. In this way we -avoided flies, the pest of Newport. In the house itself we could not -have kept them from the table, while in the open air even a gentle -breeze, hardly perceptible, rids you of them entirely. The farm-house -kitchen was then near at hand for use. You sat on closely cut turf, and -with the little garden filled with beautiful standing plants, the -eastern side of the farm-house covered with vines, laden with pumpkins, -melons, and cucumbers, all giving a mixture of bright color against a -green background, with the whole farm lying before you, and beyond it -the bay and the distant ocean, dotted over with sailing craft, the sun, -sinking behind the Narragansett hills, bathing the Newport shore in -golden light, giving you, as John Van Buren then said to me, “As much of -the sea as you ever get from the deck of a yacht.” Add to this, the -exquisite toilets which our women wear on such occasions, a table laden -with every delicacy, and all in the merriest of moods, and you have a -picture of enjoyment that no shut-in ball-room could present. No -“pent-up Utica” then confined our powers. Men and women enjoyed a -freedom that their rural surroundings permitted, and, like the lambs -gambolling in the fields next them, they frisked about, and thus did -away with much of the stiff conventionality pertaining to a city -entertainment. - -On this little farm I had a cellar for claret and a farm-house attic for -Madeira, where the cold Rhode Island winters have done much to preserve -for me wines of seventy and eighty years of age. On this occasion, I -remember giving them Amory of 1811 (one of the greatest of Boston -Madeiras), and I saw the men hold it up to the light to see its -beautiful amber color, inhale its bouquet, and quaff it down “with -tender eyes bent on them.” - -A marked feature of all my farm dinners was _Dindonneaux à la Toulouse_, -and _à la Bordelaise_ (chicken turkeys). In past days, turkeys were -thought to be only fine on and after Thanksgiving Day in November, but I -learnt from the French that the turkey _poult_ with _quenelle de -volaille_, with either a white or dark sauce, was the way to enjoy the -Rhode Island turkey. I think they were first served in this way on my -farm in Newport. Now they are thus cooked and accepted by all as the -summer delicacy. - -After dinner we strolled off in couples to the shore (a beach -three-quarters of a mile in length), or sat under the group of trees -looking on the beautiful bay. - -My brother, Colonel McAllister, had exercised his engineering skill in -fitting up my barn with every kind and sort of light. He improvised a -chandelier for the center of it, adorned the horse and cattle stalls -with vines and greens, fitted them up with seats for my guests (all -nicely graveled), and put a band of music in the hay-loft, with the -middle part of the barn floored over for dancing. We had a scene that -Teniers has so often painted. We danced away late into the night, then -had a glorious moonlight to drive home by. - -I must not omit to mention one feature of these parties. It was the -“Yacht Club rum punch,” made from old Plantation rum, placed in huge -bowls, with an immense block of ice in each bowl, the melting ice being -the only liquid added to the rum, except occasionally when I would pour -a bottle of champagne in, which did it no injury. - - - - -AN ERA OF GREAT EXTRAVAGANCE. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - _The first private Balls at Delmonico’s--A Nightingale who drove - Four-in-hand--Private Theatricals in a Stable--A Yachting Excursion - without wind and a Clam-bake under difficulties--A Poet describes - the Fiasco--Plates for foot-stools and parboiled Champagne for the - thirsty--The Silver, Gold, and Diamond Dinners--Giving presents to - guests._ - - -Let us now return to New York and its gaieties. The Assemblies were -always given at Delmonico’s in Fourteenth Street, the best people in the -city chosen as a committee of management, and under the patronage of -ladies of established position. They were large balls, and embraced all -who were in what may be termed General Society. They were very -enjoyable. A distinguished banker, the head of one of our old families, -then gave the first _private_ ball at Delmonico’s to introduce his -daughters to society. It was superb. The Delmonico rooms were admirably -adapted for such an entertainment. There were at least eight hundred -people present, and the host brought from his well-filled cellar his -best Madeira and Hock. His was the pioneer private ball at this house. -Being a success, it then became the fashion to give private balls at -Delmonico’s, and certainly one could not have found better rooms for -such a purpose. One of the grandest and handsomest fancy balls ever -given here was given in these rooms a little later. Absent at the South, -I did not attend it. Then came in an era of great extravagance and -expenditure. - -A beautiful woman, who was a nightingale in song, gave a fancy ball. It -was brilliantly successful, and brought its leader to the front, and -gave her a large following. It made her, with the personal attractions -she possessed, the belle of that winter. Among other accomplishments, -she drove four horses beautifully. I remember during the summer passing -her on Bellevue Avenue as she sat perched up on the box-seat of a drag, -driving four fine horses, handling the ribbons with a grace and ease -that was admirable. All paid court to her. She won the hearts of both -men and women. - -At this time a man of great energy and pluck loomed up, and attracted, -in fact absorbed to a great extent, the attention of society. Full of -energy and enterprise, and supplied with abundant means, he did a great -deal for New York, much that will live after him. He created Jerome -Park; and not only created it, but got society into it. He made it the -Goodwood of America, and caused society to take an interest in it. He -opened that park most brilliantly, and, by his energy and perseverance, -rendered it for years a most enjoyable place for all New Yorkers. -Admiring the beautiful cantatrice, he proposed to her to turn his -luxurious stables into a theatre, and ask the fashionable world to come -and see her act “for sweet charity’s sake,”--to raise funds for the sick -and wounded soldiers. In doing this, he assured her that she would -literally bring the fashionable world to her feet to petition and sue -for tickets of admission to this theatre. And so it proved. All flocked -to see this accomplished woman act. The work of this energetic man was -admirably done. He made a gem of his stable. I can but compare it to a -little royal theatre. As you entered you were received by liveried -servants, and by them conducted to your seat, where you found yourself -surrounded by a most brilliant assemblage; and on the stage, as amateur -actresses, supporting the fair singer, the fashionable beauties of that -day. This was not the least of this generous man’s performances. Being -an admirable four-in-hand driver, he at once revived the spirit for -driving four horses. He turned out daily with his drag or coach loaded -with beautiful women, and drove to every desirable little country inn in -and about the city, where one could dine at all well, crossing ferries, -and driving up Broadway with the ease and skill of a veteran whip, which -he was. His projects were, if anything, too grand. He lavished money on -all these things; his conceptions were good, but, like many great minds, -at times he was too unmindful of detail. On one occasion, at Newport, he -came to me, and told me he had mapped out a country _fête_, asked my -advice about getting it up, but failed to take it, and then brought -about his first _fiasco_. He asked the _beau monde_ to embark on the -yachts then lying in the harbor, and go with him to Stone Bridge to a -dance and clambake. All the yachtsmen placed their yachts at his -disposal. At 12 M., all Newport, i.e. the fashion of the place, was on -these yachts. At the prow of the boats he had placed his champagne. Down -came the broiling sun, and a dead calm fell upon the waters. Tugs were -called in to tow the yachts. Orders had been given that not a biscuit or -glass of wine was to be served to any of the party on these boats, that -we might reach the feast at the Bridge with sharp appetites. The sun -went down, and the night set in before we landed. We were then taken to -an orchard, the high grass a foot deep all wet, and saw before us great -plates of stewed soft clams and corn that had been cooked and ready for -us at 2 P.M. The women put their plates on the grass, and their feet in -them, so at least to have a dry footing. The champagne was parboiled, -the company enveloped in darkness, and famished, so that all pronounced -this kind of clambake picnic a species of _fête_ not to be indulged in -knowingly a second time. The great wit of the day, his boon companion, -called it “The Melancholy Fête.” The following anonymous lines on this -clambake were sent me: - -AN ADAPTATION OF A LAMENTATION. - - Clams, clams, clams, - Will always be thrown in my teeth. - Clams, clams, clams! - I’ll be crowned with a chowder wreath. - - Bread and pickles and corn, - Corn and pickles and bread. - Whenever I sleep huge ghosts appear - With _clam_orous mouths to be fed. - - Oh, women, with appetites strong! - Oh, girls, who I thought lived on air! - I did not mean to leave you so long - With nothing to eat, I declare. - - Clams, clams, clams! - I have nothing but clams on the brain. - I’m sure all my life, and after my death - I’ll be roasted and roasted again. - - Oh, tugs, why could you not pull? - Oh, winds, why would you not blow? - I’m sure I did all that man could do - That my clambake shouldn’t be slow. - -Not in the least discouraged by this failure, returning to New York, he -planned three dinners to be given by himself and two of his friends, to -be the three handsomest dinners ever given in this city. Lorenzo -Delmonico exclaimed, “What are the people coming to! Here, three -gentlemen come to me and order three dinners, and each one charges me to -make his dinner the best of the three. I am given an unlimited order, -‘Charge what you will, but make my dinner the best.’” Delmonico then -said to me, “I told my cook to call them the Silver, Gold, and Diamond -dinners, and have novelties at them all.” I attended these three -dinners. Among other dishes, we had canvasback duck, cut up and made -into an _aspic de canvasback_, and again, string beans, with truffles, -cold, as a salad, and truffled ice cream; the last dish, strange to say, -very good. At one dinner, on opening her napkin, each fair lady guest -found a gold bracelet with the monogram of Jerome Park in chased gold in -the centre. Now it must be remembered that this habit of giving ladies -presents at dinners did not originate in this city. Before my day, the -wealthy William Gaston, a bachelor, gave superb dinners in Savannah, -Ga., and there, always placed at each lady’s plate a beautiful Spanish -fan of such value that they are preserved by the grandchildren of those -ladies, and are proudly exhibited to this day. - - - - -ON THE BOX SEAT AT NEWPORT. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - _The Four-in-Hand Craze--Postilions and Outriders Follow--A - Trotting-Horse Courtship--Cost of Newport Picnics Then and - Now--Driving off a Bridge--An Accident that might have been - Serious--A Dance at a Tea-house--The Coachmen make a Raid on the - Champagne--They are all Intoxicated and Confusion Reigns--A - Dangerous Drive Home._ - - -It seemed at this time, that the ingenuity of man was put to the test to -invent some new species of entertainment. The winter in New York being -so gay, people were in the vein for frolic and amusement, and feeling -rich, as the currency was inflated, prices of everything going up, -Newport had a full and rushing season. The craze was for drags or -coaches. My old friend, the Major, was not to be outdone, so he brought -out four spanking bays; and again, an old bachelor friend of mine, a man -of large fortune, but the quietest of men, I found one fine summer -morning seated on the box seat of a drag, and tooling four fine -roadsters. But this did not satisfy the swells. Soon came two out-riders -on postilion saddles, following the drag; and again, several pairs of -fine horses ridden by postilions _à la demi d’Aumont_. A turnout then -for a picnic was indeed an event. In those days, a beautiful spot on the -water, called “The Glen,” was often selected for these country parties. -It was a romantic little nook, about seven miles from Newport, on what -is called the East Passage, which opens on the Atlantic Ocean. - -A young friend of mine, then paying court to a brilliant young woman, -came to me for advice. He wanted to impress the object of his -attentions, and proposed to do so by hiring two of the fastest trotting -horses in Rhode Island, and driving the young lady out behind them to -the “Glen” picnic. His argument was, that it was more American than any -of your tandem or four-in-hands, or postilion riding; that the pace he -should go at would be terrific, and he would guarantee to do the seven -miles within twenty minutes. He was what we call a thorough -trotting-horse man; much in love; worshipped horses; disliked style in -them, going in for speed alone. I tried to dissuade him. - -“It will never do,” I said; “it is not the fashion; the lady you drive -out will be beautifully dressed, and you will cover her with dust; -besides, the pace will alarm her.” - -“Never fear that, my man,” he answered. “The girl has grit; she will go -through anything. She is none of your milk-and-water misses; I can’t go -too fast for her.” - -“Have it as you will, then,” I said; and off he went to Providence to -secure, through influence, these two wonderfully speedy trotters. - -We were all grouped beautifully at the Glen, when, all of a sudden, we -heard something descending the hill at a terrific pace; it was -impossible to make out what it was, as it was completely hidden by a -cloud of dust. Down it came, with lightning speed, and when it got -opposite to the Major and me, we heard a loud “Whoa, my boys, whoa!” and -the vehicle came to a stop. The occupants, a man and woman, were so -covered with mud and dust that you could barely distinguish the one from -the other. I ran up to the side of the wagon, saw a red, indignant face, -and an outstretched hand imploring me to take her out. Seizing my arm, -she sprang from the wagon, exclaiming, “The horrid creature! I never -wish to lay eyes on him again,” and then she burst into tears. Her whole -light, exquisite dress was totally ruined, and she a sight to behold. -Turning to him, I saw a glow of triumph in his face; his watch was in -his hand. “I did it, by Jove! I did it, and ten seconds to spare!--they -are tearers!” - -I quietly replied, “They are indeed tearers, they have torn your -business into shreds.” - -“Fudge, man!” he said; “she wont mind it; she was a bit scared, to be -sure; but she hung on to my arm, and we came through all right.” He then -sought his victim. I soon saw by his dejected manner that she had given -him the mitten, and, as I passed him, slowly walking his horses home, I -philosophized to this extent: “Trotting horses and fashion do not -combine.” - -Our next great day-time frolic was at Bristol Ferry. There we had a -large country hotel which we took possession of. We got the best dinner -giver then in Newport to lend us his _chef_, and I took my own colored -cook, a native of Baltimore, who had, at the Maryland Ducking Club, -gained a reputation for cooking game, ducks, etc. We determined, on this -occasion, to have a trial of artistic skill between a creole woman cook, -the best of her class, and the best _chef_ we had in this country. We -were to have sixty at dinner; dishes confined to Spanish mackerel, -soft-shell crabs, woodcock, and chicken partridges. It is needless to -say, the Frenchman came off victorious, though my creole cook contended -that the French _chef_ would not eat his own cooked dishes, but devoured -her soft-shell crabs. - -On this occasion we had a grand turnout of drags, postilions _à la demi -d’Aumont_, and tandems. I led the cotillion myself, dancing in the large -drawing-room of the inn; and it all went so charmingly that it was late -into the night when we left the place. It was as dark as Erebus. We had -eleven miles to drive, and I saw that some of our four-in-hand drivers -felt a little squeamish. My old bachelor friend had in his drag a -precious cargo. On the box-seat with him sat our nightingale, and I had -in my four-seated open wagon our queen of society and a famous Baltimore -belle. “Is the road straight or crooked?” I was asked, on all sides. -Having danced myself nearly to death, and being well fortified with -champagne, I found it straight as an arrow, as I was then oblivious to -its crooks and turns. Off we all started up the hill at a canter. I -remember my friend, the Major, shouting to me, “The devil take the -hindmost,” and the admonition to him of his old family coachman, who -accompanied him that day, “Be careful, sir, the road is not as straight -as it might be.” Driving along at a spanking pace, the horses fresh, the -ladies jubilant, I as happy as a lord,--there was a scream, then -another, then a plunge, and a splash of water. Dark as it was, standing -up in my wagon, I shouted, “By Jove! he has driven off the bridge,”--and -off the bridge he was, drag upset and four horses mired in mud and -water. One young fellow, in the excitement of the moment, sprang to the -side of my wagon, and tried to wrench off one of my lamps. How then I -admired the plucky, cool little woman at my side! She never lost her -presence of mind for a second; gave directions quietly and effectively, -and soon brought order out of chaos. From a jolly, festive procession, -we were turned into a sad, melancholy species of funeral cortège. The -ladies were picked out of the wreck, and placed in the different drags -and wagons, and we wended on our way at a walk, ten dreary miles to -Newport. One brilliant youth of the Diplomatic Corps, as we passed a -farm-house, making it just out in the dark, was asked to procure for our -invalids a glass of water. He rushed to the house, banging against the -door, and shouting, “House, house, house, wont you hear, wont you hear?” -The old farmer poked his head out of the window, answering him, “Why, -man, the house can’t talk! what do you want here at this time of night? -I know who you are, you are some of McAllister’s picnickers. I saw you -go by this morning. I s’pose you want milk, but you wont get a drop -here.” - -As picnics, country dinners, and breakfasts were then Newport’s -feature, they took the place of balls, all the dancing and much of the -dining being done in the open air. I would here say that as every family -took to these parties their butler, and carried out the wines and all -the dishes, their cost in money was insignificant. We would pay -twenty-five dollars for the farm or grove to which we went for the day. -Twenty-five dollars for the country band, as much for the hire of -silver, linen, crockery, etc., and ten dollars for a horse, wagon and -man to take everything out, making the entire outlay in money on each -occasion eighty-five to a hundred dollars. A picnic dinner and dance at -my farm, furnishing everything myself, no outside contributions, for -fifty or sixty people, would cost me then three hundred dollars, -everything included. What a difference to the present time! I got up one -of these country dances and luncheons summer before last at my farm, -where, under a pretty grove of trees, I had built a dancing platform -from which you can throw a biscuit into the beautiful waters of -Narragansett Bay. Lending the farm to the party, every one bringing a -dish, hiring the servants and music, cost us in money eight hundred and -six dollars and eighty-four cents. There were 140 people present. The -railroad running through the farm, the train stopped on the place itself -within a few rods of the group of trees. Leaving Newport at 2 P.M., in -six minutes we are on the place, and at a quarter of five the train -returned to us, thus ridding ourselves of coachmen and grooms, finding -them all at the railway station when we reached Newport on our return at -5 P.M., to take us for our usual afternoon drive. - -But to return to the past. When Newport was in its glory, and outshone -itself, the young men of that day resolved to give me a lesson in -picnic-giving. What they had done well in and about New York, they felt -they could do equally well in Newport, so they sent to the city for -Delmonico with all his staff, and invited all Newport to a dance and -country dinner at a large teahouse some six miles from Newport, -adjoining Oaklands, the then Gibbs farm, later on the property of Mr. -August Belmont, and now belonging to Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt, being his -model farm, one of the loveliest spots on Newport Island. Delmonico took -possession of this huge barrack of a house, and to work his waiters went -to arrange in the large, old dining-room his beautiful collation, which -was all brought from New York. The entire party were dancing the -cotillion in the front parlor of the house, and grouped on its front -piazzas. As 5 P.M. approached, an irresistible desire, an inward craving -for food, became apparent. Committeemen were beset with the question, -when are we going to have the collation? They rushed off to hurry up -things, and then one by one reappeared with blanched faces, and an -unmistakable anxious, troubled look. Finally they came to me with, “My -dear fellow, what is to be done? Come and see for yourself.” Dragging -me into the dining-room and pantries of the hotel I there indeed saw a -sight to behold. All the coachmen and grooms had made a foray on the -abundant supplies, tumbled Delmonico’s French waiters into the cellar of -the hotel, and locked them up; then, taking possession of the -dining-room, held high carnival. Every mouthful of solid food was eaten -up, and all the champagne drunk; the ices, jellies, and confectionery -they left untouched. As I viewed the scene, I recalled Virgil’s -description of a wreck, “_Apparent rari in gurgite nantes_.” Every -coachman and groom was intoxicated, and, as the whole party at once took -flight to secure dinner at home, the scene on the road beggared -description. The coachmen swayed to and fro like the pendulum of a -clock; the postilions of the _demi d’Aumonts_ hung on by the manes of -their horses, when they lost their equilibrium. The women, as usual, -behaved admirably. As one said to me, “My man is beastly intoxicated, -but I shall appear not to notice it. The horses are gentle, they will go -of themselves.” My old friend, the Major, at once held a council of war, -and it was suggested that all turn in and thrash the fellows soundly, -but prudence dictated that at that work man was as good as master, that -the result might be doubtful; so all dolefully got away in the best -manner possible. The Major thus harangued his old family coachman: -“Richard, I am astonished at you; the other men’s rascally conduct does -not surprise me, but you, an old family servant, to so disgrace -yourself, shocks me.” The reply was, “I own up, Major, but indade, I am -a weak craythur.” - - - - -SOCIAL UNITY. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - _Grand Banquet to a Bride-elect--She sat in a bank of Roses with - Fountains playing around her--An Anecdote of Almack’s--The way the - Duke of Wellington introduced my Father and Dominick Lynch to the - Swells--I determine to have an American Almacks’--The way the - “Patriarchs’” was founded--The One-man Power Abolished--Success of - the Organization._ - - -The two young women of the most distinguished bearing in my day in this -country were, in my opinion, the one the daughter of our ex-Secretary of -State and ex-Governor, the other the daughter of my friend, the Major. -They both looked as born of noble race, and were always, when they -appeared, the centre of attraction. When the engagement of the Major’s -daughter was announced, one of her admirers asked me to go with him to -Charles Delmonico, as he was desirous of giving this fair lady a -Banquet, to commemorate the initial step she had taken in woman’s -career. In the words of the poet, she was then - - “A thought matured, but not uttered, - A conception warm and glowing, not yet embodied.” - -Now, all was to expand into noble womanhood, and she must needs put away -childish things and bid a sweet farewell to all who had worshipped at -her shrine. This worshipper wanted to make this an occasion in her life, -as well as his; so with Delmonico’s genius we were to conceive a banquet -for this fair maid, at which, like a Queen of May, she was to sit in a -bower of roses. And this she literally did, placed there by her host, a -scion of one of New York’s oldest families, whose family was interwoven -with the Livingstons, and by marriage closely connected with the great -Robert Fulton. It was the first of these lavish and gorgeous -entertainments, known as Banquets. Fifty-eight guests dining in -Delmonico’s large ball-room; the immense oval table filling the whole -room, and covered with masses of exquisite flowers. There were three -fountains, one in the centre, and the others at each end of the table, -throwing up a gentle spray of water, but always so planned that nothing -on the table in any way impeded the sight; one from all sides of it -could see over these beautiful flower-beds and through the spray. A -cotillion followed the dinner, and then back all returned to the -dining-room and supped as the early dawn crept on us. - -Close association at a small watering-place naturally produces jars. -People cannot always agree. When you become very rich and powerful, and -people pay you court, it follows in many cases that you become exacting -and domineering. It soon became evident that people of moderate means, -who had no social power to boast of, must needs be set aside and crowded -out if the one-man power, or even the united power of two or three -colossally rich men, controlled society. One reflected that that would -not work. The homage we pay to a society leader must come from the -esteem and admiration which is felt for him, but must not be exacted or -forced. It occurred then to me, that if one in any way got out with the -powers that be, his position might become critical, and he so forced out -of the way as to really lose his social footing. Where then was the -remedy for all this? How avoid this contingency? On reflection I reached -this conclusion, that in a country like ours there was always strength -in union; that to blend together the solid, respectable element of any -community for any project, was to create a power that would carry to -success almost any enterprise; therefore, returning to New York for the -winter, I looked around society and invoked the aid of the then quiet -representative men of this city, to help me form an association for the -purpose of giving our winter balls. - -As a child, I had often listened with great interest to my father’s -account of his visit to London, with Dominick Lynch, the greatest swell -and beau that New York had ever known. He would describe his going with -this friend to Almack’s, finding themselves in a brilliant assemblage -of people, knowing no one, and no one deigning to notice them; Lynch, -turning to my father, exclaimed: “Well, my friend, geese indeed were we -to thrust ourselves in here where we are evidently not wanted.” He had -hardly finished the sentence, when the Duke of Wellington (to whom they -had brought letters, and who had sent them tickets to Almack’s) entered, -looked around, and, seeing them, at once approached them, took each by -the arm, and walked them twice up and down the room; then, pleading an -engagement, said “good-night” and left. Their countenances fell as he -rapidly left the room, but the door had barely closed on him, when all -crowded around them, and in a few minutes they were presented to every -one of note, and had a charming evening. He described to us how Almack’s -originated,--all by the banding together of powerful women of influence -for the purpose of getting up these balls, and in this way making them -the greatest social events of London society. - -Remembering all this, I resolved in 1872 to establish in New York an -American Almack’s, taking men instead of women, being careful to select -only the leading representative men of the city, who had the right to -create and lead society. I knew all would depend upon our making a -proper selection. - -There is one rule in life I invariably carry out--never to rely wholly -on my own judgment, but to get the advice of others, weigh it well and -satisfy myself of its correctness, and then act on it. I went in this -city to those who could make the best analysis of men; who knew their -past as well as their present, and could foresee their future. In this -way, I made up an Executive Committee of three gentlemen, who daily met -at my house, and we went to work in earnest to make a list of those we -should ask to join in the undertaking. One of this Committee, a very -bright, clever man, hit upon the name of Patriarchs for the -Association, which was at once adopted, and then, after some discussion, -we limited the number of Patriarchs to twenty-five, and that each -Patriarch, for his subscription, should have the right of inviting to -each ball four ladies and five gentlemen, including himself and family; -that all distinguished strangers, up to fifty, should be asked; and then -established the rules governing the giving of these balls--all of which, -with some slight modifications, have been carried out to the letter to -this day. The following gentlemen were then asked to become -“Patriarchs,” and at once joined the little band: - -JOHN JACOB ASTOR, -WILLIAM ASTOR, -DE LANCEY KANE, -WARD MCALLISTER, -GEORGE HENRY WARREN, -EUGENE A. LIVINGSTON, -WILLIAM BUTLER DUNCAN, -E. TEMPLETON SNELLING, -LEWIS COLFORD JONES, -JOHN W. HAMERSLEY, -BENJAMIN S. WELLES, -FREDERICK SHELDON, -ROYAL PHELPS, -EDWIN A. POST, -A. GRACIE KING, -LEWIS M. RUTHERFORD, -ROBERT G. REMSEN, -WM. C. SCHERMERHORN, -FRANCIS R. RIVES, -MATURIN LIVINGSTON, -ALEX. VAN RENSSELAER, -WALTER LANGDON, -F. G. D’HAUTEVILLE, -C. C. GOODHUE, -WILLIAM R. TRAVERS. - -The object we had in view was to make these balls thoroughly -representative; to embrace the old Colonial New Yorkers, our adopted -citizens, and men whose ability and integrity had won the esteem of the -community, and who formed an important element in society. We wanted the -money power, but not in any way to be controlled by it. Patriarchs were -chosen solely for their fitness; on each of them promising to invite to -each ball only such people as would do credit to the ball. We then -resolved that the responsibility of inviting each batch of nine guests -should rest upon the shoulders of the Patriarch who invited them, and -that if any objectionable element was introduced, it was the -Management’s duty to at once let it be known by whom such objectionable -party was invited, and to notify the Patriarch so offending, that he had -done us an injury, and pray him to be more circumspect. He then stood -before the community as a sponsor of his guest, and all society, knowing -the offense he had committed, would so upbraid him, that he would go -and sin no more. We knew then, and we know now, that the whole secret of -the success of these Patriarch Balls lay in making them select; in -making them the most brilliant balls of each winter; in making it -extremely difficult to obtain an invitation to them, and to make such -invitations of great value; to make them the stepping-stone to the best -New York society, that one might be sure that any one repeatedly invited -to them had a secure social position, and to make them the best managed, -the best looked-after balls given in this city. I soon became as much -interested in them as if I were giving them in my own house; their -success I felt was my success, and their failure, my failure; and be -assured, this identifying oneself with any undertaking is the secret of -its success. One should never say, “Oh, it is a subscription ball; I’m -not responsible for it.” It must always be said, “I must be more careful -in doing this for others, than in doing it for myself.” Nothing must be -kept in view but the great result to be reached, i.e. the success of the -entertainment, the pleasure of the whole. When petitioned to curtail the -expense, lower the subscription, our reply has always been, “We cannot -do it if it endangers the success of the balls. While we give them, let -us make them the great social events in New York society; make our -suppers the best that can be given in this city; decorate our rooms as -lavishly as good taste permits, spare no expense to make them a credit -to ourselves and to the great city in which they are given.” - -The social life of a great part of our community, in my opinion, hinges -on this and similar organizations, for it and they are organized social -power, capable of giving a passport to society to all worthy of it. We -thought it would not be wise to allow a handful of men having royal -fortunes to have a sovereign’s prerogative, i.e. to say whom society -shall receive, and whom society shall shut out. We thought it better to -try and place such power in the hands of representative men, the choice -falling on them solely because of their worth, respectability, and -responsibility. - - - - -A GOLDEN AGE OF FEASTING. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - _A Lady who has led Society for many Years--A Grand Dame - indeed--The Patriarchs a great social Feature--Organizing the F. C. - D. C.--Their Rise and Fall--The Mother Goose Ball--My Encounters - with socially ambitious Workers--I try to Please all--The Famous - “Swan Dinner”--It cost $10,000--A Lake on the Dinner-table--The - Swans have a mortal Combat._ - - -As a rule, in this city, heads of families came to the front, and took -an active part in society when they wished to introduce their daughters -into it. - -The first Patriarch Balls were given in the winters of 1872 and 1873. At -this period, a great personage (representing a silent power that had -always been recognized and felt in this community, so long as I -remember, by not only fashionable people, but by the solid old quiet -element as well) had daughters to introduce into society, which brought -her prominently forward and caused her at once to take a leading -position. She possessed great administrative power, and it was soon put -to good use and felt by society. I then, for the first time, was brought -in contact with this _grande dame_, and at once recognized her ability, -and felt that she would become society’s leader, and that she was -admirably qualified for the position. - -It was not long before circumstances forced her to assume the -leadership, which she did, and which she has held with marked ability -ever since, having all the qualities necessary,--good judgment and a -great power of analysis of men and women, a thorough knowledge of all -their surroundings, a just appreciation of the rights of others, and, -coming herself from an old Colonial family, a good appreciation of the -value of ancestry; always keeping it near her, and bringing it in, in -all social matters, but also understanding the importance and power of -the new element; recognizing it, and fairly and generously awarding to -it a prominent place. Having a great fortune, she had the ability to -conceive and carry out social projects; and this she has done, always -with success, ever ready to recognize ability and worth, and give to it -advice and assistance. Above all things, a true and loyal friend in -sunshine or shower. Deeply interested in the welfare of this city, she -lent herself to any undertaking she felt worthy of her support, and once -promising it her aid, she could be always relied on and always found -most willing to advance its interests. With such a friend, we felt the -Patriarchs had an additional social strength that would give them the -solidity and lasting powers which they have shown they possess. Whenever -we required advice and assistance on or about them, we went to her, and -always found ourselves rewarded in so doing by receiving suggestions -that were invaluable. Quick to criticise any defect of lighting or -ornamentation, or arrangement, she was not backward in chiding the -management for it, and in this way made these balls what they were in -the past, what they are in the present, and what we hope they may be in -the future. - -The Patriarchs, from their very birth, became a great social feature. -You could but read the list of those who gave these balls, to see at a -glance that they embraced not only the smart set, but the old -Knickerbocker families as well; and that they would, from the very -nature of the case, representing the best society of this great -commercial city, have to grow and enlarge. Applications to be made -Patriarchs poured in from all sides; every influence was brought to bear -to secure a place in this little band, and the pressure was so great -that we feared the struggle would be too fierce and engender too much -rancor and bad feeling, and that this might of itself destroy them. The -argument against them, the one most strongly urged, was that they were -overturning all old customs; that New Yorkers had been in the habit of -taking an active part in society only when they had daughters to bring -out, _lancée-ing_ their daughters, and they themselves taking a back -seat. But that here in this new association, the married women took a -more prominent place than the young girls; _they_ were the belles of the -balls, and not the young girls. This was Europeanizing New York too -rapidly. - -Hearing all this, and fearing we would grow unpopular, to satisfy the -public we at once got up a new association, wholly for the young girls, -and called it The Family Circle Dancing Class. Its name would in itself -explain what it was, a small gathering of people in a very small and -intimate way, so that unless one was in close intimacy with those -getting up these dances, they would have no possible claim to be -included in them. Any number of small subscription parties had been -formed, such as “The Ancient and Honorables,” “The New and Notables,” -“The Mysterious,” and “The Fortnightlies.” All had been most enjoyable, -but short-lived. The F. C. D. C’s. were to be, in fact, “Junior -Patriarchs,” under the same management, and were to be cherished and -nourished by the same organization. They were given at first in six -private houses. The first was held at Mr. William Butler Duncan’s; the -second at Mr. Ward McAllister’s; the third at Mr. De Lancey Kane’s; the -fourth at Mr. William Astor’s; the fifth at Mr. George Henry Warren’s, -and the sixth at Mr. Lewis Colford Jones’s. I gave mine in my house in -West Nineteenth Street, and then saw what it was to turn a house inside -out for a ball, and how contracted everything must necessarily be in a -twenty-five foot house, to receive guests in it, give them a _salle de -danse_ and a supper room, and then concluded that we must go in most -cases to a good-sized ball-room to give an enjoyable dance. - -From the first, these dances were very popular. They gave the Patriarch -balls the relief they required, and were rapidly growing in favor and -threatened in the end to become formidable rivals of the Patriarchs. The -same pains were taken in getting them up, as were given to the -Patriarchs. We had them but for one season in private houses, and then -gave them at Dodworth’s, now Delmonico’s. Later on, when this house -changed hands and became Delmonico’s, we gave them all there, with the -exception of one winter when we gave them in the foyers of the -Metropolitan Opera House. We made the subscription to them an individual -subscription, each lady and gentleman subscribing $12.00 for the three -balls. One of them at Delmonico’s we made a “Mother Goose” Ball. It was -a species of fancy dress ball, powdered hair being _de rigueur_ for all -ladies who did not wear fancy costumes, and the feature of the occasion -was the “Mother Goose” Quadrille, which had been planned and prepared -with much skill and taste. This Quadrille was made up of sixteen -couples and was danced at eleven o’clock. As those who danced in it -passed you as they marched from the hall into the ball-room, you found -it a beautiful sight truly. Many of the men wore pink. Some of the -characters were droll indeed. Among others, “Tom, Tom, the Piper’s son,” -with his traditional pig; “A man in the moon, who had come down too -soon”; one lady as “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”; “Mother Hubbard,” in -an artistic costume of scarlet chintz; “Mary, Mary, quite contrary”; -“Little Bo-Peep,” “The Maid in the garden hanging out the clothes,” -“Punch and Judy”; “Oranges and Lemons”; while M. de Talleyrand appeared -as a _mignon_ of Henry the Second. “Mother Goose” herself was also -there. The feature of the evening was the singing of the nursery rhymes. -The second was the “Pinafore” Quadrille introducing the music of that -operetta. All the men who danced in it were in sailor’s dress. Then -followed a Hunting Quadrille, in which every man wore a scarlet coat. - -I little knew what I was undertaking when I started these F. C. D. C. -Balls. From the giving of the first of these dances, out of a private -house, to the time of my giving them up, I had no peace either at home -or abroad. I was assailed on all sides, became in a sense a diplomat, -committed myself to nothing, promised much and performed as little as -possible. I saw at once the rock on which we must split: that the -pressure would be so great to get in, no one could resist it; that our -parties must become too general, and that in the end the smart set would -give up going to them. I knew that when this occurred, they were doomed; -but I fought for their existence manfully, and if I could here narrate -all I went through to keep these small parties select, I would fill a -volume. My mornings were given up to being interviewed of and about -them; mothers would call at my house, entirely unknown to me, the sole -words of introduction being, “Kind sir, I have a daughter.” These words -were cabalistic; I would spring up, bow to the ground, and reply: “My -dear madam, say no more, you have my sympathy; we are in accord; no -introduction is necessary; you have a daughter, and want her to go to -the F. C. D. C’s. I will do all in my power to accomplish this for you; -but my dear lady, please understand, that in all matters concerning -these little dances I must consult the powers that be. I am their humble -servant; I must take orders from them.” All of which was a figure of -speech on my part. “May I ask if you know any one in this great city, -and whom do you know? for to propitiate the powers that be, I must be -able to give them some account of your daughter.” This was enough to set -my fair visitor off. The family always went back to King John, and in -some instances to William the Conqueror. “My dear madam,” I would reply, -“does it not satisfy any one to come into existence with the birth of -one’s country? In my opinion, four generations of gentlemen make as good -and true a gentleman as forty. I know my English brethren will not agree -with me in this, but, in spite of them, it is my belief.” With disdain, -my fair visitor would reply, “You are easily satisfied, sir.” And so on, -from day to day, these interviews would go on; all were Huguenots, -Pilgrims, or Puritans. I would sometimes call one a Pilgrim in place of -a Puritan, and by this would uncork the vials of wrath. If they had ever -lived south of Mason and Dixon’s line, their ancestor was always a near -relative of Washington, or a Fairfax, or of the “first families of -Virginia.” Others were more frank, and claimed no ancestry, but simply -wished to know “how the thing was to be done.” When our list was full, -all comers were told this, but this did not stop them. I was then daily -solicited and prayed to give them the first vacancy. I did the best in -my power, found out who people were, and if it was possible asked them -to join. - -The little dances were most successful. Year by year they improved. They -were handsomer each season. We were not content with the small buffet in -the upper ball-room at Delmonico’s, but supped, as did the Patriarchs, -in the large room on Fifth Avenue and Twenty-sixth Street, and literally -had equally as good suppers, leaving out terrapin and canvasback. But -when the ladies organized Assembly Balls, we then thought that there -would perhaps be too many subscription balls, and the F. C. D. C. was -given up. - -At this time, when the F. C. D. C.’s were in high favor, I received the -following amusing anonymous lines of and about them: - - He does not reign in Russia cold, - Nor yet in far Cathay, - But o’er this town he’s come to hold - An undisputed sway. - - When in their might the ladies rose, - “To put the Despot down,” - As blandly as Ah Sin, he goes - His way without a frown. - - Alas! though he’s but one alone, - He’s one too many still-- - He’s fought the fight, he’s held his own, - And to the end he will. - - --_From a Lady after the Ball of 25th February, 1884._ - -Just at this time a man of wealth, who had accumulated a fortune here, -resolved to give New Yorkers a sensation; to give them a banquet which -should exceed in luxury and expense anything before seen in this -country. As he expressed it, “I knew it would be a folly, a piece of -unheard-of extravagance, but as the United States Government had just -refunded me $10,000, exacted from me for duties upon importations -(which, being excessive, I had petitioned to be returned me, and had -quite unexpectedly received this sum back), I resolved to appropriate it -to giving a banquet that would always be remembered.” Accordingly, he -went to Charles Delmonico, who in turn went to his _cuisine classique_ -to see how they could possibly spend this sum on this feast. Success -crowned their efforts. The sum in such skillful hands soon melted away, -and a banquet was given of such beauty and magnificence, that even New -Yorkers, accustomed as they were to every species of novel expenditure, -were astonished at its lavishness, its luxury. The banquet was given at -Delmonico’s, in Fourteenth Street. There were seventy-two guests in the -large ball-room, looking on Fifth Avenue. The table covered the whole -length and breadth of the room, only leaving a passageway for the -waiters to pass around it. It was a long extended oval table, and every -inch of it was covered with flowers, excepting a space in the centre, -left for a lake, and a border around the table for the plates. This lake -was indeed a work of art; it was an oval pond, thirty feet in length, by -nearly the width of the table, inclosed by a delicate golden wire -network, reaching from table to ceiling, making the whole one grand -cage; four superb swans, brought from Prospect Park, swam in it, -surrounded by high banks of flowers of every species and variety, which -prevented them from splashing the water on the table. There were hills -and dale; the modest little violet carpeting the valleys, and other -bolder sorts climbing up and covering the tops of those miniature -mountains. Then, all around the inclosure, and in fact above the entire -table, hung little golden cages, with fine songsters, who filled the -room with their melody, occasionally interrupted by the splashing of the -waters of the lake by the swans, and the cooing of these noble birds, -and at one time by a fierce combat between these stately, graceful, -gliding white creatures. The surface of the whole table, by clever art, -was one unbroken series of undulations, rising and falling like the -billows of the sea, but all clothed and carpeted with every form of -blossom. It seemed like the abode of fairies; and when surrounding this -fairyland with lovely young American womanhood, you had indeed an -unequaled scene of enchantment. But this was not to be alone a feast for -the eye; all that art could do, all that the cleverest men could devise -to spread before the guests, such a feast as the gods should enjoy, was -done, and so well done that all present felt, in the way of feasting, -that man could do no more! The wines were perfect. Blue seal -Johannisberg flowed like water. Incomparable ’48 claret, superb -Burgundies, and amber-colored Madeira, all were there to add to the -intoxicating delight of the scene. Then, soft music stole over one’s -senses; lovely women’s eyes sparkled with delight at the beauty of their -surroundings, and I felt that the fair being who sat next to me would -have graced Alexander’s feast - - “Sitting by my side, - Like a lovely Eastern bride, - In flower of youth and beauty’s pride.” - - - - -ENTERING SOCIETY. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - _How to introduce a young Girl into Society--I make the Daughter of - a Relative a reigning Belle--First Offers of Marriage generally the - Best--Wives should flirt with their Husbands--How to be - fashionable--“Nobs” and “Swells”--The Prince of Wales’s - Aphorism--The value of a pleasant Manner--How a Gentleman should - dress--I might have made a Fortune--Commodore Vanderbilt gives me a - straight “Tip.”_ - - -I would now make some suggestions as to the proper way of introducing a -young girl into New York society, particularly if she is not well -supported by an old family connection. It is cruel to take a girl to a -ball where she knows no one, - - “And to subject her to - The fashionable stare of twenty score - Of well-bred persons, called the world.” - -Had I charged a fee for every consultation with anxious mothers on this -subject, I would be a rich man. I well remember a near relative of mine -once writing me from Paris, as follows: “I consign my wife and daughter -to your care. They will spend the winter in New York; at once give them -a ball at Delmonico’s, and draw on me for the outlay.” I replied, “My -dear fellow, how many people do you know in this city whom you could -invite to a ball? The funds you send me will be used, but not in giving -a ball.” The girl being a beauty, all the rest was easy enough. I gave -her theatre party after theatre party, followed by charming little -suppers, asked to them the _jeunesse dorée_ of the day; took her -repeatedly to the opera, and saw that she was there always surrounded by -admirers; incessantly talked of her fascinations; assured my young -friends that she was endowed with a fortune equal to the mines of Ophir, -that she danced like a dream, and possessed all the graces, a sunbeam -across one’s path; then saw to it that she had a prominent place in -every cotillion, and a fitting partner; showed her whom to smile upon, -and on whom to frown; gave her the _entrée_ to all the nice houses; -criticised severely her toilet until it became perfect; daily met her on -the Avenue with the most charming man in town, who by one pretext or -another I turned over to her; made her the constant subject of -conversation; insisted upon it that she was to be the belle of the -coming winter; advised her parents that she should have her first season -at Bar Harbor, where she could learn to flirt to her heart’s content, -and vie with other girls. Her second summer, when she was older, I -suggested her passing at Newport, where she should have a pair of -ponies, a pretty trap, with a well-gotten-up groom, and Worth to dress -her. Here I hinted that much must depend on her father’s purse, as to -her wardrobe. As a friend of mine once said to me, “Your pace is -charming, but can you keep it up?” I also advised keeping the young girl -well in hand and not letting her give offense to the powers that be; to -see to it that she was not the first to arrive and the last to leave a -ball, and further, that nothing was more winning in a girl than a -pleasant bow and a gracious smile given to either young or old. The -fashion now for women is to hold themselves erect. The modern manner of -shaking hands I do not like, but yet it is adopted. Being interested in -the girl’s success, I further impressed upon her the importance of -making herself agreeable to older people, remembering that much of her -enjoyment would be derived from them. If asked to dance a cotillion, let -it be conditional that no bouquet be sent her; to be cautious how she -refused the first offers of marriage made her, as they were generally -the best. - -A word, just here, to the newly married. It works well to have the man -more in love with you than you are with him. My advice to all young -married women is to keep up flirting with their husbands as much after -marriage as before; to make themselves as attractive to their husbands -after their marriage as they were when they captivated them; not to -neglect their toilet, but rather improve it; to be as coquettish and coy -after they are bound together as before, when no ties held them. The -more they are appreciated by the world, the more will their husbands -value them. In fashionable life, conspicuous jealousy is a mistake. A -woman is bound to take and hold a high social position. In this way she -advances and strengthens her husband. How many women we see who have -benefited their husbands, and secured for them these advantages. - -A young girl should be treated like a bride when she makes her _débût_ -into society. Her relatives should rally around her and give her -entertainments to welcome her into the world which she is to adorn. It -is in excessive bad taste for such relatives to in any way refer to the -cost of these dinners, balls, etc. Every one in society knows how to -estimate such things. Again, at such dinners, it is not in good taste -to load your table with _bonbonnières_ and other articles intended to be -taken away by your guests. This reminds me of a dear old lady, who, when -I dined with her, always insisted on my putting in my dress coat pocket -a large hothouse peach, which never reached home in a perfect state. - -The launching of a beautiful young girl into society is one thing; it is -another to place her family on a good, sound social footing. You can -launch them into the social sea, but can they float? “Manners maketh -man,” is an old proverb. These they certainly must possess. There is no -society in the world as generous as New York society is; “friend, -parent, neighbor, all it will embrace,” but once embraced they must have -the power of sustaining themselves. The best quality for them to possess -is modesty in asserting their claims; letting people seek them rather -than attempting to rush too quickly to the front. The Prince of Wales, -on a charming American young woman expressing her surprise at the -cordial reception given her by London society, replied, “My dear lady, -there are certain people who are bound to come to the front and stay -there; you are one of them.” It requires not only money, but brains, -and, above all, infinite tact; possessing the three, your success is -assured. If taken by the hand by a person in society you are at once led -into the charmed circle, and then your own correct perceptions of what -should or should not be done must do the rest. As a philosophical friend -once said to me, “A gentleman can always walk, but he cannot afford to -have a shabby equipage.” Another philosopher soliloquized as follows: -“The first evidence of wealth is your equipage.” By the way, his -definition of aristocracy in America was, the possession of hereditary -wealth. - -If you want to be fashionable, be always in the company of fashionable -people. As an old beau suggested to me, If you see a fossil of a man, -shabbily dressed, relying solely on his pedigree, dating back to time -immemorial, who has the aspirations of a duke and the fortunes of a -footman, do not cut him; it is better to cross the street and avoid -meeting him. It is well to be in with the nobs who are born to their -position, but the support of the swells is more advantageous, for -society is sustained and carried on by the swells, the nobs looking -quietly on and accepting the position, feeling they are there by divine -right; but they do not make fashionable society, or carry it on. A nob -can be a swell if he chooses, i.e. if he will spend the money; but for -his social existence this is unnecessary. A nob is like a -poet,--_nascitur non fit_; not so a swell,--he creates himself. - -The value of a pleasant manner it is impossible to estimate. It is like -sunshine, it gladdens; you feel it and are at once attracted to the -person without knowing why. When you entertain, do it in an easy, -natural way, as if it was an everyday occurrence, not the event of your -life; but do it well. Learn how to do it; never be ashamed to learn. The -American people have a _greater_ power of “catching hold,” and adapting -themselves to new surroundings than any other people in the world. A -distinguished diplomatist once said to me, “The best wife for a Diplomat -is an American; for take her to any quarter of the globe and she adapts -herself to the place and people.” - -If women should cultivate pleasant manners, should not men do the same? -Are not manners as important to men as to women? The word “gentleman” -may have its derivation from gentle descent, but my understanding of a -gentleman has always been that he is a person free from arrogance, and -anything like self-assertion; considerate of the feelings of others; so -satisfied and secure in his own position, that he is always -unpretentious, feeling he could not do an ungentlemanly act; as -courteous and kind in manner to his inferiors as to his equals. The best -bred men I have ever met have always been the least pretentious. Natural -and simple in manner, modest in apparel, never wearing anything too -_voyant_, or conspicuous; but always so well dressed that you could -never discover what made them so,--the good, quiet taste of the whole -producing the result. - -Here, all men are more or less in business. We hardly have a class who -are not. They are, of necessity, daily brought in contact with all sorts -and conditions of men, and in self-defense oftentimes have to acquire -and adopt an abrupt, a brusque manner of address, which, as a rule, they -generally leave in their offices when they quit them. If they do not, -they certainly should. When such rough manners become by practice a -second nature, they unfit one to go into society. It pays well for young -and old to cultivate politeness and courtesy. Nothing is gained by -trying roughly to elbow yourself into society, and push your way through -into the inner circle; for when such a one has reached it, he will find -its atmosphere uncongenial and be only too glad to escape from it. - -A short time ago, a handsome, well-dressed Englishman, well up in all -matters pertaining to society, went with me to my tailor to see me try -on a dress coat. I was struck with his criticisms. Standing before a -glass, he said, “You must never be able to see the tails of your dress -coat; if you do, discard the coat.” Again, he advised one’s always -wearing a hat that was the fashion, losing sight of the becoming, but -always following the fashion. “At a glance,” he said, “I can tell a man -from the provinces, simply by his hat.” If you are stout, never wear a -white waistcoat, or a conspicuous watch-chain. Never call attention by -them to what you should try to conceal. In going to the opera, if you -go to an opera box with ladies, you should wear white or light French -gray gloves. Otherwise, gloves are not worn. A _boutonnière_ of white -hyacinths or white pinks on dress coats is much worn, both to balls and -the opera. My English friend was very much struck with the fact that -American women all sat on the left side of the carriage, the opposite -side from what they do in England. “Ladies,” he said, “should always sit -behind their coachman, but the desire to see and be seen prompts them -here to take the other side. In this city some half a dozen ladies show -their knowledge of conventionalities and take the proper seat.” - -I think the great secret of life is to be contented with the position to -which it has pleased God to call you. Living myself in a modest, though -comfortable little house in Twenty-first Street in this city, a Wall -Street banker honored me with a visit, and exclaimed against my -surroundings. - -“What!” said he, “are you contented to live in this modest little house? -Why, man, this will never do! The first thing you must have is a fine -house. I will see that you get it. All that you have to do is to let me -buy ten thousand shares of stock for you at the opening of the Board; by -three I can sell it, and I will then send you a check for the profit of -the transaction, which will not be less than ten thousand dollars! Do it -for you? Of course I will, with pleasure. You will run no risk; if there -is a loss I will bear it.” - -I thanked my friend, assured him I was wholly and absolutely contented, -and must respectfully decline his offer. A similar offer was made to me -by my old friend, Commodore Vanderbilt, in his house in Washington -Place. I was a great admirer of this grand old man, and he was very fond -of me. He had taken me over his stables, and was then showing me his -parlors and statuary, and kept all the time calling me “his boy.” I -turned to him and said, “Commodore, you will be as great a railroad -king, as you were once an ocean king, and as you call me your boy, why -don’t you make my fortune?” He thought a moment, and then said, slapping -me on the back, “Mc, sell everything you have and put it in Harlem -stock; it is now twenty-four; you will make more money than you will -know how to take care of.” If I had followed his advice, I would now -have been indeed a millionaire. - -One word more here about the Commodore. He then turned to me and said, -“Mc, look at that bust,”--a bust of himself, by Powers. “What do you -think Powers said of that head?” - -“What did he say?” I replied. - -“He said, ‘It is a finer head than Webster’s!’” - - - - -ENTERTAINING. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - _Success in Entertaining--The Art of Dinner-giving--Selection of - Guests--A happy Mixture of Young Women and Dowagers--The latter - more Appreciative of the Good Things--Interviewing the Chef--“Uncle - Sam” Ward’s Plan--Mock Turtle Soup a Delusion and a Snare--The Two - Styles of cooking Terrapin--Grasshopper-fed Turkeys--Sourbet should - not be flavored with Rum--Nesselrode the best of all the Ices._ - - “We may live without love,--what is passion but pining? - But where is the man who can live without dining?”-- - Owen Meredith. - -The first object to be aimed at is to make your dinners so charming and -agreeable that invitations to them are eagerly sought for, and to let -all feel that it is a great privilege to dine at your house, where they -are sure they will meet only those whom they wish to meet. You cannot -instruct people by a book how to entertain, though Aristotle is said to -have applied _his_ talents to a compilation of a code of laws for the -table. Success in entertaining is accomplished by magnetism and tact, -which combined constitute social genius. It is the ladder to social -success. If successfully done, it naturally creates jealousy. I have -known a family who for years outdid every one in giving exquisite -dinners--(this was when this city was a small community)--driven to -Europe and passing the rest of their days there on finding a neighbor -outdoing them. I myself once lost a charming friend by giving a better -soup than he did. His wife rushed home from my house, and in despair, -throwing up her hands to her husband, exclaimed, “Oh! what a soup!” I -related this to my cousin, the distinguished _gourmet_, who laughingly -said: “Why did you not at once invite them to pork and beans?” - -The highest cultivation in social manners enables a person to conceal -from the world his real feelings. He can go through any annoyance as if -it were a pleasure; go to a rival’s house as if to a dear friend’s; -“Smile and smile, yet murder while he smiles.” A great compliment once -paid me in Newport was the speech of an old public waiter, who had grown -gray in the service, when to a _confrère_ he exclaimed: “In this house, -my friend, you meet none but quality.” - -In planning a dinner the question is not to whom you owe dinners, but -who is most desirable. The success of the dinner depends as much upon -the company as the cook. Discordant elements--people invited -alphabetically, or to pay off debts--are fatal. Of course, I speak of -ladies’ dinners. And here, great tact must be used in bringing together -young womanhood and the dowagers. A dinner wholly made up of young -people is generally stupid. You require the experienced woman of the -world, who has at her fingers’ ends the history of past, present, and -future. Critical, scandalous, with keen and ready wit, appreciating the -dinner and wine at their worth. Ladies in beautiful toilets are -necessary to the elegance of a dinner, as a most exquisitely arranged -table is only a solemn affair surrounded by black coats. I make it a -rule never to attend such dismal feasts, listening to prepared -witticisms and “twice-told tales.” So much for your guests. - -The next step is an interview with your _chef_, if you have one, or -_cordon bleu_, whom you must arouse to fever heat by working on his -ambition and vanity. You must impress upon him that this particular -dinner will give him fame and lead to fortune. My distinguished cousin, -who enjoyed the reputation of being one of the most finished _gourmets_ -in this country, when he reached this point, would bury his head in his -hands and (seemingly to the _chef_) rack his brain seeking inspiration, -fearing lest the fatal mistake should occur of letting two white or -brown sauces follow each other in succession; or truffles appear twice -in that dinner. The distress that his countenance wore as he repeatedly -looked up at the _chef_, as if for advice and assistance, would have its -intended effect on the culinary artist, and _his_ brain would at once -act in sympathy. - -The first battle is over the soup, and here there is a vast difference -of opinion. In this country, where our servants are oftentimes -unskilled, and have a charming habit of occasionally giving ladies a -soup shower bath, I invariably discard two soups, and insist to the -protesting _chef_ that there shall be but one. Of course, if there are -two, the one is light, the other heavy. Fortunately for the period in -which we live, our great French artists have invented the _Tortue -claire_; which takes the place of our forefathers’ Mock Turtle soup, -with forcemeat balls, well spiced, requiring an ostrich’s digestion to -survive it. We have this, then, as our soup. The _chef_ here exclaims, -“Monsieur must know that all _petites bouchées_ must, of necessity, be -made of chicken.” We ask for a novelty, and his great genius suggests, -under pressure, _mousse aux jambon_, which is attractive to the eye, -and, if well made, at once establishes the reputation of the artist, -satisfies the guests that they are in able hands, and allays their fears -for their dinner. - -There is but one season of the year when salmon should be served hot at -a choice repast; that is in the spring and early summer, and even then -it is too satisfying, not sufficiently delicate. The man who gives -salmon during the winter, I care not what sauce he serves with it, does -an injury to himself and his guests. Terrapin is with us as national a -dish as canvasback, and at the choicest dinners is often a substitute -for fish. It is a shellfish, and an admirable change from the oft -repeated _filet de sole_ or _filet de bass_. At the South, terrapin -soup, with plenty of eggs in it, was a dish for the gods, and a standard -dinner party dish in days when a Charleston and Savannah dinner was an -event to live for. But no Frenchman ever made this soup. It requires -the native born culinary genius of the African. - -Now when we mention the word terrapin, we approach a very delicate -subject, involving a rivalry between two great cities; a subject that -has been agitated for thirty years or more, and is still agitated, i.e. -the proper way of cooking terrapin. The Baltimoreans contending that the -black stew, the chafing dish system, simply adding to the terrapin salt, -pepper, and Madeira, produce the best dish; while the Philadelphians -contend that by fresh butter and cream they secure greater results. The -one is known as the Baltimore black stew; the other, as the Trenton -stew, this manner of cooking terrapin originating in an old eating club -in Trenton, N. J. I must say I agree with the Philadelphians. - -And now, leaving the fish, we come to the _pièce de resistance_ of the -dinner, called the _relévé_. No Frenchman will ever willingly cook a -ladies’ dinner and give anything coarser or heavier than a _filet de -bœuf_. He will do it, if he has to, of course, but he will think you -a barbarian if you order him to do it. I eschew the mushroom and confine -myself to the truffle in the treatment of the _filet_. I oftentimes have -a _filet à la mœlle de bœuf_, or _à la jardinière_. In the fall of -the year, turkey _poults à la Bordelaise_, or _à la Toulouse_, or a -saddle of Southdown mutton or lamb, are a good substitute. Let me here -say that the American turkey, as found on Newport Island, all its -feathers being jet black and its diet grasshoppers, is exceptionally -fine. - -Now for the _entrées_. In a dinner of twelve or fourteen, one or two hot -_entrées_ and one cold is sufficient. If you use the truffle with the -_filet_, making a black sauce, you must follow it with a white sauce, as -a _riz de veau à la Toulouse_, or a _suprême de volaille_; then a -_chaud-froid_, say of _pâté de foie gras en Bellevue_, which simply -means _pâté de foie gras_ incased in jelly. Then a hot vegetable, as -artichokes, sauce _Barigoule_, or _Italienne_, or asparagus, sauce -_Hollandaise_. Then your _sorbet_, known in France as _la surprise_, as -it is an ice, and produces on the mind the effect that the dinner is -finished, when the grandest dish of the dinner makes its appearance in -the shape of the roast canvasbacks, woodcock, snipe, or truffled capons, -with salad. - -I must be permitted a few words of and about this _sorbet_. It should -never be flavored with rum. A true Parisian _sorbet_ is simply “_punch à -la Toscane_,” flavored with _Maraschino_ or bitter almonds; in other -words, a homœopathic dose of prussic acid. Then the _sorbet_ is a -digestive, and is intended as such. _Granit_, or water ice, flavored -with rum, is universally given here. Instead of aiding digestion, it -impedes it, and may be dangerous. - -A Russian salad is a pleasing novelty at times, and is more attractive -if it comes in the shape of a _Macedoine de legumes_, Camembert cheese, -with a biscuit, with which you serve your Burgundy, your old Port, or -your Johannisberg, the only place in the dinner where you can introduce -this latter wine. A genuine Johannisberg, I may say here, by way of -parenthesis, is rare in this country, for if obtained at the Chateau, it -is comparatively a dry wine; if it is, as I have often seen it, still -lusciously sweet after having been here twenty years or more, you may be -sure it is not a genuine Chateau wine. - -The French always give a hot pudding, as pudding _suedoise_, or a -_croute au Madère_, or _ananas_, but I always omit this dish to shorten -the dinner. Then come your ices. The fashion now is to make them very -ornamental, a _cornucopia_ for instance, but I prefer a _pouding -Nesselrode_, the best of all the ices if good cream is used. - - - - -MADEIRAS. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - _Madeira the King of Wines--It took its Name from the Ship it came - in--Daniel Webster and “Butler 16”--How Philadelphians “fine” their - Wines--A Southern Wine Party--An Expert’s shrewd Guess--The Newton - Gordons--Prejudice against Malmsey--Madeira should be kept in the - Garret--Some famous Brands._ - - -Having had your champagne from the fish to the roast, your _vin -ordinaire_ through the dinner, your Burgundy or Johannisberg, or fine -old Tokay (quite equal to any Johannisberg), with the cheese, your best -claret with the roast, then after the ladies have had their fruit and -have left the table, comes on the king of wines, your Madeira; a -national wine, a wine only well matured at the South, and a wine whose -history is as old as is that of our country. I may here say, that -Madeira imparts a vitality that no other wine can give. After drinking -it, it acts as a soporific, but the next day you feel ten years younger -and stronger for it. I have known a man, whose dinners were so famous by -reason of his being always able to give at them a faultless Madeira, -disappear with his wine. When his wine gave out, he collapsed. When -asked, “Where is Mr. Jones?” the ready answer was always given, “He went -out with his ‘Rapid’ Madeira.” - -Families prided themselves on their Madeira. It became an heirloom (as -Tokay now is, in Austria). Like the elephant, it seemed to live over -three score years and ten. The fine Madeiras were fine when they reached -this country. Age improved them, and made them the poetry of wine. They -became the color of amber and retained all their original flavor. But it -is an error to suppose that age ever improved a poor Madeira. If it came -here poor and sweet, it remained poor and sweet, and never lost its -sweetness, even at seventy or eighty years, while the famous Madeiras, -dating as far back as 1791, if they have been properly cared for, are -perfect to this day. We should value wine like women, for maturity, not -age. - -These wines took their names generally from the ships in which they came -over. There is no more sensitive wine to climatic influences. A delicate -Madeira, taken only a few blocks on a cold, raw day, is not fit to -drink; and again, you might as well give a man champagne out of a horse -bucket, as to give him a Madeira in a thick sherry or claret glass, or a -heavy cut glass. The American pipe-stem is the only glass in which -Madeira should be given, and when thus given, is, as one of our -distinguished men once said, “The only liquid he ever called wine.” This -ought to be given as was done by the Father of the Roman Lucullus, who -never saw more than a single cup of the Phanean wine served at one time -at his father’s table. - -A friend of mine once gave the proprietor of the Astor House, for -courtesies extended to him, a dozen of his finest Madeira. He had the -curiosity years after to ask his host of the Astor what became of this -wine. He replied, “Daniel Webster came to my house, and I opened a -bottle of it for him, and he remained in the house until he had drunk up -every drop of it.” This was the famous “Butler 16.” - -As in painting there are the Murillo and Correggio schools, the light -ethereal conceptions of womanhood, as against the rich Titian coloring; -so in Madeira, there is the full, round, strong, rich wine, liked by -some in preference to the light, delicate, straw-colored, rain-water -wines. Philadelphians first took to this character of wine. They -judiciously “fined” their wine, and produced simply a perfect -Madeira,--to be likened to the best Johannisberg, and naturally so, it -having similar qualities, as it is well known that the Sercial Madeira, -the “king pin” of all Madeiras, was raised from a Rhine grape taken to -the Island of Madeira. And here let me say, that “fining,” by using only -the white of a perfectly fresh egg and Spanish clay, is proper and -judicious, but milk is ruinous. The eggs in Spain are famous, and are -thus used. - -In Savannah and Charleston, from 1800 up to our Civil War, afternoon -wine parties were the custom. You were asked to come and taste Madeira, -at 5 P.M., _after your dinner_. The hour of dining in these cities was -then always 3 P.M. The mahogany table, which reflected your face, was -set with finger bowls, with four pipe-stem glasses in each bowl, olives, -parched ground nuts and almonds, and half a dozen bottles of Madeira. -There you sat, tasted and commented on these wines for an hour or more. -On one occasion, a gentleman, not having any wine handy, mixed half -“Catherine Banks” and half “Rapid.” On tasting the mixture, a great -wine expert said if he could believe his host capable of mixing a wine, -he would say it was “half Catherine Banks and half Rapid.” This was -after fifteen men had said they could not name the Madeira. - -A distinguished stranger having received an invitation to one of these -wine parties from the British Consul, replied, “Thanks, I must decline, -for where I dine I take my wine.” - -The oldest and largest shippers of Madeira were the Newton Gordons, who -sent the finest Madeiras to Charleston and Savannah. From 1791 to 1805, -their firm was Newton Gordon, Murdock, & Scott. One hundred and ten -years ago, they sent five hundred pipes of Madeira in one shipment to -Savannah. These wines sent there were the finest Sercials, Buals, and -Malmseys. All those wines were known as extra Madeiras. The highest -priced wine, a Manigult Heyward wine, I knew forty years ago; it was -ninety years old--perfect, full flavored, and of good color and -strength. - -In Charleston and Savannah from 1780 to 1840, almost every gentleman -ordered a pipe of wine from Madeira. I know of a man who has kept this -up for half a century. - -There is a common prejudice against Malmsey, as being a lady’s wine, and -sweet; when very old, no Madeira can beat it. I have now in my cellar an -“All Saints” wine, named after the famous Savannah Quoit Club, imported -in 1791; a perfect wine, of exquisite flavor. My wife’s grandfather -imported two pipes of Madeira every year, and my father-in-law continued -to do this as long as he lived. When he died he had, as I am told, the -largest private cellar of Madeira in the United States. All his wines -were Newton Gordons. He made the fatal mistake of hermetically sealing -them in glass gallon bottles, with ground glass stoppers, keeping them -in his cellar; keeping them from light and air, preventing the wine from -breathing, as it were. It has taken years for them to recover from this -treatment. - -Madeira should be kept in the garret. A piece of a corn cob is often a -good cork for it. Light and air do not injure it; drawing it off from -its lees occasionally, makes it more delicate, but, if done too often, -the wine may spoil, as its lees support and nourish it. - -The great New York Madeiras, famous when landed and still famous, were -“The Marsh and Benson, 1809,” “The Coles Madeira,” “The Stuyvesant,” -“The Clark,” and “The Eliza.” In Philadelphia, “The Butler, 16.” In -Boston, “The Kirby,” the “Amory 1800,” and “1811,” “The Otis.” In -Baltimore, “The Marshall,” the “Meredith,” or “Great Unknown,” “The -Holmes Demijohn,” “The Mob,” “The Colt.” In Charleston, “The Rutledge,” -“The Hurricane,” “The Earthquake,” “The Maid,” “The Tradd-street.” In -Savannah, “The All Saints” (1791), “The Catherine Banks,” “The Louisa -Cecilia” (1818), “The Rapid” 1817, and “The Widow.” - - - - -CHAMPAGNES AND OTHER WINES. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - _Brût Champagne--Another Revolution in treatment of this Wine--It - must be Old to be good--’74 Champagne worth $8 a bottle in - Paris--How to frappé Champagne--The best Clarets--Even your Vin - Ordinaire should be Decanted--Sherries--Spaniards drink them from - the Wood--I prefer this way--The “famous Forsyth Sherry”--A - Wine-cellar not a Necessity._ - - -The fashionable world here have accepted the _Brût_ champagne, and avoid -all other kinds; ladies even more than men. But another revolution is to -occur in this country in the next five years in the treatment of this -wine. We will soon follow the example of our English brethren and never -drink it until it is from eight to ten years old. - -A year or two ago one of the most fashionable men in London asked me to -assist him in ordering a dinner at Delmonico’s. When we came to ordering -the wines, he exclaimed against the champagne. “What!” said he, “drink a -champagne of 1880. Why, it is too absurd!” I told him it was that or -nothing, for we were far behind them in England, drinking new champagnes -and having no old ones. - -The idea is prevalent that champagne will not keep in this climate. -After a few years one will always order his supply from abroad yearly, -keeping his champagne at his London wine merchant’s or at the vineyard. -To evidence the improvement in champagne by age, I can only cite that -the champagne of 1874 has sold in London at auction for $7 a bottle, and -now in Paris and London you pay $8 a bottle for a ’74 wine at a -restaurant, and $6 for an 1880 wine; at the vineyard itself $45 a dozen, -and hard to obtain at this price. If you once drink one of these old -champagnes you will never again drink a fresh wine. In England they now -drink no Madeira; it is never served. At their dinners they pride -themselves on giving 1874 champagne. If they can give this wine, with a -Golden Sherry and a fine glass of Port, they are satisfied. - -It will be well to remember that champagnes are now known to -_connoisseurs_ by their vintage. Wines of some vintages do not keep at -all. In keeping champagnes, keep only, or order kept for you, the -champagnes of the best vintages. Of course, there is much risk in -keeping any champagne; but what all strive for, is to possess something -that no one else has; that is not purchasable, I mean, in any quantity, -and this now is 1874 champagne. - -To properly _frappé_ champagne, put in the pail small pieces of ice, -then a layer of rock salt, alternating these layers until the tub is -full. Put the bottle in the tub; be careful to keep the neck of the -bottle free from the ice, for the quantity of wine in the neck of the -bottle being small, it would be acted upon by the ice first. If -possible, turn the bottle every five minutes. In twenty-five minutes -from the time it is put in the tub, it should be in perfect condition, -and should be served immediately. What I mean by perfect condition is, -that when the wine is poured from the bottle, it should contain little -flakes of ice; that is a real _frappé_. - -It is often a mistake to _frappé_, for it takes both flavor and body -from the wine, and none but a very rich, fruity wine should ever be -_frappéd_. My theory is that for ordinary cooling of wine, it is not -necessary to use salt, unless you are in a hurry. The salt intensifies -the cold and makes it act more quickly. You get a speedier result. I -should simply use above formula, omitting the salt. Champagne should not -be left in a refrigerator for several hours before being served, as it -takes away its freshness. In serving it, for one who likes it cold, the -wine should be cooled sufficiently to form a bead on the outside of the -glass into which it is poured. It is pretty, and the perfection of -condition. - -In regard to champagne of excellent years, we begin with 1857, as there -were no first-rate vintages of this wine between 1846 and 1857. The -great years were: 1834, 1846, 1857, 1858, 1861, 1862, 1865, 1868, 1870, -1872, and 1874, the last exceptionally fine and keeping well; 1878, -1880, and 1884, fine wines; 1885 is fair, but not to be classed with the -1884. The Romans noted the years of the celebrated growths of their -wines, marked them on their wine vessels, when Rome was a Republic, with -the Consul’s name, which indicated the vintage. A celebrated vintage was -that of the year 632, when Opimius was Consul. It was in high esteem a -century afterwards. - -In clarets, we also make a mistake; we cling to them when by age they -become too thin and watery. One fills up one’s wine cellar with claret, -and then tenaciously holds it, until it frequently loses the fine -characteristics of a first-class wine. The clarets of 1854 promised very -great things, but were certainly a failure in Latour, and in some of -the other wines of that year; 1857, 1858, 1881, some were good. The -claret of 1865 was an extravagant wine, but developed a good deal of -acidity, and is not to-day held in very high esteem, but I have tasted -some perfect of that year. 1868 promised much, but has not turned out as -good as was expected. 1869 sold at very low prices, but has become the -best wine of very recent years. 1870 was a very big, full-bodied wine; -it is now very good. Of 1871, some of them are excellent (as Haut Brion, -Lafitte, Latour). The 1874’s were very good, Latour the best; 1875 was -very good; 1877, quite good; 1878, very good; 1879, only moderate; 1880, -light and delicate, quite good; 1881, big wines, very promising; 1884 -promised well, and 1887 promised to be great wines. I do not think it is -easy to be certain of Bordeaux wines until they have been in bottles -some years. A wine which while in the wood may be excellent, may not -ripen the right sort of way in bottles and prove disappointing. Decant -all your clarets before serving them, even your _vin ordinaire_. If at a -dinner you give both Burgundy and claret, give your finest claret with -the roast, your Burgundy with the cheese. Stand up both wines the -morning of the dinner, and in decanting, hold the decanter in your left -hand, and let the wine first pour against the inside of the neck of the -decanter, so as to break its fall. With Burgundy, the Clos Vougeots have -run out. The insect has destroyed them. The Chambertins or Romanée -Conti, when you give them to those who can appreciate fine wines, have a -telling effect. - -Table sherries should be decanted and put in the refrigerator one hour -before dinner. Personally, as a table sherry I prefer to drink the new, -light, delicate sherries, as they come from Spain, directly from the -wood, before they are darkened by being kept in glass, and before all -the water, that is always in them, has disappeared. This is the taste of -the Spanish people themselves. They drink them from the wood. - -There is no need of having a large cellar of wine in this country, for -we Americans are such Arabs, that we are never contented to stay quietly -at home and enjoy our country, and our own perfect climate. No sooner -have we built a charming residence, including a wine cellar, than we -must needs dash off to Europe, to see what the Prince of Wales is doing, -so that literally a New Yorker does not live in his New York residence, -at most, more than four or five months in the year. In the other seven -or eight, his servants have ample time to leisurely drink up the wine in -his cellar, bottle by bottle; therefore, I advise against laying in any -large supply of wine. Your wine merchant will always supply you with all -wines excepting _old clarets_; these you must have a stock of; and, as -servants do not take to claret, you are comparatively safe in hoarding -up a good lot of it. Your old champagnes you can order from London, i.e. -a winter’s supply, every year, for as they say it will not keep in this -climate, you must do so to get it of any age. When sherry becomes old -and has been kept some time in glass, they then drink it in Spain as a -_liqueur_. - -If you cannot get hold of the best, the very best and finest old -Madeira, give up that wine and take to sherry. I have seen sherry that -could not be distinguished from Madeira by experts. Again, I have seen a -superb sherry bring a hundred dollars a dozen. The most perfect sherry I -ever drank was the “Forsyth sherry,” given to Vice-President Forsyth by -the Queen of Spain, when he was the American Minister at her Court. I -give during dinner a light, delicate, dry Montilla sherry. At dessert, -with and after fruit, a fine Amontillado. - - - - -DINNERS. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - - _Assigning Guests at Dinner--The Boston fashion dying out--The - approved Manner--Going in to Dinner--Time to be spent at - table--Table Decoration--Too many flowers in bad taste--Simplicity - the best style--Queen Victoria’s table--Her Dinner served at 8:15, - but she eats her best meal at_ 2 P.M.--_Being late at Dinner a - breach of good Manners--A Dinner acceptance a sacred Obligation--A - Visite de digestion._ - - -The Boston fashion adopted here for years, of one’s finding, on entering -the house in which he was to dine, a small envelope on a silver salver -in which was inclosed a card bearing on it the name of the lady assigned -to him to take in to dinner, though still in use, is, however, going out -of fashion. We are returning to the old habit of assigning the guests in -the drawing-room. - -In going in to dinner, there is but one rule to be observed. The lady of -the house in almost every case goes in last, all her guests preceding -her, with this exception, that if the President of the United States -dines with you, or Royalty, he takes in the lady of the house, preceding -all of the guests. When no ladies are present, the host should ask the -most distinguished guest, or the person to whom the dinner is given, to -lead the way in to dinner, and he should follow all the guests. The -cards on the plates indicate his place to each one. By gesture alone, -the host directs his guests to the dining-room, saying aloud to the most -distinguished guest, “Will you kindly take the seat on my right?” - -The placing of your guests at table requires an intimate knowledge of -society. It is only by constant association that you can know who are -congenial. If you are assigned to one you are indifferent to, your only -hope lies in your next neighbor; and with this hope and fear you enter -the dining-room, not knowing who that will be. At the table conversation -should be crisp; it is in bad taste to absorb it all. Macaulay, at a -dinner, would so monopolize it that the great wit, Sydney Smith, said he -did not distinguish between monologue and dialogue. - -When the President of the United States goes to a dinner, all the guests -must be assembled; they stand in a horseshoe circle around the _salon_; -the President enters; when the lady of the house approaches him, he -gives her his arm, and they lead the way to the dining-room, the -President sitting in the host’s place, with his hostess on his right. On -arriving at the house where he is to dine, if the guests are not all -assembled, he remains in his carriage until he is notified that they are -all present. No one can rise to leave the table until the President -himself rises. If he happens to be deeply interested in some fair -neighbor, and takes no note of time, the patience of the company is -sadly tried. - -On entering a _salon_ and finding yourself surrounded by noted or -fashionable people, you are naturally flattered at being included; if -the people are unnoted, you are annoyed. The surprise to me is that in -this city our cleverest men and politicians do not oftener seek society -and become its brilliant ornaments, as in England and on the Continent -of Europe. Disraeli, Mr. Gladstone, Lord Palmerston, all were in society -and were great diners out. In fact, all the distinguished men of Europe -make part and parcel of society; whilst here, they shirk it as if it -were beneath their dignity. They should know that there is no power like -the social power; it makes and unmakes. The proverb is that, “The way to -a man’s heart is through the stomach.” - -Now as to the length of a good dinner. Napoleon the Third insisted on -being served in three-quarters of an hour. As usual here we run from one -extreme to another. One of our most fashionable women boasted to me that -she had dined out the day before, and the time consumed from the hour -she left her house, until her return home, was but one hour and forty -minutes. This is absurd. A lover of the flesh pots of Egypt grumbled to -me that his plate was snatched away from him by the servant before he -could half get through the appetizing morsel on it. This state of things -has been brought about by stately, handsome dinners, spun out to too -great length. One hour and a half at the table is long enough. - -A word about the decoration of the table. In this we are now again -running from one extreme to the other. A few years ago, the florist took -possession of the table, and made a flower garden of it, regardless of -cost. Now, at the best dinners, you see perhaps in the centre of the -table one handsome basket of flowers; no _bouquets de corsage_ or -_boutonnières_; the table set with austere simplicity; a few silver -dishes with bonbons and _compotiers_ of fruit, that is all. Now, -nothing decorates a dinner table as flowers do, and of these I think the -_Gloire de Paris_ roses, the Rothschild rose, and Captain Chrystie’s the -most effective. A better result is produced by having all of one kind of -flower, be it roses, or tulips, or carnations. - -It is now the fashion to have the most superb embroidered table-cloths -from Paris, in themselves costing nearly a year’s income. But it is to -be remembered that thirty years ago we imported from England the fashion -of placing in the centre of the table a handsome piece of square scarlet -satin, on which to place the silver. At the dinner the eye should have a -feast as well as the palate. A beautifully laid table is very effective. -I have seen Her Majesty’s table at Windsor Castle all ready for her. I -have heard her footmen, in green and gold, re-echo from hall to kitchen -the note that “dinner is served,” and then I was told to go; but I saw -all I wanted to see. Her six footmen placed their hands on the little -velvet Bishop’s cap, which covered the lion and the unicorn in frosted -gold on the cover of her six _entrée_ dishes; as dinner was announced, -this velvet cap was removed. The keeper of her jewel room has a large -book of lithographs of just the pieces of gold plate that are to -decorate Her Majesty’s table on different occasions, all regulated by -the rank of her guest. Her Majesty, in the time of Prince Albert, dined -at 8:15. Her head _chef_ informed me then that her real dinner was eaten -at 2 P.M., with the Prince of Wales, and it was for this he exercised -his talent. At eight and a quarter she took but soup and fish. - -It is to be borne in mind that a host or hostess cannot be too courteous -or gracious to their guests; and again, that guests in being late at -dinner oftentimes commit a breach of politeness. Apropos of this, whilst -in Paris one of our Ministers to the French Court related to me the -following anecdote, illustrating true French politeness. His daughter -arrived late at the dinner of a high personage. When her father -remonstrated, she replied, “Did you not see that one of the family -arrived after us?” The next day our Minister heard that the Duchess, -with whom he had dined, had sent her daughter out of the room to come in -after them, to relieve them of any embarrassment at being late. - -Another point has had some discussion. At a large dinner, where the only -lady is the hostess, should she rise and receive each guest? This is -still a vexed question. Again, at a large dinner of men, is it incumbent -on every one present to rise on the entrance of each guest? On one -occasion I failed myself to do this, not thinking it necessary. The -distinguished man who entered said afterwards that I had “slighted him.” -It was certainly unintentional. In a small room, if all get up, it must -create confusion. - -If you intend to decline an invitation to dinner, do so at as early a -date as possible. A dinner invitation, once accepted, is a sacred -obligation. If you die before the dinner takes place, your executor must -attend the dinner. (This is not to be taken literally, but to illustrate -the obligation.) The person to whom the dinner is given takes in the -hostess, if she is present, going in first with her; that is, if it is -only men (no ladies present but the hostess). Should there be ladies, he -still takes in the hostess, but then follows all the guests; going in -with the hostess after all the guests. The only exception to this rule -is where the President of the United States, or Royalty dines with you. - -In England, in the note of invitation to dinner, you are never asked _to -meet any one_ but Royalty. The distinction of rank makes the reason for -this obvious. If Royalty dines with you, at the top of the note of -invitation, in the left hand corner, it is written: “To meet His Royal -Highness,” or other Royalty. Our custom is otherwise. It is to invite -you to meet Mr. Robinson, or Mrs. Robinson, or Mr. and Mrs. Robinson. -This is accepted and approved by all in this country, for in this way -you are privileged to invite, at a day’s notice, any number of guests; -for one sees it is to meet a stranger, temporarily here; a sufficient -reason for so short a notice to a large dinner; besides which you have -it in your power to pay the stranger or strangers a compliment in a -pointed way, by making them or him the honored guest of that dinner. - -If you propose accepting, your note of acceptance should be sent the day -after the invitation has been received. After dining at a ladies’ dinner -it is obligatory that you leave your card at the house where you have -dined, either the next day or within a day or two. This is called, by -the French, a _visite de digestion_. In England, this custom is dying -out, for men have not the time to do it. - -I would here compare society to a series of intersecting circles; each -one is a circle of its own, and they all unite in making what is known -as general society. Meeting people at a large ball is no evidence of -their being received in the smaller circles. What the French call the -_petit comité_ of good society is the inmost circle of all, but, -naturally, it is confined to a very few. Meeting a person constantly at -dinner, at the most exclusive houses, should be sufficient evidence to -you that he or she is received everywhere, and if you find people -persistently excluded from the best houses at dinners, you may be -satisfied that there is some good reason for it. - -When you introduce a man into the sanctuary of your own family, it is -supposed by a fiction to be the greatest compliment you can pay him; but -do not be misled by this, for there is nothing more trying to the guest -than to be the one outsider. A friend of mine invariably refuses such -invitations. “Why,” said he, “my dinner at home is sufficiently good; I -am called out with my wife,--both of us compelled to don our best -attire, order the carriage, and go to see and be with, whom? A family -whose members are not particularly interesting to us.” Men with whom you -are only on a business footing you should dine at your Club, and not -inflict them on your family. - - - - -COOKS AND CATERING. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - - _Some practical Questions answered--Difference between Men and - Women Cooks--Swedish Women the cleanest and most economical--My - bills with a Chef--My bills with a Woman Cook--Hints on - Marketing--I have done my own Buying for forty years--Mme. - Rothschild personally supervises her famous Dinners--Menu of an - old-fashioned Southern Dinner--Success of an Impromptu Banquet._ - - -Twenty years ago there were not over three _chefs_ in private families -in this city. It is now the exception not to find a man of fashion -keeping a first-class _chef_ or a famous _cordon bleu_. In the last six -years Swedish women cooks have come over here, and are excellent, and by -some supposed to be better than _chefs_. No woman, in my opinion, can -give as finished a dinner as a man. There is always a something in the -dinner which has escaped her. It is like German and Italian -opera,--there is a finish to the Italian that the Germans can never get. -But Swedish cooks deserve special mention; they are really -wonderful--cleanliness itself. That is where the French _chef_ fails. He -must have scullions tracking his very footsteps to keep things clean, -while the Swedish woman does her work without making dirt. These women -get nearly as large wages as the men,--sixty dollars a month and a -scullion maid. What a contrast to living in France! I had the best -_chef_ in Pau in 1856 for twenty-five dollars, and the scullion received -three dollars a month. - -The question is often asked, What is the difference in expense to a -household between a _chef_ or a woman cook? This question is only -learned by experience, which teaches me that with a woman, my butcher’s -bill would be $250 to $275 a month; with a _chef_, $450 to $500. -Grocer’s bill, with woman cook, say, $75; with a _chef_, $125. This does -not include entertaining. For a dinner of twelve or fourteen one’s -marketing is easily sixty dollars, without the _foie gras_ or fruit. An -A1 _chef_’s wages is $100 a month; he takes ten per cent. commission on -the butcher, grocer, baker, and milkman’s bill. If he does not get it -directly, he gets it indirectly. In other words, besides his wages, he -counts on these commissions. I speak now of the ablest and best; others -not quite so capable take five per cent. - -Always remember that the Frenchman is a creature of impulses, and works -for two things, glory and money. An everyday dinner wearies him, but a -dinner _privé_, a special dinner, oh, this calls forth his talent, which -shows that the custom some have of calling in and employing a _chef_ to -cook them a special dinner is correct. If you do not keep a _chef_ out -of respect for your purse or your health, it is a good plan to know of -an “artist” whom you can employ on special occasions, with the express -agreement that he submits the list of what he wants, and lets you make -the purchases, for these gentry like to make a little _economie_, which -always benefits themselves, and such _economie_ gives you poor material -for him to work upon, instead of good. - -How often have I heard a hostess boast, “I never give any attention to -the details of my dinner, I simply tell my butler how many people we are -to have.” In nine cases out of ten this is apparent in the dinner. -Madame Rothschild, who has always given the best dinners in Paris, -personally supervises everything. The great Duchess of Sutherland, the -Queen’s friend, when she entertained, inspected every arrangement -personally herself. I daily comment to my cook on the performance of the -previous day. No one, especially in this country, can accomplish great -results without giving time and attention to these details. No French -cook will take any interest in his work unless he receives praise and -criticism; but above all things, you must know how to criticise. If he -finds you are able to appreciate his work when good, and condemn it when -bad, he improves, and gives you something of value. - -Now let us treat of dinners as given before the introduction of _chefs_, -and still preferred by the majority of people. - -The best talent with poor material may give a fair dinner, but if the -material is poor, the dinner will evidence it. For forty years I have -always marketed myself and secured the respect of my butcher, letting -him know that I knew as much if not more than he did. - -In selecting your shin of beef, remember that a fresh shin is always the -best for soup. In choosing fish, look at their gills, which should be a -bright red. - -See your _filet_ cut with the fat well marbled, cut from young beef. -Sweetbreads come in pairs; one fine, one inferior. Pay an extra price, -and get your butcher to cut them apart and give you only the two large -heart breads, leaving to him the two thin throat breads to sell at a -reduced price. - -In poultry there are two kinds of fat, yellow and white. Fowls fed on -rice have white fat; those on corn meal, yellow fat. By the feet of the -bird, you can tell its age. - -The black and red feathered fowls are always preferred. Never take a -gray feathered bird. - -Look at the head of the canvasback and the redhead; see them together, -and then you will readily see the birds to pick, i.e. the canvasback. -Weigh in your hand each snipe or woodcock; the weight will tell you if -the bird is fat and plump. - -In buying terrapin, look at each one, and see if they are the simon-pure -diamond back Chesapeakes. - -In choosing your saddle of mutton, take the short-legged ones, the meat -coming well down the leg, nearly reaching the foot; a short, thick, -stubby little tail; must have the look of the pure Southdown, with -black legs and feet. - -Of hothouse grapes, I find the large white grapes the best, Muscats of -Alexandria. - -Parch and grind your coffee the day you drink it. Always buy green -coffee. - -Never use the small _timbales_ of _pâté de foie gras_, generally given -one to each guest. Always have an entire _foie gras_, be it large or -small, for in this way you are apt to get old _foie gras_ thus worked -up. - -Always buy your _foie gras_ from an A1 house, never from the butcher or -fruiterer. - -I here give as a recollection of the past the - - Menu of an Old-fashioned Southern Dinner. - - Terrapin Soup and Oyster Soup, Or Mock Turtle Soup, - Soft Shell Or Cylindrical Nose Turtle.[a] - - Boiled Fresh Water Trout (Known With Us at the North - As Chub). - - Shad Stuffed and Baked (We Broil It). - Boiled Turkey, Oyster Sauce. a Roast Peahen. - Boiled Southern Ham. - Escalloped Oysters. Maccaroni With Cheese. Prawn Pie. - Crabs Stuffed in Shell. - Roast Ducks. a Haunch of Venison. - - _dessert._ - Plum Pudding. Mince Pies. Trifle. Floating Island. - Blanc Mange. Jelly. - Ice Cream. - - [A] This turtle is only found in the ditches of the rice fields, - and is the most valued delicacy of the South. It is too delicate to - transport to the North. I have made several attempts to do this, but - invariably failed, the turtle dying before it could reach New York. - Its shell is gelatinous, all of which is used in the soup. It is only - caught in July and August, and even then it is very rare, and brings a - high price. - -On repeatedly visiting the West Indies, I found that two of the best -Carolina and Georgia dishes, supposed always to have emanated from the -African brain, were imported from these islands, and really had not even -their origin there, but were brought from Bordeaux to the West Indies, -and thence were carried to the South. I refer to the _Crab à la Creole_, -and _Les Aubergines farcies à la Bordelaise_. - -After the great revolution, when the Africans of Hayti drove from the -island their former masters, good French cooking came with them to -Baltimore, and other parts of the South. In talking of Southern dishes, -I must not forget the Southern barnyard-fed turkey. They were fattened -on small rice and were very fine. In discussing Southern dinners, I -cannot omit making mention of the old Southern butler, quite an -institution; devoted to his master, and taking as much pride in the -family as the family took in itself. Among Southern household servants -(all colored people), the man bore two names as well as the woman. The -one he answered to as servant, the other was his title. Whenever, as a -boy, I wanted particularly to gratify my father’s old butler, I would -give him his title, which was “Major Brown.” He was commonly called Nat. -I remember, on one occasion, a guest at my father’s table asking Major -Brown to hand him the rice, whilst he was eating fish. The old -gray-haired butler drew himself up with great dignity, and replied, -“Massa, we don’t eat rice with fish in this house.” - -Some features of the everyday Southern dinner were _pilau_, i.e. boiled -chickens on a bed of rice, with a large piece of bacon between the -chickens; “Hoppin John,” that is, cowpeas with bacon; okra soup, a -staple dish; shrimp and prawn pie; crab salad; pompey head (a stuffed -_filet_ of veal); roast quail and snipe, and, during the winter, shad -daily, boiled, broiled and baked. - -As there is reciprocity in everything, if you dine with others, they, in -turn, must dine with you. Passing several winters at Nassau, N.P., I -dined twice a week, regularly, with the Governor of the Bahamas. I -suggested to him the propriety of my giving him a dinner. He smiled, and -said: - -“My dear fellow, I represent Her Majesty; I cannot, in this town, dine -out of my own house.” - -“Egad!” said I, “then dine with me in the country!” - -“That will do,” he replied; “but how will you, as a stranger, get up a -dinner in this land, where it is a daily struggle to get food?” - -“Leave that to me,” I said. The Governor’s accepting this invitation, -recalled a story my father oft related, which caused me some anxiety as -to the expense of my undertaking. A distinguished man with whom he was -associated at the bar was sent as our Minister to Russia; when he -returned home, my father interviewed him as to his Russian experience. -He said, that after being repeatedly entertained by the royal family, he -felt that it was incumbent on him, in turn, to entertain them himself; -so he approached the Emperor’s grand Chamberlain and expressed this -wish, who at once accepted an invitation to breakfast for the whole -Imperial family. “McAllister,” he said, “I gave that breakfast; I was -charmed with its success, but my dear man, it took my entire fortune to -pay for it. I have been a poor man ever since.” - -Having this party on hand, I went to the _chef_ of the hotel, -interviewed him, found he had been at one time the head cook of the New -York Hotel in this city; so I felt safe in his hands. I went to work and -made out a list of all the French dishes that could be successfully -rechaufféd. Such as _côtelettes de mouton en papillotte_, _vol au vent à -la financière_, _boudins de volaille à la Richelieu_, _timbales de riz -de veau_, _et quenelle de volaille_; a boiled Yorkshire ham, easily -heated over, to cook which properly it must be simmered from six to -seven hours until you can turn the bone; then lay it aside twelve hours -to cool; then put it in an oven, and constantly baste it with a pint of -cider. It must be served hot, even after being cut. The oftener it is -placed in the oven and heated the better it becomes. Thus cooked, they -have been by one of my friends hermetically sealed in a tin case and -sent to several distinguished men in England, who have found them a -great delicacy. - -I then hired for the day for $20 a shut-up country place; got plenty of -English bunting, quantities of flowers; saw that my champagne was of the -best and well _frappéd_; made a speech to the waiters and cook, urging -them to show these Britishers what the Yankee could do when put to his -stumps; and then with a long cavalcade of cooks, waiters, pots, and -pans, heading the procession myself, went off to my orange-grove -retreat, some five miles from Nassau, made my men work like beavers, and -awaited the arrival of my sixty English guests, who were coming to see -the American _fiasco_ in the way of a country dinner and _fête_. In they -came, and great was their surprise when they beheld a table for sixty -people, _pièces montés_ of confectionery, flowers, wines all nicely -decanted, and a really good French dinner, at once served to them. I -only relate this to show that where there is a will there is a way, and -that you can so work upon a French cook’s vanity that he will, on a -spurt like this, outdo himself. - -Marvelous to relate, the _chef_ positively refused to be recompensed. - -“No, sir,” he replied; “I am well off; I wish no pay. Monsieur has -appreciated my efforts. Monsieur knows when things are well done. He has -made a great success. All the darkies on this island could not have -cooked that dinner. I am satisfied.” - -I was so pleased with the fellow, that when he broke down in health he -came to me, and I had him as my cook two Newport summers. I kept him -alive by giving him old Jamaica rum and milk fresh from the cow, taken -before his breakfast,--an old Southern remedy for consumption. - -Some of his remarks on Nassau are worthy of repeating. I said to him, -“_Chef_, why don’t they raise vegetables on this fruitful island? Why -bring them all from New York?” - -“Monsieur,” he replied, “here you sow your seed at night, by midnight it -is ripe and fit to cook; by morning it has gone to seed. The same way -with sheep. You bring a flock of sheep here, with fine fleeces of wool; -in a few months they are goats, and not wool enough on them to plug your -ears.” - - - - -BALLS. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - - _The “Banner Ball”--How to prepare a Ball-room Floor--A curious - Costume and a sharp Answer--The Turkish Ball--Indisposition of - ladies to dance at a Public Ball--The Yorktown Centennial - Ball--Committees are Ungrateful--My Experience in this Matter--I - discover Mr. Blaine and introduce Myself._ - - -In 1876, asked by a committee of eighty-two ladies to act as Manager of -a ball they were getting up at Chickering Hall, in aid of the -“Centennial Union,” to be called the “Banner Ball,” I accepted their -flattering invitation to lead so fair a band of patriots. - -On examining the premises, I found that on a new floor they had put a -heavy coat of varnish; there was nothing _then_ to be done but to -sprinkle it thickly with corn meal, and then sweep it off, and renew the -dressing from time to time. It is well to say here that if a floor is -too slippery (which it often is, if hard wood is used and it is new), -there is nothing to be done but to sprinkle it with powdered -pumice-stone, sweeping it off before dancing on it; and again, if it is -not slippery enough, then, as above, give it repeated doses of corn -meal, and the roughest floor is soon put in good condition to dance on. - -The opening quadrille of this ball was very effective. We formed in the -second story of the Hall. I led the way to the ball-room with the -“fairest of the fair,” the daughter of one of the most distinguished men -in this country (who had not only been Governor of this State, but -Secretary of State of the United States). We were surrounded by a noble -throng of old New Yorkers, all eager to view the opening quadrille. The -ladies were in Colonial costumes, representing Lady Washington and the -ladies of her court. As I walked through the crowded rooms, having on my -arm one of our brilliant society women, “a flower which was not quite a -flower, yet was no more a bud,” we met approaching us a lady in indeed -gorgeous apparel--so gorgeous, that the lady on my arm at once accosted -her with, “Good gracious, my dear Mrs. B----, what have you got on? Let -me look at you.” Her head was a mass of the most superb ostrich plumes, -Prince of Wales feathers, which towered above her, and as she advanced -would bend gracefully forward, nodding to you, as it were, to approach -and do her honor. Her dress, neck, and shoulders were ablaze with jewels -and precious stones, and in her hand she carried an old Spanish fan, -such as a queen might envy. The following reply to the query came from -this royal dame: “What have I got on? Why, Madame, I had a grandmother!” -“Had you, indeed! Then, if that was her garb, she must have been -Pocahontas, or the Empress of Morocco!” The war of words beginning to be -a little sharp, I pressed on, only to meet another famous lady, whose -birthplace was Philadelphia, and who had had no end of grandmothers. She -wore a superb dress of scarlet and gold, tight-fitting, such as was worn -during the Empire. Another young woman wore her great-grandmother’s -dress, pink and brown striped brocade, cut like Martha Washington’s -dress in the Republican Court, in which her great grandmother figured. -The wife of a prominent jurist, a remarkably handsome woman, with a -grand presence and a noble carriage, representing Lady Washington, wore, -to all eyes, the most attractive costume there. - -During the winter of 1877, a Southern woman of warm sympathies, great -taste, and natural ability, having married a young man of colossal -fortune, was urged to take in hand the cause of the wounded Christians -in the Russian-Turkish War, and raise funds to send to their relief. To -do this, she formed the “Society of the Crescent and the Cross,” and a -ball was given under her auspices at the Academy of Music, remembered -in society as the “Turkish Ball.” - -This lady did me the honor of making me the Chairman of the Floor -Committee of that ball. Consulting with her, we selected the members of -the opening quadrille, and took good care to choose the most brilliant -women in this city. My partner was one of the greatest belles New York -has ever had, a woman of such air and distinction, such beauty of face -and charm of manner, as we read of, but rarely see. - -Our quadrille, formed on the stage of this large opera house, with the -guests of the ball filling the galleries and looking down on it, was no -sooner over than I found we were in this dilemma: Our little quadrille -was left in full possession of the vast auditorium, and the question -was, how to get the people to leave the boxes and come down to us. It -was not in any way a full ball, and as the ladies who had danced in the -quadrille at once retired to their boxes, they left me, as it were, -sole occupant of the dancing floor. However, I rushed around and here -and there collected dancing men, and succeeded in getting a respectable -number on the floor, and infused spirit into the dancing. - -The trouble in such cases is the indisposition of ladies to dance at a -public ball, other than in an opening quadrille. The ball, however, went -merrily on to a late hour. - -A few years later, I was asked to be one of the Floor Committee of the -ball to be given to the distinguished French and German officers who -came over to join in our celebration of the Centennial of the Battle of -Yorktown. This was the invitation: - - _Office of the French Reception Commission, Room 7, Fifth Avenue - Hotel, New York, 28th October, 1881._ - - _Dear Sir:_ - - _The Commissioners appointed by the Governor of the State to extend - its courtesies to the guests of the Nation, request that you will - act as one of the Floor Committee on the occasion of the Ball to - be given at the Metropolitan Casino, on the evening of November 7._ - - _An immediate answer will oblige_, - -_Yours very respectfully_, - -WILLIAM JAY, -_Chairman of the Ball Committee_. - - _To Ward McAllister, Esq._ - -Experience had taught me never to go on a committee in any social matter -unless the committee was formed by myself, or made up of personal -friends on whom I could rely, and who would second and support me in my -work; for I well knew that it requires hard head-work and hand-work to -carry through to success any social project. Sometimes it happens--it -has often happened to me--that you have men on a committee with you who -are wofully ignorant of the work they have undertaken to superintend, -who in one breath tell you “I know nothing about this business,” and in -the next criticise, discuss, and deluge you with useless and worthless -suggestions, and then, when they find they themselves can do nothing -turn the whole matter over to you and tell you to “go ahead.” You do go -ahead and do their work, and then, when they find it is effectual, and -they see your efforts will be crowned with success, they quietly come in -and appropriate the credit of it. - -However, on this occasion I agreed to act, as my duties were confined to -forming the opening quadrille, and taking charge of the dancing. Picture -to yourself a huge hall, one mass of human beings awaiting the opening -of the ball, impatient of delay, anxious to dash off into the waltz, -tempted by the inspiriting strains coming from a perfect band of one -hundred well-trained musicians. Then, at one end of this vast hall, a -stage filled with ladies in brilliant costumes, and foreign officers all -in uniform; the Governor of the State, the Mayor of the City, and the -chairmen of the various Yorktown committees; then your humble servant as -one of the Floor Committee, flitting from one group to another, -instructing each of them what they were to do. The position was indeed -droll. I stood behind the Governor, who was to all outward appearances -conversing with General Boulanger, but was literally squeezing my hand -and asking me what he was to do. One distinguished German general -promptly said, “I go it blind! I will simply do what the others do.” -These were the forces I had to marshal and put through a quadrille. I -dodged from one to the other and called out the figures, and breathed a -sigh of relief when the dance was concluded. - -Looking around the galleries and scanning all the distinguished people, -my eye lit upon a wonderfully bright and intelligent face. Inwardly I -said, “There is a man among men. Who can it be?” My curiosity was so -aroused that I went into his box, introduced myself to him as one of the -Floor Committee, and said, “I have never seen you before; I know you are -a distinguished man. Pray who are you?” Laughingly, he replied, “I am -James G. Blaine.” “Well,” I said, “my instincts have not failed me this -time. I have heard and read of you for years. Now I see your genius in -your face.” Beauty in woman, genius in man, happily I never fail to -discover. - -The invitation to this ball was as follows: - - [Coat of Arms of the State of New York.] - - _BALL._ - - _The Commissioners appointed by the State of New York request the - honor of your presence to meet the Guests of the Nation at the - Metropolitan Casino on the evening of Monday, November 7, at ten - o’clock._ - - _New York, 19th of October, 1881._ - -Some of the distinguished guests of the Nation were M. Max Outrey, -Ministre Plenipotentiare de la France aux Etats-Unis, M. le Marquis de -Rochambeau, General Boulanger, le Comte de Beaumont, and le Comte de -Corcelle, representing the Lafayettes, and Colonel A. von Steuben, -representing the family of Major-General von Steuben. - - - - -FAMOUS NEWPORT BALLS. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - - _A Famous Newport Ball--Exquisite effect produced by blocks of Ice - and Electric Lights--The Japanese room--Corners for “Flirtation - couples”--A superb Supper--Secretary Frelinghuysen in the - Barber-shop--I meet Attorney-General Brewster--A Remarkable Man--I - entertain him at Newport--A young Admirer gives him a Banquet in - New York--Transformation of the Banquet-hall into a Ball-room._ - - -The next great event in the fashionable world was a Newport ball. A lady -who had married a man of cultivation and taste, a member of one of New -York’s oldest families, who had inherited from her father an enormous -fortune, was at once seized with the ambition to take and hold a -brilliant social position, to gratify which she built one of the -handsomest houses in this city, importing interiors from Europe for it, -and such old Spanish tapestries as had never before been introduced into -New York; after which she went to Newport, and bought a beautiful villa -on Bellevue Avenue, and there gave, in the grounds of that villa, the -handsomest ball that had ever been given there. The villa itself was -only used to receive and sup the guests in, for a huge tent, capable of -holding fifteen hundred people, had been spread over the entire villa -grounds, and in it was built a platform for dancing. The approaches to -this tent were admirably designed, and produced a great effect. On -entering the villa itself, you were received by the hostess, and then -directed by liveried servants to the two improvised _salons_ of the -tent. The one you first entered was the Japanese room, adorned by every -conceivable kind of old Japanese objects of art, couches, hangings of -embroideries, cunning cane houses, all illuminated with Japanese -lanterns, and the ceiling canopied with Japanese stuffs, producing, with -its soft reddish light, a charming effect; then, behind tables -scattered in different parts of the room, stood Japanese boys in -costume, serving fragrant tea. Every possible couch, lounge, and -easy-chair was there to invite you to sit and indulge yourself in ease -and repose. - -Leaving this ante-room, you entered still another _salon_, adorned with -modern and Parisian furniture, but furnished with cunningly devised -corners and nooks for “flirtation couples”; and from this you were -ushered into the gorgeous ball-room itself,--an immense open tent, whose -ceiling and sides were composed of broad stripes of white and scarlet -bunting; then, for the first time at a ball in this country, the -electric light was introduced, with brilliant effect. Two grottos of -immense blocks of ice stood on either side of the ball-room, and a -powerful jet of light was thrown through each of them, causing the ice -to resemble the prisms of an illuminated cavern, and fairly to dazzle -one with their coloring. Then as the blocks of ice would melt, they -would tumble over each other in charming glacier-like confusion, giving -you winter in the lap of summer; for every species of plant stood around -this immense floor, as a flowering border, creeping quite up to these -little improvised glaciers. The light was thrown and spread by these two -powerful jets, sufficiently strong to give a brilliant illumination to -the ball-room. The only criticism possible was, that it made deep -shadows. - -All Newport was present to give brilliancy to the scene. Everything was -to be European, so one supped at small tables as at a ball in Paris, all -through the night. Supper was ready at the opening of the ball, and also -as complete and as well served at the finish, by daylight. Newport had -never seen before, and has never since seen, anything as dazzling and -brilliant, as well conceived, and as well carried out, in every detail. - -Desirous of obtaining an office from the administration of President -Arthur, I went to Washington with letters to the President and his -Attorney-General. On my arrival, depositing my luggage in my room at -Willard’s, I descended to the modest little barber-shop of that hotel, -and there, in the hands of a colored barber, I saw our distinguished -Secretary of State, the Hon. Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, who, on -catching sight of me, exclaimed: - -“Halloa, my friend! what brings you here?” He had for years been my -lawyer in New Jersey. - -I replied: “I want an office.” - -“Well, what office?” - -I told him what I wanted. - -“I hope you do not expect me to get it for you!” he exclaimed. - -“Not exactly,” I answered. “My man is the Attorney-General, and I want -you to tell me where I can find him.” - -“Find him! why, that’s easy enough; there is not another such man in -Washington. Where do you dine?” - -“Here in this house, at seven.” - -“He dines here at the same hour. All you have to do is to look about you -then, and when you see an old-fashioned, courtly gentleman of the -Benjamin Franklin style, you will see Brewster,” said Mr. Frelinghuysen. - -While quietly taking my soup, I saw an apparition! In walked a stately, -handsome woman, by her side an old-fashioned, courtly gentleman, in a -black velvet sack coat, ruffled shirt, and ruffled wristbands, -accompanied by a small boy, evidently their son. “There he is,” I said -to myself. Now, I make it a rule never to disturb any one until they -have taken off the edge of their appetite. I stealthily viewed the man -on whom my hopes hinged. Remarkable to look at he was. A thoroughly -well-dressed man, with the unmistakable air of a gentleman and a man of -culture. As he spoke he gesticulated, and even with his family, he -seemingly kept up the liveliest of conversations. No sooner had he -reached his coffee, than I reached him. In five minutes I was as much at -home with him as if I had known him for five years. - -“Well, my dear sir,” he said, “what made you go first to Frelinghuysen? -Why did you not come at once to me? I know all about you; my friends are -your friends. I know what you want. The office you wish, I will see that -you get. Our good President will sanction what I do. The office is -yours. Say no more about it.” From that hour this glorious old man and -myself were sworn friends; I was here simply carrying out the axiom to -keep one’s friendships in repair; and, as he had done so much for me, I -resolved, in turn, to do all I could for him, and I know I made the -evening of his life, at least, one of pleasurable and quiet enjoyment. -He came to me that summer at Newport, and the life he there led among -fashionable people seemed to be a new awakening to him of cultivated and -refined enjoyment. He found himself among people there who appreciated -his well-stored mind and his great learning. He was the brightest and -best conversationalist I have ever met with. His memory was marvelous; -every little incident of everyday life would bring forth some poetical -illustrations from his mental storehouse. - -At a large dinner I gave him, to which I had invited General Hancock and -one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, the -question of precedence presented itself. I sent in the Judge before the -General, and being criticised for this, I appealed to the General -himself. “In Washington,” he said, “I have been sent in to dinner on -many occasions before our Supreme Court Judges, and again on other -occasions they have preceded me. There is no fixed rule; but I am -inclined to think I have precedence.” - -During this summer, a young friend of mine was so charmed with the -Attorney-General, that he advised with me about giving him an -exceptionally handsome entertainment. This idea took shape the following -winter, when he came and asked me to assist him in getting up for him a -superb banquet at Delmonico’s. He wanted the brilliant people of society -to be invited to it, and no pains or expense to be spared to make it the -affair of the winter. I felt that our distinguished citizen, the -ex-Secretary of State and ex-Governor, who had so long held political as -well as social power, and his wife, should be asked to preside over it, -and thus expressed myself to him, and was requested to ask them to do -so. I presented myself to this most affable and courtly lady in her -sunshiny drawing-room on Second Avenue, and proffered my request. She -graciously accepted the invitation, saying she well knew the gentleman -and his family as old New Yorkers; and to preside over a dinner given to -her old friend, Mr. Brewster, would really give her the greatest -pleasure. - -Great care was taken in the selection of the guests. New York sent to -this feast the brilliant men and women of that day, and the feast was -worthy of them. The “I” table (shape of letter I) was literally a garden -of superb roses; a border of heartsease, the width of one’s hand, -encircled it, and was most artistic. Delmonico’s ball-room, where we -dined, had never been so elaborately decorated. The mural decorations -were superb; placques of lilies of the valley, of tulips, and of azaleas -adorned the walls; and the dinner itself was pronounced the best effort -of Delmonico’s _chefs_. What added much to the general effect was on -leaving the table for a short half-hour to find the same dining-room, -in that short space of time, converted into a brilliant ball-room, all -full of the guests of the Patriarchs, and a ball under full headway. - - - - -AN ERA OF EXTRAVAGANCE. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - - _New Era in New York Society--Extravagance of Living--Grand Fancy - Dress Ball in Fifth Avenue--I go as the Lover of Margaret de - Valois--A Great Journalist at Newport--A British Officer rides into - a Club House--The great Journalist’s masked Ball--A mysterious Blue - Domino--Breakfast at Southwick’s Grove to the Duke of - Beaufort--Picnic given President Arthur--His hearty Enjoyment of - it--Governor Morgan misjudges my “Open Air Lunches.”--The Pleasure - of Country Frolics._ - - -We here reach a period when New York society turned over a new leaf. Up -to this time, for one to be worth a million of dollars was to be rated -as a man of fortune, but now, bygones must be bygones. New York’s ideas -as to values, when fortune was named, leaped boldly up to ten millions, -fifty millions, one hundred millions, and the necessities and luxuries -followed suit. One was no longer content with a dinner of a dozen or -more, to be served by a couple of servants. Fashion demanded that you be -received in the hall of the house in which you were to dine, by from -five to six servants, who, with the butler, were to serve the repast. -The butler, on such occasions, to do alone the head-work, and under him -he had these men in livery to serve the dinner, he to guide and direct -them. Soft strains of music were introduced between the courses, and in -some houses gold replaced silver in the way of plate, and everything -that skill and art could suggest was added to make the dinners not a -vulgar display, but a great gastronomic effort, evidencing the -possession by the host of both money and taste. - -The butler from getting a salary of $40 a month received then from $60 -to $75 a month. The second man jumped up from $20 to $35 and $40, and -the extra men, at the dinner of a dozen people or more, would cost $24. -Then the orchids, being the most costly of all flowers, were introduced -in profusion. The canvasback, that we could buy at $2.50 a pair, went -up to $8 a pair; the terrapin were $4 apiece. Our forefathers would have -been staggered at the cost of the hospitality of these days. - -Lady Mandeville came over to us at this epoch, and at once a superb -fancy ball was announced by one of our fashionable rich men. Every -artist in the city was set to work to design novel costumes--to produce -something in the way of a fancy dress that would make its wearer live -ever after in history. Determining not to be outdone, I went to a fair -dowager, who was up in all things; asked for and followed her advice. -“Mapleson is your man. Put yourself in his hands,” said she; so off I -went to him, and there I found myself, not only in his hands, but under -the inspection of a fine pair of female eyes, who sat by his side and -essayed to prompt him as to what my dress should be. - -“Why, man alive!” said she, “don’t you see he is a Huguenot all over, -an admirer of our sex. Put him in the guise of some woman’s lover.” - -“By Jove, you are right, my fair songster!” said Mapleson. “I’ll make -him the lover of Marguerite de Valois, who was guillotined at thirty-six -because he loved ‘not wisely, but too well.’ Pray, what is your age?” - -“Young enough, my dear sir, to suit your purpose. Go ahead, and make of -me what you will,” I replied. - -“Have you a good pair of legs?” - -“Aye, that I have! But at times they are a little groggy. Covering they -must have.” - -“Ah, my boy, we will fix you. Buckskin will do your business. With -tights of white chamois and silk hose, you can defy cold.” So into the -business I went; and when my good friend the Attorney-General came into -my room, and saw two sturdy fellows on either side of me holding up a -pair of leather trunks, I on a step-ladder, one mass of powder, -descending into them, an operation consuming an hour, he exclaimed, -“Why, my good sir, your pride should be in your legs, not your head!” - -“At present,” I said, “it certainly is.” - -The six quadrilles were really the event of the ball, consisting of “The -Hobby-horse Quadrille,” the men who danced in it being dressed in -“pink,” and the ladies wearing red hunting-coats and white satin skirts, -all of the period of Louis XIV. In the “Mother Goose Quadrille” were -“Jack and Jill,” “Little Red Riding-Hood,” “Bo-Peep,” “Goody Two-Shoes,” -“Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary,” and “My Pretty Maid.” The “Opera Bouffe -Quadrille” was most successful; but of all of them, “The Star -Quadrille,” containing the youth and beauty of the city, was the most -brilliant. The ladies in it were arrayed as twin stars, in four -different colors, yellow, blue, mauve, and white. Above the forehead of -each lady, in her hair, was worn an electric light, giving a fairy and -elf-like appearance to each of them. “The Dresden Quadrille,” in which -the ladies wore white satin, with powdered hair, and the gentlemen white -satin knee breeches and powdered wigs, with the Dresden mark, crossed -swords, on each of them, was effective. The hostess appeared as a -Venetian Princess, with a superb jeweled peacock in her hair. The host -was the Duke de Guise for that evening. The host’s eldest brother wore a -costume of Louis XVI. His wife appeared as “The Electric Light,” in -white satin, trimmed with diamonds, and her head one blaze of diamonds. -The most remarkable costume, and one spoken of to this day, was that of -a cat; the dress being of cats’ tails and white cats’ heads, and a bell -with “Puss” on it in large letters. A distinguished beauty, dressed as a -Phœnix, adorned with diamonds and rubies, was superb, and the -Capuchin Monk, with hood and sandals, inimitable; but to name the most -striking would be to name all. - -The great social revolution that had occurred in New York this winter, -like most revolutionary waves, reached Newport. Our distinguished New -York journalist then made Newport his summer home, buying the fine -granite house that for years had been first known as “The Middleton -Mansion,” afterwards the “Sidney Brooks residence,” and filling it with -distinguished Europeans. His activity and energy gave new life to the -place. - -One fine summer morning, one of his guests, an officer in the English -army, a bright spirit and admirable horseman, riding on his polo pony up -to the Newport Reading-room, where all the fossils of the place, the -nobs, and the swells daily gossiped, he was challenged to ride the pony -into the hall of this revered old club, and being bantered to do it, he -actually did ride the pony across the narrow piazza, and into the hall -of the club itself. This was enough to set Newport agog. What sacrilege! -an Englishman to ride in upon us, not respecting the sanctity of the -place! It aroused the old patriots, who were members of that -Institution, with the spirit of ’76, and a summary note was sent to the -great journalist, withdrawing the invitation the club had previously -given his guest. The latter, in turn, felt aggrieved, and retaliated -with this result: Building for Newport a superb Casino, embracing a -club, a ball-room, and a restaurant, opposite his own residence. All -this evidencing that agitation of any kind is as beneficial in social -circles, as to the atmosphere we breathe. - -Then our journalist conceived and gave a handsome domino ball. All the -ladies in domino, much after the pattern of the one previously given by -the Duchess de Dino, and in many respects resembling it, having a huge -tent spread behind the house, and all the rooms on the first floor -converted into a series of charming supper-rooms, each table decorated -most elaborately with beautiful flowers; as handsome a ball as one -could give. I took the wife of the Attorney-General to it in domino, -who, after her life in Washington, was amazed at the beauty of the -scene. The grounds, which were very handsome, were all, even the plants -themselves, illuminated with electric lights--that is, streams of -electric light were cunningly thrown under the plants, giving an -illumination _à giorno_, and producing the most beautiful effect. - -At this ball there appeared a Blue Domino that set all the men wild. -Coming to the ball in her own carriage (her servants she felt she could -trust not to betray her) she dashed into the merry throng, and gliding -from one to the other whispered airy nothings into men’s ears. But they -contained enough to excite the most intense curiosity as to who she was. -She was the belle of the evening; she became bold and daring at times, -attacking men of and about the inmost secrets of their hearts, so as to -alarm them, and when she had worked them all up to a fever heat, she -came to me to take her to the door that she might make good her escape. -A dozen men barricaded the way, but with the rapidity of a deer she -dashed through them, reached the sidewalk, and her footman literally -threw her into the carriage. Her coachman, well drilled, dashed off at a -furious rate, and to this day no one has ever found out who the fair -creature was. - -The next social event after this grand ball was a large breakfast the -great journalist gave for the Duke of Beaufort, at Southwick’s Grove. We -all sat at tables under the trees, and we had what the French so aptly -term a _déjeuner dinatoire_. At it the Duke was most eloquent in his -wonderful description of a fishing exploit he had had that morning; -rising at 2 A.M., and driving to “Black Rock,” he groped his way to the -farthest point, and had the satisfaction of hooking an enormous bass. -In his own words, “As I saw him on the crest of the wave, I knew I had -him, and then my sport began.” - -Hearing that President Arthur would visit Newport, as I felt greatly in -his debt I resolved to do my share in making his visit pleasant and -agreeable. He was to be the guest of Governor Morgan, whom I at once -buttonholed and to him gave the above views. I found, like all these -great political magnates, that he preferred to have the President to -himself, and rather threw cold water on my attempting anything in my -humble way at entertaining him. “Why, my dear sir,” he replied, “the -President will not go to one of your country picnics. It is preposterous -to think of getting up such a rural thing for him. I shall, of course, -dine him and give him a fête, and have already sent to New York for my -Madeira.” - -“Sent for your Madeira!” I exclaimed. “Why, my dear Governor, it will -not be fit to drink when it reaches you.” - -“Why not?” he asked. - -“Because it will be so shaken up, it will be like tasting bad drugs. -Madeira of any age, if once moved, cannot be tasted until it has had at -least a month’s repose. President Arthur is a good judge of Madeira, and -he would not drink your wine.” - -“Well, what am I to do?” said he. - -“Why, my dear Governor, I will myself carry to your house for him a -couple of bottles of my very best Madeira.” This I did, sitting in the -middle of the carriage, one bottle in each hand (it having been first -carefully decanted), and into the Governor’s parlor I was ushered, and -then placed my offering before the President, telling him that I well -knew he loved women, as well as song and wine; prayed him to honor me -with his presence at a Newport picnic, promising to cull a bouquet of -such exotics as are only grown in a Newport hothouse. The invitation he -at once accepted, much, I thought, to the chagrin of the Governor, who, -accompanying me to his front door, said: - -“My dear sir, one must remember that he is the President of the United -States, ruling over sixty millions of people. He is here as my guest, -and now to go off and dine on Sunday with a leader of fashion, and then -to follow this up by attending one of your open-air lunches, seems to me -not right.” (I must here say in his defense, that the Governor had never -been to one of my “open-air lunches,” and knew not of what he spoke.) - -I then resolved to make this picnic worthy of our great ruler, and at -once invited to it a beautiful woman, one who might have been selected -for a Madonna. This is the first time I have made mention of her; she -possessed that richness of nature you only see in Southern climes; one -of the most beautiful women in America. She promised to go to this -country party, and bring her court with her. - -I selected the loveliest spot on Newport Island, known as “The Balch -Place,” near “The Paradise and Purgatory Rocks,” for this fête. The -Atlantic Ocean, calm and unruffled, lay before us; all the noise it made -was the gentle ripple of the waves as they kissed the rocky shore. -Giving the President our great beauty, he led the way to the collation, -partaken of at little tables under the sparse trees that the rough -winter barely permitted to live, and then we had a merry dance on the -green, on an excellent platform fringed with plants. - -At a subsequent breakfast, I was intensely gratified to have the -President say to me, before the whole company, “McAllister, you did -indeed redeem your promise. The beauty of the women at your picnic, the -beauty of the place, and its admirable arrangement--made it the -pleasantest party I have had at Newport,”--and this was said before my -friend the Governor. Grand, elaborate entertainments are ofttimes not as -enjoyable as country frolics. - - - - -WASHINGTON DINNERS AND NEW YORK BALLS. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - - _I visit Washington as the guest of Attorney-General Brewster--A - Dinner at the White House--Amusing arrangement of Guests--The - Winthrop Statue--The memorable Winters of 1884-85--A Millionaire’s - House-warming--A London Ball in New York--A Modern Amy - Robsart--Transforming Delmonico’s entire place into a - Ball-room--The New Year’s Ball at the Metropolitan Opera - House--Last Words._ - - -The following winter my friend Attorney-General Brewster invited me to -Washington to pass a fortnight with him, and I then got a glimpse of -modern life in that city. I enjoyed my visit, but found the people -slower of action than we are in New York; for instance, it took my kind -host fully a week to consider over and map out a dinner for me. Then, -just as I was leaving, the President asked me to dine with him. I was -informed that it was imperative that I should cancel other engagements -and remain over to accept his invitation. - -The arrangement of the guests at this dinner was to me amusing. Reaching -the White House, I was separated from the ladies I brought, and could -not in any way find them again to enter the drawing-room with them, but -was ushered into it from a side door, and there joined the gentlemen, -who stood in line on one side of the room, while from an opposite door -the ladies entered the same room, and formed in line, as it were, -opposite the men. When all were assembled, the President himself -entered, bowed to his guests, and offered his arm to one of the ladies, -and led the way in to dinner. - -The view from the dining-room into the conservatories, displaying the -finest collection of white azaleas I have ever seen, was most effective. -The dinner was good, and well served; the President most gracious. -Turning to me, he said, “Why, your friend Winthrop is not himself -to-day. What is the matter with him?” I replied, “My dear Mr. President, -he has been up to the Capitol, and seen his ancestor in white marble, -and found his nose was shockingly dirty. This annoyed and mortified -him.” The President replied, “Really, well, this is too bad! This matter -shall at once have my attention. That nose shall be wiped to-morrow!” - -The winters of 1884 and 1885 will long be remembered by New York society -people, for three of the largest, handsomest, and most successful balls -ever given in this city have made them memorable. The heir to probably -the largest fortune ever left to one man in this country, then threw -open the doors of his palatial residence and generously invited all who -were in any way entitled to an invitation, to come and view his superb -house, and join in the dance which was to inaugurate its completion. - -As I went up the beautiful stairs and passed along the gallery, looking -down on a hall such as few palaces contain, with a long train of -handsomely dressed women passing me on their way down to the reception -room, it put me in mind of a scene I well remembered at the Hôtel de -Ville, in Paris, at a ball given by the Emperor Napoleon III. to the -King of Sardinia. It looked royal, and was most impressive. Our host -stood in the centre of his hall, giving to all a warm welcome. Passing -him we entered his _grand salon_, where his wife received us. The room -itself, Oriental, and as Eastern and luxurious in its own peculiar style -as one could create it. From this _salon_, we entered a novel Japanese -room, and then the fine dining-room of the house, with its marvelous -ceiling, painted by one of the best modern French artists. The picture -galleries were the ball and supper rooms. The cotillion was danced in -the farthest of the two galleries, the ladies seated in double and -triple lines on improvised seats, as if they were sitting on a long -extended dais all around the room. The effect was dazzling and -brilliant. All supped well, for when supper was announced little tables -were placed like magic through the rooms; and New Yorkers had what they -well knew how to appreciate--an elaborate, well-served repast; champagne -in abundance, and of the best, and in perfect condition. In my opinion, -it was one of the handsomest, most profuse, liberal, and brilliant balls -ever given in this country. - -The next great flutter in New York’s fashionable world was the -announcement of a grand entertainment to be given, embracing all the -features of a London ball, which, though a novelty here, had for years -been done in London; that was to build an addition to one’s house, to be -used but for one night, and to be made large enough to comfortably hold, -with the house, one thousand or twelve hundred people. There was plenty -of energy and talent to carry this out, and reproduce here what -Londoners have always been so proud of--their ability to double the -capacity of their city houses by utilizing their yards, covering them -with a temporary structure, to be used as a supper or ball room. A young -man of an old Long Island family had married a beautiful girl, a young -woman such as Walter Scott would have taken to impersonate his character -of Amy Robsart, who, besides this natural and _naïve_ style of beauty, -possessed great administrative ability, and withal much taste, a great -amount of energy, and a fortune large enough to carry through any -enterprise she conceived. Both of them were devoted to society, and to -each other. Passing their summers abroad, and seeing what vast -conceptions society there undertook, and successfully carried out, they -resolved to repeat here what they had seen on the other side of the -water. In Marcotte they had a great ally, a man of wonderful taste and -ability; planning out the work themselves, with his skillful hand to -execute it, they certainly built up in a night, as it were, a superb -banqueting hall, complete and elaborately finished as if a part of the -house itself; a solid structure, with no appearance of its being -temporary or run up for the occasion. Throwing two houses into one, and -descending from them into this vast banqueting hall by a wide flight of -stairs, you had, to all appearances, a grand palatial residence, whose -rooms the largest crowd could roam through with freedom and perfect -comfort. The houses themselves were so handsomely decorated in the -period of Louis XIV., that it required cultivated taste to add floral -decorations to such rooms; but it was done, and admirably done, and was -a remarkable feature of this superb ball. Garlands of the delicate _La -France_ roses were festooned on the walls, and over and around the doors -and windows, producing a charming effect. There were two cotillions -danced in separate rooms. The approach from the street to the houses was -admirable; the pavement was inclosed the entire length of both, -carpeted, and brilliantly lighted with innumerable jets of gas--a ball -long to be remembered! - -What then was there left for one to do in the way of entertaining to -give society anything new and novel? This duty was then imposed on me. -These pages bear evidence that I am blessed with memory, but imagination -was then what I required to conceive and carry out some new enterprise -in the way of a subscription New Year’s ball, to surpass anything I had -ever before given. - -The most difficult rooms to decorate are those at Delmonico’s; but this -establishment is unequaled in London or Paris in that it gives under its -roof incomparable balls, banquets, and dinners. So we resolved that -talent, taste, and money should be expended in an effort to design and -give there a superb ball. The house had the advantage of having a large -square room, all that was required for a dance of three to four hundred -people. On this occasion we were to have seven hundred, and for so -large a number we had to provide two _salles de danse_. The upper supper -room we turned into a conservatory. Its ceilings were low, but covering -them with creeping plants, making around the entire room a dado of banks -of flowers and the walls themselves decorated with plaques of roses, -introducing the electric light and throwing its jets through all the -foliage, we had an improvised bower of flowers and plants that tempted -all to wander through, if not to linger in it in admiration of the -artistic skill which produced such a result. One room we converted, with -Vantine’s assistance, into a perfect Japanese interior. Once in it, we -felt transported to that country. Here were served tea and Japanese -confections, and over all shone the electric light with charming effect. -The _salon_ known as the Red Room had its walls decorated with sheaves -of wheat, in which nestled bunches of _Marechale Neil_ roses, the -background of scarlet bringing these decorations out strikingly. This, -with a new floor, was converted into a _salle de danse_. The large hall -into which all these rooms opened was superb, for on all sides of it, -from floor to ceiling, were hung the finest Gobelin tapestries of -fabulous value. To obtain their use we had to telegraph to Paris, and -were required to insure them for a large sum. Servants in light plush -livery, pumps, and silk stockings, with powdered hair, stood on either -side to direct the guests. Having the whole house, we supped in both -restaurant and café, and as we had given an unlimited order had an -elaborate and exquisite supper. - -For a small ball of seven hundred people, I have always felt, and still -feel, that this New Year’s Ball, as given at Delmonico’s, was in every -sense of the word the handsomest, most complete, and most successful -thing of the kind that I have ever attempted in New York City, and I -find I am not alone in this opinion. It was as much a feast for the eye -as the elaborate supper was for the palate, being complete in every -detail, luxurious in adornment, as to its rooms--and epicurean in its -feasting. - -New York society had now become so large that it seemed necessary to -solve at once what, to us, has long been a problem, i.e. where we could -bring general society together in one large dancing-room; for though you -may have a dozen rooms thrown open, you will always find that all rush -to the room where there is dancing. Where then could we get a room where -all could at one and the same time be on the floor? It occurred to me -that the Metropolitan Opera House had, in its stage and auditorium, such -a room, and if we could only divest it of its characteristics, it would -be what we wanted. - -Satisfying ourselves that we could accomplish this, we formed a -Committee of Three and entered on this new enterprise. Artists, who have -with ability painted small pictures, may venture on larger canvas. We -had succeeded in giving balls of seven hundred and four hundred people. -Why not have a similar success on a larger scale? Had our ideas been -properly carried out, this ball would have been twice the success it -was. The defects were evident, but when seen it was too late to remedy -them. The artificial ceiling, cleverly planned to shut out the -galleries, was not completed, the electric lights were not shaded as -they should have been, and the music stands, ordered by the authorities -to be elevated, were unsightly, and marred the brilliant effect we had -studied to produce. All else received more praise than criticism. - -The four most striking points of this ball were, first, the reception of -over twelve hundred people as at a private house by three of our most -brilliant and accomplished society ladies; again, what may be termed the -_Quadrille d’Honneur_ of that ball, which was the different sets of the -Sir Roger de Coverly, danced by the most distinguished ladies of this -city, the “nobs” and the “swells” on this occasion uniting; the supping -of over twelve hundred people at one time at small tables, and the -cotillion ably led by one of our distinguished State Senators, a man in -himself representing family, wealth, and political position. - -The Sir Roger de Coverly was danced in the auditorium and on the stage, -and before its completion a blast from the _cornet à piston_ was sounded -by direction of the Management, when at once the three members of the -Executive Committee sought the three lady patronesses who had so -graciously received for them the guests of this large ball, and had the -honor of taking them in to supper. A special table in the centre of the -supper room, elaborately decorated with flowers, was arranged for them, -and the handsome and courteous gentleman who so royally dispenses -hospitality both at his house in town and at his ocean villa in Newport -(the handsomest country residence in the United States), at once sought -one of America’s loveliest, most beautiful, and most graceful daughters, -a charming representative of an old Colonial family, and doubly a New -Yorker, representing the historic families of Livingston and Ludlow. -Another member of the Committee, a descendant of one of our oldest -families, whose ancestor was a distinguished General in the Revolution, -had the fortune to have on his arm a most superbly dressed woman, whose -tiara of diamonds could well have graced a Queen’s brow--whose beauty I -have before alluded to when comparing her to Amy Robsart. I had the -honor of leading the way with our leader of society, whom Worth had -adorned with a robe of such magnificence that it attracted and held the -attention of the whole assembly. Her jewels were resplendent--in -themselves a King’s ransom; and placing her on my right, at the supper -table, I had on my left the beautiful woman who had won the hearts of -the American nation. - -Before leaving this ball, I must mete out due praise to the man who -could so successfully care for so large a number of people at supper at -one time, and give credit to the good and effective work done by the -three hundred well-trained, liveried servants scattered through the -house, understanding their work and performing it admirably. This ball -was given as a New Year’s Ball on the 2d of January, 1890. - -And now, in concluding this book, I beg to say that I have simply -discussed society as I have found it, and only such entertainments of -which I have been part and parcel. - - - - -THE PRESENT FASHION IN STATIONERY. - -[Illustration: _In America the residence is always in the right -corner._] - -[Illustration: _In England, if any residence is engraved on a card, it -is in the left corner._] - -[Illustration: _In France, no lady’s residence is now put on a card._] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: P. P. C.: Pour prendre congé. Translated into English: To -take leave.] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: _Going out of Mourning._] - -[Illustration: _Lighter Mourning for Brothers and Sisters._] - -[Illustration: _Mourning used in this country for Nearest Relatives._] - -[Illustration: _Mourning._] - -[Illustration: _Second Mourning._] - -[Illustration: _Mourning--Husband and Wife._] - -[Illustration: _Mourning--Children._] - -[Illustration: _For Children._] - -[Illustration: _For Brother and Sister._] - -[Illustration: MOURNING CARDS. - -_For Relatives._] - -[Illustration: _For Husband and Wife. Father and Mother. - -Mourning as deep as this is rarely used in this country. This is a -French card._] - - - - -_NOTE._ - - -The originals of the following form of invitations, etc., are on a -double note sheet, size 6-7/8 by 9, folded once to 4-1/2 inches wide by -6-7/8 inches long. The material is a medium rough cream-laid linen -paper, with water mark. - -When address and crest are used on notes, they are done in a bright red; -the crest being embossed. - -Envelopes used are of same material as note sheet, of a size to take the -note folded once in centre. - -ADDRESS ENVELOPES IN EACH CASE TO - -_Mrs._------------------------------ - -OR - -_Mr. and Mrs._----------------------- - -THE FORMER PREFERRED. - - -FORMS OF CARDS AND INVITATIONS NOW USED BY “THE SMART SET.” - -AN INFORMAL ACCEPTANCE TO A DINNER. - -_Dear Johnson_: - -_It will give me pleasure to dine with you on Friday next at 8 o’clock. -Pray present me most kindly to Mrs. Johnson, and believe me_, - -_Faithfully yours, -J. J. Murray._ - -_Union Club, -Monday, 18 April._ - - -AN INFORMAL REGRET TO A DINNER. - -[Illustration] - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_Dear Mrs. Forsyth_: - -_I am so very sorry I cannot have the pleasure of dining with you on the -12th to meet Mr. Waring, as I am going out of town on Wednesday to be -absent a week._ - -_With kindest regards, believe me, -Yrs. sincerely, -S. T. Oliphant._ - - -A FORMAL INVITATION. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -[Illustration] - -_Mr. & Mrs. Chamberlain -request the pleasure of -Mr. & Mrs. Robinson’s -company at dinner on Tuesday, September -the eleventh, at eight o’clock._ - -_August 21st._ - - -A FORMAL ACCEPTANCE. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -[Illustration] - -_Mr. & Mrs Robinson -have much pleasure in accepting -Mr. & Mrs. Chamberlain’s -kind invitation to dinner on Tuesday, -September the eleventh, at eight o’clock._ - -_August 22._ - - -ANOTHER STYLE OF AN INFORMAL ACCEPTANCE TO A DINNER. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_Dear Mr. Murray_: - -_It will give me great pleasure to dine with you on Friday next, April -12th, at eight o’clock._ - -_Yours truly, -J. J. Murray._ - -_Tuesday._ - - -A FORMAL REGRET TO A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -_Fair View, -Newport, -R. I._ - -_Mrs. Marcy -regrets that as she is leaving Newport -on Monday, she is unable to accept -Mr. and Mrs. Clinch’s -kind invitation for the 16th._ - -_12th August._ - - -AN INFORMAL INVITATION. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_My dear Mrs. Forster_: - -_Will you and Mr. Forster give us the pleasure of your company at -dinner, on Tuesday, September the eleventh, at half after seven -o’clock._ - -_Sincerely yours, -Caroline Russell._ - -_September third._ - - -AN INFORMAL ACCEPTANCE. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_My dear Mrs. Russell_: - -_Mr. Forster & I have much pleasure in accepting your kind invitation to -dinner on Tuesday, September the eleventh, at half after seven o’clock._ - -_Believe me, sincerely yours, -Frances Forster._ - -_September third._ - - -AN INFORMAL REGRET. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_My dear Mr. Russell_: - -_Mr. Forster and I regret extremely that a previous engagement prevents -our accepting your very kind invitation for Tuesday, September the -eleventh._ - -_Believe me, sincerely yours, -Frances Forster._ - -_September third._ - - -A FORMAL ACCEPTANCE TO A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -[Illustration] - -_Mr. & The Honble Mrs. Coleman -have much pleasure in accepting -Mr. & Mrs. Renshaw’s -kind invitation for Friday, Aug. 16th, -at 7.30._ - -_Fadden’s, -Newport._ - -_Aug. 9th._ - - -ANOTHER STYLE OF A FORMAL REGRET TO A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -[Illustration] - -_Mr. & Mrs. Williamson -regret that owing to a previous engagement -they are unable to accept -Mr. & Mrs. Montgomery’s -kind invitation to dinner for Saturday, -eleventh of January, at eight o’clock._ - -_December 24th._ - - -ANOTHER STYLE OF A FORMAL ACCEPTANCE OF A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -[Illustration] - -_Mrs. & Mrs. Robinson -accept with pleasure -Mr. & Mrs. Chamberlain’s -kind invitation to dinner on Tuesday, -September eleventh, at eight o’clock._ - -_August 22._ - - -ANOTHER STYLE OF A FORMAL REGRET TO A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -[Illustration] - -_Mr. & Mrs. Blair -regret that a previous engagement -prevents them from accepting -Mr. & Mrs. Robinson’s -kind invitation to dinner on Friday, 12th -August._ - -_29th July._ - - -ANOTHER STYLE OF A FORMAL ACCEPTANCE OF A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -[Illustration] - -_Mr. & Mrs. Screven -accept with pleasure -Mr. & Mrs. Blair’s -very kind invitation to dinner for Friday -next at eight o’clock._ - -_April 8th._ - - -ANOTHER STYLE OF FORMAL REGRET TO A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -[Illustration] - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_Mr. & Mrs. Davis -regret extremely that a previous engagement -prevents their accepting -Mr. & Mrs. Wilson’s -kind invitation to dinner for Monday, -September 16th._ - - -ANOTHER STYLE OF A FORMAL ACCEPTANCE OF A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -[Illustration] - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_Mr. E. Berkley -accepts with pleasure -Mr. & Mrs. White’s -invitation to dinner on Monday, 16th -September, at 8 o’clock._ - -_13 September._ - - -A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -[Illustration] - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_Mr. & Mrs. Van Buren -request the pleasure of -Mr. & Mrs. Catlin’s -company at dinner on Saturday, the 11th, -at eight o’clock._ - -_Dec. 23rd._ - -[Illustration: AN INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -_On an engraved card._ - -_To meet Mrs. _____ - -_Address note to Mrs. ____ or Mr. and Mrs. _____] - -[Illustration: A FORMAL INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -_This should be engraved on note paper._] - -[Illustration: AN INVITATION TO A DINNER. - -_On an engraved card. The best taste._] - -[Illustration: ANOTHER STYLE OF AN INVITATION TO DINNER. - -_On an engraved card._] - -[Illustration: AN INVITATION TO AN AFTERNOON TEA. - -_On an engraved card._] - -[Illustration: AN INVITATION TO A BREAKFAST. - -_On an engraved card._] - -[Illustration: AN INVITATION TO A THEATRE PARTY. - -_On an engraved card._] - -[Illustration: AN INVITATION TO A SMALL DANCE. - -_On an engraved card._] - -[Illustration: AN INVITATION TO A MUSICALE. - -_On an engraved card._] - -[Illustration: ANOTHER STYLE OF AN INVITATION TO A MUSICALE. - -_On an engraved card._] - -[Illustration: A YOUNG LADY’S INVITATION TO A MUSICALE. - -_On an engraved card._] - -[Illustration: A FORM OF INVITATION TO A WEDDING. - -_Engraved an note paper._] - -[Illustration: ANOTHER FORM OF INVITATION TO A WEDDING. - -_Engraved on note paper._] - -[Illustration: ANOTHER FORM OF AN INVITATION TO A WEDDING. - -_Engraved on note paper._] - -[Illustration: INVITATION TO A WEDDING. - -_Engraved._] - -[Illustration: INVITATION TO A WEDDING RECEPTION. - -_Engraved._] - -[Illustration: INVITATION TO A WEDDING, WITH WEDDING BREAKFAST.] - -[Illustration: INVITATION TO A WEDDING, WITH WEDDING BREAKFAST. - -(_Cards._)] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration: ANNOUNCEMENT OF A WEDDING. - -_Engraved on note paper._] - -[Illustration: ANNOUNCEMENT OF WEDDING. - -_Engraved on note paper._] - -[Illustration: INVITATION TO RECEPTION AND DANCE ON ENGLISH -MAN-OF-WAR.] - -[Illustration: INVITATION TO RECEPTION TO THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF -ENGLAND.] - -[Illustration: INVITATION BY SECRETARY OF STATE TO AN EXCURSION ON WAR -STEAMSHIPS.] - -[Illustration: REGRETS OF MARQUIS OF LORNE, GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF CANADA, -TO INVITATION TO PATRIARCHS’ BALL.] - -[Illustration: INVITATION TO BACHELORS’ BALL, METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE, -N. Y.] - -[Illustration: INVITATION BY PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO A DINNER -AT THE WHITE HOUSE.] - -[Illustration: A PARIS MENU, 1890 - -DINER DU 4 JANVIER - -_Hors-d’Œuvre_ -_Consommé Renaissance_ -_Turbot sauces Hollandaise et Nantua_ -_Selle de Chézelles aux Épinards_ -_Pain de Lièvre à la Française_ -_Petites Timbales à la Palbem_ -_Faisan truffé sauce Chasseur_ -_Cardons à la Savoyarde_ -_Glace Parisienne_ -_Gâteau Viennois_ - -_This menu is printed on parchment--size, 5-1/4 × 7-1/8 inches--with -border in silver._] - - -[Illustration: A PARIS MENU, 1890. - -_The border of original is done in silver._] - -[Illustration: A PARIS MENU, 1890. - -Diner du 8 Fébrier - -Consommé Royal -Croustades Dieppoise -Filet de Bœuf Renaissance -Timbale de Suprêmes de Volailles -Cuissot de Chevreuil sauce poivrade -Salmis de Faisans at Perdrix -Dinde à la Périgueux -Foie gras à la Française -Salade de Laitue -Pointes d’Asperges veloutée -Glace Maltaise -Gâteaux -Dessert - -_Printed on a card 3-1/2 × 6-1/2, with mottled border in gold._] - -[Illustration: A PARIS MENU. - -_The original is printed on parchment, ornament done in gold._] - -[Illustration: A PARIS MENU, 1890. - -_Original done on white parchment, ornament in gold and black._] - -[Illustration: A NEW YORK MENU. - -_This card has bevelled and gold edges, the ornamentation being embossed -in old gold._] - -[Illustration: A NEWPORT MENU. - -_Border done in gold._] - -[Illustration: A NEWPORT MENU. - -_Border done in gold, wines in red._] - -[Illustration: UN MENU AUTHENTIQUE AU CHATEAU DE TUILERIES A L’EMPEREUR -NAPOLEON III.] - -[Illustration: MENU OF THE SWAN BANQUET. - -_The original of this Menu is done in gold._] - -[Illustration: MENU OF THE BANQUET GIVEN THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL BY -FREDERICK DIODATI THOMPSON, FEBRUARY 3, 1883. - -_Heavy white card all done in gold._] - - - - -FORMS OF INVITATIONS USED - -BY MR. McALLISTER _NOTE._ - -The originals of the following forms of invitations, etc., are on a -double note sheet, size 6-7/8 by 9, folded once to 4-1/2 inches wide by -6-7/8 inches long. The material is a medium rough cream-laid linen -paper, with water mark. - -When address and crest are used on notes, they are done in a bright red; -the crest being embossed. - -Envelopes used are of same material as note sheet, of a size to take the -note folded once in centre. - -ADDRESS ENVELOPES IN EACH CASE TO - -_Mrs._ ____ - -OR - -_Mr and Mrs._ ____ - -THE FORMER PREFERRED. - -INFORMAL ACCEPTANCE OF INVITATION TO DINE. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - - -_Dear Robinson:_ - -_I accept with pleasure your kind invitation to dinner for Monday, April -first, at eight o clock._ - -_Very truly yours,_ - -_Ward McAllister._ - -_March fifteenth._ - -INFORMAL REGRET OF INVITATION TO DINE. - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_Dear Robinson:_ - -_I regret extremely that a previous engagement to dinner for Monday, -April first, deprives me of the pleasure of accepting your kind -invitation._ - -_Ward McAllister._ - -_March twenty-fifth._ - -ANOTHER FORM OF AN INFORMAL ACCEPTANCE OF -INVITATION TO DINNER. - -_Dear Robinson:_ - -_I have much pleasure in accepting your kind invitation to dinner for -Monday, April first, at eight o’clock._ - -_Very truly yours,_ - -_Arthur Forster._ - -_March fifteenth._ - -[Illustration: FORMAL REGRET OF INVITATION TO THEATRE PARTY AND SUPPER.] - -_____ Fifth Avenue._ - -_My dear Mr. McAllister:_ - -_I am very sorry that I have an engagement for that evening, and am -deprived of the pleasure of seeing the Kendals and taking supper with -you._ - -_Sincerely yours, -Julia Meredith._ - -_Saturday, April second._ - -[Illustration: FORMAL ACCEPTANCE OF INVITATION TO OPERA AND OPERA BOX.] - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_My dear Mrs. Erskine:_ - -_I accept with pleasure your kind invitation to join you at the Opera in -your Box on Monday evening, first of April. Thanks for the ticket._ - -_Very truly yours, -Ward McAllister._ - -_March twenty-ninth._ - -[Illustration: FORMAL INVITATION TO DINNER.] - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_Mr. Ward McAllister requests the pleasure of_ - -_Mr. James Carr’s_ - -_company at dinner on Monday, April first, at half after seven o’clock._ - - _March fifteenth._ - -[Illustration: INFORMAL INVITATION TO THEATRE AND SUPPER.] - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_My dear Mrs. Meredith:_ - -_Will you go with us to the Theatre on Monday evening next to see “The -Kendals,” and afterwards to supper at Delmonico’s._ - -_We will stop for you at a quarter before eight o’clock._ - -_Very truly yours, -Ward McAllister._ - -_Friday, April first._ - -[Illustration: FORMAL REGRET OF INVITATION TO DINNER.] - -16 WEST 86^{TH} STREET. - -_Mr. Ward McAllister regrets extremely that a previous engagement -deprives him of the pleasure of accepting_ - -_Mr. and Mrs. Erskine’s polite invitation to dinner for Thursday, March -twenty-first._ - - _March seventh._ - -[Illustration: FORMAL INVITATION TO RECEPTION ON YACHT.] - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Society As I Have Found It, by Ward McAllister - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOCIETY AS I HAVE FOUND IT *** - -***** This file should be named 55300-0.txt or 55300-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/3/0/55300/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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