The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 12, 1896, Page 19

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, JULY 12, 1896. 19 Beautiful Greations in Headgear Worn by Society Liadies at a Recent Event in Paris A - L ECRIVAIN 7 ueyl h ! ““ Really, Madam, Money Is Not the Object in this Case.” Not a dozen miles from Oakland pier resides the family of Joshua Brown. The latter’s spouse isa re- markably shrewd and sagacions woman. Last week she cut down the house rent by letting out a spare room to a young woman, who adver- tised herself asa pro- fessional nurse. On the morning following this transaction a plainly attired, portly man doffed his hat as Mrs, Brown opened the doorin response to the bell. “Ab,” said the stranger, “Iread a card with this address in the morning paper. Do I address the —"’ “Professional nurse? No, sir,” and Mrs, Brown’s curiosity prompted the query, “What kind of a case is it?"’ “Well,” replied the man, “it is hardly, perhaps, what you would term a case, and yet it micht be more profitable than most cases. I'm hunting for somebody to take care of my two children up in Tuolumne County.” *Oh, then, the nurse will not leave the city; ana, besides, she is not desirous of caring for children.” “That's luck!” exclaimed the disap- pointed stranger. “My poor wife breathed her last three months ago—then my housekeeper went East—and neighbors have been keeping my little ones since then. Ofcourse, I am anxious to make a more permanent abiding place for them; but it is hard to get proper attendance in the country. Money is quite a minor'con- sideration in the premises. Why, three of the best paying mines in Tuolumne are mine. Blankton of Dashville—I guess you've seen the name in the papers—that's me. Business on the stock board makes me hug San Francisco, and I’ve half a no- tion to bring the young ones here, 100, Have you any children of your own, madam?”’ ““Three.”” “Well, I see you are a cultured lady. Would it be possible for you to take my two little girls as boarders? I'd like it if they could be brought up like your own. You certainly would be motherly to them. I will pay $50 in advance every month for their board.” VFiIty dollars a month! It was almost :nl(le finding something. It was a wind- all. “Be assured,” said the good lady, “if I took your children I'would be as kind to them as to my own. They would receive every consideration, for I would feel toward them that—"" “‘Excuse me, madam,’’ interrupted Mr. Blankton, “but I desire to impress upon’ you that I am not presuming to ask some- thing for nothing. If I intrust my chil- dren to your care 1 shall not only pay you $50 a month for their board, but 1 shall de- posit a sum of money with you in order to The Vanished Dream Mr. Blankton of Dashville, Who Had Gash to Burn, and a Professor defray whatever little expense may be| necessary on behalf of my daughters from time to time. I want them to learn music, 100.” “But we bave no piano!” “Very well; they have a costly one and I shall have it shipped down to you. Our old home is like a grave to me, and I can never go back to 1t.” Mr. Blankton sighed. He must have been devoted to his wife. s Mrs. Brown wiped away a sympathetic tear. “Providing we take the children at the figure you propose and your piano is brought here, would you object to my children having the use of it?" “Not at all,” cried Blankton. “On the contrary, I will employ the best tepcher obtainable and will pay the expenses of teaching them all—do it with pleasure. If you agree to take the girls I shall hand you $50 in the morning.” “Certainly, I shall only be too glad to take them, and they will find me—" «Beg pardon, but the children ought to have new clothes before they come to the City. Letmesee! Could you go with me to some of the downtown stores—say, day after to-morrow, and pick out some dresses and sacques for them? “With pleasure!” “Good! And, as to references, I will trust to my own ability to read character.” “Here is my husband’s professional card, sir,” and Mrs. Brown handed outone of Joshua’s cards. It said ‘‘1awyer” on it. Mr. Blankton smiled and powed, and before he finally got out of the front gate he had said that he would write immedi- ately for the piano. “I’Il recollect the fifty dollars in the morning; and if you want more—say, a hundred—just say the word.” Mr. Blankton was gone. Fifty dollarsa month! Piano! Rich miner! Mrs. Brown congratulated herself. The tide of luck had turned. At tea Brown couldn’t be- lieve the story he heard. It sounded too much like an Arabian Night's tale; but Brown was perfectly willing to have for- tune shower its blessings on him. Morning came! Then noon! Still no Blankton! Mrs. Brown began to have painful misgivings. Another day passed, and no Blankten. On the third day Joshua read in the papers about a clever swindler, who answered advertisements after the manner of the affluent Mr. Biankton, ana whose game was to work himself into a woman’s confidence, agree to pay a certain sum and then tender a ciieck for an amount somewhat larger than the sum he desired to pay. In a num- ber of instances he had received the dif- erence in cash, and after that he had dropped out of ex- istence, as it were. The police were on the swindler’s trail. “Guess that profegsional card of mine saved us,”’ cogitated Joshua. Then Mr. Brown went home and read his spouse a lesson for her future guidance. It happened that a friend of humanity, making a house-to-house canvass in the interest of hygiene and pure foods, was just then in the Brown parlor, favoring Mrs. B. with his advice on the comvara- tive value of fruits and meats. ‘“You must feed the children well,” went on the scientist and benefactor of his race, as Brown entered the hallway. “Avoid meats as far as possible. Give them plenty of ripe frnit in season; tea and coffee are unnecessary stimulants; whole-wheat bread is—"’ The door creaked—Brown appeared, his face as radiant as the morning. He was happy to have been deceived. And had the dream come true! Fifty dollars! Piano! Nay, nay! And a moment later Joshua collapsed like a Northwestern boom. “This is my husband,” said the house- wife, leading forward the smiling and bowing Brown. “Joshua,” and here came the unnerving snock, “let me make you acquainted with Professor Helpusall, who devotes his whole time to the work of teaching people how and what to eat and drink.” THE MOST PATRIOTIG DOG IN ALl AMERIGA “Gee whizz, look at the dog!” Skyrockets were streaming toward the overhanging belt of fog that rested on the Berkeley hills; ‘“redheads” and fire- crackers of lesser size were popping; red fire illuminated the scene like midaay. Darting to and fro was a small, curly haired pup, and at each explosion the animal seemed frantic with delight. Not at all afraid of the firecrackers or the red- heads was be. No sooner was one thrown down, sissing and sputtering, by the Berkeley Fourth of July erowd than the dog had it. The explosion of a redhead in his mouth failed to discourage him, nor did he refrain from the chase after this had happened to him several times. Hour after hour the dog enjoyed himself at- tacking pyrotechnics, and when the Na- tional celebration was over he had won the reputation of being the most patriotic dog in America. He is the pn:geny f Mr. Richards, an engineer in the S University « WATER FRONT WHITE RATS TheyDineon Imported Dainties WHEN A SHIP COMES IN Wharf Urchins Who Know Good Things and Know How to Get Them Not a rare picture at the rendezvous of the “‘white rats of the water front,”” under the rocky brow of Telegraph Hill, over- looking the foot of Sansome street, is that of a lot of poorly clad youngsters busily engaged in pouring into their gullets the rich milk of the cocoanut. As they pat their stomachs in acknowledgment of the fresh receipt, it occurs.to the observerthat milk and honey never received more cor- dial weleome to the insides of thirsty new arivals in a promised land than this milk of the cocoanut receives as it flows into these eager mouths. Down around the portion of the water front indicated. life and its luxuries are enjoyed. The ‘‘white rats” are not content with fresh boiled crabs, clam-soup and the varieties of domes- tic fruits and vegetables that commonly form a part of the bill of fare. Like Nob Hill aristocrats, they hanker after im- ported articles. Whenever a vessel lands here from Tahiti, or some other of the islands of the | South Seas, with a cargo of cocoanuts, the “rats” prepare for a picnic. Not that the consignees of the cocoanuts are reckless in their liberality. They are not.in the habit of distributing the n arbund - the water front. When a cargo. of 10,000 to 50,000 cocoanuts arrives, and is piled on the wharf awaiting the wagons of thecom- mission merchants, a special officer usually waiches the mountain of nuts with an eagle eye. His task is not an easy one. The water-front urchins know justabout when to expect the South Sea vessels, and they gather in force to raid the cocoanut piles, if such a thing be possible. The youngsters go about the business system- atically, fully appreciating the fact that an officer is on the alert. for their kind of people, and they calculate the chances to get clear of the watchman when they make a haul. ‘When there are a couple of piles of co- coanuts on the wharf, as sometimes hap- pens, a few of the urchins attract the at- tention of the guard by rather noisily making their way to one of the hills of nuts. They invariably succeed in getting themselves chased off. These urchins, let it be understood, are as spry as cats, fleet as greyhounds, shrewd as foxes. The clatter of the feet of the guard as he pur- sues, for a short distance, the fleeing arabs is the signal for anotLer division of the gang, which bhas been lying under cover, to spring to the nut-piles from an opposite direction. The guard turns back to charge upon the new enemy, which has already, in a twinkling, grabbed up as many cocoanuts as it can manage to flee with and is in hasty retreat. The boys do this work so quickly thst, by the time the officer reaches the whis- kered importations from monkey-land, the young rascals are buried from view in some alleyway and the cocoanuts have been sacked and secreted somewhere to await a safe moment for transfer to the rendezvous below Telegraph Hill. Smart as the guard may be, be will hardly es- cape being tricked. Almost as sure as a cargo of cocoanats is landed in port the white rats get a goodly share of them. Sometimes they are forced to resort tc bolder measuras to attain their object, but they are never wholly unsuccessful. They have been known to liein the bottom of express wagons which are .being driven along the wharf and to surprise the watch= man by springing out suddenly when near the nut-pile, mllu:hing a couple of big ones and scampering away as swift as thought. When the nuts are loaded on drays the vrats” often follow the loads uptown, and sometimes, when opportunity offers, they sneax up and grip thg fiber as an Indian grips the scalplock, with the difference that the boys come away with the cocoa- nut’s head as well as its scalp. At another time they may use a lath or a long pole 10 knock the nuts off the dray into the street. When a cocoanut is picked up in the street it belongs to the finder when the arabs find it. And whatever number they get is borne to their feasting-place, where a crude state of socialism prevails; where privileges are eaual, and where the cocoanut milk and the cocoanut meat are, for the time being, the drink and food of the joylul celebration. —— Banner—The foreigners are getting an awful hold on this country. Crosby—They are indeed. Why, T read r a list of men naturalized by the court yesterday andy by thunder, every one of them was a foreigner.—Philadelphia North American. A e T 0ld Laay—Poor fellow! I suppose your biindness is incurable. Have you ever been treated ? Blind Man—Yes, mum, but not often. *Taint many as likes to be seen going into fate | & barroom with a blind beggar.—Hartford Times. : Gl oLl N L%/v Here is an idea for a dinner entertain- ment, if one desires to have something disvinctive. Itis fresh from Paris as well; from that city which seems the nat- ural home for fantasy and whose people ap- pear not to take life so sericusly as we do in the States. The busiest of them, even down to the petit marchand in a shop scarcely four feet by six, finds time to say | good-day and good-by. Perhapsthe Celtic mind does not take as easily as the Gallic to personal fantastic adornment; but, even granting such, when one would be merry one naturally selects the best model to pattern from, and the diner en costume affords opportunities for combination of | dignity and gayety highly commendable. The conventional evening dress is usually adhered to in these dinners, with the ex- ception of the head, upon which, however, all the fantasy imaginable may be lav- ished. This, of course, occasionally requires a slight adaptation in the gown to make a pleasing whole. carries us back to the extravagances of a | century ago, but nothing could be more coquettish than La Frigate perched on a mass of auburn curls with a chou of nile green tulle introducéd on either side to- ward the back to soften the lines. The hull of the ship is of eardboard covered with red plush and bordered with gold. The sailors are tiny dolis, the sails are of | lace and the masts are made of very light | wood. A ruche of the tulle encircles the | neck and a decollete gown of pink makes a charming ensemble. The jockey is a preity design for Ma- dame la Chaperone. Any combination of | colors may be selected, but for gray hair a | cap in old gold ana heliotrope is particu- larly effective. A striped.handkerchief in ‘w white and mauve twisted twice around | the throat, with -the loose ends fastened under the chin with an appropriate brooch of whip and horseshoe design, and a gown of old gold satin with a regalia of halios trope completes the idea. The design for Night is equally charm- ing for blonde or brunette. A vaporous chou of pale blue, star-spangled in silver, isplaced on each side of the coiffure and A Parisian Dinner Novelty Unique FTantasies for a Full Dress Affair at the Gay French Gapital star-tipped wings spread wide presides overall In a semi-nest of the hair, which sbould be arranged in abundant hoops and twists at the back. A graceful cres- cent of silver with a small owl's head on each iip may replace the owl if one wishes to simplify the design, The hostess would probably elect to rep- resent either Mrs. Grundy or Mme. Tab- arin. Mrs. Grundy has a profusion of ear- trumpets and spectacles arranged in her hair in order to the better exercise her so- cial function, and Mme Tabarin has the stiffened queue and feather of the wit. The fantasy of Louis XVI admits of a large amount of variation. If, for insiance, a choice of colors like the following be A full-rigged ship, properly manned, | adopted—rose for tie gown, blue for the | hat and the filets in the hair, tne ostrich plumes of olive green, the roses in shaded red and tbe white satin ribbon brocaded in all the colors—the effect of the costume on a pretty woman becomes ravissante. In contrast to this is the simple design of the Press. with gold, is knotted gracefully on the left side with a go!d quill, the sign of the trade, stuck through if. A gown in mauve brocade, with epaulets and embroidery in white and gold, completes the idea, which will commend itself to. many. La Colombe blanche is for the debu- tante, pure and simple. What a vision of ‘loveliness the youthful Amelia: would afford when, as the White Dove, she was wafted into her place at the table! Her gown, of course, would be of diaphanous white, with no color but the rosein her cheeks and the tiny nceud under her chin in'the blue that matches her eyes. -+ From this we'turn 16 La Muscadine, for ‘we are not all debutantes and some of us acknowledge with pride to having been “out’” several seasons. This is an adapta- tion of the masculine costume which Tep- resents the Fop and might be given the continues in drapery to the blue gown. feminine interpretation of the Flirt. Glit- A somber owl with crescented head and | pination. A red siik kerchief, striped | tering color is the ke¥ note of this design. Brilliant red, green and heliotrope Tib- bons, silk gold em- broidery and band- some lace are judi- ciously but lavishly employed. The hair is carefully curled and perfumed, and a decollete dress of the Directoire style is the most fitting com- A suitable coiffure for the host | is the hat and baton of the Lord of Misrule, { while the regulation evening dress, supple- mented with the powdered wig and lace- trimmed stock of a century past, is the cos- tume most favored for these affairs by prosaic mode. It is the privilege of the hostess to desig- nate on the invitation the character she aegires her guest to impersonate. This privilege, when exercised, has the ad- vantage of enabling her to arrange a pretty table.with no fear of duplicates or ‘inharmonious combinations or effects. DororrY DODGE. 1 |VERY SMALL STORIES OF VERY MEAN MEN | Near Bath, Me., lives s farmer who has | bad on his place a boy whko recentiy fin- |ished a four years’ aporenticeship. Dur- 'ing that time the boy never received a cent to spend. On the last day he re- ceived a quarter and the advice to be eco- nomical and lay up his money. The corporation of Southport, England, had advertised for an architect with as many good qualities as Tristram Shandy’s tutor. The wages proposed are $400 per | year. There .was a man in Des Moines who hitched an old pair of horses in a barn and | left them to starve to death, as an easy means of ridding himseif of them. When found by the society officers, the horses | had with their poor old teeth gnawed | away a good part of the wood of their stalls. | They tell'of a money-lender of Augusta, Me., who kindly tided a friend over some | business difficulties by loaning him money at 3 per cent per week. (LT Ao i (\ 7 : The Water-Front Urchins at Work =1 a Fresh Cocoanut Consignment. Iv'g the fellow who drew & blank that speaks of life as & lottery. A sighing swain he played s heart; A club the fighter laid; The nabob played & dismond And the sexton played a spade. Contentment is the feeling that you are bet- ter off than your neighbor. Garner's success in investigating the monkey anguage’ may result in his acquiring the rnacular of fowls, so that even spring ickens will tell their age. 1f President Kruger was to visit England the first thing Chamberlain would say to him would be: “Give us your (Rjand.” ‘When man was made tke world rested seven jays; then woman was made and the world 4s never rested since.