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—MyFather’s Nobleness of Character—Building Bonfireson Paradise Rocks and flying Kites from Purgatory withUncle Sam Ward—My Brother the Lawyer, | [3] |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
My New York Life—A Penurious Aunt who fed me onTurkey—My First Fancy Ball—Spending One ThousandDollars for a Costume—The Schermerhorns give a ball inGreat Jones Street—Sticking a Man’s Calf and Drawing Blood—ACraze for Dancing—I Study Law—Blackstone has a Rivalin lovely Southern Maidens—I go to San Francisco in ’50—FeesPaid in Gold Dust—Eggs at $2—My First Housekeeping—Afaux pas at a Reception, | [13] |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
Introduction to London Sports—A Dog Fight in the Suburbs—SportingLadies—The Drawing of the Badger—MyHost gets Gloriously Drunk—Visit to Her Majesty’s Kitchen—Dinnerwith the Chef of Windsor Castle—I taste MontillaSherry for the First Time—“A Shilling to pay for theTimes,” | [31] |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
A Winter in Florence and Rome—Cheap Living and GoodCooking—Walnut-fed Turkeys—The Grand Duke of Tuscany’sBall—An American Girl who Elbowed the King—Whata Ball Supper should be—Ball to the Archduke of Tuscany—“TheDuke of Pennsylvania”—Following the Hounds onthe Campagna—The American Minister Snubs AmericanGentlemen, | [41] |
| [CHAPTER V.] | |
Summer in Baden-Baden—The Late Emperor William noJudge of Wine—My Irish Doctor—His Horror of Water—Howan American Girl tried to Captivate Him—The LouisianaJudge—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—Luxuryat Small Cost—I Learn how to give Dinners—Fraternizingwith the Bordeaux Wine Merchants—TheJudge’s Wild Scheme—I get him up a Dinner—GeneralBosquet—The Pau Hunt—The Frenchmen wear beautifulPink Coats, but their Horses wont Jump—Only the Generaltook the Ditch, | [65] |
| [CHAPTER VII.] | |
My Return to New York—Dinner to a well-known Millionaire—Visitof Lord Frederick Cavendish, Hon. E. Ashley,and G. W. des Voeux to the United States—I Entertainthem at my Southern Home—My Father’s Old Friendsresent my Manner of Entertaining—Her Majesty’s Consuldisgruntled—Cedar Wash-tubs and Hot Sheets for my EnglishGuests—Shooting Snipe over the Rice Lands—Scouringthe Country for Pretty Girls, | [77] |
| [CHAPTER VIII.] | |
A Southern Deer Park—A Don Quixote Steed—We Huntfor Deer and Bag a Turkey—Getting a Dinner by Force—TheFrench Chef and the Colored Cook Contrasted—One isInspired, the Other follows Tradition—Making a Sauce ofHerbs and Cream—Shooting Ducks across the Moon—ADawfuskie Pic-nic, | [89] |
| [CHAPTER IX.] | |
I Leave the South—A Typical British Naval Officer—AnOfficer of the Household Troops—Early Newport Life—ACountry Dinner—The Way I got up Pic-nics—Farmersthrow their Houses Open to Us—A Bride receives us in herBridal Array—My Newport Farm—My Southdowns and myTurkeys—What an English Lady said of our Little Island—Newporta place to take Social Root in, | [107] |
| [CHAPTER X.] | |
Society’s Leaders—A Lady whose Dinners were Exquisiteand whose Wines were Perfect—Her “Blue Room Parties”—TwoColonial Beauties—The Introduction of the Chef—ThePrince of Wales in New York—The Ball in his Honor at theAcademy of Music—The Fall of the Dancing Platform—GrotesqueFigures cut by the Dancers—The Prince dances Well—AdmirableSupper Arrangements—A Light Tea and a BigAppetite—The Prince at West Point—I get a Snub fromGeneral Scott, | [123] |
| [CHAPTER XI.] | |
A Handsome, Courtly Man—A Turkey Chase—A Visitto Livingston Manor—An Ideal Life—On Horseback fromStaatsburg to New York—Village Inn Dinners—I entertaina Fashionable Party at the Gibbons Mansion—An Old HouseRejuvenated—The Success of the Party—Country Life maybe enjoyed here as well as in England if one has the Moneyand the Inclination for it—It means Hard Work for theHost, though, | [139] |
| [CHAPTER XII.] | |
John Van Buren’s Dinner—I spend the Entire Day ingetting my Dress-coat—Lord Harrington criticises AmericanExpressions—Contrast in our way of Living in 1862 and1890—In Social Union is Social Strength—We band togetherfor 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—TheDébut of a Beautiful Blonde—Lord Roseberry’s mot—Wehave better Madeira than England—I am dubbed “The Autocratof Drawing-rooms”—A Grand Domino Ball—CruelTricks of a fair Mask—An English Lady’s Maid takes aBath—The first Cotillion Dinners given at Newport—Out-of-DoorFeasting—Dancing in the Barn, | [165] |
| [CHAPTER XIV.] | |
The first private Balls at Delmonico’s—A Nightingale whodrove Four-in-hand—Private Theatricals in a Stable—AYachting Excursion without wind and a Clam-bake underdifficulties—A Poet describes the Fiasco—Plates for foot-stoolsand 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—ATrotting-horse Courtship—Cost of Newport PicnicsThen and Now—Driving off a Bridge—An Accident thatmight have been Serious—A Dance at a Tea-house—TheCoachmen make a Raid on the Champagne—They are allIntoxicated and Confusion reigns—A Dangerous DriveHome, | [191] |
| [CHAPTER XVI.] | |
Grand Banquet to a Bride elect—She sat in a bank ofRoses with Fountains playing around her—An Anecdote ofAlmack’s—The way the Duke of Wellington introduced myFather and Dominick Lynch to the Swells—I determine tohave an American Almack’s—The way the “Patriarchs’”was founded—The One-man Power Abolished—Success ofthe Organization, | [207] |
| [CHAPTER XVII.] | |
A Lady who has led Society for many years—A GrandDame indeed—The Patriarchs a great social Feature—Organizingthe F. C. D. C.—Their Rise and Fall—The MotherGoose Ball—My Encounters with socially ambitious Workers—Itry to Please all—The Famous “Swan Dinner”—Itcost $10,000—A Lake on the Dinner-table—The Swans havea mortal Combat, | [221] |
| [CHAPTER XVIII.] | |
How to introduce a young Girl into Society—I make theDaughter of a Relative a reigning Belle—First Offers ofMarriage generally the Best—Wives should flirt with theirHusbands—How to be fashionable—“Nobs” and “Swells”—ThePrince of Wales’s Aphorism—The value of a pleasantManner—How a Gentleman should dress—I might havemade a Fortune—Commodore Vanderbilt gives me a straight“Tip,” | [239] |
| [CHAPTER XIX.] | |
Success in Entertaining—The Art of Dinner-giving—Selectionof Guests—A happy Mixture of Young Womenand Dowagers—The latter more appreciative of the GoodThings—Interviewing the Chef—“Uncle Sam” Ward’sPlan—Mock Turtle Soup a Delusion and a Snare—The TwoStyles of cooking Terrapin—Grasshopper-fed Turkeys—Sourbetshould not be flavored with Rum—Nesselrode thebest of all the Ices, | [255] |
| [CHAPTER XX.] | |
Madeira the King of Wines—It took its Name from theShip it came in—Daniel Webster and “Butler 16”—HowPhiladelphians “fine” their Wines—A Southern WineParty—An Expert’s shrewd Guess—The Newton Gordons—Prejudiceagainst Malmsey—Madeira should be kept in theGarret—Some famous Brands, | [267] |
| [CHAPTER XXI.] | |
Brût Champagne—Another Revolution in treatment ofthis Wine—It must be Old to be Good—’74 Champagne worth$8 a bottle in Paris—How to frappé Champagne—The bestClarets—Even your Vin Ordinaire should be Decanted—Sherries—Spaniardsdrink them from the Wood—I prefer thisway—The “famous Forsyth Sherry”—A Wine-cellar not aNecessity, | [279] |
| [CHAPTER XXII.] | |
Assigning Guests at Dinner—The Boston fashion dyingout—The approved Manner—Going in to Dinner—Time tobe spent at table—Table Decoration—Too many Flowers inbad taste—Simplicity the best style—Queen Victoria’s table—HerDinner served at 8.15, but she eats her best meal at2 P.M.—Being late at Dinner a breach of good Manners—ADinner acceptance a sacred Obligation—A Visite de digestion, | [291] |
| [CHAPTER XXIII.] | |
Some practical Questions answered—Difference betweenMen and Women Cooks—Swedish Women the cleanest andmost economical—My Bills with a Chef—My Bills with aWoman Cook—Hints on Marketing—I have done my ownBuying for forty years—Mme. Rothschild personally supervisesher famous Dinners—Menu of an old-fashioned SouthernDinner—Success of an Impromptu Banquet, | [305] |
| [CHAPTER XXIV.] | |
The “Banner Ball”—How to prepare a Ball-room Floor—Acurious Costume and a sharp Answer—The TurkishBall—Indisposition of ladies to dance at a Public Ball—TheYorktown Centennial Ball—Committees are Ungrateful—MyExperience in this Matter—I discover Mr. Blaine and introduceMyself, | [323] |
| [CHAPTER XXV.] | |
A Famous Newport Ball—Exquisite effect produced byblocks of Ice and Electric Lights—The Japanese room—Cornersfor “Flirtation couples”—A superb Supper—SecretaryFrelinghuysen in the Barber-shop—I meet Attorney-GeneralBrewster—A Remarkable Man—I entertain him atNewport—A young Admirer gives him a Banquet in NewYork—Transformation of the Banquet-hall into a Ball-room, | [335] |
| [CHAPTER XXVI.] | |
New Era in New York Society—Extravagance of Living—GrandFancy Dress Ball in Fifth Avenue—I go as theLover of Margaret de Valois—A great Journalist at Newport—ABritish Officer rides into a Club House—The greatJournalist’s masked Ball—A mysterious Blue Domino—Breakfastat Southwick’s Grove to the Duke of Beaufort—Picnicgiven President Arthur—His hearty Enjoyment of it—GovernorMorgan misjudges my “Open Air Lunches”—ThePleasure of Country Frolics, | [349] |
| [CHAPTER XXVII.] | |
I visit Washington as the guest of Attorney-GeneralBrewster—A Dinner at the White House—Amusing arrangementof Guests—The Winthrop Statue—The memorableWinters of 1884-85—A Millionaire’s House-warming—ALondon Ball in New York—A Modern Amy Robsart—TransformingDelmonico’s entire place into a Ball-room—TheNew Year’s Ball at the Metropolitan Opera House—LastWords, | [367] |