LEAP YEAR IN SAN FRANCISCO.

Kumara Times, Issue 1149, 4 June 1880, Page 3

LEAP YEAR IN SAN FRANCISCO.

, “Silverpen,” in the Auckland Herald, writes: —“ This being leapyear, the ladies of San Francisco have the blessdd jirtVilcge of doing exactly as they think fit with the other sex. Should the lady propose this year, as is the and the gentleman declines the honor, he sends her a scarlet petticoat as a sop for hbr disappointment. Just think, of it, a red petticoat in lieu of a live husband. Then the ladies give parties, to which they invite gentlemen only, calling for their respective beaux in a carriage, filling their programmes, and attending on them just as they are used to be waited bn. The rules of the leap-year ball are that “ bach lady shall consider herself a gentleman for the night, attend to their partners, protecting them from ‘draughts, fanning them, taking them across the floor,” «fec., and these rules are printed on the programmes. No gentleman dares to cross the floor withbul an escort. I have seen some funny scenes at these gatherings. For in ; stance some poor man, who had been invited by a girl who only gave him one dance, has been chained to his seat for the rest of the night; no one taking the least notice of him, until the poor wretch has bbgged some passing fairy tb take him to the cloak room, W’hen he has thankfully escaped, with a suppressed blessing (1) levied on all leapyear balls.” In a San Francisco paper we read of a number of young ladies giving a leap-year party to their male friends. The affair was got up in capital style ; but the best part remains to to be told. The young men were so pleased with their entertainment that before the ladies’ committee held another meeting, they had gathered in all their accounts, liquidated them, and sent in their receipted accounts to their fen tertainers.