short stay is
from Friday or Saturday until Monday. It has often been a puzzle to them
as to what they should take in their bag or how much luggage they should
carry. At most not more than a good-sized bag or valise and perhaps a
hatbox. For an evening's stay a dress-suit case is sufficient. In your
valise must be placed your evening clothes, and if the party is to be
somewhat of an informal one, I would also take my dinner jacket. If you
are going to a very fashionable resort, a black frock coat, waistcoat,
and fancy trousers would not be amiss, but in that case you would have
also to take a hatbox for your top hat. Of recent years men in the
country have been consulting their comfort more than absolute accuracy
in the details of dress. Even at garden parties, at church, and at
afternoon teas during the month of August at Newport, which is, after
all, only the fashionable metropolis transported to another locality for
the summer, you seldom see a frock coat or a top hat. Unless you are
sure that there will be an occasion where these would be positively
required, I would not take them, especially on so short a visit. The
linen to be brought should consist of a dress shirt for each evening and
a colored shirt for each morning, half a dozen handkerchiefs, two
complete changes of underclothes, three pairs of ordinary and two pairs
of black silk hose, and a pair of pyjamas. Take three of your ties for
day wear and four white lawn for evening, and one black in case you are
to use your dinner jacket. Slippers for the bedroom and pumps for
evening wear should complete the clothing carried, unless you take your
frock coat, when you would have to bring patent leather boots to wear
with afternoon dress. I have given rather a liberal allowance of
articles for a short stay, but one must be prepared for accidents or
emergencies. It is better to take an extra shirt, or a change of
underclothes, or a few more ties than one could ordinarily use, so that
some _contretemps_ would not cause great annoyance and inconvenience. In
the absence of a dressing case, care must be taken of the articles for
the toilet. The tooth, nail, and shaving brushes, the sponges and
washrags, should be packed in little waterproof silk bags, which can be
obtained at a small price at any chemist's. Your host or hostess should
provide you with soap, but I would not take the risk. I should bring my
own in a little metal soapbox or well wrapped in thick paper. Your