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Show MIDWINTER FUR IS ! PICTURESQUE EVENT) ' ! Replica of "Red Onion"! Gambling House One of the Big Features. ATTRACTIONS VARIED Big Charity Festival Is Well Patronized; Will Be Continued Con-tinued Today. For sweet charity's sake a realistic replica of an old-time western gambling house, under the familiar and euphonious euphoni-ous title of the "Ked Onion," was permitted per-mitted to operate in the Hotel Utah last night as one of the main features of the midwinter festival of the Non-sectarian Charity league of the city. It is to operate today and tonight, too. The "lied Onion" is such a novelty for this day of the reformed west that it proves a hiost popular attraction, aud it served its purpose well as a means of gathering in the nickels, dimos and dollars that will go to swell the charity fund of the league which will bring comfort and happiness to unfortunates during the season of Christmas festivities. festivi-ties. ' The "gambling house a la mode" is, of course, not the whole thing in the festival, for there are many other attractions at-tractions that eombined to make up a midwinter fair of unique ensemble. There is a dainty doll booth, all done in baby pink, where dolls galore, doll furniture fur-niture and doll furnishings of handsome hand-some home-made design are dispensed to many a Santa Claus to gladden the heart of some expectant child on Christmas Christ-mas morn. Then there is the flower booth. A huge flower pot of wood and paper, decorated dec-orated with a veritable hothouse full of flowers of all sorts, is the sign and symbol of this sanctuary of flowers, where beautiful girls dispense real and artificial bouquets and blossoms of beauty in the name of charity. They Have "Goodies." Over on the other side of the mezzanine mez-zanine floor of the Hotel Utah, where the festival was held yesterday afternoon after-noon and last night and will be continued con-tinued this afternoon and tonight, is a booth labeled "Goodies.1' It id a veritable ver-itable grandmother's kitchen at holiday time. There are Christmas cakes, covered cov-ered with tempting frostings; good old-fashioned old-fashioned fruit' cakes "like mother used to bake' '; jams, jellies, preserves, canned fruits, and, in fact, everything good in the list of edible delicacies that one might wish. Then there is a candy booth, where every sort of sweetmeats is dispensed, a jewelry booth, where handsome Christmas presents can be bought, a couple of fortune tellers' booths where one's past, present and future may be read tor what one is a mind to donate to the cause of charity. ' In the ballroom there are tables for card players, and yesterday this was a popular place for those who enjoy bridge and like games , A portion of the oallroom has been reserved for dancing and an orchestra that is present afternoon and evening discourses seductive seduc-tive melodies that are simply irresistible irresisti-ble to those whose feet are prone to trip the light fantastic. Another feature to be found in the ballroom is provided on the small stage in the form of tableau pictures of historic his-toric and artistic subjects, posed by prominent society women. These pictures pic-tures proved one of the most attractive features of the entertainment yesterday and last night. Another popular booth bears the sign of the "White Elephant" and it is here that refreshments may be had. Needless to say, this booth was well patronized. Attraction Is Unique. But the unique attraction of all is found in the women's parlor, just off the mezzanine floor proper. This place bears a big sign over the door which announces that it is the "Red Onion.' 1 Inside the room has been converted into , as nearly an exact duplicate of an old-time old-time gambling house as the surroundings surround-ings would permit, and that is pretty close, save there is - more elegance in the room and its furnishings tnan was wont to be found in the old western place of that nature. Here there are found two real roulette tables, a faro table, a poker table and the twenty-one game tnat was one of the main characteristics of the genuine gambling house. On one side of the room is a mechanical piano and in the center has been fenced off a small dance floor, where those who desire to dance for charity may do so to the most lively tunes bv contributing a nickel in the slot. There are real chips, real cards, real roulette balls, real dealers, lookouts and everything of that sort. And real money is taken over the tables from the players, but no real money is paid back not even if the player wins. That is the price that charity demands of the players in return for the pleasure of gambling. ' ' The player pays his money for his chips and plays. If he loses charity is that much ahead. If he wins he is paid in prizes on a basis of about half the usual rate that the games pay. The winner gets an order for his winnings on a prize booth at the entrance, en-trance, where is an unlimited supply of prizes that would make Christmas gifts. If the winner doesn't want the prize he will be paid in cash for half its value, and, of course, he is expected expect-ed to donate the cash to charity. Scene of Jollity. The "Red Onion1' was the scene of great jollity last night. The hum of voices, the display of chic gowns, the whirr of the roulette balls as they spun about the revolving wheels and the strains of music that floated in from the dance floor across the way made it a veritable Monte Carlo of gaiety iu miniature. The midwinter festival was most liberally lib-erally patronized both yesterday afternoon after-noon and last niiit and there promises to be even larger patronaare of the worthy cause today and tonitilit. A feature of this afternoon's programme will be a tea dance under the patronage of some of the leading women of the city. There will be cards and the pictures will be repeated both in the afternoon and eveninc The picture? are posed by the ffilowinir veil-known society women, under un-der the direction of J. Will Clawson, Gil- bert White and Girard Hale, well-known local artists: Mrs. Rue! Halloran, "Watteau." Mrs. Clarence Bamberger, "Vanity Fair Cover." Miss "Dorothy Marioneaux and Miss Dorothy Bailey, Japanese print. Mrs. TheoJore Amussen. "Salome.' Mis. William King, a "Reynolds" picture. pic-ture. Charles W. Lawrence. "Napoleon." Mrs. Jasper McCaskell, "Caimencita." Mrs. Kdgar Tj. Xewhouse, Jr., a "Leon Baksf picture. Miss Ruth Cowie. "Farewell Love Letter." Let-ter." Mrs. John V. Lyle and Dom Homan, patriotic picture. The French booth, where all sons of dainty articles are displayed" to tfmpt the purchaser, is particularly prettily decorated deco-rated and attractive. |