Show ww when I 1 was a girl beford new york had grown cosmopolitan we used to look forward to iliew years day with a great deal of pleasant anti the first foot over the threshold was watched for with some curiosity who of the outside world should be first to enter the home with the merry salu tation A happy new year we were always rather pleased it it hap bened to be a pretty child or a grace tul girl who brought this greeting al though it was very apt to be instead the milkman with his rosy face bronzed and flushed by wind and weather or the carrier of the news paper who brought an elaborate mes sage in verse for which he expected a gratuity new york being originally a dutch city it kept tor many years the beau ticul traditions ot dutch hospitality therefore it was I 1 on all households not in mourning to receive calls on new year s day A table was sumptuously spread with refresh ments which included sandwiches led oysters salad cold turkey i fruit cake lemonade coffee and it E the people of the house were so in dined wine and eggnog and every 1 caller was invited and expected to partake of the feast ladies day followed on the second of january when women called on one another exchanged good wishes and discussed the pleasure of the day before it was a happy time while it lasted but after a while as the city grew large and distances were magal fled until instead of a town manhat tan became a great capital with all sorts and conditions of people the custom of new year s balls died a natural death home con canlon |