The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-03-11
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
--, ,;,.-..-ss, sIornins, March IL, 1885.
pn,,s,s.n At the BalI---A California Sketch
mr. JOHN PHGSIx.

RufterUetQ 81 thU S"fs---4s Ss.e-@~'
Br JOHN PHGSIx.
vou have mot heard from me for some time.
have been around, however, which v piess.n'
netaphorical way Of expressing the iae. tns AZ.
have been about, and II not Intended a. ~ suu
sion 70 nv figure, though i weigh TWO hundred
and forty three net, and Il may appear aPproprate
10 scoffers have been attending ciosey 70 my
legitimate business, and do not mno 80 my .aas
have been tolerably successful oio niue ~
hutter last week. not after the manner OF the eel
ebrsted .rulptor Canova--who am told used tc
csrxa borses and other animals out Of that oleagi
nous substance which looked well, but became un
Pheasant 70 the smell In short time-buf In the
way of speculation which increased my satisfac
tIar and INV balance at Doolittie, Walker e. Leg
gets INV bankers, In no small degree.
Twas sitting In my counting room . few days
since IN an amable frame of mind thinking OF
taat butter which Il had sold to q manufacturer 10
grease the wheels of his mandatory, and won.
ieriug whether It's strength increased the power s
OF the machinery, when Podgers, of Gawk +" fou
gers Battery street. dropped In.
"Busterfeid," said he, don't you want 10 ~ W"
balli"
A vision of Mrs Butterfeld. respiendent IN a
new Dress which, though of late importation, sue
calls more ANTIQUE" passed before my mind. l
thought Of the dance at Dooltues anu LII NY "S"~'
prompt and decided manner repiied;
"it,s complimentary ball, " said Podgers, given
for the benefit of the officers of the army and ma
Apfr D ".
ITbe name is Pigue and Is pronounced Piq nee, but
dodgers don't understand French
Now l always liked the officers, poor fellows
they looked pretty in their brass mounted
clothes and walk around with such q melancholy
air az though they wondered how they managed
TO support existence on their pay and allowance
and how the deuce they do, puzzles me. So, after
few words more with Podgers, we started off to
purchase the necessary paste board. ! suppose it
was because the ball national affair that he
mi tn fha nj tod int fpr
Here we were introduced to singularly handsome
young fellow, who gazed rather obviously on Pod
gers and myself when we preferred our request.
The ball is TO be very select, said he
"Ah, replied /, that's exactly the reason we
wish to patronze it,"
The young uan could not Withstand the smile
with which these words were accompanied.
what name p said he.
"Butterfield," replied.
"Flour and pork, said he, with kindly express
sion
> Corner of Battery and Front answered, and
the thing was done.
Podgers got his ticket also and we left the Mint
arm In arm, wondering if the lovely design for a
head GA the new three dollar piece was intended
for a likeness of the United States Treasurer, of
whose agreeable countenance we caught glance
as we retired
Mrs. Butterfield was delighted, SO was Austin, /
fancy; he sent me note day or two after, very
PRETTY conceived with Honiton, Valenciennes.
point, edging and other hard words in it, which
must have given him great qualification to compose.
i purchased of Keyes not that Reyes, but the
other firm, a new blue dress coat with brazen
buttons; military you know a pair of cinnamon
colored leg -scabbards, and a very tasty thing in
the way of vest, garnet-colored velvet with
green plush ss-bars, in which fancied should
create something of a sensation. also dropped in
at fuckers, and seeing pretty breastpin in the
form of figure 2, which, he said, was tasteful
conceit for married men, showing that there
were two In the family, bought that also and
varkno ladO at haa nfy
satisfaction.
Friday evening at last arrived. Podgers was TO
come for us in a carriage at 8 o'clock and COM
menced dressing at s. Immediately after dinner. My
friends have sometimes fattered me by remarking
something in my air and personal appearance resem-
bled the late Daniel Webster formerly Secretary
of state under Tyer's administration After dress
ing. and going through the operation which Mrs But
terfeld unpeassntly terms prinking, walked into
the room of our next neghbor-we board at the cor
ner of Stockton and Powell-under the pretence of
borrowing candle He sitting by the FIRE,
smoking cigar and reading Tennyson' Poems which
take this opportunity of declaring the slliest
trash ever had the misfortune to get hold Of
mr.. Brumu1el," said |, complacently, "do you
think look at ell like the great Daniel 2"
Brummell gazed on me with evident admiration
YES" be replied, but you are not near as heavy
ss he was"
"6h"repIed he, II thought you alluded to Daniel
Lambert"
Tl4swas damper.
We worked for three mortal hours getting little
Amos sleep. That child is two years of age pos
sesses wakefuness Of disposition perfectly astonsh-
ing in young, and has pleasing peculiarly of
bowling terribly in the night at intervals of about
twenty-fi minutes. Paregoric and tafy were two
much for him this time, however; he succumbed at
last and dropped peacefully to repose at halfpast
seven to a second. At eight, Podssrs and the car
riags arrived. Mrs. Podgers came up In Mrs Butter
fields room to show herself She was tastefully and
magnifcently alfred She wore white Grape illu-
SION with eighteen, founces, a profusely en-
brodered tulle skirt Topped up on the side with
sea-green tabinet, with an elegant pin cushion of
orange colored MORE antique over the bertha Her
head dress was composed of cut velvet cabbage
leaves with turnip au ndturei and small boned tur-
key secured by golden wire, "a Ia ndtre Fhotel''
crowned the structure Podsers sazed upon her with
complacent and pardonsble pride
We descended to the carriage, but finding it i'm
sible for all of us to ride Within Mrs Podgers stood
up the seat with the driver, B. and got inside
he subsequently, in unjustiiabfe manner objected
paying his portion of the expenses of transporta-
tion as had been agreed upon between u.s. On ar
irving at Mrs. Piques regret to say an unpleasant
alteration took place between myselfs our driver
the subject of the fee. was finally compelled to
close the discussion by dsbursins ten dollars which
that dsagreeable individual unnecessarily remarked
was only about dollar hundred after ALL" On
entering the hall, which brilliantly illumisted,
we were struck by its size and elaborate ornaments
and also with the unpleasant fact that nobody was
there The fact is, we had arrived little too early
However, we amused ourselves walking about and
Podgers got into the supper room, where he broke a
sugar chicken off the top of large cake to carry
home to his little Anna Maria, and being detected
therein, summarily elected, and had the chicken
taken away from him. at which Mrs. B. and secretly
rejoiced At 10 O'Clock the company began to arrive
and in half hour the large hall crowded with
the beauty fashion and extravaganza of the city 1t
really brought tears delight to my eyes see the
number of lovely women that San Francisco can pro-
duce, and to think what immense sums of money
their beautiful dresses must have cost their husbands
and fathers. Sets of quadrillea were formed, then
followed the fancy dances polkas redowas and that
funny dance where the gentleman grabs the lady
about the waist with one hand and pumps her arm
up and down with the other while hopping violently
from side to side after the manner of that esry and
estimable Christian, st. Vitus
cannot pretend to enumerate the ladies. whose
charms particularly Impressed me- Moreoyer il I
could 1t would be OF little service to the public for
it Is in the fashion to do this sort of thing 6v Initials
and who would recognize lovely Mrs A. with bsr
ugly daughter, in white cottonet and msgn;6cant
Mrs C;the cynosure of all eyes, in peonoir Of the
ply carpetlng, with a corsa9e de qunnu buo and a
point applique robe de mutt, the sweet Misses in
elaborate swiss singhams, with gimp cord and tss
sells and JdtuR de cabriotet Suffice II to saw Tia,
the oxeliest ladies of San Francisco were there ~
the belle OF the evening YVES unouestionablv Ms.
-, though many preferred the mature charms ~
the radtent Mrs -. fYou perceys that Oh. =.
blsnks are left for the convenience of tho,e
10 send this description to the Eastern sta,as so
hereby have my express permission to insert snv
names they may think appropriated One iedy' 81.
served Whose dress though no grea, inase - ~ a.
H d. al s---