Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-03-20
NV Last Ball.

nor an attractive face. Ihere, IL IS
said.
Men don't ask me to dance as often
as I would like. | have often sat for
an hour talking to old Mrs. Grimsby
about her daughters ; who never miss a
dance, or thinking how much | would
like to be in my own room reading my
favoritc books, or playing with little
Rosa down stairs in the drawlng-room.
When first went out, | suffered more
agony Of MUD than I can describe from
the humiliation of being neglected, and
especially fram the cutting compassion
of my girl friends but have got
over that now, aud balls only bore
me.
Why do go out? Good reader, if
YOU had mamma and papa, and
brothers and sisters, who refuse utterly
to believe YOU protested your dislike of
society if it were once or twice limited
to you hat Your willfuness in staying
at home was prejudicing yourp:ospeets
of good settlement IN life, " You too
would gulp down your squcam!shness,
and throw yourself under the wheels Of
the fashionable Juggernaut | know
this Is an absurd and hacllneyed express
sion, but let 1t pass.
l will not pretend that | did not
know-when | promised mamma to 50
{, Mrs. Schellering's ball on Tuesday
that John Hunt WAS to be there. |
knew it perfectly, for he had told me
SO. | did not 90 to meet him, howev-
err. for he came to the house every 9th
er day to see me, and our quiet talks
suited me far better than any ballroom
conversation possibly could. Still |
went, ami I confessed that | looked for
him.
What suggested to me to examine
his face more closely than usual | can
not tell: but I did scrutlniZe him, and
| fanciei-yes, | felt certain-that
saw 4 smile Of triumph there.
is the fair recluse really here :" he
asked, in tone which certainly SEEM
ed to me- to border upon a sheer.
I'm the flesh, at all events" I an
swerei, aippantly for the spirit l can
not say as much"
IF the former will honor me with
hand for the next polka, we will try to
conjuve the latter"
All through the dance I fancied him
saying to himself, Glow self sacrificing
l am in dancing with this plain little
creature, when l might have the bellies
Of the room" Chances from lovely
eyes which I intercepted on their way
to his seemed to reflect the same thought
lie was very agreeable, certainly bu
then his agreeableness had an affa.
billy about it which almost enragel
me.
At the close Of the dance we walked
through the rooms, and found ourselve!
sitting at last in a library window
I insisted in vain on his going to dance
He made the usual civil reply, but
could see in his face that he was dying
COR some one to take me off his hands
There was cutting sarcasm-at least
| fancied so--in every word he uttered
My feelings, at length, became SO un
goyernable that was ready to cry.
If there was a man that | despised i
was Fitz-Jo ohm O.. He was, or is
type Of the under bred, coarse, cum.
ming, fashionable New Yorker. Still
knew him very well; and seeing him pass
that way, called him, and pretending
that | had something to say to him
asked him to take me off. | felt {
mountain-load of my heart when 1 wa:
alone with him. 1t was a real pleas.
ure to see his agony at my ciingihg t
his arm. He had engagements, NJ
doubt, which I prevented his fulfilling
'but he was SO coarse and vulgar that i
was delightful to torture him.
John Hunt was in the middle Of
story about an adventure of his in tn,
alps when I left him. He had cot a
far as where, in pursuit Of a chamois
his guide told him that, "four feet fur
Their on that ledge and he would be ;
dead man" Had it not been for m,
thorough consciousness that he wa
only telling the story in order to in
crease my obligations to him, I shoult
have been greatly interested.
Half an hour, at least, after the in.
terruption Of the story by my depart.
ure, | passed the library window. HI
was there still ! Sitting on the same
seat, looking out through the half
opened window into the darkness, witt
very sombre and gloomy look. HI
was so handsome-so intellectual.
" Wouldn't you like to sit down %
said my cavalier, Fitz-John, in his in.
creasing desire to get free.
''Not for the world,'' said /; and
began to interest the little creature by
telling him fanciful stories of the i'm.
preston he was making on the ladies
of our set, till he really enjoyed my So
clety. began to be perfectly happy
and to enjoy the ball thoroughly
When [ caught, at our next turn, Johr
Hunts eyes severely fixed on our two
laughing faces was almost cured Of
my aversion for society.
1 liked it still better when, few
minutes afterwards, l noticed John Hum
dancing the Lancers with one of the
prettiest girls in the room. She looked
so happy-well she might be liz
was enjoying himself at last.
Little Fitz-John finally got his liber.
ty, aud ran to the refreshment- saloor
to recover his spirits. l then fell tt
the care OF Judge -, Of the Suprem,
Court, who, with his grey hairs, makes
it Il point Of duty to edo the civil'' t.
ZONE one lady at every ball. I sa