Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1865-08-10
Communicated.
Monday Evenings Exhibition.

! SJ A'SNNNASo ~ AAAADAoASAs
Have you the honor of the acquaintance of
Scruggs, gentle reader? No. Then you
should have-"a fellow of infinite jest" He
rooms with us under the charitable and high
peaked roof of Madame Slouchkiroustvo-a
Polish exile. Consequently we know his as
pirations, from the sublime to those that are
not SO, which are frequent-speaking of the
latter.
Three weeks ago last Saturday he allowed
us to enter into the knowledge of fact He
had begun to take dancing lessons and told
us SO. We approved of this erratic course,
as we always do of any course this benign
youth determines to follow previous to a con-
sultation with his friends. Well, he has ta-
ken lessons this far along, and to-day we sum
up the grand total of results.
Plastcri z all schoHisched off the ceiling of
our domicil rain now comes through between
the lathes.
Looking glass disfgured by compound
fracture. 1t went up with Highland Fling
and came down with smash.
| Wash-bowl and pitcher polka-ed into
thousand pieces long since used as small-arm
ammunition against cats while engaged in
their unapproachablc Duets, rendered on our
potCu WIN EiCdU Nutul pDWtT. IlHlI Il
dozen new linen shirts, fine cloth dress coat
of delicate plum tint, crimson dotted silk
velvet vest, etc, to great length, all serious
ly damaged by the upsetting of a coal oil can
into our open trunk. Scraggs did it in doing
the Iursonrienna. Told us that he was will
iig to be excused. Now we are getting tired
of Scraggs in this department of effort -
So is Madame Slouchkiroustye, the Polish
exile. And yesterday by the way, when the
tcrpschorean youth "baanced" against the
servant girl, causing her to distribute Impair
tally gigantic bowl of gravy over the din
ner table, her gown, and the Polish cxilc's
carpet, the Exile arose in wrath and said a
few words to Scraggs that sounded very un-
like mothers blessing on her child L.
Scrugg's was out to-day hunting another place
of subsistence and repose. A few nights
since. this miserable young man invited us
to attend an exhibition of dancing IIe was
not to participate himself, he said; only the
young ladies', who, in common with himself,
we're pupils of Prof. N. would appear
Buoyant under Scraggs explanation, we, at
seasonable hour, took his arm and set out for
the Professors rooms. Arrived there. we
found the seats provided for the spectators all
taken, while good many persons stood thro'
the entire evening. Gathered here also were
the pupils, dressed in the full gala mode that
such occasions call for. After little while
the orchestra sent out the first flow of the
stately, rhythmic strains in the mu-
sic of the Iancers when we easily imagined
the rustling of drapery and the shufilug of
the tiny slippcred feet to be exaggerated
echoes of the applause that fell from the view
4 |
great glec hovered invisible over the heads of !!
these little mortals, disporting themselves
upon the Professors floor. We didn't men
Iion this quaint conccit to Scraggs. lie would I.
have at once said she couldn't see it," Of
course not Leaving out of the question the I
r visibility of fairies. a great numbering in
lvidual, who, in his practising, smas hes ,
wash bowls, up-sets oil cans, and carecns full i
lit over servant-maids and gravy-dishes, u !
,oald not consistently be expected to see i.
1t was amusing to observe in some of the >
ets upon the floor, such wee creatures as !. u
we're there; acquitting themselves well too. II
'eas-Jtossom and his el6n comrades Cob ueb,
|ioth, and Mustard seed, would each and all U
ave surely hailed them as boon companions
or hob-goblin hop upon the green sward.
}y the beard OF Oberon, we believe that imp
f mischief Puch, could even have found a
artner, in no way behind him in the veriest "
aycty Of spirits. y
We were much interested as we observed
ne struggles of the very lttlest of the small Ii
mes in the movement of fright and left u
trough" As she passed between two larger st
iris. her whole person disappeared in the b
bbon- -and-rore crested waves of crinoline 81
lat flowed and bilowed about her; there D.
as an heroic effort on her part, Crockets al
termination to 60 through, straining of
very muscle and finally we drew u long al
reath of relief as the small black head shown &C
bove the white waves, to be followed shortly o'
ter by the remainder of this tiny but bold 70
lventurer's entire individuality. nj
We remember with pleasure one little girl IN
ressed in-well no matter-that struck US ia
particularly graceful. More than this. W
ere was that about the child which was I'M or
osing, regal even, in the sense of rcgality so
connected with ballroom queen. You. DC
y observant reader, remember to have seen fe'
the days of the by-gone, some beautiful swH
.me, who, with n proud consciousness of OF
ninent superiority, created whole poems w
motion in the measures of dance. You va
member the fascination, the ingredients of er
hich were beauty, youth. and hundred 'u
,melcss attributes, pre-eminent among all,
'wever, the crowning one Of gracefulness.
Tell, this child. miniature woman us she was, tn
I'd these gifts in miniature, as plainly dis a
rnable as though life size. b,
We spoke to Scraggs about her; told him fol
at it was sad to think Of the innocence as ho
mbled here in the guise of little children, Sc
ID then of the change that twenty years tw
ight bring. Scraggs replied that he ''had no he
ubt but that twenty years hence would find We
the girls present just as innocent as they wi
en- were, which would be the innocence Of to-
e dove, but that there would be mixed UP sh
tn it much cunning, which would be that TO