The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-08-06
The Dress Ball rs the Rsckbridsc
Alum.

The affable, obliging, and almost uDlqul,
TONS Captain W. ii. Sale, with his cord'al
welcome and bright, CHEEKY laugh, stlii mas
the rooming of guests. Captain ). y. io'
ter is in the dining-room watching over tne
tables with his old assiduous attention. Mr
Lewis. with his quiet, grum humor ana
contentious answers, still receipts your oliis
and c;vcs Won any desired information ID
,,broscs Of unhcard-o brcvity. Mr.. James
Frazier, the young proprietor, con DC
soon nj all times moving among his guests:
manipulating game of croquct here or
Manning game of tcn-pins there, or
arranging the sets upon the ballroom
roor-ever watchful and solicitous for the
pleasure and enjoyment OF the many
visitors.
There arc many familiar faces among the
quests, and could the representative OF your
corps. who honorcd us last year by Visit,
be quietly transferred from your heated
Office to the cool, shaded lawn of this place
he would be surprised to find SO many oio
friends and to hear his name upon so many
Inns. The place has won a lasting regard
in the hearts of many, and each season hnds
those wcll-known faces in their accustomed
haunts.
But for once the Rockbridgc Algm Springs
have extended" as visitor apposlteiy
remarked, and the crowd is one hetcroge-
ncous compound, extending from the no
Grandc to New York city. The gathering
represents every shade of politics-Radl-
chi. Conservative and Imperialist. In one
cottage is Judge S. S. Word, Radical, from
Lcwistown, Pc; in the next is General
Thomas Ewing, of Washington, u. e., ooh-
sentative; near him is General ;. Nj. Bow
man, of New York, Radical; and just be-
vond General Bowman is Mr. Keen, OF ne"
Orleans, Imperialist. Mobile ana ne"
York take cottages together, and galveston
Texas, and Harrisburg, "a, are nclShnoIs.
The season promises to be brilliant
success, with four hundred guests at pre-
sent, and the prospect OF still further IN
crease by the evenings train. Inc latest
events of the place have been the cstab-
fishing of q telegraph office here, ana the
grand dress and masquerade ball, and Ii Is
difficult to decide which is the greater.
Out of due regard for the ladies, we have
of course to put the ball first, and VIII en-
deayor to give short description Of 1t.
Friday night July 3Oth was selected, ana
the following gentlemen named as man
ayers: Upon the floor, General Bowman,
General Ewing, DR.. Cohen, and Mr. Il. }.
-, ASNA''
DR.. McCalla, OF Washington, Captain ".
II. Sale, Major &. ii. Nash, OF Richmond,
and Mr.. William L. Chocklcy, of New
York.
At 8 ?. NJ. the masqucrs and fancy
dresses began to assemble, and soon the
room was filed to its utmost capacity; and
conspicuous among the crowd were seen The
neat gray uniforms Of the Virgin Mill
I, dots % iy1,j
to n full succcss-and their rolliclIng,
devil-may-carc laughter rang merrIly over
the room.
The fun now began in earnest, and the
comic, the burlesquc, and the ridiculous,
were mingled and comminglcd with the
grave and the beautiful; and every few
moments pcals of laughter would rcsound
throughout the crowd as actor after actor
and mask after mask received its share OF
attention. Here, were to be seen the Gle
CANT courtcr of the reign Of Louis XVI.
and the grandly-drcssed Marquise Of the
same period there, n beautiful representa-
ton Of Flora, and by her side charming,
dark, piquant Scnorita. Here was Gypsy
King. very attentive to most attractive
little Gypsy Fortunc-Teller; and there, a
tall. fnclv-formcd Blucbcard trying to
persuade n petit flower girl that she was
not "o'cr young to marry yet" Here
tall, SNOW white headed sire of eighty win
tcrs was bending his elongated frame to
whisper in the ear OF Il most tastly-ar-
ranged representation of Night; and rs his
flowing beard swept the crescent moon upon
her forehead the flashing eye told II tale
of heart far too young for those hoary
locks. There, "Spanish lady OF rank y
Il {. ho
lie" whose head and heels were equally
free from care, and made sad havoc with
the "inevitable train of encountered
greatness. At one side 'Snow-Storm "
broke out from the "Woods of Penn,
and upon the other % Winter" came
slowly in collision with "Autumn hang
ing upon the arm of ''Solon Single"
Don Tony Jumpkin Quixote" had chosen
as his "dulcinia" the ''littlc girl at her
first ball. and was insisting upon the true |
old Quaker custom Of saluting a friend
with kiss, but "my little lady,
begged leave to first consult her mamma,
who, " stern-parient "-like, refused. And
in gracefully Hoated another "Snow
Storm" around which the delegation from
the Virginia Military Institute insisted |
upon collccting-possibly because snow
balling and snow-fghts arc popular amuse-
mcnts at the Virginia Military Institute
but more probably because pair of fasci-
mating, sweet eyes excrted that peculiar
magnetic influence which II man can no |
more resist than he can belp breathing.
lie this as it may, she moved grandly on,
surrounded by her cotcric of admirers.
Among the maskers was "DiSputch car
rier" clothed in the Richmond Daily Dis
pdtch," with hat bearing across its front |
the heading OF your paper. As this is the
second time that this character has ap-
pearcd at this place you can form some esti
mate of the position your journal holds.
One character represented Confederate
gentleman, and coming in contact with the
Marquisc during the ball, an amusing scene
occurred. The Confederate knew no French,
and the Marquise knew no English and we
heard remark which located the gentle
man ut once g, louGnS is furriner,
youans is, and weuns don't know the fur
riners talk" But the Marquise ratified of
her French with native voiubility, and our
North Carolina friend consoled himself by
admiring her extreme vivacity and graceful
movements, although, as he said, he would
have given all the hoop-polcs on Deer fork
of Tar river to understand what she said.
THE DRESSES AND CHARACTERS.
TO oblige your lady readers we give the
costumes and initials of the fair partici-
pants:
Miss n D., from Washington, d. c., tall,
elegantly dressed as q SnOw-Storm. White
tarlatanc covered over thickly with tufts OF
down hair flowing loose and covered with
u veil of same material rs the dress.
Mrs. l.. j. D., WASHINGTON ID. c., as