The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-12-04
From Lake SebagO.

a Ball at the Paviton-T obacco-R Railroad
Road6eds-CoEd Weather.
Mr. Editor:-You need mt think that the lads
and lasses of Portland monopolize all the dane
| ing that is done in this world, because perhaps
every hall in your city was occupied Thanks
giving evening by those who trip the slight
fantastic toe. - Light fantastic toe %
is good, but if my memory serves
me, it has been used before and is not there
fore altogether original The young people who
reside ON the borders of this beautiful lake and
in its vicinity, assembled in the hall of the Pa
vilion last Wednesday evening, getting a little
| ahead of the Portland beaux and bellies and hay-
ing their good time the evening previous to
| Thanksgiving.
There were present on the occasion one
hundred ladies and gents, and if they did not
| enjoy themselves no dancing party ever did
| The music by MancheSter's Band was excel
lent, and produced the desired effect, putting
| on all their tiptoes and animating all hearts
A better behaved or more genteel party sell
dom occupies any genteel hall, and among them
were many excellent dancers who would attract
attention in any hall in town or country. But
regret to say there were a teao present who
chewed tobacco and 'spit upon the foor''-an
outrage OF which they ought to be ashamed, if
there is any shame in them. Dickens was
thought by some to have been too severe when
writing upon this American habit, but I think
his weapons, sharp and decisive as they were.
practice he was combating Young men
| ought to know that the skirts of the ladies are
| not too short to reach the filthy juice they spit
upon the hoor. am glad there were but a very
few who committed this outrage upon decency
and propriety. They were s'spotted' at the
time, and if they ever are guilty of such foul
conduct again they will be publicly exposed to
the whole assembly Let them remember that,
and learn lesson from an old western tobacco
cheweri whom once saw on board o. vessel one
summer on Lake Superior He was playing
euchre with some other gentlemen, and every
few minutes he was compelled to rise and 90
some ten feet to a spittoon which was fastened
upon the deck of the vessel But remember
you young tobacco chewers, he didn't spit upon
upon floor. He was too much of a gentleman for
that. True, he didn't like the trouble of iumpino
up and runnngto the spittoon so often to emDty
his mouth of its filthy saliva, but he did L
every time, and once impatiently exclaimed.
Il wish hada spitbox hung to my neck" O
that some young men would make the same ex-
clamation and initiate the example of this old
western chewer of the "vile weed who would
not squirt his juice upon the deck of vessel,
while they don't hesitate to spit on the floor of
dance hall and in the presence of ladies.
But enough of that If the weather had NOT
been so severe, the wind so sharp and cutting
and the frozen roads SO rough there would
have been present more than one hundred
couples. Notwithstanding the severe cold wind
the hall was comfortably warm.
Twelve kerosene lamps lighted the room well
but the full moon made more beautiful light
upon the pure waters of the lake. Those who
have not witnessed such display of the moons
beams have but little conception of sparkling
brllliancy Lakes Superior George and Seba,
go have the purest and the clearest waters of
any In our country. There is little sheet of
water, Willoughby Lake, in Vermont which is |
perhaps quite equal.
Writing the other day about the Portland &, |
Ogdensburg Railroad, l intended to have stated
one tact whlch Is quite important, but forgot II
L remember what ex-Gov. Stearns onoe ~ ~ A.;
me when speaking of the Vermont Ce, soid
road. He said:-'One thing is importaO th.ra I
renders the stock of this railway the mora anu
liable, and that is the nature of the soil VIII
makes the road-bed. 1t will not reouira co
many section hands to keep it in repair as
ROADS running over clayey or loamy ground"
Now that is undoubtedly true, and If So the p
q U. road can be more easily kept in good run |
nlng order than the Vermont Central or almost
any other railway in our country. for the ma
terlal OF which the road-bed is made is of such |
a nature That rams cannot ocdSh ii nor frosts |
heaUe 1t. And especially is this the case after |
leaving South Windham station and going /
w est. All the way to the "Notch" the ma.
terlal is sand, or not very coarse gravel
c is unquestionably better material for a
Of oout, than coarse gravel or any other kind
va,,|a run IN Now such fact must enhance the
raiwa W a .ne stock. 1t is one thing to build
All rsiIroad d another thing to keep it in repair
al i IA o men know that the r6adhad wb;ot
can De the most cheaply kent im 80; WHEN
very much to the value of the ;nvostIpa air auds