, 1877-04-15
BOSTON.
The Old South Ball---Brunetta Tells the
Story Of It.
The John Hancock Costume-.-Priscilla
MayloWer. :.
A New Book in the New Series Of Town
and Country.
Barry CornwalIa Life in Type-.-Deep-
haven Stories.

From Our 0ien Cbrrespondent
BosToy, April 1.-THE Old South BALI which
has made 30 much talk, Is. now an event Of tho
past. For weeks young and old-that Is, the young
and old who had to do with jt-haye hoped, and,
have no doubt. prayed, for fine weather on the 9th
OF april And hopes, and wishes, and prayers
were all granted, or as good as granted, for the
evening was one OF the finest OF the seaaon,-a
night Of stars and stiffness. made on purpose for
US, enthusta ,tcally, perhaps becying1y, cried
young woman who had been on the anxious seat all
these weeks. Ia very pretty ball" everybody
says. "a very brilliant ball, ~ but not marked
success as costume bali Brunetta, who went
with high expectations, comes home with her card
well covered, but with little indignation, and
tells US all about it. For the time che might have
changed places with Blondina, in her critical rou
bity. She confesses that it was very pretty ball,
kthat she hnd '' 4 nice time, but fallute, de-
cided failure, in tue very specially it intended
to be, rs ball Of costumes. ''And give Boston
up after this says Drunetta, she tells the story
OF the night. ~ give Boston up as tho most in-
!>corrgible Of half hearted old fosies. Time and
pgain they have tried here to get up thorough
costume ball, and every time 1t hzzle in the
rery essential point. Hamlet with the part Of
HamIet left ont
IAN D1sGusrED."
"But," !" yon ray, ''it was very pretty ball. -
Oh! very pretty ball but not the ball it WIS
/ tended to be,-nota costume ball, carried out en-
toute risueure 1t should have been but pretty
affair, where most OF the guests mixed up the
nineteenth century, the year 1877 with 1900
and. LOO, in the most art1ess way. There was
Priscilla Mayaower; she had on dress that had
waist five inches long and little sleeve with a
pretty frill OF old English thread-lace dropping
to ner elbow, and the skirt was short aud scant,
| with funny little rufle at the bottom, and q
funny little rutle at the top. And she had string
| OF real pearls biS-Oh. big as robins eggs
around her neck, and pair OF mitts, long, en-
| broidered mitts that caue halfway up her arm.
Everything en- reglc, for she took her pattern
| from her sreat-great-1 don't begin to know how
| great-aun1 whose full-length portrait hnngs in
but the hair, and that was in braids at the back
and frizzed down over the forehead as 'Priscifla
generally wears her hair whca she goes shopping.
her iifc. said to her, s'Priscllla, why didn't
yon dress your hair like the portrait too with those
quaint little side-comb pulls and that tall comb at
AND PRISCILLA Answered:
.'oh, I 1,coutdn't make myself look like q fright
T. da blds Just o
l. did not sy, that she Looked like -, most
OF that old by-gonc day, and that fashionable har
per's Ba:ar head, with its fr1zzes and braida. And
might have been 50 pretty i il bud all been in
ia's face OF to-day is not unlike tic dead and gone
pr'scillas. And 60 IN most OF the other costumes
there was t'n screw loose, :"
| AipWpERED HAIR WHERE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
l.. PLAIN,
and plain where it should have been powdered: or,
ae a e tSse d
had been given By the committec,-from
max make real stadz E es;ta%s: Sas tns:s
were some. a few, quite perfect dresses One Of
was dress Of ts ;
woven out and in with gold thread aralesques
ss as + lad
court trains all her life over her arm. a high wire.
Htifenet ruft spread out about the M throat around
| which were strings of pearls Then there was
ats oeRed SIMPLY ;ss aesuy ont ont Of piao bat he
sh tmnn 1e VIII S pe an6er
colored satin pctticoat trimmed with point lace.
BUT TUE MEN, OH, THE MEN!
cd asness, and il there is anything that is ugly il
| is a mans rament dress occasions In the
ordinary business sut or everyday dress be looks
! drcss-coat, that hateful slim, long g-taea thing;
| nkrer, Reser saw a man look decent in 1t. The
very handsoncst man ever knew, whom, before
Il s' assssvd r bis s M i With AssRs5
| met him At a tittle evening nQrt7
inc1osed IN that Sleek black nbou,fnstiyn with III
exposure Of shrt-bosotn in the shape of ut-iron.
| III wns 1nollo no longer, hut sort OF animated
| stoye- nine from head to foot The few costumes,
hnwexrr which Few gentlemen were brave enough
to don, we're very handsome, and so bcconing that
the black nineteenth century dress looked BY con-
trnst I'm nriier thar, usual,
DEscnNDASr OF JOHN HANCOCK
! worc a sujt tbat Hancock himself had once worn
r w,s coat nf crimson velvet With ticht sleeves
and waistcoat Of white satin finely embroidered.
ha Y1tffr rH Ehtrt-fr1nf 8InrHfn a
BIZ o brooch which was a painting on
;x5rv of Hancock himself, done by Coplcy. Long
Fellows son did his duty by dressing en- costume IL
| anusainn ami And there was a hr1iiiant En.lfsh
Scnernis dress Of The time Of ti,c Revolution, and
49,, conrt fIress iii resulendcnt with rod. lace
ana ,chita satin hrecches and nnrple velvet. The
ana reate4 Mtn lumber ho wore Costumes affected thc
fE,ontincntat- But most OF them seemed to be
sfr.iI tn carry ont the whole iaeo They began
! wtI.
| THE KNEE-BREEcuEs, TIE wAIsrCoATs, THE
COATS AND suRr-rRILus
WIRE nil rrht: hut when it cane to the head where
~estha old.fashioned oucue, the powder, OF the
| long @ ~ love locks, adapted to the various
as afraid Of neddiins with his ciosc-cut head a.
fcm;nine Boston was 10 disturb her braids and
| frizzcs. BIT it was a pretty ball-a very pretty