, 1877-10-20

ly appiaudlng the motive and execution
of San Francisco work entitled Ths
Dance of Death, )" by William Herman
has had such widecirculat;on in the pres.
that perhaps Ogr readers may be interest.
ed in the following extract from the work
itself, purporting to describe "the dance
of death" to-wit, the ballroom waltz:
But hark The music strikes up tie
dance is about to begin. You and du
not dance; We withdraw to an adjoining
room and take hand at cards.
The hours go swiftly by and still We
play on. The clock strikes 2; the card
players are departing. But the strains oi
the distant music have been unceasing
the game does not flag in the ballroom.
You have not seen a dance since your
youth, You say, and then only the rude
gambols of country-foll; you would faip
see before you so how the danes and
damsels Of gentler breeding acquit them
selves.
The dance is at its height; We could
not have chosen a better time to see the
thing in its glory.
As We approach the door of the ball
room the music grows louder and more
raylshlng than eyer; no confusion of
voices mars its delicious melody the only
sounds heard beneath its strains are a low
swish and rustic as of whirling robes, and
a light but rapid and incessant shutting
of feet. The dull element has gone home;
those who remain have better work to do
than talking We push the great doors
asunder and enter
Ha /! the air is hot and heavy here it
breathes upon us sensuous gusts of vary
ing perfumes. And no wonder. A score
of whirling, sentcd robes stir it into
fragrance. How beautiful. But You look
aghast, my frind. All. fogot; these are
not the rude country folks Of your youth.
You are dazzled, bewildered. Then let
me try to enliven your dull senses with q
description of what We see.
A score of forms Whirl swiftly before
Us under the softened gaslight. l say a
score of forms-but each is dOuble-they
would have made two score before ting
dancing began-twenty floating Visions
each male and female-twenty women
knit and growing to as many men, undu-
late, sway and swirl giddily befor us, keep
ing time with the delicious melody Of
piano, harp and violin
But draw nearer Let us see how this
miracle is accomplished. Do you mark
yonder tall couple, who seem even to ex-
Gel the rest in grace and ardOr Do they
not make apicture which night put a soul
L. .,f 1aaxa , So.h how,
been the sight which made Speusippas in.
confidently rave, 80, admirable o, di-
vine Panareta Who would not admire
her, who would not love her, that should
but see her dance as did! ., how she
danced, how she tripped, how she turned!
With what grace! Faia qut Pananeta
tpitm! o, most incompatible, only
Panareta Let Us take this couple for 9
sample He is stalxart, agile, mighty
she is tall, supple, 1.-the, and how beauti-
full in form and feature! Her head rests
upon his shoulder, her face is upturned to
his :. her naked arm is almost around his
neck her swelling breast heaves tumul-
tuously against his face to face they
whirl, his limbs interviewer with her limbs;
with strong right arm about her waist,
he presses her to him till every curve In
the contour of her lovely body thrills
with the amorous contact. Her eyes look
into his, but she sees nothing the soft
music fills the room, but she hears Hoth-
ing swiftly he whirls her from the floor
or bends her frail body to and fro in his
embrace, but she knows it not ; his hot
breath is upon her hair, his lips almost
touch her forehead, yet she does not
shrink MS eyes, cleaning with fierce,
intolerable last, gloat satyrlike over her,
yet she does not quail /; she is filled with
. rapture divine In its lntenslty-she Ii
in the maelstrom of burning desire-her
spirit is with the gods. With last loud
vail the music ceases. Her swOOning
senses come back to life. All must It
be Yes, her companion releases her
from his embrace. Leaning YEARLY up
on his arm, the rapture faded from her
eye, the flush dying from her cheek. En-
ervated, limp, listless and worn out, she Is
lead to seat, there to recover from her
delirium, and gather her energies as best
she may in the space of five minutes, after
which she must yield her body to new
embrace, -.
But did you not notice faint smile up
on the lips of her late companion as ne
turned and left her? A smile OF triumph,
an air of sated appetite, it seemed to me.
And see, as he joins his cronies yonder,
he laughs, rpbs his handstogether, chuck
les .isibly, and communicates some choice
scrap of aews which makes them iook
over at our jaded beauty, and laugh, too.