The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-02-12


long been famous among Virginia towns for
the wit, the beauty, and the numb er of its
girls. Some keen editor. a year or so ago,
with the bump OF amatveness strongly de-
veloped in his probably Wad-
dell, of the Charlottesville ChYon,cle-wrote
of the place: 'Staunton embraces about five
or six hundred pretty girls. Who wouldn't
like to be Staunton?"
This feminine phalanx took the town by
storm on Thursday night, the 9th. Invi-
tations, previously sent out, had thrown the
modest young men of the place into state
of expectancy that hung fire between bliss
and anxiety. Those whose invitation cards
read: "Miss-begs to be allo wed to act as
your escort &C., crowed exultingly over
those who only received go.as-you-please
bids. At 81 p. NJ, the spacious hall Of
the Mozart building began to be filled to
OVERLOOKING. Hesitating and dif1ident
young debutantes, with the earliest down
of adolescence on their faces, flanked
by chaperones bearded like the pard, min
gled with others yet, the settled air of whose
white cravats and the assured fit OF whose
spike-tails spoke in unmistakable language
that they bad come and seen and conquered
in other leap years gone by. At probably
none other than some similar leap-year
party-differing from this, however, as one
star differeth from another star in glory,
because this one never has been and never
can be beat-were quite so many handker-
chiefs dropped or so few fans broken. Soft
eyes looked love to eyes that gaZe3 upon the
floor with innate masculine modesty. The
following conversation between a handsome
young lady and bashfnl young member of
the Staunton bar, was overheard during
lulI in the music, and may ser We as a specI
men of many like it that occ urred dnrng
the evening:
He: "But you know that L have not known
you very long; and you have never shown
me before, in any way, that you cared any
thing for me. 1t is q startling revelation to
me.''
She: SIT is true l have never before declar-
ed myself ia words, but actions you know,
frequently speak louder. have wanted to
tell you SO long, and have never had good
opportunity till now.''
He: "How am to believe you? am afraid
that you are not sincere. l saw you only
just now paying the mos. devoted attention
to Mr.. Honestly. hav'nt you just told
him what you are now trying to make me
believe 20
She: II swear to you by all the gods that
love you and you only. No other man.
Here the music began once more and the
rest of the conversation was lost in con-
cord of sweet sounds. Doubtless, however,
when she came to the climax with her 'swit
thou?" he wilted.
At about III a handsom me supper was
each individual gentleman was waited upon
went far to convince him in his prognosti
cations of the future, as to whether life after
this leap-year party would be worth living
or not.
After supper, once more mazourka and
heel-and-toe polka, and galop and waltz
and cotoliion and German and Old Virginia
r: ell and all the other dances that the
thought of man ever devised or the skill of
girls during leap-year ever put into success
full execution, followed each other in rapid
succession, until the gray dawn of the early
morning was almost at hand. Good times
like bad times are bound to end; and with
unanimous vote that this was the most
successful social gathering of the season,
the gay assemblage dispersed. Nearly every
young man IN the room described his cos
tune to our reporter with great exactness,
with an eye to appearing in the VIRGINIAN;
but as one of the lady managers informed
him that she considered this thing of parad-
ing the names OF refined and modest young
gentlemen in the daily prints to be decid-
eddy shoddy, and more honored in the
breach than the observance, we are con-
strained to omit the notes which we had
prepared.
Every masculine in that crowd knows ow
how to appreciate The sentiment OF the small
boy who wished that Christmas came every
day in the year. This consciousness was
formulated as follows by one of the gentle
men bellies of the evening,a he rol led home
wards by the side Of his lovely escort in the
hack which be did mt have to pay for:
81 wish to heavens it was leap.year all
the time, and that all the parties were like
this onel"