The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1880-12-10

oOA hShn bui luue6u, sHe ttu-
swered, quite earnestly. But there
are plenty Of men who are always stupid,
while you can be rather entertaining,
when you are at your best" and she
turned gently from him to greet new
batch Of guests.
"Was l ever damned with such faint
praise before ?" thought Dick. 81 won
der if / am at my best tonight"
For minnie he stood, taking survey
of the scene before him. The musicians
were playing waltz, and playing it
well; only strange to say there was a
flute among them, which came piping in
with its shrill persistent little treble in a
manner distracting to Dicks over-sensi-
tive ear He thought of Mozart's saying
that the only thing in the world worse
than flute in an orchestra was two
flutes, and wondered at Mrs. Grey's
choice in music. Nevertheless, as long
as he was there he might as well dance,
and looking around for familiar faces, his
first glance fell upon brown-eyeA
maiden whom he had met at party only
the week before, and whom he had adj
mired with the guarded and half-super-
cilious admiration of veteran society
man. In another minute they were on
the floor contending with their fellow
creatures for little room to whirl around
in, and seemingly successful in their
struggle, until q slight lurch sent them
rather suddenly against another pair 0
dancers.
"That was stupid, wasn't it?" said
Dick, as they stopped to take breath
after the conclusion.
eyes, replied she Of the brown eyes,
raising them frankly to his face. "You
are rather poor dancer. Perhaps you
are out Of practices"
''Indeed ought not to be-" protested
Dick, in unutterable Indignation at the
charge. II never danced more in INV
life than have this winter.
"Is that so? It must be awkwardness
them" said his companion, gently.
learn. think ii Is q natural gift.
Dick wondered if he could have heard
Alright or if that wretched little flute, still
piping away SO complacently, had
absolutely bewildered him. If there was
one thing he prided himself on more
than another-one gift, natural or other
wise, which he felt sure of possessing-it
was his dancing. Was the brown-eyed
damsel out of her mind or was she
simply an ill-bred little thing, who did
not know good dancer from bad one?
Whichever was the case he lost no time
in getting rid Of her, and still mute with
amazement and disgust, took refuge
among a group of men at the door.
"You here, Turner' said one of them.
II hardly recognized you at first, you
look SO yellow and thin.
''Do /, indeed?" said Dick, shortly,
and wondering what he was doomed to
hear next.
81 should rather think you did," was
the friendly answer. II just said to
Smith, here, as you came up, that be-
tween your sallow skin and that bald
spot on your head, you were beginning
to look like an old man before your time.
Why don't you take to country life and
early hours and freshen up bit?"
"Why don't you mind your own af-
fairs and kindly leave me to attend to
mine?" retorted Dick, now thoroughly
aroused, and without waiting for another
word he veered around and left the
| group, who, one and all, seemed pro-
| toundly astonishe d at his i'll temper.
| BY this time he began to feel little
uncertain who to approach next. Hav-
ing been told already that he was stupid,
: ugly and bad dancer, what was there
left for him to hear. He certainly had
never met so many disagreeable people
I in his life and he had serious thoughts Of
beating a permanent retreat, when he
caught sight of blonde head half hidden
beneath the azaleas in the conservatory.
1t was Florence Redifer, whom he had
/ IL - -. sr.l,I
whom two hours ago he would have in.
dignantly avoided. But for some reason
his contempt for her fattery and false
ness had been strangely modified in sc
short time and he felt positive yearn
ing to listen again to her pretty nothing
and to see her blue eyes uplifted with
that tender glance of admiring trustful
ness to his 1t must have cost her
great deal Of time and patience to cult
vate the glance up to its present perfec
ton and it was unkind, after all, to snee
at the result Of such honest and endear
ing toll.
The next minute he was by her side
She looked very pretty: her fair hal
tumbled in some mysterious fashion ol
the top of her shapely little head; he
bright face Lit up with smiles, and he
white silk cleaning under the colore,
lamps with soft and shifting radianc
that pleased Dicks cultivated eye. 81
was not one of those to whom woman
gown is matter of indifference.
sT came in here for little air, )" sh
said; ''the rooms are so terribly hot, an
the whole affair is very stupid. Don
you think 30 ?"
"It has been worse than stupid 70
me" he answered, laughing. 81 hay
been insulted wherever 1 went. Firs'
Mrs. Gray told me I was often yer
stupid; then Miss Vincent, do you kno'
her? She is dancing now with Tor
! Stern"
81 don't know her; but never min6
What did she say to you2"
"She told me was awkward and
bad dancer, and intimated that coul
never thoroughly learn"
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