Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-04-15


of the bell of the clock, was heard
saying:
"This is the hour: we must dance"
All the assembly rose. The arm
chairs drew back of their own accord;
then each cavalier took the hand of a
lady, and the same voice said:
Come, gentlemen Of the orchestra,
begin!"
[ forgot to say that the subjects of
the tapestry were, on one side, an
Italian concerto, and Oil the other
stag-hunt, with huntsmen, and, the mu-
sicians, who, until then, had not made
any gestures, bowed the head in token
of adhesion. The maestro raised his
wand, and lively dance music sounded
from one end Of the room. The first
dance was minuet. But the rapid
notes Of the score harmonized badly
with those grave courtesies, and so after
g few minutes each of the couples be-
gan to pirouettc like Dutch top. The
silk dresses of the women, crumpled in
the'giddy maze of the dance, gave forth
an odd sound, ike the sound of whir-
ring pigeons wings. The wind filling
them from beneath, pulled them out
so that they looked like swinging
bells.
the bows of the fiddlers passed so
rapidly over the strings, that electric
sparks flew out. The fingers of the
fiute-players moved up and down like
quicksilver; the cheeks of the hunts
men were swollen out like balloons, and
all that formed deluge of notes and
trills SO hurried, and of ascending and
descending gamut so complicated, so
inconceivable, that the very demons
could not have followed such a mea-
sure for two minutes. 1t was pitiful to
see all the efforts of those dancers to
catch the time. They bounded and
whirled round and pirouetted until the
sweat poured down their foreheads over
their eyes, and carried away their paint
and patches But it was all in vain, the
orchestra was always three or four
notes in advance.
The clock struck l; they stopped. I
then saw something which had escaped
my nOtlce-a woman who was not
dancing. She was seated on a low
chair in the chimney corner, and did
not seem to take the least part in the
world in what was going on around
her.
Never, even in dream, had anything
so perfect presented itself to my eyes,
a skin of dazzling brightness, hair blonde
cendre, long eye-lashes, and blue eyes,
SO clear and transparent that [ saw her
soul through them as distinctly as
stone i'll brook. And l felt that if
ever | came to love anybody it would
be her. [ jumped out of bed, from
which / had not yet dared to stir, and
went toward her, conducted by some
instinct IN me which [ could not ex-
plain. found myself at her knees, one
OF her hands IN mine, talking with her
as if [ had known her for twenty
years.
But strange prodigy, while speak
ing to her, marked the music with q
movement of my head. 1t had not
ceased to play, and, although it was
for me the height of happiness to talk
with such beautiful woman, my feet
were burning to dance with her. Still,
| did not dare to make the proposition.
1t seems she understood what I wanted.
for, raising her hand toward the dial of
the clock, she said:
"When the needle shall be there, we
will see, my dear Theodore"
l know not how it happened, but l
was In no way surprised to hear myself
called by my name, and we continued
to talk. AT last, when the appointed
hour struck, the silvery voice vibrated
once more in the chamber, and said:
angela, you may dance with the
lopoap If Won ynlooCo. h1E x,o,, 1v,,ou,
what will be the result"
mo matter" replied Angela, in a
pOuting tone.
She passed her ivory arm around
my neck.
"Prestissinso !" cried the voice.
And we began to waltz. The bosom
of the young girl touched mine, her
velvet cheek skinned my own. Never
in my life had [ experienced such emo
ton; my nerves quivered like springs
of steel, my blood flowed in my veins
like torrents of lava; I heard my heart
as If a watch were tickling in my ear.
Still this state mad nothing painful IN
1t. | was in a flood of inetfable Joy.
and | could have wished to have re-
manned always as / was, and, remark
ably enough, although the orchestra
had tripled its quickness, we needed no
effort to followit.
The bystanders, astonished at our
agility, cried bravo, and clapped their
hands with all their might without pro-
duclng any noise.
Angela, who until then had waltzed
with surprising energy and precision,
seemed suddenly to become fatigued;
she hung on my shoulder as if her
limbs had failed her; her little feet,
which minute had barely touched
the floor, rose slowly as if they had been
weighted with lead.
angela, you are weary" said to
her; "let us rest"
eyes," she replied, wiping her brow
with her handkerchief; but while we
have been dancing they have all sat
down; there is only one chair, and we
are two"
"What does that matter, my angel?
l Will take you on my knees"
Without making the slightest objec-
ton, Angela sat down, threw her arms
like white scarf round my neck, and
hid her head in my bosom to warm her
self little, for she had become cold as
marble.
| know not how long we remained
IL