The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-01-29

you up beautifully for the rest of the
evening. Sometimes, you know. you
are rather stupid"
Dick looked at her to see if she meant
a joke but her pretty face was gravely
raised to his. "You are fiattering me, -
he said, shortly.
81 don't mean to, indeed" she an
swered, quite earnestly. 'sBut there
are plenty of men who are always stu
pid, while you can be rather entertain
ing when you are at your BEST" and
she turned gently from him to greet a
new batch of guests.
"Was l ever damned with such faint
praise before?' thought Dick. Il won
der if l am at my best tonight"
For a minute he stood taking sur
vey of the Scene before him. The mu-
sicians were playing waltz, and play
ing it well; only strange to say there
was flute among them, which came
piping in with its shrill persistent little
treble in a manner distracting to Dicks
over sensitive ear. He thought of Mo-
zart's saying that the only thing in the
world worse than flute in an orches-
ira, was two flutes, and wondered at
Mrs. Grey's choice in music. Never
theless, as long as he was there he
might as well dance and looking around
for familiar faces. his first glance fell
upon brown-eyed maiden whom he
had met at a party only the week be-
fore and whom he had admired with
the guarded and Interpretations ad-
miration 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 slight lurch sent them rather
suddenly against another pair of dancers
THAT was stupid, wasn't it?" said
Dick, as they stopped to take breath
after the conclusion.
"Yes," replied she of the brown
eyes, raising them frankly to his face.
'You are rather poor dancer. Per-
haps you are out of practicep"
Indeed | ought not to be-" protest
ed Dick. in unutterable indignation at
the charge 81 never danced more in
my life than have this winter"
Is that so? 1t must be awkward
ness them" said his companion, gently.
"Some people never can thoroughly
learn. Think it is a 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 9TH
erwise, 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
oneP 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. ~ hardly recognized you at
first, you look so yellow and thin"
s'Do |. indeed?" said Dick, shortly,
and wondering what he was doomed to
hear next.
81 should rather think you did," was
the friendly answer. 81 just said to
Smith here as you came up that between
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 anoth-
err word he veered around and left the
group, who one and all seemed pro-
&.
BY this time he began to feel a little
uncertain who to approach next. Hav-
ing been told already that he was stupid,
ugly and a bad dancer, what was there
left for him to hear. He certainly had
never met so many disagreeable people
in his life and he had serious thoughts
of beating permanent retreat, when
he caught sight of blonde head Half
hidden behind the azaleas in the con-
servatory. 1t was Florence Redifer,
whom he had never expected to meet
tonight and whom two hours ago he
would have Indignantly avoided. But
for some reason his contempt for her
fattery and falseness had been strangely
modified in so short time, and he felt
a positive yearning to listen again to
her pretty nothings and to see her blue
eyes uplifted with that tender glance of
admiring trustfulness to his. 1t must
have cost her a great deal of time and
patience to cultivate that glance up to
its present perfection, and it was I'M
kind, after all, to sheer at the result of
such honest and enduring toll.
The next minute he was by her side.
She did look very pretty; her fair hair
tumbled in some mysterious fashion on
the top of her shapely little head; her
bright face lit up with smiles and her
white silk cleaning under the colored
lamps with a soft and shifting radiance
that pleased Dicks cultivated eye. He
was not one of those to whom a wom-
ans gown is matter of indifference.
Sc / came in here for little air." she
said; 1.-THE rooms are so terribly hot
and the whole affair is very stupid.
H. A u