The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-04-29

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 ever damned with such faint
praise before?' though Dick. II won
der ii | am at my best to night?'
For moment he stood, taking a sur
yey of the scene before him. The musi-
clans were playing waltz, and playing
it well only strange to say there was
flute among them, which came piping in
with its shrill, persistent little treble in
manner obstructive to Dicks over sensi-
tive ear. lie thought of Mozart saying
that the only thing in the world worse
than a flute in an orchestra was two
flutcs,and wondered at Mrs. Greys choice
of music. Nevertheless, as long as he
was there he might us well dance. and.
looking around for familiar faces, his first
| glance fell upon brown-eyed maiden
whom he hod met at a party only the
week before, and whom he had admired
with the guarded and hall fsupercilious
admiration of a veteran society man. In
another minute they were on the floor
contending with their fellow creatures
for a little room to whirl around in, and
seemingly successful in their struggle,
until slight lurch sent them rather sud
denly 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 a poor dancer Perhaps you
are out of practice?'
"lndeed | ought not to be-" protested
Dick, in utterablc Indignation at the
charge. II never danced more in my
life than have this winter
"Is that so2 1t must be awIwardness
then, said his companion, gently. ''Some
people never can thoroughly learn. /
think it is Il natural gift"
Dick wondered if he could have heard
aright,or if that wretchcd little tlutc,stilI
piping away so compacently, had abso-
lutely bewildcred him. IT there was one
thing he pridcd himself on more than
anothcr--one gift, natural or otherwise,
which he felt sure of posScSsing-it was
his dancing. Was the brown-cyed dam.
sci ont oi her mind, or was she simply
al illbred little thing who did not know
Il good dancer from Il bad one! Which
ever was the case, he lost no time in
getting rid of her and,mute with amaze
ment and disgust, took refuge among Il
group of men at the door.
"Iou here, Turncr?' said one of them.
Il hardly recognized you ut lirst,you look
50 yellow
II should rather think you did, was
the friendly answer II ust 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 m
old man before your time, Why don't
you take to country lite and early hours
and freshen up bit!'
+ "Why don't you mind your own affairs
and kindly leave Inc to attend to mine!
rctOrted Dick, now thoroughly aroused
: and without waiting for another word
= he veered around and left the group,who
) one and ali seemed profoundly astonish-
; ed at his i'll temper,
= BY this time he began to feel a little
uncertain who to approach next. Ilav
c ing been told already that he was stupid
| ugly and n bad dancer, what was there
{ left for him to hear? lie certainly haC
:. never met so many disagreenble people
=. in his life and he had serious Thoughts
t of beating permanent retreat, when ht
t caught sight of II blonde head half hid
l. den behind the azaleas in the conscrva
e tory. 1t was Florence Redifer, WHOM
e he had never expected to meet to nigh
l and whom two honrs ago he would hay
If Indignantly avoided. But for some rea
il son his contempt for her tlattery an,
falscnCSs had been strangely modified /
st so short time that he felt II positiv
20 ycarhing TO listen to her pretty notl
Il ings and to see her blue eyes upltte
$ with that tender glance of trthfunes
y to his. 1t must have cost her grea
10 deal of time and patience to cultivat
that glance up to its present pertectio
e and it was unkind. after all, to sneer ;
s. the result of such honest and cndurin
re toll
re The next minute he was by her sid
p, She did look very pretty; her fair ha
tumbled i'll some mysterious fashion q
f. the top of her shapely little head he
i'd white silk cleaning under the colore
4. lamps with n soft and shifting radian'
ar that pleased Dicks cultivated eye. l.
ie was one of those to whom woman
al gown is a matter of Indifference.
Sy Il came here tor little air, she sal
rs ''thc rooms are so terribly hot and Il
I'd whole affair is very stupid. Don't y'
RI think so.2'
~ "It has been worse than stupid +
of me- he answered, laughing. II ha
been iusultcd wherever | went. Fir
at Mrs, Grey told me | was often very st
he pid, then Miss Vincent, do you know he
ed She is dancing now with Tom stern
ld Il don't know her; but never min
ct What did she say to you!"
as "She told me that was awkward anC
ld bad dancer, and intimated that cou
ii never thoroughly learn.
he Florence Redfer burst into laugh
clear and merry as silver bells. "liut v
z know, Mr., Turner" she said, 'your b,
to friends do not claim for you that y
" dance we'll
en- Dick glSpcd and then recovered,
~ was getting hardened now. Il alwa
lt battered myself that | did, he s.
Dit boldly,
IT She looked at him in some surpri
nd "Of course | don't mean to say she ,
,c, planned, "that one caunot get around W
Drt you at allbut only you are not very gra
rs, iul or sure footed There are plenty
men here who dance worse. Mr.. Sin
Us son, for instance
tly Il should hope so, said Dick, as Sin
he son, a little weak eyed man, who he
to his fair partner as it he feared she "
an packed with dynamite and was in dang
sly every minute of exploding, moved lab
in iously past the door, IF that is I
to best you ran say for me, Miss Floren
| shall never have the audacity to ;
r?' you to dance again" and with hea
me heart he left the conservatory, now fr
satisfied he had had enough of M