The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-06-18

| the clock. At last midnight struck; q
voice, the tone Of which was identical with
that Of the bell of the clock, was heard
saying:
"This is the hour; we must dance"
| All the assembly arose. The arm chairs
drew back Of their own accord: then each
cavalier took the hand of lady, and the
same voice said:
| "Come, gentlemen of the orchestra,
beglnl"
forgot to say that the subjects of the
tapestry were, on one side an Italian con-
certo, and on the other stag hunt with
buntsmen, and the musicians, who, until
then, had not made any gestures, bowed
the head III token of attention. The macs
tro 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 80 after q few
minutes each Of the couples began to pirou-
cite like Dutch top. The elk dresses of
the women, crumpled in the giddy maze
of the dance, gave forth au odd sound, like
the sound Of whirring pigeons wings. The
wind filing them from beneath puffed them
out so that they looked like swinging bells
The bows of the hddlcrs passed 30 rapid
ly over the strings that electric sparks flew
out. The fingers of the flute players moved
up and down like quicksilver; the cheeks
OF the huntsmen were swollen out like
balloons, and all that formed a deluge Of
notes and trills so hnrried, and of ascend
ing and descending gamut so complicated,
30 inconceivable, that the very demons
could not have followed such measure
for two mluutes 1t was pitiful to see all
the efforts of those dancers to catch the
time. They bounded and whirled round
and plrouetted 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 /; they stopped.
then saw something which had escaped my
noticc-a woman who was not dancing.
She was seated on a low chair IN the CHM
ney corner, and did not seem to take the
least part IN tho world in what was going
on around her.
Never, even in dream, had anything
80 perfect presented itself to my eyes;
skin of dazzling brightness. hair blonde
cend7T, long eyclashes and blue eyes, 80
clear and transparent that | saw her soul
through them as distinctly as stone in a
brook. And felt TINT 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 III me which l could not
explain. l found myself al her knees, one
of her hands i'll mine, talking with her as
II l had known her for twenty years.
But strange prodigy, while speaking to
her, marked the music with movement
of my head. 1t had not ceased to play,
and, although 1t was for me the height of
happiness to talk with such a beautiful
woman, my feet were burning to dance
with her. Still, I did not dare to make
the proposition. 1t seems she understood
what wanted, for raising her hand toward
the dial of the clock, she said:
"When the needle shall be there, we
will sec, my dear Theodore.
know not how 1t happened, but l was
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 gen.
tleman. if you please; but you know what
will be the result"
'No NATTER" replied Angela in q pouting
tone.
She passed her ivory arm around my
neck.
"Prestissimo!" cried the voice.
And we began to valse. The bosom Of
the young girl touched mine, her velvet
| check SKINNED my own. Never in my
life had [ experienced such emotion; my
nerves quivered like springs of steel, my
blood flowed in my veins like torrents of
lava, and 1 heard my heart beat as if
watch were ticking in my ear. Still this
state had nothing painful in it. was in a
flood of lneffable joy and l could have
remained always as was, and remarkably
enough, although the orchestra had tripled
| its quckncss, we needed no effort to follow
| 1t. The bystanders, astonishcd at our
agility. cried bravo, and clapped their
| hands with all their might without produc-
ing any noise.
Angela. who until then had waltzed with
SUI pri'ing 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 ago had bare
ly touched the floor, rose slowly as if they
had been weighted with lead.
"Angela, you are weary" said to her;
I" let us rest"
EYES," she replied, wiping her brow
with her handkerchief, "but while we have
| pSSh eshChiE OilCy hufC hl Sut uOWlS CuCIc
Is only one chair and we are two."
"What does that matter; my angelo |
will take you on my knees"
Without making the slightest objection,
Angela sat down, threw her arms like
white scarf around my neck, and hid her
head In my bosom to warm herself little,
for she had become cold as marble.
l know not how long VT remained IN that
Ipositloi, fof senses senses were all absorbed in
the contemplation of this mysterious and fan.
tastic creature. had no longer any idea
Of tlmo or place; the real world no longer
existed for me, and all the bonds which
bound me TO it were br oken my soul, dis
engaged from it's earthly prison, was float
Ing in vague intlnity. I understood that
4 which no man can understand; the thoughts
of Angela were revealed to me without her
needing to speak, for her soul shonc through
her body like lump of alabaster, and the
rays from her breast pierced mine.
| The lark sang, pale light played among