Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-06-01

1
1rst dance was a. m;nuet. But the rapid
notes of the score harmonized badly with
those grave courtesies, and so after few
minutes each of the couples began to pirou-
ette like Dutch top. The silk dresses of
the women, crumpled in the giddy maze
OF the dance, gave forth an odd sound, like
the sound OF whiring pigeons wings. The
wind filing them from beneath puffed them
out so that they looked like swinging bells.
The bows of the fiddlers passed so 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 deluge of
notes and trills SO hnrried, and of ascend
ing and descending gsmut so complicated,
so inconceivable, that the very demons
could not have followed such a measure
for two minutes. Ii 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 1; they stopped. l
| then saw something which had escaped my
notice-a woman who was Eot dancing.
She was seated on low chair In the Chin
ney corner, and did not seem to take the
least part In the world in what was going
on around her.
Never, even in a dream, had anything
so perfect presented itself to my eyes; a
skin of dazzling brightness, hair blonde
cendre, long eyelashes and blue eyes, so
clear and transparent that l saw her soul
through them as distinctly as a stone in a
brook. And | felt that If ever l 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 l could not
explain. l 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 speaking to
her, marked the music with a 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 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"
| know not how 1t happened, but 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 gen.
tleman. if you please; but you know what
will be the result"
mo matter" replied Angela in a pouting
tone.
She passed her ivory arm around my
neck.
"PrestissinlOl" cried the voice.
And we began to valse. The bosom of
the young girl touched mine, her velvet
cheek 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 | heard my heart beat as if
watch were ticking in my ear. Still this
state had nothing painful in it. l was in a
food of lnenable joy and l could have
remained always as was, and remarkably
enough, although the orchestra had tripled
its quickness, we needed no effort to follow
| it. The bystanders, astonished 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 Irising energy and precision, seemed
sudGenly 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" l said to her;
let us rest"
'Yes," 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."
"Nhat does that matter; my angelo l
will take you on my knees"
Without making the slightest objection,
Angela sat down, threw her arms like q
white scarf around my neck, and hid her
head In my bosom to warm herself little,
for she had become cold as marble.
| know not how long We remained IN that
position, for my senses were all absorbed in
the contemplation of this mysterious and fam
tastic creature. had no longer any idea
of time or place; the real world no longer
existed for me, and all the bonds which
bound me to it were br oxen; my soul, dis
engaged from its earthly prison, was float
| ing in vague infinity. 1 understood that
which no man can understand; the thoughts
of Angela were revealed to me without her
needing to speak, for her soul shone through
her body like lump of alabaster, and the
rays from her breast pierced mine.
The lark sang, apalc light played among
the curtains.
| As soon as Angela saw it. she rose pre-
clpitatelv, made a sign of farewell, and
after few steps she screamed and fell.
Seized with terror, / sprang forward.
NV blood freezes at the mere thought;
found nothing but the coffee-pot broken
INTO thousand fragments.
At the sight of this, persuaded that had
been the sport of some diaboiical delusion,
| was so overpowered with fright that l
tainted.
When | became conscious again l was in
my bed; Arrigo Cohic and Pedrino Borg
nioli were standing at the head. As soon
as opened my eyes, Arrigo cried:
"Ah! at last For the last hour l have
been rubbing your temples with eau de
Cologne. What on earth have you been
doing in the nighti This morning, seeing
that you did not come down, l enteres
your room and 1 found you stretched fuil
length upon the floor, dressed in an Ole
Louis XVI costume, and pressing in your
arms fragment of broken porcelain, as Il
il had been beautiful young girl"
"Pdrdieu! it is grandfather's wedding
coat" said the other, lifting up one OF the
tails of rose-colored silk with green flgure
ssThere are the strass and hligree buttons
that be used to boast about. Theodore
|, must have found it in some corner. ant
have put it on for fun. But what made
YOU falnt2 added Borgnioli.
oThat is all very well for young girn
with white shoulders; you uniace her CO.,
l-rEE