, 1884-03-14
BUFFALO BILL
At a Ball, with spike-Tan Coat and
White Kids
He Finds That n Chicago BALLROOM
LIS Pretty Rich for n
Man OF Plain
Blood

49, - NN "HJt 49,
scared was right here in Chicago. There are
some people here who will remember the in
cident which | will tell you. Soon after the
fire Gen. Sheridan, Gen. Arson Stager, and q
lot of those Union club men, along with
James Gordon Bennett, came out west hunt
ing. / had served under Gen. Sheridan as a
scout, and when the party got out in my
neighborhood he had mt take charge of
them. We had a big hunt, and they were all
so pleased that when they started TO go away
the general called me in and ssrid: Cody, we
want you to come east and see u.s. For
Gods sake said !, Il couldn't doit Haven't
got the money to take mo down to Omaha,
and l haven't got any clothes 10 wear after /
would get east That's no excuse he said;
I'VE want you to come. We have been your
guests here and you have treated us well.
You must be our guest now. We will fix
these little things for you.' He had been my
old commander, so | said all right.
81 then conducted the Grand Duke Alexis
hunting party, and the duke gave me that
celebrated breast-pin. When we got back
from that trip l received some passes Gen.
Stager had sent me. l then began TO look
upon my trip east as a thing I was in for. /
had never been east of the Mississippi, and
the prospect bothered me. But l began TO
fix for il like n little man. / got some blue
flannel of the quartermaster, and my wife
made me n suit OF clothes. You've seen
these clothes that wives make. haven't youi
You know how they ftl Well, that was the
cussedest suit of clothes any man ever put
on. But / oughtn't to make fun Of them, for
that dear little woman did the best she could
she was worried just as much as / was.
Well, | put them on and started. l hadn't
time to wait for an overcoat, so l wore my
buckskin. / care here and then visited all
tho eastern cities. / had a rip-roaring time.
None of the boys were ashamed of me, and l
reckon | went in the best society out on that
trip.
"When l got back hero to Chicago Mike
Sheridan met me at the depot and took me to
his house. Said he: Cody, we are going to
nave a ball tonight and you are going as the
generals guest Well, l had sense enough
to know that as the general was a
single man he was a h%igh-fiyer' with
ambitious mammAs, and that the ball would
be entirely too big for my blue flannel. I
told Mike so, but ho said he would fix that.
i didn'tw want to show my disrespect to the
general, so l said that | guessed I'd have to
go. Mike took me down to one of these
places where they have special suits of clothes
to rent and he rugged me out. 1t was one OF
these spike-tai coats, the first one l had ever
seen, a low-cut vest. n great white shirt-and
that Alexis pin, tight doeskin breeches, a
PM hAef ohA - Ioh - 'AAS0 ha Nv
Heavensl but wasn't L a whooper, 1 thought
to myself.
1.-THE dance was out at Riverside, and 1t
was a pretty cold night in the fall. After we
started, and when Mike wasn't watching, l
pulled the buckslin coat on over the dress
suit. When we got to the place Mike seen
me, and l WINS so ashamed that l hustled the
coat off and stuck it under the fence. Then we
went in. The ladies had all heard l was coming
r.
wanted to sec me. l went into the room
where they were-a whole regiment of
the ~prettiest women l had ever seen, and
they all had long trails to their dresses. Thinks
l to myself; Bin, this is pretty rich for u
man of plain blood, but you'll have to sail in
Just then l begun to sweat. l tried to wipe
my face, but the gloves were so little l
couldn't close them to clasp my handkerchief
without bursting them. Then the sweat be
gan to run. Thinks /, may he I'd make some
kind of a break anyhow IL 1 went to wipe my
face, 50 I'll let her go.
II was standing there. with my fingers
stiff as ramrods, and the worst feeling over
me that any man ever felt, when the general
took my arm and led me through the crowd,
introducing me right and left Tit way tho
ladies smiled | knew | was too big a man In
their eyes to look bored at anything. So /
tried to smile, but the harder 1 tried the
worse OIL l got, and then the general led me
up to a little platform, where he gave me an
introduction to them all at once. The sweat
was then running through the fingers OF my
gloves. The ladies, they all bowed, and then
the general told me | would nave to dance
with them. I'd danced out on the plains,
and when he said that thinks 1 to myself:
bill, you're all hunkey on the lance He
made some engagements, and | stepped down
to the young lady who was first on the list
and put myself in shape.
-The music started and they all whirled of
but me. The lady looked sweetly into my
eyes aud asked me what was the matter. l
told her / couldn't hear the caller. l was
whiting for some man to sing out balance
ALL when she said: why, we don't have any
callers here l felt like falling through the
floor, when she told me to come on and she
would show me through. l tried 1t. but 1t
was the infernalost dancing any man ever
done. I'll tell you was glad when the band
quit playing. {sat tho lady down and then
beckoned 10 Mix. He took me out, and l
sat in a hay-mow till the dance was over"