Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1886-02-18
nrAsQUERADE COSTUMES.
An Uncanny Scene In q Loft-Habits and
Mask-PeopIe Who Hire Costumes.


Mask.-People Who Hire Costumes.
1t was strange sight which the re-
porter encountered the other day in
large loft, up three flights of stairs, in
one of our tall business structures. Be
fore the eye became accustomed to the
semi-darkness which prevailed IN the
wide space it looked as if hundreds OF
people had committed suicide by hang
ing there. Long racks ran from one wall
to the other, and suspended from stout
pegs hung what appeared as limp human
figures. The windows on both front and
rear of the loft were open, and, as the
chill air coursed through the large room,
the limp figures swayed to and fro with
a mysterious noise which sounded like
suppressed whispers from another world.
The aged lady who had conducted the
scribe upstairs had left him alone mo-
mentarily to fetch match for the pur-
pose of lighting the gas, and in the I'M
certain light of the room the swaying
shapes looked indeed like dangling
corpses Occasionally there would be a
faint glitter among the silent crowd as if
some gold or silver ornament had been
struck by a ray of light, and then all
would be indistinct again. Or some
would be turned to the light which came
sparsely through the small openings in
the closed blinds, revealing the most
hideous features imaginable.
The old lady came slowly upstairs,
coughing fitfully as she assembled, and
after she had lighted the gas jets the
scene changed as if by magic. Then the
| limp figures were seen to be SO many
bright costumes of all ages and all i'm
| aginable styles. There was the bright
armor of knight of old hanging peace
| fully next to that of a Turk. Scores OF
| habits of Italians and Spanish capitanos
were mixed with the quaint costumes OF
| Chinese and Japanese grandees, and in
Vulnerable habiliments of the historic
| Pulcinella, Scaramuccia, Arlechino, Brig
| bella, Tartaglia, DIR. Graziano and the
Venetian merchant were seen suspended
| from the pegs. Below each costume
We're the boots, shoes, slippers, sandals OF
| other "chassure" pertaining to the char
| acter, and on top of the peg were the
| turbans, felt hats, helmets Or other head
| gear appropriate to the outfit, while each
costume had attached to it mask. There
| were frightfully distorted features,
bearded masks, idiotic faces, half-masks,
masks of paper, wax tarlatan, silk and
| almost any conceivable texture. There
were the costumes of clowns of all sizes
I in plain material, and the velvet and
satin costumes of Spanish grandees,
richly ornamented with gold and silver
passementerie-and there was a collec-
ton of all kinds of arms-the ancient
halberd, the medieval aFquebuse and the
elegant rapier of the renaissance.
The great majority forming the middle
and poorer classes makes up the best
paying custom for the costumer, who
has sliding scale of prices for his
characters" A queen of the night or a
countess of the middle ages is the
preference of Bridget, of the basement
kitchen. She would not present any
other character at the masquerade ball
and she willingly pays from s. to IS fol-
the use of the costume. Salesladies of a
romantic turn of mind and blamelese
anatomy swear by the betwitching COS
tune of the medieval page with g
wonderful wig of ''impertinent" blonde
hair. Shop girls who have spent some
of their few leisure hours in devourine
dime novels affect the gypsy maids and
shepherdesses, which can be had at from
so cents to 81 per night.
The Steiner sex manifests the mos
paradoxical preferences. One would
think, for instance, that barber would
delight in representing the lather-pro
ducing Figaro, as Mozart and Rossin
have so wonderfully depicted, but with
him it must be a full-fedged knight il
armor bright, and the Ingersollia1
winged word" at the helmet. Pale
faced clerks, who go home in batche
after dark because they are afraid O
sand-baggers, make excellent Italian
banditti, with formidable sugar-loaf hat
and lean calves, and the hard-worket
journeyman must make a count in sill
attire, at least, should the robes of royalt,
in the costulners stock have given out
Chicago Herald.