Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-07

threw off and piled up the wraps in which
they had been protected, appearing, like SC
manv butterflies coming out of their winter
homes in all the hghtness of muslin and Its
decorations, ready for the dance in the
great hall. At each end of the hall was q
IRE of oak logs, which had been kept going
since early morning, so that there was moi
the slightest chill in the room. The whole
party were in tip-top spirits. They were
Just cold enough to be ready to dance tC
warm their feet. They had breathed in
ozone, or oxygen, or whatever it is that
gives life, till every nerve and pulse was
aglow. All animosities or jealousies with
which they might have started were forgot
ten, and they had, and knew they had, be.
fore them hours upon hours of undilutcd
exhilaration.
1t will not do, after a hundred years, to
try to explain to the decorous modern
reader how the partners were selected, or
how they were changed after they we're Sc
lected. Suffice it to say, that by the gener-
Gus equality of Democracy, which had taken
the place of the condescenslons OF ante
Revolutionary times, the ladies drew lots
for the head of the dance. For certain pur-
poses connected with the dance, similar lots
were then drawn for the gentlemen, and as
everybody knew everybody, there were no
inconvenience in this arrangement But it
soon appeared that, by processes, which
need not be explained to this reader, the
right gentleman and the right lady danced
with each other pretty much as they would,
and the arbitrary decision of the lot did not
make any contretemps, while it did make a
good deal of good-natured fun. Thus, in
point of fact, the number which Sarah Par
ris drew was q, which would have put her
Crowinshield, who drew No. 1, came
to Sarah at once, and said
that she hoped she would exchange
numbers with her-that she was herself a
little tired and cold, and would rather sit by
the fire for few minutes, and not be obliged
to begin quite as soon as the others. Our
pretty Sarah was not unused to such nego-
tiations. She well appreciated the courtesy
by which Ruth recognized the truth, that
she would guide the set better than a more
inexperienced person would do, and, after
due courtesy on both sides, the exchange
was made. OF course, as the reader will say,
the mems No. / fell upon a certain Mr.. Bel
lamy, from the West Indies, about whom
the girls had been disposed to make great
deal OF fun, as If he were stupid or awkward.
Accordingly Mr.. Bellamy took Miss Sarah to
the head of the dance, and other couples
fell in almost Immediately. All were
little curious to know what dance
the manager would name. The manager
was Of course Harry Curwen. He named
1.-The Country Bumpkin," with distinct
malice toward Mr.. Bellamy. For it was
supposed that the dance would be the
special favorite of "person of fine form
and graceful figure" and Harry Curwen
chose to imagine that Mr.. Bellamy had
neither. But it was clear at once, to all
men and angels, that Mr.. Bellamy must
have had certain advantages, either in Phil
adelphia or Barbados or London or some
where, which had made him quite the equal
of any of the Salem beaux in his various
curvettings. If there had been any expecta-
ton of showing him at disadvantage, Mr..
Harry Curwen was disappointed.
But it is no part of this little story to 20
into the ins and outs of the various dances
of that Jolly afternoon. The twilight, of
course, fell almost at once. Mr.. Beers and
his assistants lighted one set of candles and
the young people saw with satisfaction that
another set were left unlighted for relay as
the night should wear on. Dance followed
after dance, partner after partner exchanged
as the lots fell wrong. Harry Curwen
yielded the management to one and another
friend, VINO had, or supposed he had, per-
sonal purposes TO advance by this temporary
control, and by one exchange or bit of good
fortune or another, it happened that Harry
and Sarah Paris danced together four or
five times as the evening and the night went
by. When the first set of candies had
burned nearly to the hoops that held them,
q lively march from the black musicians
announced that it was time to march out to
supper. The whole party moved in process
sion together, headed, of course, by
Harry Curwen and Sarah Parris-and
this to no modest bit of ice
and sherbet, but to long, Widespread
boards, resting on trestles, loaded with the
substantial food which the kitchen of
Madam Beers had been preparing now for
Sc hours, since the swift messenger brought
the news from Salem of the ride. And
there were appetites quite of the heroic
order, ready for the feast. There were cups
of tea from vintages such as only Salem
merchants could have furnished from their
most secret stores. Neither ladies nor gen.
tlemed declined flip, which was brought in
hot from minute to minute. Nobody, let it
be said, drank more of the tempting stimu-
liant than was good for him; and after half
an hour or more of such refreshmeut, they
returned, like SO many playful giants, to
the scene of their amusement. -Four hours
more Of stiff dancing and Harry Curwen,
mounting upon the seat of an armchair
which he drew from a corner, announced,
in a mock-heroic speech, that he was
sorry to say that the dance was at an end.
The ladies rushed upstairs, that they need
not hinder their attendants; the gentlemen
found their boots, went out to the stables
and assisted in Harvesting their own horses;
and so, by the light of half moon, which
was just rising up as they stood upon the
steps of the tavern, they started upon their
homeward ride. And now there was more
singing than ever, everything was CAV, and
as, between 4 and 5 o'clock in the morning
the different gentlemen bade the ladies
goodbye on the steps of one and another
hospitable home in Salem, it was agreed
tbat there never had been so successful
sleigh ride since the memory of man.
What passed between Sarah Paris and
Harry Curwen on this ride this writer can
not tell. This is because he does not know
But he does not believe that anything
passed which the excited novel reader would
call critical. He thinks that the talk was
now grave and now gay, now personal and
now rambling over the other fringes of the
entertainment in which the two had keen
directors. Sometimes Harry Curwen would
skirmish up 70 the very edge of finding out
how far Miss Paris was enraged, and then
the young man, who was not after all SO
skillful as he thought he was, would find
that they were talking about the blue rib
bons on Miss Crowninshield's dress. Some
times he fancied that the inevitable scolding
which he knew he deserved was going to
come, and just then they would emerge from
the wood through which they had been rid
ing, and the glory of the moonlight upon
the ice below them would call out one of
her enthusiastic shouts of joy, and she
would compel him to Join her in wonder
that the world could be so beautiful. On
the whole, as she gave him both hands in
bidding him goodby, Harry Curwen felt
that all would be well in the future be-
tween them, and he drove his span of bays
to the stable and gave his last orders to
Knapp, the hostler, much more cheerfully
than be had given them in the morning,
when he had gone around to be sure that
the equipsge would be ready in time.
CHAPTER II.
A NEW DEPARTURE.
Perhaps Sarah Paris, as she gave both
h &---o5 -