The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-08-11

W
were crowding into the place as fast as
the man at the wicket could take their
tickets. Most of the men were in even
ing dress, but all the women wore DOM
inoes and masks. There were a few who
appeared in fancy dress, but they were
the German members of the society.
Rush was too young and too enthusi-
astic not to find excitement in the scene,
and when the dancing began he thought
he had never witnessed anything SO
brilliant and intoxicating as the move
ment of these many colored dominoes to
the music of the band. AS time wore
on, the place became more crowded, and
Rush recognized among the men many
faces that had become familiar to him at
the opera and elsewhere. There was
Uncle Lightfoot Myers renewing his
youth, with a pink domino on his arm;
and there was West Hastings lounging
against one Of the pillars of the balcony
and chatting q Columbine Rush Won
, dered what Helen Knowlton would thinl.
If she saw her friend thus engaged. His
thoughts were broken in upon by q voice
at his elbow:
My handsome young friend" said a
blue domino, taking his arm, why do
you pose in this melancholy attitude on
so festive an occasion? This is Romeo's,
not Hamlet's, night. Let us walk about
among cAIe giddy jewellers. Iwant to see
a more cheerful expression on your
young face"
AS they walked out into the lobby,
Rush racked his brain to recognize the
voice or figure of the mask. His ex-
preston showed that he was puzzled.
"Ah, you do not recognize me-" she
said "How sad that makes me feell A
little disguise and ones identity is gone.
I should have known you through twen-
ty DISCUSSES" And she turned her mask
up at him in the most bewitching man
ner.
Certainly have never had the pleas
ure of hearing that voice before-no man
could forget sosweet a thing" said Rush,
: entering readily into the spirit of the
ball. And so they thrust and parried,
until his mask spied a spry old man with
gray SluS WLhShSlS oIlu u D1Au ASoiu,
when she dropped Rush's arm as sud-
denly as she had taken it, and took the
other by the hand.
Dear general, I am SO glad to see you!
I have been looking for you all the even
ing, and feared you were not coming"
The general looked pleased, though
puzzled; but this was not his first masked
ball, and in a few moments Rush saw
him moving off in the direction of the
supper room, the blue domino hanging
affectionately upon his arm.
Before the night was over, Rush
learned much of the ways of masked
balls, and came to the conclusion that
the blue domino was an entirely new
acquaintance of his and of the generals.
AS he started for the press room, he met
his city editor with Swiss peasant girl
on his arm. "Hello, Hurlstone," said
he. And, stopping a moment, he whis-
pered, Get your copy down early, and
then have your fun. You can write it
out here and send it down." And he,
too, passed on In the direction of the
Y supper room.
Rush hardly recognized the press
room when he returned to it. In the
first place, he could hardly see across it
for the smoke; and in the second, it was
so noisy that he did not see how it would
be possible to write there. "Hello, here's
Hurlstone!" shouted a reporter of q
morning paper whom Rush had seen ct
different places, but had never had occa-
sion to speak to. "Come, fill up your
glass and take cigar" added the re-
porter, suiting the action to the word;
only he took handful of cigars; one he
lighted, the others he put in his pocket.
There were a dozen men sitting around
the table, some writing, and all smok-
ing. Rush declined both the profered
cigars and the champagne, though he
lighted a cigar of his own in self de-
tense and sat down in a corner to write.
He used his note book for copy paper
and his knee for a desk, and in the
course of an hour he had crick in his
back and very good story written out
for The Dawn. This he dispatched.
Then he went out into the ball room
to look around for few minutes, after
which he intended to go home to his
lodgings. He had not passed half way
through the lobby when he saw Archie
Tillinghast standing at the foot of the
staircase, with his mask in his hand,
gazing earnestly at the hundreds of DOM
inoes who lounged past him or hurried
by on mischief bent.
why, Archie, what are you doing
here? You look as though you were ex-
pecting some one. Who is she? Come,
old fellowl" said Rush, shaking his hand
and smiling knowingly.
I'm looking for my cousin Bessie, "
replied Archie.
"What!" exclaimed Rush, starting
back, miss Archer here?"
a Eyes; why not? They all come; though
vthey will deny it tomorrow. She is with
her father, however, and Helen Knowl-
ton and her aunt They didn't come as
regular participants in the ball, you
know; they never do, only to see what
sort of place it is. To do them justice,
they are not enjoying themselves very
much. There is a sort of excitement
about it, however; but when saw them
a while ago they were just recovering
from a fright. A half tipsy fellow had
addressed some coarse compliments to
Miss Knowlton, and she was very much
alarmed-more, 1 fancy, at the idea of
being discovered than anything else, for
he said, 4 know you, my beauty. OF
course he didn't know her. That's what