St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-03
taking mann r. There were several
couples seated behind it, INDUCING in
exercises. Of es.'f

A MILDLY SACCHARINE NATURE.
One fair maiden especially struck my
eye. now consider myself lucky that
the brawny youth with her. didn't also
strike my eye. tried to attract her at
tention. l succeeded. She looked up
with half-startled expression in her
lovely eyes. Then l heard her say in a
harsh, cold manner as she eyed me
threateningly:
GG'way fun dab, white man."
Il was dlsilusioned. Precipitately re-
treating, L would doubtless have been
thrown into confusion, or some of the
couples who were promenading. had
not hush OF expectancy warned me
that something was about to happen.
/ Then | regained my composure and
| looked across the room.
A Notwithstanding old gentleman
had mounted chair, and was about to
speak. He was very Misunderstanding
parsonage, with head as bald and
| shiny as a soap-bubble, with little
| tassels of white wool hanging pendant
| near his ears. He had on pair of
steei-rimmed spectacles and a seraphic
smile. His delivery made one feel that
he was kind of oracle.
Ladies an gemmen," he began.
| Then he paused for several minutes
| while he nailed each person before him
! with his glance III succession. When
| he had grown tired of looking at them,
he resumed: "DiSher am er 'caSion oh
! Joy an merriment unconfin' disher
am one OBJ dem 'casions which am one
ob de bright sparks ob human persist
ence. We is agoin' ter hey er cake
walk, ladies an gemmen" Here he
was interrupted by loud cries of ap-
proyal. as he Strengthened himself up to
observe the effect of his words. Con-
tinuing when silence was restored. he
said: 81 doan' wan yo' ter be eXpa-
| tlent; wan yO' ter bide yO' time, an
| den-an' den-an' den-get dar wifi
bofe feetl''
This sally of wit brought down the
| house. The sentiment was so yocifer-
| ously apDlauded that he could not go Oh
| for several minutes. When he finally
| was enabled to proceed he launched
| forth into an eloquent dissertation on
| cakewalks in general-historica rem
lnlscent, chronological, and descriptive
reviewing everything which ever had
the slightest connection with the OBJ
Seryance, direct or remote-not to men
ton those things which had nOt-and
making, I'D fact, discursiye~> remarks
upon every subject, abStrsc ct and con-
crete, with which he was familiar, and
upon several with which he was not. 1t
began to be apparent that the kindly
old gentleman was wound UP for the
evening, and. noticing the general i'm
patience, another gentleman who wore
rosette on the lapel of his coat which
looked like late fall cabbage. proceeded
to unwind him by touching him upon
the arm aud whispering some very ear
nest words in his ear. Covered with
glory and perspiratiOn, he bit his speech
short, and drawing himself up proudly,
announced in sepulchral tones.
LET de cake-walk begin.'
And it did begin. A cake of the cir
conference of a small cart-wheei was
brought in by several gentlemen and
deposited upon side-table. Then the
ladies and gentlemen formed in line at
either side of the room, and hushed
quiet came over the room.
AT this juncture the orchestra began
to play-or work. couldn't tell which.
At the first note l felt as though some,
one had dropped q chunk of ice down
my back, and for moment I thought 1
was a goner. Although almost para
lyzed, | was conscious of the fact that
every one else in the hall was similarly
affected. Several of the lighter-hued
damseis grew deathly pale. and got blue
about the lips. while those of a more
soihber color looked as if their faces
were covered with hoar-frOSt. There
was good deal of Spasmodic twltching
and cOnvulSiye Shuddering for mo-
ment, and | perceived a universal dis
closure of white eye-balls as their own
ers looked from the corners of their
eyes towards the orchestra. Then
everybOdy's face relaxed from look of
pain and alarm, and sickly smile as
sumed its place. When my spinal
marrow began to thaW, | also looked
towards the orchestra. The cucumber
man had gotten in his deadly work.
- 49, THE WALK BEGINS.
Soon every one had recovered, and the
walk began. The first couple was an
ebon barber and little yellow girl.
They were certainly a gaily-dressed
and well-contrasted pair. They walked
proudly down the center of the room.
and were greeted with cries of APP
prevail. But it was soon apparent that
they would not do. They trotted in bad
form. The barber bad selected pair
of shoes for the occasion which were
trifle out of the pre- falling style. He
had careleSsly neglected to break them
in, and as consequence he interfered
like a novice on SnOWShOeS. The ca
nary-colored maiden bit her lip with
vexation, and when they reached the
other end of the room she sank down
in chair, exhausted with shame and
the eXertion of carrying large arrange
ment of buS-neWspapers and wire
gauZe.
The second couple showed at the
start that they would never get the
prize. The gentleman had been allowed
to walk at too tender an age, and as
consequence, his legs were of too
parenthetic a character to make a good
showing. The third pair were also a
failure, and they each walked down the
room without arousing spark of adj
miration. OF elicitlng single favorable
comment.
Young man with freckleS shade darker
than the remainder of his complexion.
His young lady was of a somber cast
and was dressed in a decOllete costume
of ciel blue satin, bizarre, en- traine.
lOW-necked, sleeveless. garnitured with |
pink roSebudS and smilaX, yelled I'D
ducheSse lace and tulle gauZe cut bias, |
caught up with crepe de chine, Tapped |
over with eau de Nile plush, crimped,
folded and Sguashed with panniers and |
panels of gros grain ribbon and several |
varieties of silk and embossed velvet, |
ornamented with passamenterie of that |
peculiar and beautiful shade known as |
memory of lobster salad,' and having |
direetoire puff behind which gave the |!
tournure the effect of leg-ot-mutton |
sail in stiff breeze, or collapsed |
balloon. She was elegant. Her orna- |
meats were diamonds of suspicious
size and brilIiancy, and she carried a
bouquet of Susan B. Anthony roses, and |
fan made of the tail. feathers of |
last Thanksgiving turkey. 1t |
was thought for several moments that |
this couple would surely scoop the cake. |
especially as the young man wore |
fringe to his trousers and had an en-