The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-27

piled Jennie sharply, "but I'd never have
forgiven you if you'd had blue coat on, y
George and Jennie went up stairs with
the rest. and sat down awkwardly in two of
the single row of chairs strung around the
sides of the large dancing floor. George
seemed bothered with his coattails and his
feet. Jennie looked him over critically and
remarked:
Say, brace up. You don't look any
worse than the rest of 'em.''
This was comforting, for George could
see by looking about the room that calico
dress coats didn't look so outlandish as
thev felt.
The band was playing fitfully in the gal
lery, and few couples were engaged in a
spasmodic and apparently unprecedented
waltz, but the ball was not vet open, and
the half -downgas lent general atmosphere
of depression to the place. In fifteen or
twenty minutes an important looking man
with regular dress suit, of which the coat
and vest We're deliberately faced with gay
calico, came bustling upstairs and waved
his hand toward the gallery. The band
struck up a march. AT the same instant the
light was turned on full head. and Jennie S
spirits going up with the gas, she poked
George suddenly i'll the ribs and exclaimed:
SAY
"What?''
ooh, nothin': amt it pretty?''
Jennie probably referred to the looks of
the hall under the brilliant lights, and
George replied that it was pretty.
With the first bars of the music the i'm
portant looking man had started out on a
slow, impressive pace straight down one
side of the hall. Others in calico coats fell
III behind him, keeping step. George got
up after Jennie had nudged him seven or
eight times, and joined the procession
After all who wore calico coats were march
ing those who We're in ordinary dress, in
GLIDING three swallow-tails, few frocks,
many cutaways, and fine assortment of
sacks, fell i'll behind them. SO that present.
ly there were a hundred or SO men in line
pacing solemnly and with short steps down
took two steps, and then turned again to
face back at the end from which he had
started, and so, the line doubled on itself,
the march proceeded.
] Meantime, the girls and women had left
= their seats and were standing all about in
good spots from which to inspect the pro-
cesslon. No one. who has never been to a
calico ball' can have any idea of the pos
I slbillties of calico when properly combined
with feminine genius. The calico ball is
supposed to have originated in the country,
after season of drouth: it is not conceiva-
bic that ANYTHING beyond such dire neces-
Slty could have induced community of
women to adopt SO cheap material for ball
dress. After the first one. however, it is no
wonder that there have been more, for
once the girls anywhere discovered how
pretty they could look in costumes of such
simple stuff, they would naturally dress
themselves up in it every chance they got
| Ii calico cost $40 yard it would be the
| most popular material there was for ball
| dresses.
The procession. while the girls watched,
| kept doubling on itself up and down the
| hall, walking about four feet sideways
| every time it crossed the big room. 1t was
| tedious progress, and the girls got to max
| ing audible comments on the men as they
passed. One girl with strawberry blond
hair, pale pink dress. and an upper gun,
| that was exposed whenever she spoke or
smiled, nudged her companion, a thin little
thing i'll yellow, with a muddy complexion
and a defect in her right eye, and remarked
| as George passed:
''say. Mary. look at that thing, in red
cont: amt it a guy?''
Jennie was standing near, and overheard
| this. She turned, and sized the strawberry
blonde up with one look that reached from
her badly rubbed shoes to the shinestone
dladem IN her hair. The blonde seemed en-
barrassed, showed her upper gum in a de-
precatlug fashion, and mumbled:
oh, excuse me: | didn't know he was
your company"
The muddy girl in yellow giccled. but
JENNIE simply gave the strawberry blonde
another look from head to heels, and then,
tufninE away contemptuously, said audibly;
"Macy'sr'
The word was instinct with all the seorn
THAT q Slrl who works il a store ON Twenty.
tnlfa street can feel for one who stands be.
hlnd Fourteenth street counter The
strawberry blonde flushed and exposed boil
gums at once in a bitter smile. Sht
seemed TO mediate summary action, bu