The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-20
MAuDE's NIGHT OUT.
It ia MRude's NIGHT.

mitted her, "wait, my child, until tho
French ball. Then we'll show you society,""
So little Maude of the tonselled bangs
and the rouged lips rests the remnant of her
soul in peace and signs for the time when,
accompanied by half a score of other Maudes
with perhaps a sprinkling of Mables and
Coras and Ethels and Lulus-she is initi-
ated into the mysteries of the Cercle Fran
Gals de rHarmonie.
And so say. last night, or at any rate
that part of it that was whisked away AZ
the opera house. was Maude's own.
And ! add that the man who would be-
grudge it her is a wretch whom 'twere base
hattery to name churl or chump.
Suppose Maude did occasionally 60 bit
beyond the stiff and starched convention
alities? If she wanted to get the fizz out Of
her feet by standing on her head, what's the
oddsY A little thing like that doesn't prove
her to be devoid of a sense Of the proprie-
ties.
One young person whom saw engaged in
this very same experiment assured me upon
her honor that she was a lady! She iterated
and reiterated the statement SO frequently
and SO earnestly that you couldn't possibly
doubt the truth of it.
Particularly when she added that she
could whip any man or woman who denied
it, or if she couldn't she had friend who
could.
I'll say this much for Maude-she held
herself charmingly in check for the first
of conquest.
Her conduct for time was thrilling ex-
hibltlon of what the dramatic writer's style
suppressed emotion, reserve force.
noticed her when she swept through the
corridor, head erect, nostrils dilated, eyes
anne, who audibly bade her not to be too
fresh.
marked her, too, as she founced into
the parterre box. where had seen on Mon
day night party OF buds who were going
through cotillon at the very moment at
an opposition establishment on the avenue.
Through it all Maud was az dainty as
duchess, staid as primrose.
She gave chilly, icy cut direct to Wall
street acquaintance of mine who dared to
waive his hand to her from the floor below.
And yet he swore good round oath that
he had been formally presented the night
before. .fr3'-5s.s+ feF ~ '-''sF
There is something about the early hours
of these famous French balls that represses
merriment. This was especially conspic-
ious last evening.
Even the sensuous Tilt Of Strauss, Czi-
bulka and Waldteufel, squirting out across
the cleaning floor from behind perfect
garden at Of palms and blossoms, failed to
into anything but the most modest gyra-
tions of valse and polka.
Up to we'll past midnight one looked in
vain for a real old time high kicker.
You see these French balls are not de-
vised wholly from the dNleCtation of Maude
aud her friend.
In the early evening Monsieur, a man of
genuine position in the French colony in
this city, goes about with Madame ct Bebe,
greeting friends, passing gossip, takinga
turn now and then. slipping glass of sec or
brut sec-just as quietly, sedately. as you
please.
But just about the time that Bebe is get
ting a proper notion of the picturesque
possibilities of the affair Monsieur and
Madame tucked her into the carriage and
lugged her of through the moon-lit streets
to cosy little house in the French quarter.
What a restless night poor Bebe must
have had!
Twas their presence, though, that put a
rein on sport.
making this French ball a matter vastly
varying from her expectations.
II amt got woke up yet" she yawned in
accents of high bred ennui, as she remarked
the gradual disappearance of the groups of
monsieur, madame and Bebe. Then added
Someone look pleasant and order bot
tle.'
That simple, naive request of Maude's
seemed to turn the whole current of affairs.
In trice Propriety just gave her petit
coats twitch. kicked up her heels and put
the whole world into II vein of jollity.
"Look pleasant and order,a bottle, became
a sort of sesame to the Temple of Fun.
It passed from box to box, down to the
floor crowded with dancers, out through
stairs to the wine room heavy With the odor
of jasmine of oris.
Little parties of maskers now sided
cautiously into boxes whose curtains were
SO arranged as to partially hide the occu-
pants.
1oaopla from, tho NAV housau cluh ,oop
Bohemians dropped in to look on and
snatch bit of the mirth running riot.
1t wasn't entirely and solely Maude's
night either, when you come to think of it.
ders encased in domino of foulard silk
that frou- froued teasingly as it kept rhythm
with a waltz-those shoulders l know
didn't belong to Maude, nor to Mabel OF
Coral or Ethel or Lulu.
From beneath mask I caught a glimpse
of pair of violet eyes-there's only one
pair like them-and l knew that they
weren't Maude's.
In box / came across a party guing
little Boston actress about some verses that
she had just published-and her name
wasn't Maude either.
One circumstance in particular would
have convinced you that these splendid
beauties We're not called after Tennyson's
sweetheart.
None of them said:
"Order a bottle!'
No, indeed.
Lets have another case,' was the way
they put it.
And, to the credit of their charms be it
said, they always got it.
The crush at the doors became SO great
shortly after eleven o'clock that the police
were totally unable to deal with the people
and resorted to pushing and blutting tao
tics which came very near resulting seri-
ously in several instances. Sergeant
Schmittberger in vain tried to compel some
order, but his men, as we'll as the surginR
crowd, acted like idiots.
1t should be said, however. that the police
were greatly hampered by the wretched ar
rangements of having only one door for
ticket holders. Other ingresses should
have been at once made when it became
evident that there was actual danger in
passing SO great a throng of people through
one doOl.
The doors, however, were closed perma-
nently at Il O'Clock, and the sale of wine
was Just as peremptorily stopped at I