The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-12
A CALICO BALL.

IN the course OF Jne Gay.
"Aw, what would want to do that for?'
retorted George, much as he might hav
told the boy to take that steak around t.
Mrs. Smiths, and be quick about it now.
With these little preliminaries a con
versation began, which resulted in a mu
tual understanding, whereby George wa
to get the next Saturday night off from
the boss of the butcher shop, and with
Jennie was TO go to the ball.
The ticket said, "Grand march begin,
promptly at $780," and SO George, whC
hadn't had much experience with balls
got around to Jennie's boarding house al
7:3O p. m.
You must think you're going to mat, >
was Jennie's salutation.
cav, see here, this thing begins at $50, y
protested George. producing the ticket.
"Oh, they always put that on the tickets
it don't mean nothin; there won't no ball
begin in New York before 10 o'clock, and
don't you forget it,"
And it didn't, for when at 9:45 O'Clock
George and Jennie got off the street car at
the corner and hurried down the cross
street in the direction of faint blare OF
brass and string music the people were
just beginning to stream into the doors to
the hall. Jennie wore an old gOssamer
over her jacket and skirts, and George cast
constant furtive glances down behind him,
as if making sure that nothing was show
ing beneath the tails of his overcoat.
The reason was suggested when George,
in the little room at one side that served as
a mems dressing room, removed the over
Of ord HicnloCad hapoafh a nj ! oIr-
gay and phenomenally long tailed dress
coat of brilliantly figured calico. Mean
time Jennie's gossamer and jacket had
come off il another small room and re.
vealed her costume, which looked as
though it might have been Sunday best
dress borrowed from the cook, but which
really had been loaned to her by an accom-
modating friend at the same counter, who
had got it to wear at calico ball on the
east side earlier in the season. 1t was a
little slimpsv, not having been starched
sufficiently, but Jennie's person being by
no means an i'll formed one, the gown
might have been even more clinging than
it was and not have made any unpleasing
revelations.
The gown was of pale green goods. with
small dark pattern, and while Jennie
was waiting for George in the hall she
went up TO the hat check window, and re-
ceiving plain white envelope slipped into
it a small necktie which the rules of the
game required should be of the same ma
terial as her dress. When George, with
much trepidation and an evident disposi-
tion to keep feeling of the unaccustomed
tails of his giddy coat came out from the
mems room Jennie gave contented sigh
and remarked vivaciously:
"Oh, Pm so glad you've got red ons. If
it'd been blue it'd have Just killed my
dress.n
George, who had hired the coat for seven
ty-five cents from a costumer, gave the
tails twitch and asked if it looked all
right on him.
Anything looks all right on a man."
replied Jennie sharply, "but I'd never
have forgiven you if you'd had blue coat
on"
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 by 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
they felt.
The band was playing ftfully in the gal
lery, and a few couples were engaged in
a spasmodic and apparently unpremedi-
tated waltz, but the ball was not yet open,
and the half down gas lent q general at
mosphere of depression to the place. In
fifteen or twenty minutes an important
looking man with a regular dress suit, of
which the coat and vest were elaborately
faced with gay calico, came hustling up
stairs and waved his hand toward the gal
lery. 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
in the ribs, and exclaimed;
"Sayl''
"What?"
"Oh, 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
pOIld1b lOOhlU2 man ndO SldI SGA OdJ OE -
slow, impressive pace straight down one
side of the hall. Others in calico coats fell
in 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 were in ordinary dress, in
cluding three swallow tails, few frocks,
many cutaways and a fine assortment Of
sacks, fell in behind them, so that present
" there were hundred or so men in line
pacing solemnly and with short steps down
the hall At the end the leader turned,
took two steps, and then turned again 10
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 AL about in
good spots from which 70 inspect the pro-
session, which kept doubling on itself up
and down the hall, swalking about four
feet sideways every time it crossed the big
room Ii was tedious progress, and the
girls got to making audible comments on
he men IS they passed. One girl with
strawberry blond hair, q pale pink dress
aud an upper gum that was exposed when
aver She spoke or smiled. nudged her com
panion. thin little thing In yellow. wish
! muddy complexion ard defect in her
right eve, aud remarked as George passed:
Say, Mary, Iook n that thing in q red
ooat, amt it a glIys'
Jennie was standing near, and overheard
this. She turned. and sized the strawberry
blond upwish oRe look that reached from
her badly rubbed shoes 70 the rhjnestone
iiadem in her hair The blond seemed
showed her upper gum IN
fashion and munbled:
"On. excuse me; | didn't know he was
your company"