Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-05

The big drops cursed one another down his In
nocent nose.
The mistakes, TO be sure, were the most
amusing part Of the whole affair.
One Of cur men never swore, and he con-
seauently insisted on leaving out every
word which in his opinion remotely resem-
bled al objurgation-the consequence Of
this being that most remarkable gaps were
sometimes left in the conversation. Then
the marking of the books-of course we al
ways used stage editions-was productive
of some very funny blunders, because it
was generally done by the girls instead of
by the men One girl, l remember, struck
out all that Sir Andrew in Twelfth
Night" says about the Vapians passing
the Eauinoctial Of Queubus," because she
was sure that it WAS improper, and another
hesitated over Jacques "Ducdarne" till
she looked lower down and found that
twas ~ Greek invocation to call fools into
a circle" The casting, by the way, was
always unsatisfactory. If on one night,
for instance, Lefty Risquict read Viola, the
next night some one else had to have Rosa
lind; yet Lefty was the only girl who read
a heroine decently Then, when Milly
Mortmain took Beatrice it was impossible
for Mr.. Temple, who always read the lover,
to have Benedick, because it was generally
rumored that they had once been engaged,
before she came out, and that the families
mad broken it of
Yes, was beginning to forget that only
a short time before my great and single
aim lad been TO establish myself firmly. I
actually found myze1f out Of humor at sew
eral parties because / felt continually an
imaginary restraint depressing me. How
did my first assembly go OF, indeed. Bran
Boullter, blsss him, had my name put on
the sacred list Of subscribers entirely of his
own accord and before any one consulted
him on the subject. / waited for the sec
ond assembly with Lofty and the other
buds and shared with them the fever OF
excitement that always precedes that i'm
portant event We talked it over among
ourselves early and late-recounted the ex-
periences of the older girls specialized as
to the probability of getting partners!-aIl
the famous traditions were revived for US
and all the old stories retold-
We heard of the great year when nearly
a hundred men Of the most ideal elegance
came on from the other cities and when
for three days there were partners enough
to satisfy even the wall flowers; of the ia
nous assembly when, because Mrs. Crocus
AAiIky-IWO anu
Violet morningglory only thirty-one, Nor
ris Japonica rushed out into driving snow
storm and returned at midnight with two
bouquets. which he presented TO Violet,
which proof of devotion it was, according
to common account, that finished her and
won him his triumph; Of the sad assembly,
when the news came of Patty Caique's
elopement, and all the men who We're in
love will, HOY CO YDNIzer. hla fhot rhnp
would speak to nobody-our interest deep
ened and our excitement grew as we list
encd not only to these tales, but to tales of
awful discoveries and die accidents, OF
great success and woefUl failures-tale5
that grow into traditions, traditions that
ripen INTO articles of faith.
I remember saying in the heat of discus
sion if l had no engagements at all I
should be afraid to enter the room, but as
at the time was engaged for the german
and two waltzes, I fancy that l must have
been viewing the subject from that stand
point of sentiment rather than of reason.
l was especially fortunate in being so well
thought of. My waltzes were with Bran
Boullter and Mr. Charter, and l had to
promise the german to Mr.. Hall. Bran
asked me for his waltz very early in the
season, before l knew whether was going
or lot, and nearly took my breath away;
and Mir. Hall was quite early, too, engag-
ing me for the german. But do not won
der that men often do not ask girls to
dance before the evening of the bail, for
every engagement means bouquet, and
not all the men in society are able to afford
more than one compliment of that nature
at assembly time, by any means.
We never thought OF that when we wers
buds, Of course, and I remeEnbe that most
young girls considered it quite mean for
men to so to the assemblies on the chance
of picking up partner. ! think myself it
is quite understand for girls to make
their families provide them with flowers,
and have known some who were loaded
with bouquets 10 confess privately in the
dressing room that their cards were ahso-
lutely empty. But to return. When I
first entered that gorgeous foyer my heart
gave bound ! had once or twice peeped
into it when at the opera, and wondered
how such bare and upinters5ting room
could ever afford the gorgeous spectacle to
which looked forward with such q beating
heart: but now the place seemed to me "a
fairyl2nd.
While We were waiting for Mrs Ha-
thorpe in the dressing room l could hard
IL restrain myself; and when we came out
into the carving corridor full of flowers
and plants, behind which sat merry
couples, thronged with gay promensders,
altogether mysterious and wonderful
when we caught our first glimpse of the
crowded ballroom. saw the blue hangings,
heard the crash of the band, was in the
seventh heaven of bliss sGd excitement.
But in a very short time my spirits came
down to their level again. 1t was only an
ordinary party on q large scaie-very much
the same men talked to me, very much the
same things were said. did exactly what
I had been doing at every party through
out the winter. was tired OF restraining |
myself. / wanted to 'let out and swipe,"
as the cricketsrs say; l wanted to cut q
dash. Mrs. Hathorne didn't want Lofty |
to sit on the stairs; OF course that meant |
that l must stay near her all the evening, |
or ruin nay character with her.
II l could have gotten of by myself |
somewhere where the eyes Of all the cid |
ladies were not fixed on me l could have |
given myself free play; it was only when |
we were sitting on the stairs at supper |
Everybody did that SO Mrs. Hathorne |
didn't mindl that managed to get into a
corner, where 1 had a quiet Irritation. |
Otherwise | danced, or rather tried to |
dance fos the floor was awfuily crowded, |
and six OF seven man kept appearing and |
reappeariaS and saying things 1 could not