Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1892-01-21

shook their cheeks over the laughable
of terrestrials.
The mundane lights, fires and dips
flashed and glinmered; the sky lights
twinkled merrily; the guests were as
sembled; the ball waited to begin.
Jake Shamberlain, the master of cere-
monies, cleared a space in the middle
and 'called for his fiddlers three"
A board was laid across two barrels.
and upon it Jake arrayed his orchestra,
with Brother Bottery, 80 called, for
leader. Twang went the fiddles. "Pard-
ners for a kerdrille." cried Jake.
Sizzum led off the BAH with one Of the
Blowsalinds before mentioned. Dane
ing is enjoined in the Latter-day church.
They cite Jephthah's daughter and David
dancing by the ark a. good scriptural
authority for the custom.
Right and left" cried Jake Sham
berlain. "Forrud the gentl The lady
forrud! Forrud the whole squad Jerk
pardnersl Scrape away, Bottery. Kick
out and no walkin! France ID, gals.
Lamm ahead, boys. Time, time! All
hands around! Catch a gal and spin
her! Well, that was jest as harnsome u
kerdrille as ever I seed"
And so on with another quadrille,
minuet and quadrille again. But the
subsequent dances were not 30 orderly *
the first. Filled with noise and romping
they frequently ended in wild disorder.
The figures tangled themselves into a
labyrinth, and the music, drowned by
the tunult, ceased to be clew Of escape.
Nor could Jake's voice, half suffocated
by the dust, be heard above the din,
until, having hushed his orchestra, he
had called s-HaltT a dozen times.
In the intervals between the dances
we observed Larrap distributing whisky
to the better class Of the emigrants. Siz-
yum did not disdain to accept the hospi-
tality Of the stranger. Old Bridger's
liquid stores, now Mormon property and
for sale at the price of Johannisberger,
diminished fast on this festal night.
"Shall we go:" whispered / to Brent
after awhile.
'tNot quite yet. Old Bottery an
nounces that he j. going To play a polka.
Fancy q polka here! That will engage
Sizzum after his potations, so that he
will forget our friends"
Now, brethren and saints cried
Jake. attention for the polly! Pipe
up, Bottery!'
At the sound Of the creahng polka, a
youth. pale and unwholesOme "a a
tailor's apprentice, led out a sister saint.
Others followed Some danced teet0tum
fashion. Others bounced clumsily about.
Around them All stood an applauding
circle The fiddlers scraped; the dust
few. Sizzum and Larrap, two bad ele-
ments in combination. stood together,
cheering the dancers.
Come said Brent, ''let Us yet into
purer air and among nobler creatures,
How little we thought" he continued
''when we were speaking Of such scene.
and people az We have Just left AZ a pos
sible background, what figures would
stand in the foregroundr'
Il am glad to be out of that noisy rab
BE, said I, as we passed from the gate
The stars seem to look disdainfully o1
them. 1 cannot be entertained by that
low comedy, with tragedy sitting beside
our friends wagon"
ssThe stars, said Brent bitterly, '.art
cold and cruel as destiny. There i:
heaven overhead, pretending to be calm
ing and benignant, and giving no help
while | am thisking in agony what can
be done to save from any touch Of shame
or deeper sorrow that noble daughter"
1T is fine night for a gallop, re-
peated.
There they are. Wemust keep them
out Of the fort, Wade If you love me,
detain the old man in talk for half All
hour
Certainly; half a century, If it will
do any good.
Mr.. ClitherOe and his daughter were
walking slowly toward the fort. He
appealed to as as we approached.
Il am urging my daughter to join II
the amusements of the evening"" saio
he. "You know. my dear, that many oi
our old Lancashire neighbors still would
be pleased to see you 4 lady patroness ol
their innocent sports and lending yOul
countenance to their healthy hilarity
"a little gayety will 40 You good, | alr
sure. This ball may not be elegant, but
it will be cheerful, and of course con
Quoted with great prOpriety, since Broth
er Sizzum ID present. am afraid ht
will miss rs and be offended. Thai
must not be, Ellen dear. We must nof
offend Brother Sizzum in any way what
ever. We must consider that his wishes
are sovereign, for is lie not the choser
apostle?'
Brent and | could both have wept t,
hear this crazy. senile stuff.
Pray, father dear" said Miss Clithe
roe, do not insist upon it. We shal
both be wearied out if we are up late
after our days march"
III was clearly out of tenderness To hin
that she avoided tine real objections she
must have to such Il scene.
1T is quite too noisy and dusty fol
Miss Clitheroe in the fort, said /, and
took his arm. "Come, sir, let Us wall
about and have chat in the open air.
/ led him off, poor old gentleman
facile under my resolute control. Al
be had long ago needed was a firm mar
friend to take him in hand and be hi
despot, but the weaker he was the les
he could be subject To his daughter. II
is the feeble, unmasculine men who fighi
most petulantly against the influence
and roxve1. of women
well, Mr. Wade, said lie, perhaps
Won are right. We have only to fancy
this the terrace outside the chateau, ant
it is as much according to rule to prone
made here as to stifie in the ballroom
You are very kind, gentlemen, both. tx
prefer our society to the entertainment
inside. Certainly Brother Bottery's VIC
Lin il not like one of our modern bands
but when was Your age / could dane,
20 anything and anywhere. l suppos,
young men see SO much more Of th'
world now that they outgrow those fan
ciEs sooner.
SO we walked on, away from the harsi
sounds of the ball. Brent dropped be
hind. talking earnestly with the lady.
TTo EE Continued