San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-02-10


that
Jake ran off after his music. We
heard them, still disdaining time, march
around the camp announcing the fan
dango.
This helps u.s." said Brent. sour
friends, of course, will not join the riot.
When the Mormons are fairly engaged
we will make our visit"
"It is good night for gallop," said l.
He nodded, but said nothing
Presently jake, still supported by his
pair of melodists, reappeared. A stray
Cling procession of saints followed him.
| They trooped into the Enclosure, mot
ley throng indeed. Even that dry husk
of music, hardly even cadence, had put
some spirits into them. Noise, per Sc, is
not without virtue; it means life. Sham
berlain's guests came together, laughing
and talking. Their laughter was not
liquid. But swallowing prairie dust does
not instruct in dulcet tones. Rather
wrinkled merriment; but still better than
no merriment at all.
We entered with the throng. Within
was a bizarre spectacle. A strange night
scene for a rough handed Flemish
painter of low life to portray.
"The ragamuffin brigade" whispered
l to Brent. "Jake Shamberlain's red
flannel shirts and yaller topped boots
would be better than this seediness of
the furbelowed nymphs. and ole clo'
SWANS. Evidently suits of full dress are
not to be hired at pinch on the boule-
wards of Sizzumville."
Brent made no answer and surveyed
the throng anxiously.
"They have Rot come-the father and
daughter" he said. II cannot think of
the others now"
"Shall we 20 to them?"
mot yet. Sizzum sees us and will
suspect"
We stood by regarding, too much con-
cerned for our new friends to feel thor
oughly the humor of the scene. But it
made its impression.
For lights at the chamberlain ball, in
stead of the gas and wax of civilization,
a fire blazed in one corner of the court,
, and sundry dips of unmitigated tallow,
with their perfume undiluted, flared
from perches against the wall. Over
head, up in the still, clear sky, the bare
faced stars stared at the spectacle and
shook their cheeks over the laugha BILE
maneuvers of terrestrials.
The mundane lights, fires and dips
flashed and glimmered; the sky lights
twinkled merrily; the guests were as
sembled; the ball waited to begin.
Jake,Shamberlain, the master of cere-
monies, cleared space in the middle
and scaled for his fiddlers three"
A board was laid across two barrels,
and upon it Jake arrayed his orchestra,
with Brother Bottery, so called, for
leader. Twang went the fiddles. 'Pard-
ners for kerdrille!'' cried Jake.
Sizzum led off the ball 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 as good scriptural
authority for the custom.
Right and leftr cried Jake Sham
berlain. "Forrud the gent! The lady
forrud! Forrud the whole squad! Jerk
pardners! Scrape away, Bottery! Kick
out and no walkin! France in, gals!
Lamm ahead, boys! Time, time! All
hands aroundl Catch gal and spin
her! Well, that was jest as harnsome a
Berdrille as ever / seed"
And so on with another quadrille,
minuet and quadrille again. But the
subsequent dances were not SO orderly as
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 tnmnlt. ceased to be a cleW of escape.