Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-04-26
HER FIRST BALL.

4 POpO-Agie. There was always plenty o.
excitement there Miners, cowyoys, farm
ers, Indians and soldiers-put them to
gether anywhere, and there will be plenty
of excitement. But this was peaceablC
excitement 1t was the first social event
known in the history of Lander. 1t was a
ball Tom Osborne had cleared the floor
of his storehouse for the affair. The women
had been cooking good things to eat for
the three preceding days. The men had
decorated the hall with pine boughs fresh
from the snow covered Wind river noun
tains.
Peg Leg Mexican Joe and Dutch Pete
had promised to be on hand with their fid-
dies, and they were never known to fail to
be present at anything when they prom
ised TO be, although Peg Leg would have
to make three day journey in one with
his mule team 10 keep his promise, and
Dutch Pete would have to leave for a
whole night the little herd of cattle that
he hoped in q blind trusting sort of
way, would some day make him rich
Oceans Of snowy clippings Of sperma-
ceti candle had been strewn over the floor
OF the storCLOuse under the experienced
direction of the "schoolmarm," who was
no "schoolmarni' at all, because she was
young man from the east And there
bad been a call at the single store in Ian
der FOR billed Shirts" linen collars. fancy
handkerchiefs, bright colored stuffs for
dresses, new store clothes and new boots
ana shoes that was at once very crafty
ing TO the proprietor Of the store and indie
atlye of growing civilization.
But 1t was mad excitement to Der. She
could hardly wait for it to occur. u was
her urst ball "Buckskin Neil" they
called her, because of the buckskiu pony
she rode with all the dash and skin of a
COWBOY Helen Whittimore was her real
name and She was the only daughtCr-in
Lact lle sum total Of the family-of old
John NhittimOre who had gone west in
the sixties to make his fortune and had
never made it. lie had been a gentleman
once. What her mother VISA Nell did not
know for she had died when Nellie was a
baby. was
At any rate, between them they had he |
queathed brave little heart and a beauti-
lul disposition 10 the child, who was there !
aIter TO be brought up almost without the
society OF women. She was a lady by in
s1inct, notwithstanding the remarkable
way she dashed around on her buckskin
pony and the rather bad grammar she
USED she was sixteen, pretty and fresh
as via rose, with her clear complexion |
and laughing eyes. She had read a good
ueai' and had formed some ideas of the
great world very queer ideas, some of
Shem), and she had her ambitions
-the men of the PopO-Agie valley saw-her
md from rOmping little girl intothe very
'retti est girl in Sweetwater coantV with a
treat deal Of interest and more or less as
onishh1ent. She had already cmsed a
GOD ma ny Of them TO sigh an lookimelan.
molly, bn not one had ever dared as yet
propose for her hand, or evea show her
ny maIket attention. EVEN the imported
ihool teach er knew that he was not good
lough for er, and kept oft Of the way.
hich was a wise thing for him to do. for
e was not pa ticularly stu 1ng, and it was.
ore than pro bable that the man who
arried Bucks kin Nell" would have to
yht for her m IRE than nee. jealousy.
o, makes a ma MS hand awfuIly steady
hen he aims a pistol, . nd the school
acher was not q good shot at all
1t was merely matter # quiet .amuse-
lent TO Lieutenant Hardy. II wouH stroll
yer from his camp, leaving his soldiers in.
barge Of his first sergeau e, every day and
AXE look at the prep arationS Occa-
lonally, in a lazy way, 10 would offer a
ugpestiou or two. He had been a hon
manager at West Point in cadet DAYS "a
tremendous honor, and after his eraaiua-
ion had led many "A germ an aud figured i'm
many a Irritation. 1t was hardly to be ex-
,ected that he would col descend todance
1t this backwoods affair but his sugpes-
ions were considered invaluable. Even
.he school teacher listenoi deferentially
when he explained a fe6 pretty figures for
the opening and closing OF the hall. He
was considerably more Interested in it,
J.. . - II
He had acquired quite a liking for her.
He had discovered the latent ladyhood in
her. and for the few weeks he had been in
camp near her fathers ranch he had mads,
quite a study of her.
A fellow has TO do something to keep>his
mind busy when he is awayfrom his books
and post duties, and then she was awfully
pretty. He had advised her what toNvear,
and had given her a few lessons in the
waltz BY his advice she was to wear a
simple dress of white muslin with blue
sash. The other women would look horri-
BILE with their gaudy colors and i'll cut
dresses. he knew, and he expected her to
make sensation. He quietly gave the .
young school teacher the hint to escort /
her, for he himself merelyfintended to look .
on. It would hardly be in keeping with
his social position as an officer of the army I
I'm fact, as the most dashing young lieu I
tenant in his regiment, to dance at such an
affair as that lie was a trihe surprised
when she asked him if she should accept
the school teachers proffered attentions
From her manner he saw that it was a
rather broad hint to him, and he was aware
that it hurt her good deal when he told
her to 20 with that young man. Evident
" she had expected his courtesy for the
occasion. But he did not pay any atten-
ton TO the fact Il was nothing TO him.
He did not 20 near her on the day Of the
hop. lie knew she would expect him, and
he had what many a finer lady had called
a "most contrary disposition" Along in
the evening he walked leisurely over from
his camp. The ball had already begun,
and he smiled a. he entered the room. The
crowd was even more interesting than he