The Portland daily press., 1893-12-25
SANS CONVERSION.

"Ever been to masquerade ball, Billa"
asked my frsead jim. leaning in at the
parsonage winG11e.
"Never," said I.
"We're going to have one over at the
new hall tomorrow night" said Jim.
"come, buy TICKS"
my unc1s would go out of his mind if
should" said I. 1.-The ballroom is, in
his 1aind, one of the gates of the internal
regions. Fancy minister's nephew at a
nnaaaa Grade balll''
"Nsbcdy need to know it, said jim
IAN tire good folks will be at the closing
exercises of the church fair. You can get
home before nunkey gets back"
"Not very honorable, seeing am left in
charge of the house." said I.
stWell," said Jim, edo as. you like, but
a masquerade ball isn't thing to miss.
I've got two tickets to sell, and it's only
90. OF course they'll offer hat checks, but
wen dodge that by going in our costumes.
We can run across the open lots to the
L
monk and devil, and we'll dress here and
cave BY it. Come, you won't deny your
self the biggest bit of fun you'll ever have
In your Life for couple of dollars?''
He touched me on a tender point.
bought a ticket, gave him 81 to advance
on the costume, and promised to desert
my post on the morrow between the hours
OF Q and IL
I could take the key of the kitchen door
in my pocket and get home before my
uncle made his appearance. I had no fear
that anything would happen during my
absence, but felt rather guilty. To leave
the house was breach of trust; to go to
dance was ignoring the traditions of the
family But to explain:
Ny uncle was pastor of the Methodist
church in Turtle Hollow, and his congre-
cation had been holding fair for four
weeks. 1t had been wonderful success
People had been generous and had not
only bestowed penwipers and pincushions,
grain of all sorts, dried fruits, home
woven bedspreads and crazy quilts, but all
the implements of housewifery and hus-
bandry. There were piece goods from the
store, and there was butter from the dairy.
Some members had harnessed up their
teams and begged industriously of all
that the profits were astonishing.
When the fair was over, the proceeds
would of course be banked. MEANWHILE
the trustees declared the minister to be the
best custodian of the money and the par
sonage the safest place of deposit.
Night after night my uncle brought
home the little bag of cash, and it was
regularly shut up in closet with patent
lock, the key of which was carefully hid
dem
Ny uncle was a widower. A respectable
old woman cooked our meals and did our
housework for us, but after tea went to
her own home. Therefore, there were but
our two selves in the house at night, and
as the sum of money in his care grew
larger my uncle grew anxious. He was
expected b, be at the fair every evening,
and thoggh Turtle Hollow had an honest
reputation there was temptation for a
poor man in money locked up in desert
ed house. AS for myself, / had seen all
that wanted to see of the fair and vol
iunteered to spend my evenings at home
This 1 had been doing for two weeks.
when Jim came to the window that night,
and as have told you succumbed to the
tempt ticn. At first, though had bought
She ticket, l almost resolved to do no more
than prove that was not niggardly, but
during the day thought the matter over
until my imagination took fire, and when
Il saw the two costumes, as fat monk as
seyer wore cowl, and as frigatf.ll devil as
serer terrified his audience at a panto-
1Esime, 1 could resist no longer, and attir-
ing myself in haste took my tail over my
arm and my pitchfork in my hand, and
leaving the parsonage by the kitchen door
sfollowed Jim's programme and soon
reached the ballroom.
1t was long room with well waxed
floor, its walls decorated with real foliage
dotted with paper roses. A brass band
was blaring away, and certain individuals
whose dress coats were decorated with
blue rosettes strutted about or stood in the
doorway. The guests were just arriving,
and at first fancied that was about to
realize all those dreams which the mas
querade balls of romances awaken in
youthful minds; to meet those mysterious
strangers who utter brilliant bonmots OF
make remarks which have deep hidden
meanings.
Now, in theory, masquerade ball is
the most brilliant of entertainments; in
practice it is apt to be the dullest. An
assetnblage of commonplace strangers
with their faces hidden can be nothing
else. On this occasion | wandered about
arm in arm with the monk, and felt for
come time that we must be very amusing
to those who looked at US, and at first We
found something to look at ourselves. But
oil too soon the cavaliers in big hats and
the ladies in powdered hair grew tiresome
SO did the Quakers and Quakeresses the
troubadours, the flower girls and the ;p
pie women.
At last we neither grinned at the clown
nor chuckled At the antics of the monkey,
and no one even glanced our way.
'There'!l be fun at supper" said Jim,
land We'll get dance soon.''
But the placards which announced the
fact that supper was GO So to single gent,
and 50 to gent with lady" satisfied me