Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-29
SKIRT DANCING IN SOCIETY.
A Scene I'm an English Country House
Described,


London Correspondent San Francisco Argonaut.
Time was and not so very long ago
either. when the usual evenings amuse-
ment at an English country house consist
ed of music. Now music" in the British
acceptation of the term, especially as it is
employed at a country house. when there
is a house party in residence. has mean
ing of its own. 1t does not really mean
music in it's true sense as science Of
harmonic sounds. Generally speaking,
neither science nor harmony cuts any fig
| ure or has any place. Every Englshman
| and EEglshwomsn plays or sings-gener-
ally both. At all events, those who COM
monty form the house parties at country
! houses during the winter do Most of them
| play-chiefiy the fiddle or cello in these
! days-but all of them sing. 1t does not in
! the least signify whether they have any
! voice or not they sing, all the same. AT
any rate they used to- AS soon as the
| gentlemen Joined the ladies in the drawing
room after dinner almost Immediately the
| lady of the house was heard to remark:
'':5ha'n't we have some muster This was
addressed to 10 ole in particular, but
every one who played or sang took 1T as q
personal request. Every one vino has stay
ed at an English country house knows
what follows when the lady of the house
says this. oh, the banging ard fumDlinS
on the pianOforte, the SCrapingS and graf
ings of the viollns, and the varied series CT
vocal sounds,
But. as | Gay, this is what used to be.
Certainly, when l came into the drawing
room with the other men after dinner the
first night of my visit at Sternfold Park |
| thought it was but a question of time
when L should hear Lady Torrinston ask
| the time honored question, "Sha'n't we
| have some music?" But not a bit of it.
We were to have some music, it is true.
| for there was the grand Erard pianoforte
standing open, but not the sort of music
one was wont to hear. We had been seat
| ed about five minutes, and 4 was beginning
| to hope we We're to be let OFF, when heard
| Lady Torrington say: Now, Lady Mar
garet won't you show us one OF your pref
| ~ dances?" 1t took me a few seconds to
comprehend what was intended but when
| / heard Lady Margaret answer: Certainly,
| with pleasure, If some one will play for
| me-" as she arose and walked to the center
| OF the large room, and there stood waiting,
| it suddenly dawned upon HE that We were
TO be treated to skirt dance. Indeed, a
young lady, to whom 1 had ben talking at
| the moment. exclaimed:
| How awfully jolly! Have you ever seen
i regrctfully answered had not.
| Fancy! Then you have a treat in store
'' Lazy sS'' MarSAA let is the daughter of one of
| the oldest eaClA in the peerage. hand
some girl, tall Md straight, with n perfect
| figure and softly rounded arms and bust.
In short, the sort Of looking girl you would
| think a sculptor might well choose for
| model. She could not have been over TWEEN
| ty. and innocence seemed to Slumher la
| tie pure depths Of her dark violet eyes.
| When / looked again another young lady
| had seated herself at the piano and be-
| gun to play. The opening bars We're of
| soft, dreamy sort of air, slew and faint.
| Already Lady Margaret had begun to
| dance. SO slowly. however. as If with a
| sort of sliding. skating motion that you
could not discover the point even of a foot
beneath her long black silk skirt, which
| reached to the floor i'm front and trailed be-
| hind in a train. Gradually her movements
| Quckered, the music did. her body
| swayed gently from side to side. her arms
! in graceful motion describing varied lines
| OF beauty in tuneful measure withal. First
| her finger tips met above her head and
| then dropped to her sides, where they
| deftly gathered her skirts upward, dis
| playing her small patent-leather pumps
| ar black silk stockings just above the in
| step. Then the frill Of a laoe-bordered pet
ticoat came into view. This i'm turn
| gradually almost imperceptibly, raised, to
give freer play to her lower limbs which
were now indulging In series of little
| pointed kicks. All the time the girl was
| dancing sort of sliding waltz step-when
she was not kicking Her pace quickened
| each second, the kicks became more fire.
| quent and higher from the floor by this
| time the front of her petticoat had been
lifted halfway to her knees. the back
breadths still trailing behind and making
white background for the black silk
| hosiery whose every movement was thus
| depleted in striking relief. An inch or two
| higher stole the petticoat in front, the
black legs gyrated and kicked and pirout-
| ted while the people held their breath.
| You had hardly time to wonder what was
| coming next. when there was upward
| kick quick the lightning's fash, which
must have topped five feet in the perpen-
| dicular. and left a dim impression OF two
! lines of descending drapery, which as
| quickly became horizontal again.
| In an instant the vision was gone. the
| music had stopped, and Lady Margaret.
| her skirts again dropped to their wonted
| position. was courtesying her acknowledge
! ments to the applause which greeted her
| on all sides.
! "Bravo!" Captal"' lawfully jolly"
| shouted the men, with an occasional En-
| core," while the women smiled and chopped
| their hands.
! How very clever Of you. my Dear"
| croaked an old lady as Lady Margaret
| came toward her. You're as good as Tag
| lone or Ell Cerito. and I've seen both, can
| tell you.
Thanks. awfully." painted Lady Marga-
| ret. Mime. Verdier. my teacher. says I'm
| not had"
Bad, my dear? Why. IT'S quite wonder