The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-24

4 some knowledge Of the rest Of the COM
I pauy present
] "of course you get inroductions."
"Humph"
But although our young man had moth
/ ing conclusive to oppose 10 the above in
I his own mind he still fought shy OF the
/ brilliant mansion with its seethiug throngs
/ Of unknown individuals. n he had known
I the Macaueys Well-but he scarcely knew
I them at alls by his fathers desire he had
. indeed called in HYDE Park Square ON
7 first arriving In London, but for some time
T no notice had been taken Of his card.
Subsequently he had been invited to
5 family dinner at the dun time Of the year;
aud found the big dun house even duIer
7 than other places. He had cold. and the
I Macauleys, one and all. bad colds. and
/ no one had made any effort 70 brighten
/ an evening which on both sides was felt
+ to be sacrificed TO the altar of duty. He
+ did not see the force OF a second sacrifice.
Unfortunately, however, for my heros
I resolution, he could not resist arguing
! the point. and IL ended in this, that with
t out any intention Of going TO the ball, be-
fore his visitor left he had ceased to say
4 positively that he would not 90.
Next day he came to a glorious decis-
/ ion. Scribling a hasty acceptance he
/ winked himself as he enclosed il in the en-
I velcpe-it was easy TO accept, easier stin
! to fail when the evening came.
/ Accordingly Doddy found himself telling
] A44H 0lAlEI gDNu6 men aL Llt DduA Luai ne
! had "a jolly nuisance Of a bali to go 10 or
! the 25th; and when several among them
I re1oined that they also had Jolly nui-
/ sances" OF the same nature on hand, he
was rather please. 1t was something
/ not only to have engagements like other
/ people but to be able to slight them.
/ None Of the others had the smallest in
/ tention Of evading their nuisances, as he
+ could very well perceive: on the con-
/ trary. they were wont to dilate with eX-
/ ultation on their own, and 10 evince
burning curiosity regarding his. Was il to
! be a swell affair? Were the people richg
Would they do the thing well?
Certainly the people were rich. and pre-
[ sumably they would do the thing well.
He was looked at with envy; he began
/ to feel the twitterings of Il faint excite
ment within his own breast. II only it had
/ come sooneri Come when he first looked
{ longingly to the other side of the great
/ city for one reckoning finger of the revolv-
{ ing wind mill; when he heard the roar and
/ crash Of festal mirth as a dull. PARKWAY
1 sound not meant for his ears. having fer
! him no meaning. no significance. How he
/ would once have rejoiced at sight of that
/ ball room card!
But now-well, perhaps it was not too
/ late even now TO begin? He owned to
| secret inquisitiveness as to what an at
/ fair of the kind was like. Nobody seemed
/ to regard balls as formidable. or indeed
! DIS OAAGIllB any POSSIBILITIES out those OF
unbounded enjoyment. Surprising he were
/ to go.
! By-and-by he contrived, by casual re-
/ mark, dropped apparently at random, to
| post himself up in ball room ways He
| learned the time at which it was etiquette
I to appear. He would fan have learned
/ also when to go. but that did not seem to
/ be regulated, save by inclination and op-
/ pOrtunity.
| A fortnight elapsed. and it is safe to af-
/ firm that no single day passed on which
| Doddy did not ponder at every leisure
moment over the all important question.
/ 1t had assumed a gigantic Importance in
his eyes.
Then there came a crucial moment; he
was purchasing a silk scarf at his haber-
dasher's, and another Gust mer was buy ny
a pair Of white kid gloves.
/ 'I-ah-I think I'll have IA pair Of
| gloves too" observed Doddy carelessly
/ With the gloves in his pocket he felt that
he had crossed the Rubicon, and when he
laid them down on the mantelpiece be
meath the all-important card, it seemed to
/ him as If every one who came in must
! know he had decided to go to the ball.
/ Let theml He had decided.
He had no other anxieties, for he had
| gone to a good tailor on first taking up
/ his abode in London, and happily fashion
1 is not SO caprcious in the matter of dress
/ suits as on other points. When he had
bought white kid gloves. he knew it was
/ no use pretending he meant any longer
| to avoid society. 81 darsay 7 shall forget
/ all about the 18th" he nevertheless made
4 a feint of telling himself, when once or
/ twice on busy day he actually did forget
/ all else in his work; but no sooner was he
! outside the bank than forgetfulness dis
/ appeared as by magic
Other events began to center round the
! ball. He engaged to go up the river on
. EaNTa
/ water expedition would be welcome after
the fevered joys of the previous evening
/ He declined a theater for the night before
and TO dine with an acquaintance the
! same day. He wanted to keep a clear
space all around the central object
Twice he attended it in dreams; on one
/ occasion in his dressing gown and slip
pers, on another in his fathers old uni
form, pinned in at the waist and shout
ders to suit his slighter frame. Bathed
. in perspiratiOn he woke with the mock
ings and hootings of the whole assem-
blage ringing in his ears.
About these midnight terrors, however.
Doddy held his tongue. What fool he
| was! Why could he not go to the bah like
anyone else, and enjoy himself and have
a jolly good time as others did? What
could induce him to be such an unutter-
able ass to be haunted in his sleep by
/ Mrs. MaCaulay's simple invitation card ?
] II was Jolly KIM OF Mrs. MacaulaN to
ask him; and he would go-be hanged if
| he wouldn't
The suspicious evening arrived, and as
he attired himself with pains and pre-
cision Doddy whistled and sang aloud
snatches of devil-may-care songs He was
| excited, and he liked to think, pleasure
bly, SO. He was going to have q ripping
time, and who said he was shy and nerv-
Gus about it? 1t was nothing-a mere
| nothing. But in his heart of hearts he
knew that the truth was he had talked
about the ball so much, wavered so often,
and alternately dreaded and yearned after
I it SO persistenly, that now the supreme
moment had come the bulldog courage in
his English blood would not let him turn
tail. With beating heart. therefore, but
with a set face and rigidly calm exterior.
/ he offered a front to the foe in the shane
OF his comely hostess, who in gorgeous
raiment awaited her guests at the top of
/ the staircase.
AT least l am not here in my dressing
/ gown he said to himself with a grim
sense of deadly humor in the situation.
The situation was this: After Mrs. Ma
caulay had extended her hand and smiled
her second best smile-for she was men
{ tally noting ave there's noddt-