The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-08-13
A GOOD DANCER.

The men tell me that l am Il pretty
good dancer myself, which may or may
not be the case.
This, however, l will own up to,
whether it is boasting or mott do know
whether a man is u good dancer or
whether he is not from the very first
moment my finger tips drop upon his
arm.
That man about whom | was let in
for so much unmerciful chaff at u last
assembly ball is II very good case III
point. Whatever were his other draw
backs, he was undoubtedly a good
waltzer-one of the best | ever danced
with.
Certainly, as it turned ont, he did not
dance with any other girls, but | don't
see that that weakcns my statement.
You cannot judge much Of the way u
man dances by merely hooking at his
heels or watching the way he handles
his partner.
l know most Of them would give their
ears now to say that they had danced
with him. They don't say SO, Of course.
They say they'd never have danced with
q man to whom they had never been in
troduced..
My fascinating partner and l never
were formally introduced. The thing
was quite simple, and | >daresay the
trick has been played thousands Of times
before. Ask you own brother, on his
honor, if be is innocent of it.
The assembly ball was a gathering Of
no particular clique or set. 1t was a
room full Of people who were in q great
measure strangers to one another.
With this last assembly | was feeling
at first more than usually out Of tune,
because, although l had been standing
by a good ten minutes, l had up
till then only ten names sCrawled down
on my programme, and | had no others
in view.
So when a man came up from behind,
bowed, addressed me by name and asked
for a dance l felt distinctly glad to sec
him. He was rather tall, dark, with
black eyes, black mustache and good
teeth, and, for anything l knew, his
name might have been Adam.
/ couldn't do less than bow slightly
and conclude that l had beer introduced
to him one of the previous years. l also
saw fit to give him waltz mo. -
which he asked for.
And would you take compassion on
me and give me another said he. Il
know SO few people here this year-at
least so few that l care to dance with.
Awfully obliged
/ suppose the compliment was a trifie
broad, but it tickled me at the time, and
l gave him the dance next after supper.
"By the way said he, 'are you en-
gagged for the first extra: l suppose
they have such a tlling:'
From that very first m l told
myself l was in luck way. At the first
sweep Of the waltz l knew it. By the
time we made the first round of the
floor l felt that l could have danced on
with that partner forever.
We danced the dance through to its
very last lingering bar. and l said to my
fascinating pa~tner-a thing which |
very rarely allow myself to say to any
man after a waltz, lest it should make
him unduly cOnceited-I said, ''Thamk
you"
Thank yoa very much" replied he.
Il don't think l ever had such a de
licious dance before. Could you give Inc
another
You have two others already"
suggested.
SO l gave him the supper dance whcl
he asked for 1t, and the extras after
and the polka before.
He left me then, and for the mos
part he stood with his back against
pillar, his hands IN his pockets and
very bored expression on his dark, hand
some face.
l must confess that we had the fOurtl
together-another waltz. Those tire
some men either wouldn't dance O
didn't know me, and l saw visions G
sitting it ont in single blesSedness, whel
my fascinating partner came up an
saved the situation.
"Would l again take compassion o
him: Might he: Thanks, SO much
Soon afterward he took me up stair
and laughed and showed me q snug Ii,
tie sitting ROOM, which even l had nc
known of before. He said it belonged t
the manager or some one and was nc
supposed TO be used.
lyon seem to know the place prett
WELL" said. l with the idea Of trying I
find out who he was, because still
couldn' t remember having ever met hi
before.
II think l may say l know every inc
Of it"
"Do you live somewhere near he
then? I-er-I forget"
mot SO fortunate, I'm afraid. II
fact is, I'm a cockney. l ran down he
ON purpose for the dance. D'you know
he continued, laughing, cts an awf
Jar to my feelings to discover such
thing, but I can see you don't recollo
me one little bit.
"It's .awfully rude of me, I kno
but, you see, I come across so many Ut
faces that
"Iasignifcant items r forgottt
Precisely. Well, I shall keep up the