Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1895-02-15
Pa FRIDAY, FEBRUARY Is. 1895.
self conscious, but triumphant and

self-conscious, but triumphant and
composed.
''Bow yer partners, cried the floor
master, when the orchestra had start
ed its scraping.
Down went the gray poke bonnet !;
down went the great derby, and q
smile of Joy o~erspread the broad face
beneath it.
"Swing yer partners" ]"
The great arms went around the
plump form, lifting it off its feet !;
their owner spun round, carefully re-
placed his burden on the floor, bowed,
smiled and whispered, 'sAin't ct
grand?"
"Corners!'
The young woman in blue satin
gave slight scream that was meta.
morphosed into giggle as she felt
herself swung through space in the
arms of the muscular person toward
whom she had caresned. Her partner,
one of the young city men with high
silk hat, grlnned and whispered in
her ear, "Oat cake
"Leads for'a'd an back !"
William Larker seized his partner g
plump hand and bounded forward,
bowing and twisting, his free arm ges-
ticulating in unison with his legs and
feet. He was in it now, in the thick
of the dance; in it with his whole
heart. Whenever there was any dozy-
doughing to be done William was
there; if a cousin went ''visitin' he
was with them; when "Ladies in tho
center !" was called he was there; in
every "Grand chain" he turned the
wrong way; he gripped the ladies'
hands until they inwardly crowned ;
he tramped on and crushed the patent
leather pumps of the young city man,
and in response to a muttered some
thing smiled his unconcern, bolted
back to his corner and swung his part
ner, and whispered: "Ain't it grand.
The young women giggled facetiously,
and winked at their acquaintances in
the next set the forward youth in the
bicycle costume talked about road
sweepers, and the city young man said
"Oat cake.
But the young Dunkard was uncon-
scious of it all to the end-the end
that came most suddenly and broke up
the dancing.
"Swing yer partners" bawled the
floor master.
William Larker obeyed. A ragged
bit of the sole of his shoe. worn
through by shutfiing, caught in a
crack and over he went, his partner
clasped tight in his arms, off the high
platform.
There was blood on the big boulder
and cash in Williams s scalp when he
was picked up a moment later and car
ried down to the spring. The doctors
poured water over him and bandaged
up his head, and when he recovered
his senses he found himself the center
of all eyes.
His first glance fell upon the white
face of Mary Kuckenbach, who, seated
on stump. was weeping heartily,
despite the efforts of large crowd OF
sympathizing women to allay her
fears. He looked up and his eyes met
those of the young woman in blue
satin, who was looking down on him,
and he saw her giggle, and turn and
speak into the crowd. He thought
that he noticed high silk hat and
heard the word ''Oat CAKE" and then
and there he resolved to return and
never again depart from the quiet ways
of his fathers.
They drove home in the early morn
ing. William Larker and Mary Kuch-
enbach. And they had crossed the
last ridge and we're looking out over
the broad valley toward the dark
mountains at the foot of which lay
their homes, when the first word was
spoken.
The girl looked at her companion
and said: "Be-el, amt dancin' dang
rous?"
..The young man cut the mare with
the whip, blushed, and with much
confusion, replied: 'Yais, kinder. But
-but-I'm sorry I drug you off tn
platform like that"
She covered her mouth with her
hand and giggled. William just saw
the corner of one of her eyes as she
looked up at him from under the gray
bonnet, and replied: ooh! 1 didn't
min that. Et was ies' lovely-tell we
hit"
The mare swerved to one side to-
ward the fence and the driver seized
the rein he had dropped and pulled
her back into the beaten track. Then
the whip fell from his hands and he
stopped and clambered down into the
road and recovered it. But when he
regained his seat in the buggy he
wrapped the reins twice around the
whip, and the intelligent beast trotted
home unguided. New York Sun.