Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-08-16
A GOOD DANCER.

IhlS, however, L Will own up to-
whether it is boasting OF mott do know
whether a man is a good dancer o.
whether he is not from the very first
moment my finger tips drop upon his
arm.
That man about whom I was let i'll
assembly ball is a very good case III
point Whatever We're his other draw
backs, he was undoubtedly a good
waltzer-one of the best I ever danced
with.
Certainly, as it turned out, he did not
dance with any other girls, but 1 don t
see that that weakens my statement
You cannot judge much of the way a
man dances by merely looking at his
heels OF watching the way he handles
his partner.
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
man to whom they had never been in
troduced.
My fascinating partner and 1 never
We're formally introduced. The thing
was quite simple, and 1 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 gathering Of
no particular clique Or set. 1t was a
room full Of people who were in a 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 mamma good ten minutes, had up
till then only ten names scrawled down
OF my programme, and l had no others
in view.
So when man came up from behind.
bowed, addressed me by name and asked
for dance felt distinctly glad to see
him. He was rather tall, dark, with
black eyes. black mustache and good
teeth, and, for anything [ knew, his
name might have been Adam.
couldn't do less than bow slightly
and conclude that I had been introduced
TO him one Of the previous years. [ also
saw fit to give him waltz ''No. T."
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 care to dance with.
Awfully obliged.
/ suppose the compliment was tritie
broad, but it tickled me at the time, and
gave him the dance next after supper.
''By the way" said he, fare you ell
gagged for the first eXtra?' I suppose
they have such thing?'
From that very first moment I told
myself was i'll luck S way. At the first
sweep of the waltz I knew it. By the
time we made the first round Of the
floor felt that I 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 partner-a thing which l
very rarely allow myself to say to any
man after waltz, lest it should make
him mdnly conceited-I said, "Thank
yon.
''Thank you very much, - replied he.
81 don't think l ever had such de-
licious dance before. Could you give me
tnother?'
"You have two others already" /
suggested.
So gave him the supper dance when
he asked for it, and the extras after,
and the polka before.
He left me then. and for the most
part he stood with his back against
pillar, his hands in his pockets and
very bored expression on his dark, hand
some face.
must confess that we had the fourth
Iogether--another waltz Those tire
some men either wouldn't dance Or
didn't know me, and [ say visions Of
sitting it out i'll single blessedness, when
my fascinating partner came up and
saved the situation.
"Would again take compassion on
him? Might ne? Thanks, SO much -
Soon afterward he took me up stairs
and laughed and showed me a SING lit
lie sitting room, which even I had not
known of before. He said it belonged to
supposed to be nsed.
lyon seem to know the place pretty
weli,'' said, I with the idea of trying to
find out who he was, because still l
couldn remember having ever met him
before.
''I think I may say know every inch
of it,
"Do you live somewhere near here
then? I--er-I forget. -
mot SO fortunate, I'm afraid. The
fact is, I'm a cockney. rats down here
Oh purpose for the dance D'you know"
he continued, laughing, "it's an awful
jar to my feelings to discover such
thing, but can see you don recollect
me one littla bit.
j "t's awfully rude Of me. I know,
but, you sec, I come across so many new
faces that =
i "msignificant items are forgotten,
Precisely. Well, shall keep up the III
eognito little longer, and then if you
cannot fiatter me by remembering l
shall humble myself and own up to who
am
Ny fascinating partner got up and
shut the door.
"Miss Conyers, does 1t strike you
that with this dance and the next, which
you had given me already, and the sup
per and the supper extras you have Civ
en yourself into my charge for at least
three quarters of an hour? Let me i'm
press upon you that no one is likely to
disturb US.
didn't like his manner one little Bit.
am not nervous, but I got up and said
thought it would be better to go down
stairs,
lawfully sorry to differ from you,
Miss Conyels, but | must ask you to
stay"
He turned the key in the lock and put
1t in his pocket
f'Pieasa sit down again. Sit down,
say, Miss Conyers, and don't make a
noise. ] don't think any one could hear
son, even if you did scream out, but if
sou try to make the experiment shall
pc forced to resort to unpleasant meas
slres. in fact, | shall be compelled to
cram part OF this antimacassar into your
mouth by way of !. gag, So now you
are reasonable -