The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-08-17

know whether Il man is a good dancer or
whether he is not from the very
first moment my finger tips drop upon his
arm.
The man about whom | was let in for
so much unmerciful chaff at our last as
semi ly ball is a very good case in point.
Whatever wee his other drawbacks, he
was undoubtedly a good waltZer-one Of
the best ever danced with.
Certainly, as it turned out, he did not
dance with any other girls, but | don't
see that that weakens my statement
You cannot judge much of the way Il
man dances by merely looking at his
heels or 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 said they'd never have danced with
a man to whom they had never been intro
duced.
My fascinating partner and never were
formally introduced. The thing was quite
simple, and daresay the trick has been
played thousands OF times before. Ask
your own brother, on his honor, if he is
innocent of it.
The assembly ball was a gathering OF no
particular clique or set. 1t was room
full of people who were in 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 on
my programme, and ! had no others in
view.
So when han 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 l knew, his name might have
been Adam
| couldn't do less than bow slightly and
conclude that | had been introduced to
him one of the previous years. also saw
fit to give him waltz "No. =" 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 trifle
broad, but it tckled me at the time,
and | gave him the dance next after
supper
by the way" said he, ''are you en-
gagged for the first extra? | suppose they
have such a thing"
From that very first moment | told my
self | was in lucks way. At the first
sweep of the waltz | knew it. Ely the
time we made the first round of the floor
felt that could have danced on with that
partner forever.
We danced the dance through to its very
last lingering bur, and | said to my fasc-
mating partner-a thing which | very
rarely allow myself to say to any man
after waltz, lest it should make
him unduly conceited i said, "Thank
you"
THANK you very much," replied he.
81 don't think | ever had such delicious
dance before. Could you give me an
other %
You have two others already" | sug-
gested.
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 ex-
preston on his dark, handsome face.
must confess that we had the fourth
together - another waltz. Those tire
some men wouldn't either dance or didn't
know me, and | saw visions of sitting
it out in single blessedness, when my
fascinating partner came up and saved the
situation.
"Would l again take compassion on
him? Might he? Thanks, so much.''
Soon afterward he took me upstairs
and laughed and showed me snug little
sitting room, which even had not known
of before. He said it belonged to the
manager or some one and was not sup
posed to be used.
''You seem to know the place pretty
well, " said l, with the idea of trying to
find out who he was, because still |
couldn't remember ever having met him
before.
81 think l may say I know every inch
of it,"
"Do you live somewhere near here then?
l-er-I forget
"Not so fortunate, l am afraid The
fact is, Pm cockney. | ran down here
on purpose for the dance. D'you know"
he continued, laughing, cts an awful
jar to my feelings to discover such thing
but can see you don't recollect me one
little bit"
''It's awfully rude of me, l know,
but, you see, | come across so many new
faces that