Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-05-30
HE WENT TO 4 DANCE.

Speaking Of practical jokes" said
a drummer to the Louisville Courier
Journal the other night, Il was the
victim of one of the most embarrassing
| have heard of for a long time. 1t
was during my first trip south and, not
being familiar with the people in this
part OF the country, l thought l had
found a really sociable place when
three young 'SwellS' of the town with
whom l had been talking the evening
before asked me to go with them to
a dance that was to be given at a
female seminary a few miles from the
city. l had been away from home for
some time, and not having had the
pleasure of being in the company of
young ladies I was fairly delighted
at the idea Of spending a pleasant
evening.
L told them l would be pleased to
go, and, after hurried prepara ton, we
started. The young men laughed at
the idea Of my paying anything toward
the carriage hire, and l felt that | had
never been in the company of more
hospitable set Of men.
When we arrived at the place the
dance had aleady begun. We left the
carriage in care Of a negro man and
entered the ball room. Of course, I
felt very strange at first among so
many strangers, but my companions
seemed to feel quite at home, and in
|
young women at once. One of the
young men took me by the arm and
led me across the room to where there
sat a young woman who was rather
pretty and had an extremely neat APP
pearance.
After receiving an Introduction to
her | sat down and started a CONVEX
sation. Soon she was talking at an as
tonishingly rapid rate. | became
rather interested in the girl, but was
very much surprised to learn that she
was the twentieth daughter of a
wealthy farmer. At last she began to
talk and laugh so loudly that l began
to feel little embarrassed, and asked
her if she did not want to dance. She
was on her feet in an instant, and we
had danced few steps when she sud-
denly yelled out at the top of her voice,
Don't! Don't! Oh, don't hold me so
tight. l am full of DYNAMITE and she
uttered yell that made the cold chills
run up and down my back.
4 turned her loose in an instant,
and stood simply Mortified. | felt like
swearing when the other people in the
room only laughed and kept Oh dane
ing. l did not know what to do.
knew I had done nothing l should not
have done, Intentionally at least, but
| started up to her with an apology,
when one of my companions came up
with a young woman on his arm. He
gave me an Introduction to her, and
asked me if l would not dance the next
set with her. | did not feel like dane
ing bit, but there was no way of get
ting out of it, so | told him | would.
While we were sitting down waiting
for the next dance she told me she had
been married fourteen times and had
1000 children at home. | thought she
was just trying to joke me, and asked
her where she lived. She said she
lived in heaven. l knew something
was wrong with her, and | made up
my mind right there that l would not
dance with her, | asked her to excuse
me moment, and without waiting for
reply rushed across the room toward
the door. | thought to myself that if
l once got on the outside | would never
attend another swell dance in Ken
lucky.
Il had got within a few feet of the
door when an old woman ran up and
threw her arms around my neck. She
yelled out that [ was her lost son, who
ran away from home 400 years ago,
when | was a mere child. | tried to
tear myself away from the woman,
and she tainted at my feet. [ made
a dart for the door and when L reached
the threshold | looked back and saw
several persons carrying her off the
floor. I was dazed. l expected to be
arrested every moment. | saw a man
outside and asked him if there was
not a train leaving that place soon.
He said there would be one going to
Louisville in .OOut an hour, and | con-
Guided to wait around the little sta
ton until it was ready to leave. [ do
not remember to have ever heard q
more welcome sound than the whistle
of that train, after spending an hour
in silent misery. 1 reached my hotel
in this city shortly after midnight, but
could not sleep. l had learned on the
train that l had been to an insane
asylum ball, and was as mad as a
hornet.
WHAT SOCIETY T AIKS OF