Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-23
DANCED AT LEAP YEAR BALLS
Fair Maids and Gallant Beaux of Other
Days.
PAGES OF SOCIETY HISTORY TURNED BACK
An Individual Who Has Grown Ola
with the Passing of Years Dis
cusses Some Swell Events of
the Last Decade.
PAGES OF SOCIETY HISTORY TURNED BACt

More than six weeks have passed
since local society marshaled its forces
and, dancing lively deux temps,
welcomed the New Year with an elab-
crate leap year ball. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that number Of weddings have
engaged the attention of societys devotees
Since the beginning of the present year, the
aftermath of the great leap year ball has not
yet become trite. There are fair madens
and gallant men who have not spoken to
each other since that event. and there are
others who have been waiting ever since that
event to pay off certain scores made dur
ing the evening It's all because the poor
young women had not had sufficient ex-
perience in filling out programs, and then,
perhaps, the programs did not contain num-
bers enough for them to repay all the young
men who had been kind to them.
at was ever So" remarked prominent
society man to Bee reporter the other
evening, 1--WE been in Omaha awhile and
I've seen ether leap year balls. recall the
great leap year dance of 1892. 1t was given
at the Millard hotel on New Years night
and was the most brilliant dancing party
given during that period 1t outshone even
the swell assemblies that were such promi-
nent feature of social life in 1890 and 1891.
Yes, there were gentlemen wall flowers and
today"
After looking through his collection of
souvenirs OF social events that have passed
the society man brought out a program, a
glove that had once been white, bit OF
white ribbon and a dainty little slipper
The program showed that the society man,
who is now considered trfe passe, was
immensely popular at the time of the last
leap year dance. Every number had a
name written opposite it. The reporter
thought it would be interesting to print the
names that appeared on the program. But
the society man said: "No. indeed You
see it might hurt the feelings of some Of
those fair young women who were single
then and are the same today"
CHERISHED IN HIS MEMORY.
On the bottom Of the sole of the cute little
slipper, which the society man appeared to
cherish very dearly, were pasted a few clip
pings from local papers of the following day.
Some OF them read like this: Its quite
impossible said one young debutante, to
dance with all Of these men, and I'm in
debted to them all. 1t will take the whole
year to set things right with me, and Pm
not infatuated with the prospect little bit, ;
But think OF the heart burnings I'm respon-
s!ble for said another clever woman. Why
dent you follow the course | have mapped
out?' queried third. Don't ask these lords
of creation, but look on this vanity fair in
mcrocosm with that sublime faith which
Carlyle gives to his hero In "Sarter Resar-
tus'' VIII you go into the smoking roOm?'
said tall, finely proportioned houri to a
petite blonde as they drifted along the hall
way from the ballroom. Not Just now I'm
engaged for Manhattan cocktail said an
ingenue as she wlnked the other eye"
Yes" said the society man, after reading
the clippings, "the result OF that leap year
dance was the division Of society into two
stubborn factions Just as II the petty little
squabLles over the division Of ones dances